When searching for an establishment in Japan, copy and paste the words “オートレース” into the search box, then enter the name of the place where you are located after putting a space.
How are you doing guys? This is Kei!
I am going to explain about 「AUTO RACE」 a public sport in which motorcycles compete today.
In the early days of 「AUTO RACE」 in Japan, it was held on unpaved tracks, but the tracks are paved now because of the danger of falling over.
◆What is 「AUTO RACE」?
「AUTO RACE」 is a form of public gambling recognized by the government, along with 「HORSE RACING (KEIBA)」, 「BOAT RACE」, and 「KEIRIN(BICYCLE RACE)」, and just like any other form of gambling, auto racers compete to win the race, and we guess the order.
The race track is 500 meters long and 30 meters wide, and is shaped like an oval with a slight inward slope.
The reason for the sloping shape is to help the racers maintain their speed while cornering, and to demonstrate their driving skills.
In principle, eight motorcycles race each other, and the number of laps varies depending on the grade of the race: 3,100m for six laps in a typical race, 4,100m for eight laps in a higher grade, and 5,100m for ten laps. The reason for the 100m difference is that the start point is set 100m before the finish line.
The motorcycles piloted by the auto racers have a top speed of 150 kilometers per hour! Furthermore, the motorcycles do not have brakes, and all acceleration and deceleration is controlled by the gas pedal alone, which is scary to imagine. ……
The reason why they don’t have brakes is because the distance between auto racers in a race is so close that applying the brakes could cause a rear-end collision. Eliminating brakes for safety’s sake is an incomprehensible world. haha
There are about 400 auto racers. There are also about 20 female racers and a wide range of ages, from as young as 18 to as old as 75! Racers are required to have more skill in controlling a motorcycle than physical strength, which means that even women and the elderly can be active.
◆Attraction of 「AUTO RACE」
【1】Speed
Speed is the most important factor in 「KEIBA」, 「BOAT RACE」, and 「KEIRIN」 as well, and when you see them live, you can feel the power and realism, but 「AUTO RACE」 is nothing compared to that. Now, let’s compare speed with other forms of gambling!
・「KEIBA」 70 kilometers per hour
・「KEIRIN」 70 kilometers per hour
・「BOAT RACE」 80 kilometers per hour
・「AUTO RACE」 150 kilometers per hour
Going at 90 km/h around corners and averaging over 100 km/h, trying to overtake when there is a gap in front and blocking the path of the racers behind to prevent them from overtaking.
【2】Handicap
Just like any other public gambling, auto racers are also ranked. From the top, they are divided into the following three categories.
・S Class 1~96 rank
・A Class 97~320 rank
・B Class 321 rank and down
The higher the ranking, the more races you can enter and the more money you can earn. Racers who have just graduated from 「AUTO RACE」 training schools and have just turned pro are aiming to move up from B Class to S Class. In 2020, the top prize money earner earned 88,894,055 Japanese yen.
The rankings change twice a year, based on the time and order of competition over a six-month period, and there is a huge difference in skill between the S Class racers and the B Class racers, so if they raced together, the results would be obvious.
That’s why 「AUTO RACE」 employs handicapping, which makes the races interesting… and makes predictions difficult. …… Handicaps are determined by comparing the abilities of the racers running against each other and their most recent race record.
The handicap is set in increments of 10 meters, but it can be up to 110 meters. Of course, if you are at the same level of ability, there is no handicap, and these races are called “Open Race”.
It doesn’t matter how skilled the racer is, he can’t win easily if he has a big handicap, which means that tactics are important. He can try to get ahead of the pack and get away from them, or He can try to stay on the inside of the track to prevent them from passing him from the inside, or he can change the position just in front of a rider who is trying to pass him and block the path…
【3】Payout
So, the question you’ve all been waiting for is how much money can you make? I’m sure you’re wondering.
