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Perfect weather on Saturday and Sunday. The circuit is massive, and beautiful...truly a gem. To see these international superstars and cars battling it out in America is absolutely a dream come true. Thank you, COTA for becoming a reality.
This three day pass was totally worth the money there where more things to see and do than I thaught there whould be. I will defiantly be going back next year.
The ALMS race was interesting, along with the practice/qualifying races leading up to it and the drifting demonstration. But getting around the Circuit of the Americas is not convenient due to a severe lack of signage. There are maps but none show "you are here" and the seating/turns aren't all marked.
I would recommend this event to anyone that follows any news about car races other than Nascar. The races were amazing, to see and hear the cars in person. The events through the 3 days were well planned and the staff at the track were friendly and helpful. Things I would recommend be improved are 3 items. The 1st is that the track itself make the layout more pedestrian friendly. Friday was a day full of rain, and most of the paths being dirt turned muddy very quickly. There were a few paved paths, but those were the same paths used by race support vehicles with no sidewalks that paralleled the paved drive areas. The 2nd item I would fix is the way Ticketmaster does parking for this event. I was sitting at Turn 1, but my parking was located at Lot F, well across the track. It takes about 20 minutes just to walk through the track just to get to the seats. There is a parking lot A just outside of Turn 1 and the Main Grandstand. Ticketmaster should place the parking appropriately so that there is more convenience for those that planned in advanced and purchased their tickets early. The 3rd item I would recommend the track fix is the price of food. $9 for a cheeseburger that is equivalent to that of a school cafeteria was awful. The nacho cheese was like Elmer's glue with zero taste. $12 for a small pizza that you cannot even consider a personal size pizza is too much. The track should either improve the quality of the food or lower the price. Despite the suggested improvements, I would still recommend this event overall. Just don't go for the full time for all 3 days or you will be paying more to eat than you will for the entrance tickets and parking.
I would like to start by saying the race was great. It was nice being able to walk around the track and paddock with the general admission tickets and talk to the drivers/take pics of cars/take video of the beautiful sounding race machines. I was very happy with the Crown Royal Lounge that was put there and open to everybody. It made the race more enjoyable knowing that at any point you could sit down and relax while listening to the wonderful sounds of racing going on around you. The exhibits were really a great thing to have. They kept you busy during the 6hr race and the Children Zone would have been great if we would have brought my son, although there were several times I wanted to go on the big inflatable toys, haha. The fan forum was also a nice touch as we got to hear from a few drivers and ask them questions. It was a great time. I am looking forward to next years race and seeing all the same drivers and more. I would suggest everybody make at least one trip out to see the races at this amazing circuit. Texas did a very smart thing by making this track. Its nice for me because I live in Oklahoma and the track is a mere 5hrs away. Thank you Austin for making this track so I don't have to fly to other parts of the country to see my favourite type of racing in person.
Both the ALMS & WEC races were exciting & well-run events. $169 for 3 days, including 2 great racing series. The GA ticket included a reserved seat as well as access to all other grandstands. Because it wasn't a sellout I was able to sit in any other unoccupied grandstand seat and the berms. That, plus grid & pit walks for both series makes this a better value than F1. Shout out to the extremely friendly & helpful COTA staff. I'll be back!
It rained like mad on Friday but they kept practicing and people kept watching, it was great. Come Saturday and Sunday they were ready to boot the rain tires, perfect weather. I had never attended an ALMS or WEC race, and I was really surprised by how much was going on at all times during the race.
Really enjoyed the weekend at COTA, as always. The racing was very good with great drivers. I was amazed at how these guys can drive and never put a wheel wrong. The track venue is getting better all the time. COTA is finally figuring out what everybody wants in an event like this.
Not to be missed...............................................
Great for race car fans. My three year old son loved the race. It is a very loud event for young people.
This was a well run event that should have been great, not just good. One of the best corners on the track for spectators and enthusiast photographers (eg not working the event with the media access) is Turn 11...this turn was not open to the public because of construction of grandstands for F1 which is coming up in November. It's completely ridiculous that the construction area wasn't simply fenced off, roped off, or whatever it takes! There were people working the event to keep people out of other areas, and COTA not making the Turn 11 accessible was a very poor decision which impacted many fans negatively. COTA should have at least made it known (or easier to find if it was published in some obscure location) before the event!
