Circuit of the Americas Development Updates

[migol24]

Originally Posted by hookem

I'm going, will probably take some pics but there should be TONS from other folks with far better cameras. You can already see tons of pics as people arrive and get VIP tours of the track on twitter (#USGP) or on turn1's FB site:
http://www.facebook.com/FoF1ATX

yeah i guess i'd just like to get an idea of what austin downtown looks like during the events. i don't usually care to see the photos done by pros because they usually have photos with people posing, the drivers and their cars, rather than focusing on how it affects the city.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

Aerial views of the COTA track, 11.15.12

http://www.statesman.com/gallery/spo.../g6SP/#2877212

Looks beautiful. I drove by the track on 130 a couple of weeks ago, and could clearly see the elevated portion of the track. Looks pretty steep and high.

[Austin55]

Some really cool pictures in here guys, I wish I was there

[JoninATX]

I am so pumped right now, tomorrow drivers will be testing the F1 track. I don't know if anyone here is going downtown this weekend but I'll be arriving there Saturday night.

[AviationGuy]

Originally Posted by JoninATX

I am so pumped right now, tomorrow drivers will be testing the F1 track. I don't know if anyone here is going downtown this weekend but I'll be arriving there Saturday night.

Are spectators allowed to be at the track on Friday and Saturday?

[AviationGuy]

I'm having fun watching Twitter tonight, with all the posts from people arriving and talking about the traffic and crowds.

[JoninATX]

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

Are spectators allowed to be at the track on Friday and Saturday?

I'm not sure if they are or not, turn1 might know the answer.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by AviationGuy

Are spectators allowed to be at the track on Friday and Saturday?

Sure, f1 practice and support races start tomorrow. Plenty of fans will be there tomorrow and Saturday to watch the practice and qualifying. On a brand new track, practice is a big deal because drivers and teams will be finalizing their strategy and setup as unknowns are discovered for the first time. Austin's practice session should be more active than those on other tracks on the calendar this year. To help with this, f1 has added an extra allotment of tires for this weekend. That pretty much guarantees more action, as the tires don't last long and teams are more inclined to conserve them on most other races.

Anyway, tickets for Friday and Saturday should be available at reduced cost, maybe as little as $30 bucks or so. If you have any curiosity at all about f1 or want to see the track, I'd highly recommend looking online or at the fan fest downtown for some cheap Friday and Saturday tickets so you can come check it out!

[KevinFromTexas]

American-Statesman Formula 1 coverage page
http://www.statesman.com/s/sports/formula1/

Track details at Circuit of the Americas - (Map)
http://www.statesman.com/gallery/spo.../g6TG/#2879610

Testing the F1 track, 11.15.12
http://www.statesman.com/gallery/spo.../g6Sh/#2877898

Formula One, day one, 11.16.12
http://www.statesman.com/gallery/spo.../g6TD/#2879618

Statesman Formula 1 Blog
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...ng/index.html/

[Owlhorn]

recorded FP1 and it looks great. Teams were sliding all over the place and they were talking about how cold and dirty it was. But as the track was rubbered in, the times have fallen. Really looks like there are some great overtaking spots, and the elevation change is really nice. I thought the stadium section didn't flow that well, initially, but as the track gets better, you can see how they lead to the last few corners which are pretty awesome.

[KevinFromTexas]

Friday track attendance: 65,360
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...ce_65360.html/

[JoninATX]

Its going to be a great week, :-)

[KevinFromTexas]

This says 300 helicopter ferry trips were made today.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...on_f1_fi.html/

Chopper traffic brisk on F1 first day

By Ben Wear | Friday, November 16, 2012, 03:13 PM

Circuit of the Americas had seen 220 helicopter landings and takeoffs by 3 p.m. Friday, according to Rene Banglesdorf, owner of Charlie Bravo Aviaition.

Banglesdorf, whose company is handling helicopter traffic at the track in conjunction with Henry Aviation, said that because some copter customers had already come and gone from the track, the expected number of helicopter trips by day’s end is expected to be about 300.

Video:

Helicopter Charters Over F1
http://www.statesman.com/videos/news...over-f1/vhbyR/

[KevinFromTexas]

Photos by Greg Anderson via Facebook.

[KevinFromTexas]

Very cool photos.

Formula One, day one, 11.16.12

http://www.statesman.com/gallery/spo.../g6TD/#2881049

[AviationGuy]

I had no idea the tower design was so cool. I love it.

[JoninATX]

Thanks for the pictures Kevin, all those people up in that observation tower must be thinking WOW!!! That's such an incredible view !

[KevinFromTexas]

Originally Posted by JoninATX

Thanks for the pictures Kevin, all those people up in that observation tower must be thinking WOW!!! That's such an incredible view !

The tower itself is 252 feet tall according to the architects. The observation deck is at 230 feet, so they're standing 3 feet higher than the roof of the ABIA control tower.

This is a good article on the tower and other buildings at the track that Miro Rivera Architects designed. They had a very short time to design and didn't even have time to do design studies of other sports facilities. So they did an incredible job considering they had such a limited time to do it.

http://www.statesman.com/news/entert...se-of-p/nS7WQ/

Posted: 12:00 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 17, 2012
Austin’s Miró Rivera Architects create a sense of place with their design for the Circuit of the Americas track and facility

By Jeanne Claire van Ryzin

By every measure it’s astounding that the Circuit of the Americas race track in southeast Travis County — the first purpose-build Formula One facility in the United States — was built at all, let alone in just 30 months.

That a small forward-thinking Austin architecture firm, Miró Rivera Architects, was tapped to create the facility’s signature buildings is even more unusual. And that the architectural aesthetics of a massive motor sports and entertainment venue was even considered at all even more surprising.

To be sure, in the past decade, Olympic stadiums have emerged as headline-grabbing architectural moments. Think of the elliptical, latticework “Bird’s Nest,” the Beijing National Stadium designed by Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron and artist Ai Weiwei.

[KevinFromTexas]

I've heard the helicopter ferries buzzing all day.

Circuit officials: F1 qualifying drew more than 82,000 spectators

Photos:

Formula One, day two, 11.17.12

Sounds of the Race

[hookem]

Seriously, y'all should try to go next year even just for the practice/qualifying days. The track atmosphere is amazing. I dare say more electric and exciting than ACL or SXSW. I've been to races at Indy and Nascar TMS, but this is my first F1 race, and so far it's been beyond my wildest expectation.

I'll definitely be going to V8 supercars and MotoGP because the track is just that fun. I'm sure that won't be the same excitement as F1, but the tickets are a heck of a lot cheaper too.