This will be the second F1 GP at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The circuit is 5.5 km long and is made up of twenty turns with an elevation change of 41 m. According to COTA, the final plan of the circuit was released on September 1, 2010, showing a design inspired by the European tradition of sculpting the circuit to the contours of the land. The design draws from several European F1 circuits, including a recreation of Silverstone’s Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel sequence, Hockenheim’s arena bends, and a replica of Istanbul’s Turn Eight. Other corners were loosely inspired by the Senna ‘S’ at Interlagos and the Österreichring’s Sebring-Auspuffkurve. A feature of the circuit is a deliberate widening of corners, to encourage drivers to follow multiple racing lines, which did seem to work in last year’s GP.
The circuit runs counter-clockwise, the others being Marina Bay, the Korea International Circuit, Yas Marina, and Interlagos.
US GP.
From the start line, the cars will climb to the first corner – the highest point of the circuit – with the apex of the corner positioned on the crest of the hill. They will descend back down the hill to navigate a series of fast sweepers modeled on Silverstone’s Maggotts-Becketts-Chapel complex and through a blind corner at Turn 10, taking them to the far end of the circuit and a hairpin at Turn 11. The cars will then follow a 1.00 km straight back towards the pit and paddock area before entering the final sector of the lap and weaving through a series of corners modeled on Hockenheim’s stadium section. This will be followed by a downhill, multi-apex corner with limited run-off before the final two corners of the circuit, a pair of left-hand bends that return the cars to the main straight.
Despite influences by Herr Tilke, the circuit did see passing last year. Unfortunately, with the time differential between Texas and ourselves here in Thailand, the US GP, at the Circuit of the Americas kicks off at 2 a.m. our time, meaning a 4 a.m. finish. I discussed this with Kim Fletcher of Jameson’s and we decided that we would give this one a miss Sorry everyone, but no telecast at Jameson’s for the US GP.
While researching some details on the track, I came across the following Prohibited Items list:
The following items will not be permitted inside the gates of Circuit of The Americas during major sports and entertainment events. In addition to items specifically listed here, other items that may be deemed to present a potential hindrance or threat may also be prohibited.
So here we go!
Alcoholic Beverages (buy your expensive booze there it would seem)
Animals (exception for certified service animals)
Bags or parcels larger than 12x12x20 inches
Bicycles, scooters, skateboards, skates, Segways, golf carts or other unauthorized means of transportation (No, you can’t bring your horse in either)
Coolers, thermoses or ice chests (So the beer’s going to be hot then)
Distribution of unauthorized promotional or commercial material
Food and Beverage (Note: sealed, individual, plastic bottles of water are allowed)
Fireworks, explosives or other incendiary devices
Glass or metal containers of any style
Illegal substances (they did not elaborate)
Items that may be deemed a safety hazard or annoyance to participants or guests (balls, Frisbees, balloons, projectiles, horns, radios, bells, whistles, musical instruments, laser pointers, etc. OK, I’ll leave my Frisbee at home. Mind you, they don’t mention boomerangs!)
Large, golf-type umbrellas
Non-collapsible chairs
Tents or canopies
Video cameras, audio recording devices and tripods; no video recording will be allowed (You should be used to that in Walking Street)
Weapons of any kind, including guns, knives, pepper spray, handcuffs, nightsticks or other items (What about the sawn-off shotguns?)
You are, however, allowed to bring some items into the COTA and the following items will be permitted inside the circuit gates.
Blankets
Umbrellas (small, hand-held style)
Baby strollers
Portable, collapsible chairs
Personal camera equipment (e.g. digital cameras, point-and-click digital cameras or film cameras)
Binoculars
I am glad the local promoters at Bira don’t try and enforce such rules. Can you imagine a race meeting with no ice box!
