Mario Andretti opens Austin GP track
The modestly titled Circuit Of The Americas is open for business after an inaugural lap by Mario Andretti
The 3.4-mile, 20-turn Circuit Of The Americas in Austin, Texas is, of course, a brand new facility costing, according to the 'fun facts' page on the official site, $400m. Clearly aware that the recent crop of new F1 tracks - yes Korea and others, here's looking at you - have failed to capture the imagination of fans in the way classic tracks like Spa, Silverstone and Suzuka still do COTA has attempted to contrive a tad more drama and spectacle.
In other words, they've included some elevation change. 40m of it, much of it in the dramatic turn one. Shamelessly nicking inspiration from other tracks - Silverstone included - there then follows a sequence of esses modelled on Becketts and a variety of fast and slow turns hopefully able to create some proper racing.
Can a new-school track ever be as fan friendly as more traditional ones like Spa though? Hard to say but the money men are talking big numbers likely to keep Bernie and co happy. Speaking of fan-friendly it seems an earlier edict that any cameras more substantial than iPhones or point'n'shoots would be banned has been toned down in response to popular outcry. SLR cameras with lenses of 'up to 10 inches' are now permitted. "Guns, knives, pepper spray, handcuffs, nightsticks or other items" are still banned though. Sanitised modern F1 venue or not, this is still Texas. And, short of a bottle of water or two, you can forget bringing your own food and drink too. So you can leave your Thermos and packed lunch at home. With your telephoto lens and .45.
The United States Grand Prix itself takes place on November 18, videos of Andretti's lap and one in a current Lotus R30 F1 car by test driver Jerome D'Ambrosio with commentary below. Andretti was meant to have a go with that too but D'Ambrosio broke it before he could. Oops.
Andretti christens COTA
D'Ambrosio narrates a lap of Austin
It's a shame that this may get funding from TX state government. Austin doesn't need F1 to be a happening place, it doesn't need to buy F1 exposure.
It looks a good circuit.
Perhaps it's to do with how much the rights holders squeeze out of the venues?
I'll be unimpressed if it gets TX state funding while they cut education. There was a piece on Radio 4 or the World Service where the TX state govt. makes it difficult, or not easy to get federal handouts as they don't want those that don't get their bottoms in gear and pull their weight. But, they're prepared to give tankers full of money to those that hold the rights to F1?
Fingers crossed, and mind open to change and progress!!
On the DSLR issue, 10 inch lenses pretty much only stops the really big fast beasts from getting in (300mm 2.8 and bigger) so 99% of people will be fine with that. The popular 70-200s will all be fine, even something like a Canon 100-400 is ok.
Also, the modern cars, as far as I can tell, have built in camera mounts so the camera is quite solidly attached to the car (maybe...) whereas on the 79 it is more likely suckered or duck taped to a glassfibre bit of bodywork (looked too low to be the rollhoop) which again, being glassfibre and quite square, is going to be a lot more floppy than modern, curvy bodywork.
I'd think that there are a whole load of factors causing that much camera vibration... and then there's an engine that's probably averaging something like 7000rpm instead of 16000.
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