Racing Legend Mario Andretti Joins COTA as Ambassador

Mario Andretti tours COTA in Austin, TX.  All images by Circuit of the Americas © 2012

Early this morning, Circuit of The Americas announced that American racing legend Mario Andretti has joined them as an official ambassador.  Mario's unparalleled experience in motorsports makes him a perfect ambassador for COTA, working with them to promoting Formula 1 and other motorsports in Austin.

Mario visited the circuit a few days ago, for a first hand look at his trip to Austin, check out this short video on his experience at COTA:

Mario Andretti visits Circuit of The Americas from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.

Here's a link to the official release and Dave Doolittle had a chance to learn more in this exclusive Q&A with Mr. Andretti.

Miller Motorsports Park

Nestled in a valley between two mountain ranges lies Miller Motorsports Park, a versatile facility which supports a wide array of racing series. This weekend, MMP plays host to dual world-class racing series, AMA Pro Racing and World Superbike, held simultaneously. While the glimmer of the Indy 500 and Monaco Grand Prix are dominating the news this weekend, MMP hosts North America's two wheeled spectacle, merging the best in American and International riders and teams.

World Superbike and AMA use a  similar spec of racing machine, an extremely modified version of the bikes available to consumers for the street. This close link between the the street friendly bike and the racing spec make the sport more accessible to the fans, and the numbers don't lie. A surprising 50% of race-attendees here at MMP are bike owners. A unique characteristic of motorcycle racing, the  accessibility for fans to own a close cousin of their favorite racing machine is a perk foreign to Formula 1 and most other racing series.

A result of their close ties to production bikes for consumers, teams have a diverse set of equipment to choose from produced by the most recognized manufacturers in the world such as Ducati, Honda, BMW, Kawasaki, and Suzuki.  The most recognizable difference is the engine selection which varies between a V-Twin or an Inline-Four, each with various displacements.  While each is type is kept within close performance of the other, the sound difference between the "Twin" and "Four" is distinct, a low growl vs a high pitch whine, each with their own appeal.

These engines are plenty loud; don't assume because of their small displacement that sound is in any way muted. These bikes can sing and sing well.  Whether you favor the twin or the four you'll enjoy them speeding by at speeds most would consider ludicrous, the riders hanging over the edge as they lean and scrape their knees on each turn.  Bike racing is a different mentality and once you've had a taste, it's hard to ignore this amazing form of racing. 

Click For More Images From Today's Session

Two Years, Two Wheels

Today we celebrate the official Formula 1 announcement of F1 returning to the US via Austin Texas. That announcement kicked off our efforts to help connect Austinites with what was once a foreign sport but will now be in our backyard in 177 days. Along the way we have befriended amazing friends and supporters worldwide and because of your enthusiasm for F1 coming to Texas, Austin will soon welcome additional motorsports; V8 Supercars will be here in 2013 and the MotoGP contract is still a viable option.

To celebrate this two year milestone, we are broadening our motorsports horizons to include two wheel coverage. We're at Miller Motorsports Park in Salt Lake City, Utah for an eventful racing weekend. Four wheel fans will be enjoying the glitterati in Monaco this weekend, celebrating the 96^th Annual Indy 500, and cheering their favorite drivers and riders in one of the many road races taking place this Memorial Day.

This weekend, Miller Motorsports Park (“MMP”) hosts Round 6 of the Superbike World Championship (“SBK”). The series celebrates their 25^th Anniversary this year and Salt Lake City is their only American “round.” The SBK season consists of a series of rounds held at circuits worldwide, similar to F1. Each round has two races and also like F1, the results are combined to determine two annual World Championships, one for riders and one for manufacturers. Like most other racing series, a race weekend is full of activities, including multiple practice and qualifying sessions before the grands prix. For this weekend, SBK practices will be on Saturday and Sunday, with climatic Races 1 and 2 on Monday.

Also on location is the American Motorcycle Association (“AMA”) for a series of races – AMA Pro National Guard Superbike, AMA Pro GoPro Daytona SuperBike, AMA Pro Motorcycle-Superstore.com, and AMA Pro Vance & Hines XR1200 Championships.

For real-time social sharing, be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram (search for "AustinGrandPrix") for photos and updates from the various events. We'll be sharing the weekend's festivities well into next week!

Many thanks to our Contributing Editors Mike McKinnon, Andrew Swinghamer, Jamey Price, Benedict Wong, Allison Berguin and Iain Robertson for their valuable contributions and support these past two years.

And last but not least, THANK YOU to our fans and supporters!