Circuit of The Americas organizers looked at what Austin stands for to ensure the third running of the U.S. F1 Grand Prix on their track is about more than racing and remains a fan favorite. The organizers took a page out of Austin’s playbook and turned the circuit and part of the city’s downtown area into big Texas-sized festivals, complete with live music and authentic food. “The race is what it is, and we have a couple of great support races that we are really excited about, with the Ferrari Challenge and Porsche Supercup,” said COTA CEO Jason Dial. “But after that it’s really about the entertainment value.” From a Texas ranch, which featured country bands and local barbecue food, to a Mexican cantina, including a mariachi band, to a beer garden with a polka band and women serving beer in traditional “Bavarian” outfits, racing fans were treated to a number of different activities spread around the track. While feedback from the fans for the F1 Grand Prix weekend has remained strong since the inaugural event in ’12, Dial told SBD Global that every year the circuit looks at what it can do bigger and better. He added that the facility, just like any other entertainment venue, is competing for the time and treasure of its fan base. Therefore, the content it offers has to be attractive enough to make people want to head to the circuit. “The folks want to enjoy the entire day out here,” Dial said. “You have three, four or five hours worth of racing, but they also want to enjoy three, four or five hours worth of entertainment on top of that.” He added that the track’s amphitheater, which hosted Kid Rock on Sunday after the race, is a huge asset in this regard.
TAKING OVER DOWNTOWN: Activities on and around the track are one part of COTA’s plan to create a festival atmosphere over the race weekend. The other part is a Fan Fest in the heart of the city that has the intention of introducing F1 to Austin and Austin to F1. In comparison to the past two years, this year’s Fan Fest is a greater integration of F1 partners. “It’s important that the partners of F1 come to life. It’s their opportunity to build their brands and build their fan bases,” Dial said. The Fan Fest is also an opportunity for the racetrack to cross-promote other events hosted at the venue such as the X Games or concerts. Dial said that such opportunities are limited at the track because partners of individual events want the focus to be solely on the event they are affiliated with. As a result, COTA does a lot of its cross-promotion work downtown at the Fan Fest, which, according to Dial, will see a quarter of a million people walking through.
