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Circuit of the Americas

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Goose68

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Hi guys we are travelling from the uk to Austin for the motogp at COTA in April. We were under the impression that there was a shuttle service to the track from downtown but have been told it's not available for this event. We are wondering if there is any public transport we could use? Any help appreciated. Thanks
 
The fact that there is no public transit to the airport and beyond is actually quite a prickly political issue. Despite common reports that the racetrack is in Austin, it's actually in Elroy, which will become obvious to you that it's absolutely not Austin once you get here. It's about a half hour drive from downtown without event traffic. With event traffic, including parking, it can be time consuming to get there from the city.

There is abundant parking at COTA so it wouldn't be crazy for you to rent a car and drive there. Certainly your hotel will offer some kind of shuttle service, or there is some other private shuttle if you prefer. If it were me, I'd Uber.
 
mr72 said:
If it were me, I'd Uber.
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Same here. If you are just going for the races and race activities then by the time you rent a car and pay for parking at COTA, the round trip Uber will be cheaper and less hassle. And then if you are staying around down town, you also don't have to worry about finding parking for a rental car there as well.
 
Someone from Sugarland being political about Austin. I wonder when he rode the bus here?

Uber is the way to go for this event.

Formula 1 offers a shuttle but it's so crowded I've only gone on Friday the last few years. Moto GP has more to offer IMO.
Post here when you arrive. Some of us can give you a tour and give you hints to improve your visit.
 
Rent a vehicle. As was said, track is outside the city and Texas is a big, spread out place. The only way to get around will be in something with wheels. I can't imagine you'd save any money using Uber over a multitude of excursions simply because of the mileage involved.
 
Vinny said:
Someone from Sugarland being political about Austin. I wonder when he rode the bus here?
Click to expand...

Austin doesn't even rank in the top 13 Texas cities for crime rate. Even Bastrop is in this list, and nobody on this forum is going to suggest Bastrop is a high-crime city, yet it's higher in crime than Austin. Houston, Dallas and San Antonio along with some of their suburbs all rank higher than Austin.
www.travelsafe-abroad.com

13 Most Dangerous Cities in Texas

Texas offers rewarding sporting events, culture, history, and nightlife, yet locals and travelers should exercise caution when visiting the 13 most dangerous cities in Texas.
www.travelsafe-abroad.com www.travelsafe-abroad.com

Austin ranks #6 in the safest large cities in America. Considering it's #10 in population, that is quite a thing.
expatriateconsultancy.com

The 8 Safest Big Cities in the US - Safest Cities in America 2023

The largest cities can be dangerous. That’s why I present to you the eight safest big cities in the US in 2023, starting the crime rate in...
expatriateconsultancy.com expatriateconsultancy.com
 
mr72 said:
Austin doesn't even rank in the top 13 Texas cities for crime rate. Even Bastrop is in this list, and nobody on this forum is going to suggest Bastrop is a high-crime city, yet it's higher in crime than Austin. Houston, Dallas and San Antonio along with some of their suburbs all rank higher than Austin.
www.travelsafe-abroad.com

13 Most Dangerous Cities in Texas

Texas offers rewarding sporting events, culture, history, and nightlife, yet locals and travelers should exercise caution when visiting the 13 most dangerous cities in Texas.
www.travelsafe-abroad.com www.travelsafe-abroad.com

Austin ranks #6 in the safest large cities in America. Considering it's #10 in population, that is quite a thing.
expatriateconsultancy.com

The 8 Safest Big Cities in the US - Safest Cities in America 2023

The largest cities can be dangerous. That’s why I present to you the eight safest big cities in the US in 2023, starting the crime rate in...
expatriateconsultancy.com expatriateconsultancy.com
Click to expand...
I have to wonder how the rankings are compiled. Looking solely at convictions for people who actually went to court? What about all the catch and release people? People never caught? Surely C&R and never-caught people numbers are undocumented and ridiculously high for any city. But without those numbers, I don't imagine any crime statistics paint the proper picture. Perhaps Bastrop police don't take any guff and there's no C&R there?

However, as with any city, stay out of the bad areas and don't worry about it, right?
 
The "bad areas" have moved around in Austin, I think that's most of the confusion. And it feels like the whole town is a bad area due to the homeless problem, which has ballooned in the past few years.

Unfortunately for the OP, the "bad areas" are more often than not downtown, and he's reportedly staying there. Bummer that. Shoulda rented a cabin a Bastrop. It'd be quicker to get to COTA and higher crime rate or not, at least it's all the same and you're not likely to be inadvertently staying in the bad area.
 
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I'm there quiet often , and my wife is there 3 days a week ;) Austin is a California clone ,and I remember when it was a nice city . Should also mention have family that's employed by the city . Austin does not get reported for a large portion of its crimes with the defunding . Carry on
 
EVERY city has it's problem areas. Austin is no different. I go there frequently and never feel threatened.

