Any F1 fans? Circuit of the Americas in Austin!

[Driv200]

I attended the F1 race at the brand new Circuit of the Americas track in Austin Texas. Since many do not follow F1 in America, I will share some info. The Circuit of the Americas is the first F1 track built specifically for F1 cars in the USA. It is now the premier track in the country and Moto GP and Super V8's are on the calendar. The track was barely finished in time for this innaugral event.

F1 is the pinnacle of auto racing. Considered the elite level of racing. F1 teams travel the globe and race on a different continent almost every weekend. They are paid 40+ million dollars or more to race. Like the Olympics, each driver represents their country and their anthem is played if they win. The global rich and famous seem to attend F1 events so it's often associated with the worlds elite, rich, and famous. George Lucas and Ron Howard were in the pits this weekend, as they are making a F1 film. Also, Mario Andretti and other greats were on hand. 9 helicopters were continuously bringing the rich to and from the track.

This event had Porsche GT3 Cup cars and Ferarri 458 challenge cars also running races prior to F1 cars. Priceless historic cars also raced.

F1 cars run at 18,000rpm and are millions a piece. I will post vids when I learn how to from my cell. I was at turn 12 where the cars used the DRS which is a Drag Reduction System. They can open and close their rear wing to help pass a car ahead on long straights. My seat allowed me to watch 200mph speeds slow to 60mph in a few feet before making turn. AMAZING!!!!

 

[TimeOut]

It is great that F1 is back in the states and this time, thanks to this brand new circuit, it will be for good.

I used to be a huge fan of F1 20+ years ago but, I stopped watching F1 after Ayrton Senna was killed in 1994. Now, thanks to this new circuit in Austin, I started watching F1 again and I will probably be there in Austin watching the race in person next year.

BTW, Did you buy the F1 2012 game? It is awesome. I just won Monaco last night

 

[Crusty Old Shellback]

I haven't watched F1 in a long time but did recently watch the Dubi race. Yes they are awsome. Let's just hope they stay here and do not fall victim and fail like some of the otehr racing venues did.

Anyone remember IMSA GT racing back in the 80's? Kind of like F1 but with fendered cars. That was awsome to watch as well.

I also recently saw one of the V8 supercar races. That should be a fun one to see. I was interested as I once owned a Pontiac G8, i.e. the Holden Commodore they race on V8 supercar. They like to run on the curbs. Two wheels in the air as they come around the corners. They tend to straighten out the schicane.

 

[Qbedobedoo]

Nothing beats the sound of F1 flying by doing +18K RPMS - sweet music to my ears!!!

Hopefully starting next year, the on-board cam will be HD.

 

[xiaphin]

I was at COTA for the inaugural F1 race. Surprised to see that Hamilton was able to get the best of Vettel since he was fastest in all practice and qualifying sessions. OP (Driv200) did you have specific seats or just general admission? We started off watching the race in turn one and made our way along the fence to turn 10 for the end of the race. Was in the perfect spot when Kimi passed Hulkenburg on the outside through turn two before heading into the S's. Ballsy pass.

Austin fan-fest in downtown Austin was nice to have since I feel many people at the race are not that familiar with F1. Although there were more foreign people than I had expected. Nice to see some older (3-4 year) F1 cars in person at fanfest. Redbull, Williams, McClaren Mercedes and Lotus had cars there.

Few things they need to work on for next year. More organized official merchandise booths. Took me an hour with 5 people in front of me to buy what I wanted. Better parking organization for when the race is over, took 2 hours to get out of lot L. But considering how the volunteers only had 2 weeks to prepare for such a big event I believe they did the best they could.

I will upload some pictures later on today and maybe some videos as well.

 

[Black Rocket 3.8]

Thanks for the great initial info on the F1 race in Austin! I too, am an avid fan. I attended Montreal this year and it was an amazing experience. You can't appreciate how capable the F1 cars are until you see them in person. I could barely hear for four days after the race, but hearing those cars at speed was a treat. It would be great to see Hyundai sponsor an F1 team. With a track already in Korea, they could get worldwide exposure of the advancing capabilities of their cars and their engines. FYI, F1 is changing from V8s to turbo V6s in 2014. Rumor has it that they will be allowed per regulations to wind them to 23,000 RPMs. The current F1 cars idle at 6000 to 7000 RPM, generate 780 brake horsepower and weigh around 1350 pounds. Awesome!!! I look forward to seeing your pictures/videos.

 

[Driv200]

Glad to see F1 catching some traction here in the US. F1 is apparently exploding in popularity around the globe. Not sure how considering the economic problems around the world. But glad it is growing

"Timeout" - my Bday is next week and F1 2012 xBox is top of my list. Do you use steering wheel? I tried it on 2011, but found regular control better.

Xiahin, I had assigned seating at turn 12. $550 for my seat. I walked across the bridges and up around turn 1, through. Aim straight grandstands, and back down. The grandstands were hard to get in b/c I had to dodge the security checking badges for those $5000 seats.

Cheers F1 fans. If anyone knows how to post my cell phone vids, let me know. They are short clips.

 

[Gunkk]

Had one of my tires patched at the local tire shop on Weds. They had closed for 5 days to go to the USGP. The new track was all the talk in the shop. They had an ipad out showing a couple hundred shots of the races and the track.

They said it seats over 110,000. The view from the tower must be impressive (red and white in the center of this areal shot).

(and closer up)

 

[xiaphin]

 

[xiaphin]

Can post some videos later this weekend.

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[Driv200]

Great pics! Thanks for posting.

