My review of Circuit of the Americas

[cOoTeR]

I got an Email from COTA today asking for my review from this week end so heres what I gave them.

The race and facility were awesome but thats about where the positive comments stop. It was very disorganized. Starting with parking signs telling you where to go were misleading or just plain wrong. We had a parking pass for lot P well the parking lot signs all say P for parking so when you pull up to the track you see a sign that says P with an arrow pointing to turn left. We turned in to find out that parking lot P was on the other side of the track and we had to turn around. Once we got to parking lot P the people directing traffic had no clue what they were doing each one telling us to go another direction. Finally after getting parked we headed in. I read online they were increasing their security due to the recent attacks in boston. Walking through the gate they scanned my ticket and that was it. They barely peeked into my wifes purse but she could have had anything in there. Online it said no Knives or other weapons which I saw several people ignored and were blatently carrying knives. There was no information given out about any of the events they were having going on through the day and the times or locations. Food was extreamly expensive I saw $14 for a hamburger at one place. But I guess thats to be expected. Having 2 doors going into the bathroom with neither labled as exit made going to the bathroom as confusing as the traffic coming into the track. No one really knew who was next in line so it was just a matter of who could get to the urinal first. The ushers and security did nothing to enforce seating assignments. Whom ever walked upto the seats was able to sit in any empty seat. This was pretty frustrating to pay over $300 for two tickets then end up surrounded by obnoxious drunks that paid $89 for their tickets and aren't shy about running their mouth about it. All weekend there were people sitting in other peoples seats and just bouncing around when people showed up. Then the ushers and security didnt say anything to the people holding flags banners and umbrellas in the stands. It kind of makes me feel like I got cheated in paying extra to not be seated in the general admission area yet it seemed like I was. I think the most frustrating part was the so called autograph session. We waited in line for over 2 hours watching people cut into the front of the line right beside the track personnel that were organizing the line. The sign said "Moto GP Stars" yet the riders that did show up were late and not from factory teams. Then when they opened it up they let everyone go into an area that ressembled cattle corrals. You couldnt see what riders were at the front of each line so you had to guess and just get whatever autograph you got. My wife doesnt even know whose autograph she got. I wish I would have just left at the end of the day instead getting frustrated by the autograph session. If the facility wasnt so nice and me really enjoying motorcycle racing I wouldnt give this track a second chance. Next year I will probably just go to Laguna instead.

[TSB67]

The nightmare you experienced there kinda sounds like the first Sprint Cup race at Kentucky.

The "nightmare he experienced" sounds like every race/game/concert/etc I've ever been to.

[Earache]

.... Next year I will probably just go to Laguna instead.

You thought Texas was bad - Laguna has go to be the worst place ever.

Traffic jams, high priced everything, absolutely a shit facility - except for the track itself. You'll end up sitting in the hot sun, in dirt to watch the race. Very few seats available and they're mostly on the front straight. I've been to 4 races there and hope to never go back.

Best track to watch a race, in my opinion, is Miller in Utah. Though they only have WSB and AMA. Great facility, tons of room, great track, new, clean and top notch all the way.

[madcat6183]

Interesting, I dunno, pretty much every post on WERA is the total opposite of yours in regards to their COTA reviews.

Good write up but I'm just glad the track has the races it has and can't wait to go to the F1 and GP events.

[redkow97]

It sounds like you got what you paid for as far as seating.

The fact that others got more than they paid for is lucky for them, not detrimental to you. I'm not religious, but there's a parable about that in the bible.

The fact that the masses are inconsiderate disappoints me, but does not surprise me. Cutting in line is just discourteous. I try my best to take the high road. I don't always succeed.

[ama146]

I had an awesome time, tons of places to watch with great views as well. The only thing that really pissed me off was how expensive everything was. There is No reason food and drinks should be $10+, I mean beer was $11 for a standard sized cup. Indy had beer for like $6. That to me is just them taking advantage of people. Plus I feel they would get more sales if it were cheaper. I know I held out on buying alot of stuff due to price and I am sure many many others did as well.

[jgetz524]

You thought Texas was bad - Laguna has go to be the worst place ever.

Traffic jams, high priced everything, absolutely a shit facility - except for the track itself. You'll end up sitting in the hot sun, in dirt to watch the race. Very few seats available and they're mostly on the front straight. I've been to 4 races there and hope to never go back.

Best track to watch a race, in my opinion, is Miller in Utah. Though they only have WSB and AMA. Great facility, tons of room, great track, new, clean and top notch all the way.

No more WSBK at Mller, they moved to Laguna this year.

[Earache]

No more WSBK at Mller, they moved to Laguna this year.

Bastards!

[cOoTeR]

I had an awesome time, tons of places to watch with great views as well. The only thing that really pissed me off was how expensive everything was. There is No reason food and drinks should be $10+, I mean beer was $11 for a standard sized cup. Indy had beer for like $6. That to me is just them taking advantage of people. Plus I feel they would get more sales if it were cheaper. I know I held out on buying alot of stuff due to price and I am sure many many others did as well.

I had a good time but only because of the racing. I got really annoyed with the inconsiderate and obnoxious drunk people. It could have been more organized. I bought the pre-paid parking pass for reserved parking yet they were taking cash to park in the same lot. They were charging the same amount that I had paid for the pass just broke down daily and no shipping charges. If I would have known I could save $10 by not getting the parking pass and still got the same parking area I would have done that. I thought by having a pre-paid parking pass I would get a better spot and not have to wait in line behind people paying to park yet I had no advantage over those paying on site. I expected food and beer to be expensive but not as high as it was. We just ate big breakfasts and had snack food in the car for when we left. Day 2 was the only day we bought food there and we got a small pizza (4 tiny slices) for $12. We also bought 2 draft domestic beers on day 2 for $11 and they were very skunked.