The logo of the 2022 Japan Cup season.
The Mini 4WD Japan Cup (Japanese: ミニ四駆 ジャパンカップ, Mini Yonku Japan Kappu) is a annual, national Mini 4WD race tournament by Tamiya that takes places in Japan.
Tamiya holds the Japan Cup around June to October each years. (formerly July to August prior to hiatus after Japan Cup 1999) The main sponsors for Japan Cup beside Tamiya are Fujitsu and Shogakukan, later joined by New Era Cap Company since the 2016 season and Yokohama Rubber Company since the 2021 season.
General info[]
Instead of the 3-lane circuits, the Japan Cup, much like Grand Prix Spring, Autumn Cup and Mini 4WD Grand Prix, uses the 5-lane circuits that allows up to 5 racers at once.
Tamiya had once put the Japan Cup into hiatus following the conclusion of the Japan Cup 1999, but revived it in 2012 with the Japan Cup 2012 season.
Starting with the 2016 season, participants who are over 18 years-old and are attending the Open Class will require to fill-in the electronic entry application form through either on Tamiya official website[1] (For both in Japan and oversea.) or through Tamiya Passport app (for those in Japan only), prior to entering the race events. The Tamiya Passport app was later phased out for the 2022 season.
Cover cars[]
- Dash-1 Emperor (1988 and 1989 seasons)
- Dash-0 Horizon (1990 season)
- Dash-001 Great Emperor (1991 season)
- Aero-Solitude (1992 season)
- Liberty Emperor (1993 season)
- Magnum Saber (1994 season)
- Victory Magnum (1995 season)
- Cyclone Magnum (1996 season)
- Beat-Magnum (1997 season)
- Knuckle Breaker (1998 season)
- Lightning-Magnum (1999 season)
- Avante Jr. (2012 season, temporary)
- Aero Avante (2012 season, replacing the Avante Jr.)
- Blast Arrow (2013 season)
- Abilista (2014 season)
- Shooting Proud Star (2015 season)
- Rise-Emperor (2016 season)
- DCR-01 (2017 season)
- Dash-1 Emperor Memorial (2018 season)
- Baron Viento Japan Cup 2019 (2019 season)
- Neo-VQS Japan Cup 2020 (2020 season)
- Dual Ridge Jr. Japan Cup 2021 (2021 season)
- Super Avante Jr. (TD4) (2022 season)
- Estoura (2023 season)
Circuits[]
- Great Dash Circuit (1988 season, preliminary rounds)
- Ultra Great Dash Circuit (1988 season, final rounds)
- Dash Circuit (1989 season, preliminary rounds)
- Ultra Dash Circuit 1989 (1989 season, final rounds)
- Horizon Circuit (1990 season, final rounds)
- Super Web Dash Circuit (1991 season, final rounds)
- Dragon Scroll Circuit (1992 season)
- Japan Cup 1993 Circuit (1993 season)
- Great Aero Circuit (1994 season)
- Victory Aero Circuit (1995 season)
- Super Cyclone Circuit (1996 season)
- Great Atomic Circuit (1997 season)
- Knuckle Power Circuit (1998 season)
- Super Lightning Circuit (1999 season)
- Ultra Aero Circuit (2012 season)
- Super Climb Circuit 2013 (2013 season)
- Super Glide Circuit 2014 (2014 season)
- Hyper Dash Circuit 2015 (2015 season)
- Ultra Burning Circuit 2016 (2016 season)
- Great Cross Circuit 2017 (2017 season)
- Classic Circuit 2018 (2018 season)
- Miracle Baron Circuit 2019 (2019 season)
- Max Surprise Circuit 2020 (2020 season)
- Max Surprise Circuit Remix 2021 (2021 season)
- DX Rolling Circuit 2022 (2022 season)
- Bunny Hop Amazing Circuit 2023 (2023 season)
Gallery[]
Logos[]
Trivia[]
- Since Japan Cup 1990 season, Fujitsu become one the main sponsors for Japan Cup tournament. As such, Certain alkaline batteries made by Fujitsu can be used in Japan Cup since then.
- All the circuits, with the exceptions of the ones from 1988 to 1989 seasons, 1991 to 1993 seasons, 1997 season, 2013 to 2014 seasons, 2016 season, 2018 season and 2020 to 2022 seasons of the Japan Cup, were named either after the cover cars' names or certain naming from the fictional works the cover cars were featured from, (i.e. Horizon Circuit is named after Dash-0 Horizon)
- The Hyper Dash Circuit 2015 is a odd case, however, as it was named after the manga series Hyper Dash! Yonkuro. (where the cover car Shooting Proud Star is featured in)