Now, let’s watch a race at a velodrome!
So, why don’t you buy a ticket at a velodrome and watch a race? Keirin races are held briefly in four different time zones. Decide which event you want to see, check out the velodrome and timetable, and let’s go.
Morning
A ‘morning event’ lasts for about 3 days and 7-10 races are competed each day. The number of races is less than that of the day events. Only FII events take place in the morning.
Morning events start at around 9am and finish at noon.
Day
‘Day’ is most popular of all the keirin events.
An event lasts for 3 days but if it lasts longer, it takes for 6 days. Approximately 12 races take place per day in every half an hour. Most of the day events are tournaments, so the very last race on the very last day is the final.
Timetables differ depending on the event but the day races are mostly competed between 11:00 and 16:30.
Night
In this time zone, an event lasts for about 3 days and about 12 races are competed in a day. Grade races are also held during the night. ‘Summer Night Festival (GII)’ in July, or ‘Keirin Festival (GI)’ in November, to name a few.
Night events are scheduled between approximately 15:30 and 20:00.
Midnight
Midnight events take place later than night events, at around 20:30 to 23:30. An event lasts for 3 days and 7 – 9 races are competed each day. Midnight keirin is only for FII grades.
As it starts late at night, what’s required for midnight events is ‘quick tempo’ and ‘simplicity’. In this respect, midnight events have different rules in some ways. For example, ‘laps are less’, ‘competed by 7 cyclists (usually by 9 cyclists), ‘limited race tickets are available’, and so on.
In addition, as events take place late at night, all races are held without spectators. So you should buy a ticket and enjoy a race on the internet.
When you buy a ticket in a vending machine, you need a scatron sheet, which is known as ‘mark sheet’ in Japan. Please refer to KEIRIN.jp website to see how to fill in the sheet. English guide is available at Keirin guide.
What is Japan Institute of KEIRIN? / All about “KEIRIN” series 5
