Behind the Scenes with Ross Bennett, "COTA Girls" Designer

Earlier this week I had the privilege of speaking with Austin-based designer Ross Bennett of The Ross Bennett Collection. Ross was selected to design and style the Circuit of The Americas' COTA Girls - stylish ambassadors who will be part of the color and pageantry during race week festivities. The COTA Girls will be unveiled at the highly anticipated fashion show, Shift Into Style, this Friday night at the Bob Bullock Museum.

In this exclusive interview, Ross discusses the design process, his inspiration and experience as a fashion designer, and even drops a few hints at what we can expect to see on the runway this Friday. Of particular note for visitors, Ross talks about Austin's approach to fashion, how you can plan for your trip and what hot spots he likes to frequent. We also spoke about the most fascinating aspects of F1 and how they distinguish this class of racing from other series.

We hope to see you Friday as Circuit of The Americas presents Austin Fashion Week's Shift Into Style!

// DETAILS

What: Austin Fashion Week Kick-Off Event, Shift Into Style, presented by Circuit of The Americas

When: Friday, August 10, 2012 from 8:00PM - 11:00PM

Where: Bob Bullock Texas State History Museum, 1800 N. Congress Avenue, Austin, Texas 78701

Who: Circuit of The Americas, Circuit Events Host Committee, Austin Fashion Week, Alexander Rossi and more TBA

Fashion Lineup: Ross Bennett, Keepers, Ferrari, The Danes Collection and Linda Asaf

Food and Drinks: Parkside, Olive & June, Backspace, Truluck's, Iron Cactus, Siena and Sentelli's

Cost: $85 per ticket

// CLICK HERE TO PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS!

"COTA Has Character" Claims Australian V8 Supercars' Winterbottom

Circuit of The Americas is proving their open arms mentality; in August 2011 we saw David Coulthard pilot the Red Bull Racing Showcar on a gravel track, in April of this year Alexis DeJoria took a Toyota Tundra on the pre-asphalt terrain. Earlier this month the newly-announced COTA Ambassador Mario Andretti showed us what a Cadillac Escalade was capable of on the newly-laid asphalt. Today, we got to see what a good 'ol American muscle car could stir up as COTA welcomed the fourth driver to test out the track, Australian V8 Supercars Driver Mark Winterbottom.

V8 Supercars is an Australian-based race series; one of the world's largest and best known touring car categories because it is recognized internationally as a leader in motorsport and entertainment. Mark is in the US as part of a media tour promoting his involvement with the Disney-PIXAR movie Cars 2, whereby he "plays" the character "Frosty" in the Australian version of the film. Before the end of the month, Mark will fly back to California for the opening of "Cars Land" at Disneyland.

While in Austin, he did a great job at hitting up many popular and uniquely Austin attractions - getting a pair of cowboy boots, enjoying great B-B-Q at Stubb's, visiting Jesse James at his Austin Speed Shop and enjoying an antelope burger at Elroy's Wild Bubba's Wild Game Grill (right next to the circuit). Mark had this to say about Austin:

Austin has a really cool vibe. There’s lots to see and do, and I think international visitors will find the city very sophisticated, yet laid back and welcoming. It’s a great destination for motorsports enthusiasts and their families because there’s something for everyone in terms of good food, great shopping, exceptional music and entertainment, loads of parks and recreational activities, and, of course, a purpose-built Grand Prix circuit that will host some of the best auto racing in the world!

But what about the circuit? He drove a Ford Mustang GT through the back portion of the racecourse, from Turns 5-12 and also had the opportunity to preview the rest of it. Like many, he was amazed at the 130' elevation spike going up Turn 1, but he was equally impressed with the changes in height throughout the circuit, adding the numerous turns would make for great driving. He added:

The circuit’s topography, including the dramatic changes in elevation, will make for some really fun racing and a great show for fans. While I didn’t get to drive the full circuit, the sequence of turns I did sample were fantastic, and I can’t wait to come back and take a lap around the finished racecourse. Circuit of The Americas will be a welcome addition to our future V8 Supercar line-up!

 Check it out for yourself in this video clip:

Mark Winterbottom Drives COTA from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.

Now the question remains, when will we see the V8SC here in Austin? Stay tuned for the 2013 race calendar details to be announced.

// V8 Supercars Facts

• The V8 Supercar Championship ("V8 Supercars" or "V8SC") is an Australian-based touring car championship
• 15 annual events across Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East, and they raced at the 2012 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix as a support series during the F1 race weekend
• The world's leading Touring Car Championship recognized by the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile ("FIA")
• All V8 Supercars run on 85% CSR Ethanol, a renewable fuel made from the bi-product of the sugar refining process
• 2011 race attendance: 1,750,000
• 2011 TV race viewership: 17,500,000
• 130 countries telecast V8 Supercars live (as live or on delay, depending on time zone and programming)
• Estimated annual sponsorship portfolio in excess of $150,000,000

Aerial Update on COTA

With just 5 months to go until the inaugural Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, construction at Circuit of The Americas is rapidly progressing as the 900+ acre site transforms daily into a world class facility. 

