So, you have made the big decision: you are going to travel abroad to take in a grand prix. But with a record 21 Formula One races in 2016, which should you choose?  After 30 years on the F1 trail, there is one I would suggest most readily: the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of The Americas, known as COTA, in Austin, Texas.  They say everything is bigger in Texas, and when it comes to bang for your buck on a motor racing trip, no other venue delivers so much when it comes to adding value to the sporting experience.  No other venue delivers so much when it comes to adding value to the sporting experience  First, there is the racing. COTA was created by renowned circuit designer Hermann Tilke, who took the concept created by original promoter Tavo Hellmund and motorcycle world champion Kevin Schwantz, and refined it by combining fans’ favourite corners from a host of his other tracks. Inside the sport, COTA is widely regarded as his magnum opus.  From the unique steep incline to the challenging first corner, it’s fast, undulating and flowing and the drivers love it.  Mario Andretti, the 1978 Formula 1 World Champion and IndyCar champion, is arguably the greatest all-rounder the sport has known, and has raced on tracks the world over. If anyone understands racing, the man from Nazareth does, and he loves the track that has put America back on the F1 map.  “You can tell that there was a lot of thought put into the design of this course. It’s extremely technical, with 3.4 miles of real estate to learn. With each and every lap, the driver learns a little bit more.  The track is phenomenal. It has all the features that race-car drivers are looking for, as far as giving them the opportunity to overtake other drivers. Bottom line, there’s some really terrific racing out there.”  “Texas for me is about live music and of course BBQ ribs, as well as the fun of the race,” says Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo, who entertained damp fans last year with his impromptu pit lane dancing with team-mate Daniil Kvyat.  “The track is really cool; I really like overtaking on it. There are just so many opportunities. And the social side of the city is a lot of fun and I like my live music, so Austin is a great place to be.”  Yes, the astonishing rain in 2015 defined memories of practice and qualifying, but the weather then combined with the track layout to generate one of the most explosive races of the season as Lewis Hamilton overcame his Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to clinch a historic third world title.  And here’s the other thing: COTA works just as well hosting MotoGP and World Endurance Championship events - such as the Lone Star Le Mans, which takes place over the weekend of 15-17 September, finishes under the stars and culminates with a spectacular fireworks show.  The astonishing rain in 2015 combined with the track layout generated one of the most explosive races of the season  American F1 has led a peripatetic life. From Sebring in Florida in 1958 the US Grand Prix moved to California’s glorious Riverside in 1960, before finding a home and establishing itself as F1’s richest race in the autumnal glow of New York State’s Watkins Glen from 1961 to 1980.  Simultaneously, the US GP East was combined with an equally popular US GP West at Long Beach between 1976 and 1983. Between 1982 and 1988 there was also the Detroit GP, while dalliances in Las Vegas (1981 and 1982), Dallas (1984) and Phoenix (1989 to 1991) are best forgotten.  Indianapolis Motor Speedway then hosted the return of the pukka US Grand Prix between 2000 and 2007, before COTA became the event’s spiritual home from 2012.  But here is the real point about Austin and one of the main reasons I love the US Grand Prix so much: there is so much more to the city than just the race. The state capital of Texas doesn’t just serve up the thrills and excitement of a grand prix for you; the entertainment that goes with it is peerless.  The Austin360 Amphitheatre within the track itself is the largest permanent outdoor amphitheatre in Central Texas, and has hosted some of the biggest names in music and entertainment.  How about Texas’s own Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffett, KISS, Nine Inch Nails, Kanye West, Kenny Chesney, Drake, Maroon 5 and Kelly Clarkson? This year, Taylor Swift is giving her only concert of 2016 at the track - on US Grand Prix weekend no less.  If music and fun are your bag away from the racing, there is no better place to go for drinks, dancing and song requests  And even that is not all. Austin is unique. How else would you explain the ‘Keep Austin weird’ philosophy? And it’s only a short drive from COTA. If music and fun are your bag away from the racing, there is no better place to go for drinks, dancing and song requests.  If you happen into the original Pete’s Dueling [sic] Piano Bar on 6th Street on the Sunday evening, you never know who you might brush shoulders with. How about Rosberg, consoling himself for his loss in the 2015 race, up on the small stage with the pianists, letting his hair down and singing his heart out?  No, you’re right, the chances of that happening anywhere else in the world are pretty much zero.  To find out more information and to book your tickets, please visit, circuitoftheamericas.com or call 512-301-6600 or email info@circuitoftheamericas.com
COTA is an unmissable event that makes for a unique Austin experience that is perfect for any motorhead or tourist looking for a dose of adrenaline