Honda’s latest test track at its Takasu facility in Japan has been built with a special feature to replicate UK and Ireland road condition, potholes. Its new track has been created with numerous cracks and potholes to test vehicles destined for Ireland and the UK as normal Japanese roads simply are not rough enough.  

Honda says roads in countries such as Ireland are more absorbent than surfaces used in the rest of Europe and because of this are more prone to damage from ice, leading to potholes. With road maintenance budgets under pressure these are often never fixed, or fixed poorly so they reoccur. Honda have thus created the bumpy 4.25 mile track to test vehicle design aspects such as suspension and sound proofing.