Formula 1's most recognized photographers Mark and Keith Sutton of Sutton images visited Austin for Formula Expo this past weekend and took to the skies for a look at COTA.  In addition to their photos from their trip which you can see in this weeks issue of GP Week, the Sutton's brought back some aerial footage of the track as well:

The trip includes captions which indicate the turn locations as they circle around the whole location. If you're on the fence about which tickets to get for the race, this video should give you some idea of the orientation of the track relative to your seating.

If you're curious just how far along the circuit has come in a short amount of time, take a look at our aerial footage from March 2011.  This should help you gain some perspective on the amazing progress made by COTA's construction team in just 15 months since we produced the first aerial video of the circuit:

Exclusive: First Aerial Video of Austin Track Construction from The Austin Grand Prix on Vimeo.

VIDEO: February Construction Update

The Statesman has been on top of construction updates at Circuit of The Americas for February, so we thought we'd revisit the location of our first video shot in Elroy so you can see the progress made in the past year.

Many, many thanks to everyone who supported us for a Social Media Award from Austin's largest newspaper, the Austin American-Statesman. For those of you wondering what F1 in Austin has to do with social media, hopefully this background helps:

The Austin Grand Prix utilizes social media to connect with motorsport fans around the world. Our goal is simple: to help people connect with F1™.

Via independent analysis and on-location accessibility, we're able to deliver insight that translates into conversations with local and international fans, consumers, business owners, industry players and motorsports media. We take the conversation past blogging and into real-time dialogue via daily updates on Twitter. We engage with curious fans via high-quality picture and content sharing on Facebook and deliver unique video content via our Vimeo channel. We launched our COME AND RACE IT e-commerce site to build our brand responsibly and we aim to consistently embrace the latest social media tools, such as Pinterest and Tumblr.

Ultimately, technology is about connecting. Social media is The Austin Grand Prix’s tool to enhance the connection between a sport and its fans. We understand that Formula 1 is the most technologically advanced sport and it’s coming to one of the most technologically advanced cities in the world: Austin, Texas. As Kerri explains, “It’s about a culture that breeds innovation and technology and we're really lucky to have this in such a forward thinking city. I think it's a perfect partnership.”

Because we share a deep passion for our hometown, The Austin Grand Prix also serves as a platform for education and interaction within the city of Austin. We support responsible and sustainable growth for Austin while helping fans around the world learn more about this amazing city. While excitement continues to build for an Austin F1 race in November, The Austin Grand Prix will continue to help novice and intermediate racing fans alike to connect with a technology-fueled sport.

We'll share the results of the nomination process as soon as we receive further details.

A giant Texas-sized THANK YOU for your continual support!

Red Bull Racing Reveals Title Defender

The 2012 Red Bull Racing RB8 is released this morning. Image by Red Bull Racing

This morning, Red Bull released a video of some media of their 2012 car, the RB8, to a worldwide audience.  Coming off of another championship winning season, all eyes are on the title defenders as they release their design to the world wide motorsport press.

The initial photos of the car The media is flowing out now, but so far, the released photos are in the gallery and we're studying the content to see what the Milton Keynes based team have prepared for the 2012 season.

For now, here's some beauty shots of the car for your viewing pleasure:

//UPDATE 01

The design of the 2012 RB8 car looks to be very competitive. Red Bull's chief designer Adrian Newey is known for his aerodynamic design features, creating a distinctive advantage over the rest of the field and translating into wins. Constant bending (not breaking) of the rules is an essential part of the sport, testing the cleverness of designers to solve a dynamic set of rules evolving every year. Aerodynamics are largely still a highly secretive part of the industry and kept under close guard, so design solutions aren't completely proven until they hit the track in pre-season testing.

Like other cars released last week, the new regulations on exhaust flow have allowed teams to tighten-up the rear end of the car, delivering a much tighter waist than previous years.  Additionally, the front nose of the car has also managed the 2012 height requirements by using a stepped nose (nicknamed the 'platypus nose').  The Red Bull's nose is not quite as smooth as the McLaren or Lotus, but also not quite as extreme as the Ferrari or Force India.  At this point, the effectiveness of the nose design is all still speculation, but results should be developing in the next few hours as journalists bring back the news from Jerez, Spain.  We'll keep things updated as this news begins to flow...