First of all, 「AUTO RACE」 tickets can be purchased for as little as 100 Japanese yen! This is common to other public gambling events as well, but even 100 yen can be a shot in the arm… the feeling of being able to grab a dream for cheap is what attracts us.
Now, I’ll get back on track and explain the payout. The highest ever payout in 「AUTO RACE」 was 15,721,720 Japanese yen in the 12th round of the Isesaki Auto Race on May 22, 2006!
There are 336 ways to buy a trifecta in 「AUTO RACE」, but the winning ticket was number 331 in order of popularity. The highest payout for a trifecta in 「KEIRIN」, which is also an eight-car race, is 4,760,700 Japanese yen, so you can see how turbulent the race was.
Although it is inferior to 「KEIBA」 in terms of payout, 「AUTO RACE」 is far superior in terms of the ease with which you can hit the target.
Isn’t it great to be able to aim for high payout with ease?
◆How to participate in 「AUTO RACE」
You can join 「AUTO RACE」 today or even tomorrow.
Well then, here are three ways to join 「AUTO RACE」.
【1】Purchase a ticket at 「AUTO RACE」 track
The first is about purchasing tickets at 「AUTO RACE」 tracks. There are five 「AUTO RACE」 tracks in Japan (Kawaguchi, Isesaki, Hamamatsu, Sanyo, and Iizuka), and you can purchase tickets at each of them. You can buy the tickets by inserting the mark sheet into the ticket vending machine and paying cash. Marked sheets are placed in conspicuous places at the ticket windows and near the ticket vending machines, so don’t worry.
There are two things you need to pay attention to.
First, don’t forget to take the ticket!
If your prediction is correct, but you don’t have the ticket, it’s a disaster!
Second, be careful of the cutoff time!
The cutoff time for 「AUTO RACE」 is two minutes before the race starts. You can buy tickets up until the last minute, but I recommend buying tickets with plenty of time to spare, just in case something goes wrong!
【2】Purchase a ticket at an off-track ticket office
Off-track ticket office is a facility where you can buy tickets outside of 「AUTO RACE」 track. There are more than 30 of them spread all over the country, so it shouldn’t be too difficult to visit one no matter where you live.
How to buy a ticket and what to pay attention to when buying a ticket are the same as when buying a ticket at 「AUTO RACE」 track. If you have any problems, the staff will be there and everything will be fine.
【3】Purchase a ticket online
If you don’t have the time to go to 「AUTO RACE」 track and the ticket office is too far away, I recommend you to vote online.
In addition to being able to buy tickets for all tracks, you can also watch all races in real time, no matter where you are! You can also watch replays for free, so the convenience is really high.
The number of online voting members is increasing rapidly every year because of all the good things they offer, such as cash back and special gifts! You will need to open a designated bank account and register as a member, so check it out.
◆Type of ticket
There are seven types of tickets in 「AUTO RACE」 (Win・Place・Quinella Place・Quinella・Exacta・Trio・Trifecta), so let’s look at them one by one!
【1】Win
This is a ticket to guess the first place. As a rule, 「AUTO RACE」 is run by eight racers, so the chance of hitting the target is naturally 1/8. I only put in a lot of money when I’m confident that this racer is going to win this race.
【2】Place
This is a ticket that guesses the winner of the first three races. Of course, the probability of winning is higher than that of winning a single race, at 3/8, but the payout is lower. It is recommended for people who are solid and want to try to win.
【3】Quinella Place
This is a ticket that guesses the combination of two of the top three racers. The three target combinations are “first and second,” “second and third,” and “first and third. The probability of success is 3/28, which is also for those who are solid.
【4】Quinella
This is a ticket that guesses the racers that will come in first and second place. The odds of hitting the target are 1/28 because you can hit the target even if the first and second place cars are reversed. Since you don’t have to think about the order, it’s easier to guess.
【5】Exacta
This is the same as Quinella in that it guesses the racers that will come in first and second place. But the point is that you can’t hit the target if they don’t finish in order. The odds of hitting the target are 1/56, which is more difficult than the Quinella, but it also raises the payout. So, it’s a popular ticket because it has a good balance between the odds of hitting the target and the payout.
