Shanghai Tianma Circuit

Shanghai Tianma Circuit at a glance

Location

Songjiang District, Shanghai, Shanghai

Type

road course

Length

2.063 km (1.282 mi)

Turns

14

Direction

clockwise

Surface

asphalt

Opened

2004

Address

Junction of G1503 motorway and Shenzhuan Road, Sheshan

Website

stc2002.com

Track map and layout

上海天马赛车场 opened in September 2004 in Sheshan, Songjiang District on Shanghai's western edge, and carries an FIA Grade 4 licence, reflecting its role as a compact club and support-category circuit rather than a headline international venue. The 2.063 km lap has 14 turns (eight left, six right) and four corners widened to 14 metres to allow closer racing among touring cars and club machinery, and the venue sits inside a wider motoring resort complex with a 10,000 sq m proving ground and 4x4 course alongside the circuit itself.

Configurations

Events and race weekends

Tianma is best known internationally for a late-notice round of the FIA World Touring Car Championship in 2011, added to the calendar when a planned Guangdong race fell through. Domestically it has been a long-running home for China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) rounds from 2009 to 2022, plus China Truck Racing Championship, China Endurance Championship and its own Tianma Endurance Series, alongside TCR China (2020-2021) and TCR Asia Series (2021-2022) rounds.

Getting there and parking

The circuit sits in Sheshan, Songjiang District, on Shanghai's western edge, just off the G1503 motorway ring road. Shanghai Songjiang railway station serves the wider district, and both of Shanghai's international airports are within driving range on the motorway network.

• Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport (SHA)
• Shanghai Pudong International Airport (PVG)

The circuit is easiest to reach by car via the G1503 motorway; Shanghai Songjiang railway station is the nearest rail option for visitors without a car.

Hotels and camping near Shanghai Tianma Circuit

Most visitors stay in central Shanghai and drive or taxi out to Songjiang District for the day, since Tianma is a working circuit rather than a resort destination with extensive on-site lodging.

Where to look

Songjiang District (closer, smaller hotel supply); central Shanghai (larger hotel choice, connected by motorway and rail).

Track days, driving experiences and lap records

Unlike most other Chinese circuits on this list, Tianma is genuinely open to casual paying visitors: it runs a performance driving school, a drift school and public open track days where visitors can drive their own road car around the full circuit for a fee, and several resident racing clubs rent out basic race cars for track sessions, making it one of the most accessible circuits in China for hobbyist track driving.

Who runs days here

• Shanghai Tianma Circuit open track days / driving schoolboth

Typical cost: Open track days for road cars from around CNY 500 for a 25-minute session; club-rented race cars from around CNY 1,200 for a session (prices as reported by third-party sources, subject to change)

Lap records

Spectator guide

The circuit has a media centre and grandstand overlooking the main straight and start/finish area, sized for club and domestic racing rather than mass F1-style crowds, reflecting its role as a working track-day and club-racing venue as much as a spectator destination.

Seating

Single grandstand and media centre complex at the start/finish straight.

Weather

• General: typical Shanghai humid subtropical climate: hot, humid summers, mild but damp winters, with a wet season in early summer

History of Shanghai Tianma Circuit

A club circuit inside a motoring resort

Shanghai Tianma Circuit opened in September 2004 in Sheshan, Songjiang District, on the western fringe of Shanghai, at the same time the much larger Shanghai International Circuit was establishing itself in Jiading on the opposite side of the city. Tianma was built to a smaller, FIA Grade 4 scale and folded into a wider motoring resort complex that includes a 10,000 sq m proving ground, a 4x4 course, a clubhouse and even a cinema showing motoring films, positioning it as much as a leisure and driving-school destination as a competition venue.

An unlikely World Touring Car venue

Despite its modest grading, Tianma landed an unexpected moment in the international spotlight in September 2011, when it was added to the FIA World Touring Car Championship calendar at short notice after a planned round at Guangdong International Circuit fell through. The circuit's domestic pedigree ran deeper still, hosting China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) rounds every year from 2009 through 2022, plus China Truck Racing Championship, China Endurance Championship and its own Tianma Endurance Series, as well as TCR China and TCR Asia Series rounds in the early 2020s.

China's most accessible track-day circuit

What sets Tianma apart from most of China's other circuits is genuine, everyday public access. Alongside its competitive calendar, the venue runs a performance driving school and a drift school, and hosts open track days where visitors can bring their own road car onto the full circuit for a fee, with several resident clubs also renting out basic race cars for track sessions. That combination of serious domestic racing history and hobbyist-friendly access has made it one of the most popular circuits among Shanghai's car enthusiast community.

Frequently asked questions

Other tracks nearby

• Shanghai International Circuit · 31 km · road course
• Zhejiang International Circuit · 132 km · road course
• Ningbo International Speedpark · 163 km · road course
• Jiangsu Wantrack International Circuit · 208 km · road course
• Korea International Circuit · 640 km · road course
• Wuhan Street Circuit · 666 km · historic circuit (defunct)