 

[phlfly]

Enjoy a sound

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cbrWwdHqg3w

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nX__lSIVXTQ&feature=player_embedded"]F1 2 of 2 - YouTube[/ame]

 

[the M5 beast]

I attended the F1 race at the brand new Circuit of the Americas track in Austin Texas. Since many do not follow F1 in America, I will share some info. The Circuit of the Americas is the first F1 track built specifically for F1 cars in the USA. It is now the premier track in the country and Moto GP and Super V8's are on the calendar. The track was barely finished in time for this innaugral event.

F1 is the pinnacle of auto racing. Considered the elite level of racing. F1 teams travel the globe and race on a different continent almost every weekend. They are paid 40+ million dollars or more to race. Like the Olympics, each driver represents their country and their anthem is played if they win. The global rich and famous seem to attend F1 events so it's often associated with the worlds elite, rich, and famous. George Lucas and Ron Howard were in the pits this weekend, as they are making a F1 film. Also, Mario Andretti and other greats were on hand. 9 helicopters were continuously bringing the rich to and from the track.

This event had Porsche GT3 Cup cars and Ferarri 458 challenge cars also running races prior to F1 cars. Priceless historic cars also raced.

F1 cars run at 18,000rpm and are millions a piece. I will post vids when I learn how to from my cell. I was at turn 12 where the cars used the DRS which is a Drag Reduction System. They can open and close their rear wing to help pass a car ahead on long straights. My seat allowed me to watch 200mph speeds slow to 60mph in a few feet before making turn. AMAZING!!!!

I much perfer the Canadian Grand Prix over the U.S Grand Prix. The upper class come from all over the world. The cars cost 100's of million dollars. Just the sterring wheels cost over 2 million. NASCAR just fined Jeff Gordon $100,000, McClaren was find $100 million. The only thing I disagree with is the driver's salaries. The top drivers get 40 million to race, but some of the driver''s pay the team millions of dollars to race their cars.

 

[HughH]

It is great that F1 is back in the states and this time, thanks to this brand new circuit, it will be for good.

I used to be a huge fan of F1 20+ years ago but, I stopped watching F1 after Ayrton Senna was killed in 1994. Now, thanks to this new circuit in Austin, I started watching F1 again and I will probably be there in Austin watching the race in person next year.

BTW, Did you buy the F1 2012 game? It is awesome. I just won Monaco last night

I saw Senna in his rookie season at the '84 Dallas Gp driving for unheralded Toleman and made such an impression that I immediately became a fan of this young driver. Some of the passes he made were just incredible!

I have been to several Gp and just like you, I stopped watching after seeing Senna's crash via a 10 foot dish, live feed to Japan without any commercial interruptions or description by any announcers. The sight of that crash and what was to be a gut wrenching lapse of time before the medics finally got to him was just too much for me. Then, on top of it, while looking around one of the satellites, I happened to come across the live feed of his funeral.

Like you, I watched and enjoyed this race in such a beautiful track..made me feel proud of Texas and the USA!

 

[Mark_888]

I much perfer the Canadian Grand Prix over the U.S Grand Prix. The upper class come from all over the world. The cars cost 100's of million dollars. Just the sterring wheels cost over 2 million. NASCAR just fined Jeff Gordon $100,000, McClaren was find $100 million. The only thing I disagree with is the driver's salaries. The top drivers get 40 million to race, but some of the driver''s pay the team millions of dollars to race their cars.

It's hard to say what a car costs, or what the cost of a particular part is, because they are mostly proprietary to each race team and there are only two cars per team. Lots of R&D costs when making a part for just two cars. About 10-15 years ago the cost of running a two-car race team was over $200 million per year for the top teams. The problem is that not all teams (and sponsors) could afford that, and the racing was not nearly as competitive as NASCAR (for example) where there is a lot more technology sharing and commoditization of components (by rules of NASCAR). A lot of manufacturers pulled out of F1 during the economic downturn in 2008.

F1 has been trying to move in the direction of making it more economical to put together a race team, but adoption of new rules to that affect has been slow.

I don't know how many international elite traveled to Austin to see the US GP, but I do know that Austin has much better Mexican food and BBQ than anywhere in Canada, so that is where I would go given the choice. If they want foie gras, let them go to Canada.

 

[msitter]

I really wanted to ride my motorcycle down to see the F1 race or next year go to the Australian V8 Supercar race in May. Unfortunately I would have to sell my motorcycle to afford the exorbitant ticket prices. I was prepared to pay $200-$300 for a ticket but $800 to $3000 plus being raped and not even kissed for a hotel room, no thanks, call me cheap. It was a good race but I will continue to enjoy them on TV.

 

[Mark_888]

I really wanted to ride my motorcycle down to see the F1 race or next year go to the Australian V8 Supercar race in May. Unfortunately I would have to sell my motorcycle to afford the exorbitant ticket prices. I was prepared to pay $200-$300 for a ticket but $800 to $3000 plus being raped and not even kissed for a hotel room, no thanks, call me cheap. It was a good race but I will continue to enjoy them on TV.

Prices may go down in a year or two, especially if the economy is still sluggish and the after-glow of the new race starts to wear off a little.

 

[xiaphin]

I really wanted to ride my motorcycle down to see the F1 race or next year go to the Australian V8 Supercar race in May. Unfortunately I would have to sell my motorcycle to afford the exorbitant ticket prices. I was prepared to pay $200-$300 for a ticket but $800 to $3000 plus being raped and not even kissed for a hotel room, no thanks, call me cheap. It was a good race but I will continue to enjoy them on TV.

My trip including race ticket, parking pass, airfare, hotel, rental car, food, alcohol and merchandise was about $1300. Granted I did split hotel, rental car and parking pass with two other people.