【6】Trio
Like Quinella, you don’t have to worry about the order in which the first three finishers come. The odds of winning are 1/56, and although it may seem difficult to guess because you have to choose three, the odds are actually the same as for Quinella.
【7】Trifecta
This is a ticket that guesses the combination of racers that will finish in the top three in order, and the concept is the same as the relationship between Quinella and Exacta. The probability of getting a hit is 1/336, which is still tough, but the record payout of 15,721,720 Japanese yen in the history of 「AUTO RACE」, which I introduced earlier, was of course the result of the Trifecta ticket, which can pay the highest payout.
This concludes the explanation of the seven types of tickets. You can start with Place or Quinella Place tickets to focus on the target rate, or you can trust your dreams to the Trifecta tickets to win a big payout.
◆How to predict 「AUTO RACE」
Now that you’re ready to buy your tickets, let’s talk about how to predict 「AUTO RACE」 to increase your chances of winning!
I’ll introduce three points that will help you in your predictions.
【1】Average ST
First of all, average ST, which is the start timing, the time when the riders leave the handicap line after the grand clock (the clock that signals the start of the race) points to zero.
The average ST is the number of seconds obtained by dividing the total number of ST timing in the last 90 days by the number of races run. The faster the average ST, the more likely you are to buy the ticket, because the better the start, the better the race.
【2】Handicap
The handicap is that thing I talked about in the part about the attraction of 「AUTO RACE」, the example of making the race interesting and the prediction difficult. Haha
This handicap can be up to 110 meters, so it is dangerous to jump into the race just because a racer has the ability, and it is essential to check how much of a handicap the racer has. The calculation of 10m = 0.01 seconds is approximately applicable.
【3】Latest Race Results
The racer list contains the results of the last five races for each rider. With this, you can see which 「AUTO RACE」 track they ran at, what their handicap was, their competition time, average ST, and percentage of consecutive finishes (the percentage of finishes in the top two). By looking at the most recent results, you will be able to see which racers have the highest expected value.
This concludes the introduction of the three points, all of which can be predicted up to the day before the race.
However, there are some things in 「AUTO RACE」 that can only be predicted on the day of the race.
This can also be checked on the racer list, but the relationship between the condition of the track and the riders’ strengths and weaknesses matters. Some racers do better on dry tracks, some on wet tracks, and so on.
Also, there is a test race that takes place 30 minutes before the race. In this test race, racers ride 100m as fast as they can and the time is called the test race time. This time is very important because it shows the condition of the racers and the motorcycles. There is a rule that if the competition time is faster than the test race time, a penalty will be imposed, so racers can’t skimp on the test race. The test race can be viewed on video 20 minutes before the race, so check it out!
◆People who is suited for 「AUTO RACE」
- Love motorcycles and motorcycling
- Want to watch a thrilling race
- Interested in gambling or like to gamble
- Want to have fun, but don’t have time to go away
- Want to play but don’t have time to travel
- Want to win money a lot in 「AUTO RACE」 and be popular with girls
- Want to meet girls who like 「AUTO RACE」
- Want to make friends through 「AUTO RACE」
◆People who is NOT suited for 「AUTO RACE」
- Not attracted to 「AUTO RACE」
- Do not like gambling
- Can’t stop themselves from gambling
- Can’t afford to buy tickets
- Don’t want to play with girls who like 「AUTO RACE」
◆Summary
So, how was it, guys? Did it inspire you to give 「AUTO RACE」 a try?
「AUTO RACE」 is the fastest and most thrilling form of public gambling in Japan. 「AUTO RACE」 is held almost every day at five tracks across the country, so check out the webcasts!
Racers who risk their lives to race on the track are really cool, aren’t they? Today, somewhere in Japan, I’m riding my motorcycle like an auto racer. Just be sure to ride safely. haha
See you guys, that was Kei!