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Sunny Weather, Musical Acts Help Circuit Of The Americas To Best Attendance For USGP

Circuit of the Americas in Austin logged its "highest-ever overall attendance" for this weekend's F1 U.S. Grand Prix, bringing in a total of 269,889 people, according to Alanis King of AUTOWEEK. Compared with the "short history of the event thus far," the high turnout is a "good sign" for both COTA and F1 in the U.S. While "nothing can be given specific credit for such a rise in attendance over last year, weather wasn't an issue this weekend and the circuit booked Taylor Swift, Usher and The Roots to perform after the day's events" on Saturday and yesterday. Saturday was Swift's only concert of '16, which "drew a crowd of 80,000." That is "nearly a third of the overall weekend attendance numbers." Regardless of "what got spectators out to the racetrack," COTA is "moving in a better direction after this weekend's race" (AUTOWEEK.com, 10/23). The new record stopped a downward trend, which saw attendance figures decrease year after year since the inaugural U.S. Grand Prix at the venue in '12. This year's attendance beat the previous best of 265,499, set in '12 (HJ Mai, SBD Global). In Austin, John Maher noted the '15 race weekend "was cursed with rain" (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/23). Also in Austin, Lyttle & Maher noted among those in attendance this weekend were actors Christoph Waltz and Gerard Butler, Venus Williams, Lindsey Vonn, "CBS This Morning" co-anchor Gayle King, chef Gordon Ramsey, Jeff Gordon, Tim Duncan and current Spurs players Pau Gasol and Patty Mills (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 10/24).

EXPANDING HORIZONS? The GUARDIAN's Paul Weaver noted there is talk of another F1 race in the U.S., and "perhaps two," with L.A., Las Vegas and New Jersey "among the possibilities" (GUARDIAN, 10/21). F1 CEO Bernie Ecclestone said, "It will be difficult to get more races. I tried in New York. The trouble with the Americans is (that) you want to do a deal with them and they want guaranteed profit before they start. I said, 'If I knew that was going to happen, I wouldn’t need you.'" REUTERS' Alan Baldwin reported Liberty Media CEO Greg Maffei, whose company acquired F1 in September, has spoken of Las Vegas and Miami as possible future venues "for the long term" (REUTERS, 10/21).

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