IMSA reveals future class format, 2017 schedule. Moves Austin stop from September to May. IMSA reveals future class format, 2017 schedule IMSA, WEC Split from Combined Event at COTA - Sportscar365 http://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/atherton-cota-imsawec-weekend-a-compromise/ ETA: Just read (unsupported) speculation that WEC might go to Indy. Apparently they had people in attendance at this year's Indy 500. Can any of y'all confirm or deny any of that?
Just took a look at the COTA page and saw the new seating map for the 2016 USGP. Where are y'all sitting? https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CprJnJDUIAAXjxm.jpg:large
Hearing word that new COTA Chief Strategy Officer Jason Rittenberry didn't last a year and is out. Also, following up on the WEC to Indy talk, and the questions about who WEC would pair with and whether or not it would return to Austin for 2017, signs are not pointing to a WEC return to COTA next year...I guess. Hankook 24H COTA Confirmed on 2017 24H Series Schedule - Sportscar365 24H COTA Confirmed on 2017 24H Series Schedule - Sportscar365 Meanwhile, Sportscar365 says a potential WEC-PWC Austin 2017 pairing has been ruled out: Mexico City Thursday Notebook: Mexico City Thursday Notebook - Sportscar365 Anyone here know much about this series? Looks like it may replace WEC at COTA. Re: the rumors of WEC moving to Indy, WEC officials were there during the 500 talking to Indy officials and touring the facility. Racer Blog - WEC: Series evaluating Indy round after 500 visit
Looks like Bruno Mars is set to play Circuit of the Americas during F1 USGP Weekend: https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/8099124/bruno-mars-cardi-b-24k-magic-tour-dates
Yep. Not in the braking zone, either, despite attempts to say the bumps are just being caused by the F1 cars.
MotoGP: Track drama ahead in Austin? https://www.motorcyclenews.com/sport/motogp/2018/april/motogp-track-drama-ahead-in-austin/#.Wtea4dvIOLQ.twitter
Huh. Who could possibly have seen this coming? Dovi says Austin bumps remain very, very bad... https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/dovizioso-says-austin-bumps-remain-very-very-very-bad-1028421/ And Danilo Petrucci really dropped the hammer. Wow... Austin MotoGP: Petrucci: COTA bumps a throwback to Hailwood, Agostini! https://www.crash.net/motogp/news/894126/1/petrucci-cota-bumps-throwback-hailwood-agostini
Epstein's response: The bumps are better. The riders should 'check the tires for lumps' https://www.mystatesman.com/sports/motor-sports/motogp-notebook-some-riders-still-doing-the-bump-cota/DlgHd1NxoC3fPe7qojBSfP/
Jeez, this is sad to hear. I took my 456M to CoTA for a track day back in early 2015 and it was sublime.