We'll be heading to MotoGP on bikes and staying downtown off Rainey Street. I'll report back here if we make it out alive.

One heads up on Ubering to COTA, I know for Formula 1 the wait for a car can be incredibly long and expensive. MotoGP doesn't draw the same crowds so maybe it'll be different but it's a consideration.
 
I've been to COTA once. Be prepared to walk a lot. I found it difficult to get a good seat to see much action. The track is shaped with all sorts of twist and turns and hills, so most seat only have views to a small section. We went to some kind of time trial event. Super lap battle. They would put batches of cars out on the track in some sort of time interval and rung them for a bit then we'd wait 20-30 minutes before they would put more cars out. It wasn't a big event. There is a tram style bus that runs all over the place. Pre-print yourself a map and make some notes on it and bring it with you. You can hop on the buses at several points and they will take you to another section. One bus stop was the pits, called something else there. Paddock or something like that. We just hopped off and started walking around. Most crews would welcome you into their bay and gladly talk to you about their cars and racing. We found some stairs going up tot he top of the pit building and sat out on a balcony above the garages and probably had our best view form there. plus it was well shaded.
 
I'm a COTA regular (many bike races, a few car races, several trackdays), and IMO, T6 is the best general admission spot, and T15 is the best grandstand seating. I did GA only for many years, but have upgraded to T15 seats. I watch practices from T3 to T9, the races, qualifying, etc from the seats at 15. T15 makes it VERY easy and low effort. Food, bathrooms and entry are all close by. Getting to the in-field vendor area is fairly quick, and the entrance is also close-ish. But, its pricey these days, and the view from the GA area is really quite good. There's some food back there, too, and bathrooms - but it's a hike to get there. The big screen viewing is better from T6 than from T15 (for the last couple years at least - they seem to move around a little). During MotoGP, you can't access the fun stuff like Charliez mentions: paddock or main grandstands without special passes.

You can also volunteer as a track marshal. I did T14 and just loved it. The view from right on the track is unbeatable. We had rain that year, so stayed busy helping bikes off the track. That makes for VERY long days, but it's free access - and you even (used to?) get discounts on RideSmart trackdays...
 
Fourth year in a row, we'll be in T15 and camped on the hill for three nights. We moved a little further down the straightaway this year to section 13, Row 25, seats 1-2. Yall come say "Howdy"! You can sit anywhere on Friday and Saturday(if you kinda know how to walk right by the person who may or may not check your ticket). Sunday is the only time all seats are taken. I've walked into the main grandstand area without hassle before, but we were denied last year.

Compare this to Motoamerica with its track walks and casual access. Unfortunately, it will once again be 100 + degrees in the shade for Motoamerica at COTA. We didn't go last September, but the place looked empty.
 
Ask a simple question... :roll:

My 4th time and probably the last.

Staying in Lockhart (bout a 1/2 hour ride) and got a GA ticket. Good to see there's still free MC parking and a shuttle provided since MC parking was moved (where to?).
 
MC parking is still in one of the closer lots at the track. Not quite as close as previous years, but still closer than any paid car parking.
 
I've been going to COTA since the very first race. I've done GA a few times and then had seats in T1, T5, T9, T12 and now have PSL seats in T15 Section 8 Row 19. IMHO T15 is the sweet spot of COTA. @Jeff S says, you're near almost everything worth seeing right out back of your seating and the sightlines are exceptional for a road course.

That said, I may be giving up my PSL license this year. They just jacked up my two F1 seats a big percent to $2,000 for the weekend and parking. That's just getting too steep to do the same thing every year. You're required to buy them to retain your license.
 
Goose - enjoy your time at the race. I think you'll find Uber your best option as mentioned by others. I've attended nearly every COTA race event since they opened with the exception of F1. I stopped attending F1 2 years ago when the prices became ridiculous. COTA is a really nice facility with plenty of food and drink options.

There is a lot to see over the 3 days so bring some comfortable walking shoes and bring some rain gear too because you just never know.

I'd be happy to send you my cell phone number should you need some help once you arrive. Just message me through the site.
 
LaserDave said:
Geez, someone from the UK is coming and looking for tips and hints, and it gets all political and crime ridden chats here. Booo!!
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If I was traveling to a foreign country I would want ALL the intelligence, positive or negative...don't blow smoke up their tail pipe with rosiness to make yourself feel or look better about where you live. Be honest, even if it is brutal. It's like giving the worst case scenario, won't always happen. But be aware it could.

I worked in Austin going on 25 years. I don't go back. But I also don't have a reason to anymore.

OP is it too late to change your lodging elsewhere? I guess the Airport Hilton is booked to overflowing for this event?
 
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