This circuit began life in 1962 as a Honda test track and was designed by Dutchman John Hugenholz. Situated about 30 miles south-west of Nagoya, the track formed part of a motorcycle theme park, close to the nearby Honda factory. The park's expansion mirrored that of Honda, growing into a massive complex of hotels, golf courses and vehicle exhibits. Suzuka staged its first GP in 1963, a sportscar race won by British driver Peter Warr, who was later to see success at the head of the Lotus team. The circuit staged sportscar GPs upto 1969, with Formula 2 races following from 1971-1975, but there was disappointment in 1976 as the F1 circus favoured the Mount Fuji circuit for its arrival in Japan. It was in 1987, ten years after the last Japanese GP at Mount Fuji, that F1 finally arrived at Suzuka. Though safety modifications had reduced lap speeds, the track still posed an interesting challenge to the drivers - and remains to this day one of the few 'figure-of-eight' circuits. The 1989 and 1990 races proved the subject of much debate, as bitter rivals Senna and Prost collided in both races, each time effectively deciding the title, Prost winning in 1989, with Senna claiming revenge a year later. Recent years have seen substantial investment in facilities, as Honda contemplates a bid from rivals Toyota to return the Japanese GP to their revised Mount Fuji track.