Oof... More re: the track from other riders... Crutchlow: "I think they’ve made a terrible job," he said. "They tried to make it better but they made it worse. I know last year was bad, and now it’s even worse. "I don’t understand how we can come to a GP and it’s worse than last year," he fumed. "I love this circuit, but it’s bad. It’s honestly bad that we now come to GPs and the circuit be in this shape." "They haven’t really done anything. "It’s so dirty, and so bumpy you can’t imagine. I love this circuit, but it’s bad. It’s honestly bad that we now come to GPs and the circuit be in this shape. "And it’s so dirty you can’t imagine. You can’t see down the back straight if you’re behind someone." Rossi: "It’s a disaster," said Valentino Rossi. "For me it’s the worst situation during all the season. You have three or four bumps that are very big." “With our bike it’s difficult, because you have a lot of bumps on the straight, so the bike moves very much at more than 300km/h and it’s a critical situation.” "Back straight, after the hole, you go up, you go over the crest, [in] fifth and sixth [gears] the bike moves a lot because of big bumps. There are a lot of bumps in the braking [zone] also," Rossi added. "Maybe the biggest one is Turn 18, before the last two lefts, the bodywork touches the ground, so it’s like motocross. Personally, I like very much this track, but the bumps start to be a problem." "Last year we asked to do some improvements. They did something, but unfortunately it didn’t work." "It was like being at the ranch!" Rossi complained. "You don't see anything in front, and it's very strange ... Maybe coming from the asphalt, but I don't know." Miller: “We’ve broken a windscreen already with the rocks and the dust," he said. "It’s so bad down that back straight, it’s ridiculous. "It was like big old rocks hitting me at 300km/h," he added. "They felt like bullets. I wasn’t too keen on that." “From my past experience, and my theory, dirt and water on top of a normal track normally don’t combine too well" Espargaro: 'described the situation as "unacceptable", urging organisers to resurface the track' http://en.f1i.com/news/301329-cota-track-surface-criticised-motogp-riders.html https://jalopnik.com/heres-what-everyone-in-the-racing-world-is-mad-about-th-1825442655 http://www.thedrive.com/accelerator/20296/valentino-rossi-circuit-of-the-americas-track-conditions-fitting-for-motocross https://www.motorsport.com/motogp/news/rossi-worsening-austin-bumps-disaster-crutchlow-1028571/
The Texas soil dances around below all structures. I feel for the guys. Not sure what they can do to fix it. As far as the rocks, can't they just clean it or is the wind blowing pebbles back on the track ??
Yep. Particularly bad soil out in that part of Travis County. I dunno what they're gonna do. I don't think the wind was blowing rocks onto the track. Even if the wind were strong enough, I don't think there's much small gravel adjacent to the track. The runoff gravel is pretty big. Seems like it was just very dirty. Not sure if they cleaned up after the grinding. If not, I can't imagine why, and if so, they apparently didn't do a very good job.
ok.......Whats the issue with the Circuit Of Americas Track? Does the ground sink over time and cause bumps and divots? Just curious because I keep hearing issues with the track very year
Did any of the Moto GP guys complain about the track during or after the race? If they did, I didn't hear about it. Just before.
The soil is a black clay that absorbs and sheds water very quickly, like a sponge. When it's rainy, it absorbs a massive amount of water and expands. When it's dry, it sheds the water and contracts. This leads to lots of pitching, heaving, cracking, etc of the soil. It's always moving around. Not sure if that's the entire problem, but surely it's a big component of the problem.
FYI, Dunno if this article is right, and I hadn't heard this until now, but it seems COTA has no MotoGP contract as of yet for 2019 and beyond. MotoGP arrives at COTA with its future in Austin yet to be settled https://www.mystatesman.com/sports/motor-sports/motogp-arrives-cota-with-its-future-austin-yet-settled/k2dAv2qEX9nobLkxd8IZkO/
Tickets for the USA Grand Prix go on sale this Friday morning. Two concerts during the weekend, Bruno Mars on Saturday, then Brittney Spears after the race . http://www.circuitoftheamericas.com/f1
I was working one of the corners during the motogp race and was doing track walks between sessions. There was a 3x5" hole coming on to the main straight that kept opening up throughout the weekend. It was getting chipped away at, and I'm sure there were other parts of the track doing the same. So those "rocks and pebbles" they kept getting hit with, could have been parts of the track getting ripped up and thrown around. Not only that, cracks were developing on the racing line. Its bad.
Only two I got. It got worse. There was a stunt bike doing a show on the front straight and actually did a rolling burnout over it and chewed it up even worse. Can't really tell the depth of them but its about 1" Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
Whoa. Thanks! That looks like an area where the track was ground down. Is that right? People have been saying that grinding will weaken the surface and eventually something like this could happen...
Not 100% positive but it looks like it was. Exit of T20 onto the main straight. The cracking was worse to the inside of the track, looked like the track settled a few inches from side to side. The cracks started developing on the racing line on exit near the curbing too.