The Saturday ALMS race featured some terrific battles everywhere except LMP1 where Muscle Milk - Pickett Racing again showed the strength of their car, drivers and crew. Johannes van Overbeek was spectacular in his two stints in the Extreme Speed LMP2. The late race charge by Jonathan Bomarito in the SRT Viper kept fans at the edge of their seats, as he passed numerous GT's but couldn't quite catch the winning Corvette. The WEC race featured the terrific drive by the Toyota LMP1 versus the stunning Audis. And the GTE-Pro dices were great to watch. I can't understand why there weren't twice as many fans at this terrific event. Next year will be even better with Porsche joining LMP1. The track shuttle service, while a little complicated, was effective for the areas it covered. It appeared that most fans didn't know about it. More publicity is needed. Also, there needs to be service to the esses and Turn 11, so fans can see the interesting views though those areas. As at prior races here, I found the guest services staff to be extremely friendly, but with limited knowledge. I wish they were given more expertise. I felt that there was substantial improvement in the number of souvenir vendors, but the number and quality of food vendors was (again) a disappointment. Bottomline: my two friends and I are looking forward to flying in again for next year's event.
Overall, experience was good. Seats were excellent and event was timely and kept things moving to prevent boredom. However, when parking at arrival on Saturday and Sunday, the staff directing traffic in the car park where not fully utilizing spaces at the head of the lot and directing people away from the gate despite available spaces (entire rows) closer to the gate. Also on the schedule were activities listed like the drift car exhibition and sport bike demonstration. The schedule did not clearly state these activities were specific to a certain area of the track. So sitting in turn one, I did not see the drift car exhibition at all. Overall a very good value,
Friday was rainy but interesting. Made for some nice photos and experiences. Saturday and Sunday had phenomenal weather. The racing was great. COTA is a great venue. My family had a great time. We sat at Turn 15 and it has a great view. Turn 1 is also nice. One thing I love to do is roam around and see the race from all the different views and perspectives. The ALMS folks are VERY nice to deal with as they make you feel welcome and are very inviting. The snobbery is just not present like it is with F1 crowd.
I enjoy sports car racing and have been following it for years, the event was great and hope they bring it back next year. I had great seats and I will definitely go again.
The ALMS event was great! There were very few lines, many more food and snack booths than at F1, the staff was helpful, parking was easy, trams ran quickly and regularly. We will most definitely go back!
It was great seeing so many prototype cars and hybrids flying by at 200mph.
Circuit of the Americas was an amazing facility. I only wish there were more places to sit and rest, as it covers 1300 acres and there is a lot to see. The racing was great also and the accessibility of the drivers and cars was a real plus for both ALMS and WEC. Buda is the place to stay if you are going to COTA. Plenty of hotels, Cabela's, H-E-B and Wal-Mart and places nearby to eat.
Terrific, well-planned venue with tremendous, exciting on-track competition!
You cannot bring in ANY food (not even one little cookie) and only 1 sealed bottle of water. Very limited public bathrooms and almost no water fountains (It's Texas and its hot!). No foldout chairs or umbrellas either, (however it seemed this rule was relaxed a bit as I saw some fold-out chairs on Sunday). Up close track viewing is severely limited by the double fences all around the track and there is NO access to the back straight where all of the passing and heavy braking is done. With General Admission access on outside of track near turns 2-9, there are only a few porta potty, no public bathrooms, no water fountains, and no shade! However, this is one of the best spots to watch. Parking is outside the track and far away, so you cannot easily leave, eat/drink, and come back in. RVs are not allowed inside the track either. They have a tram that runs to the parking lots about every 30 minutes or so, but it was never where I was. It always passed me going in the opposite direction. Food/Merchandise venders were minimal and manufacturers had very basic setups. I will only go back again if I can obtain the VIP club passes. This gives you access to more bathrooms, unlimited water/beer and food. Plus a team of golf carts that can take you where you want to go.
