If you don’t follow the Motorcycle Grand Prix, this post may be of limited interest to you.  But I like motorcycle racing, so I was pretty thrilled to be able to get a ticket to the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Austin, Texas for the MotoGP!  Since it wasn’t really on my route, I took several days to drive there, really enjoying the weather and scenery along the way.  Texas is, unfortunately, the Wild West of driving, with major roads with a speed limit of 75 mph passing right through neighborhoods and towns, where there may suddenly be a traffic light, as well as people pulling out of driveways and businesses.  Vehicles travel at variable speeds, pass unexpectedly and often unsafely, and there are plenty of stock truck on the roads as well.  One must keep one’s wits about one!

But… I arrived safely at Bastrop State Park where I had reserved a camp site, about half an hour away from the track.  It was close enough for convenience, and far enough away for quiet and sanity.  That night I went into town and got myself my first ever Southern fried catfish and hush puppies at PawPaw’s Catfish House (I understand that the hush puppies were MawMaw’s recipe though)!  They were really kind of great!

The next morning I arrived reasonably early, before there were many other people there at 8am, and walked the track, trying to find the best viewing spots.

This is what the track web site has to say about it: “The 20-turn, counterclockwise circuit takes advantage of the naturally undulating landscape, including an intimidating 133-foot hill at Turn 1 that must be seen in person to be believed. It is home to the only Formula 1 race in America — the UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX — as well as ESPN’s X Games, MotoGP, the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and more.”

The web site goes on to say:  “Nestled within the track is Austin360 Amphitheater, the largest permanent outdoor amphitheater in Central Texas, and its 251-foot signature observation tower. ”

My general admission ticket got me access to the grassy slopes all around the track, so I found a nice place to spread my blanket, drink a coffee, and watch the practice laps.

I had a pretty good view up at the formidable turn 1, which was what I was hoping for.

There were lots of vendors there as well, so during the course of the morning I visited them all, and did some window shopping for my next bike.  I think I know what it will be, but I was quite impressed with all of these, especially the Ducati.

There were plenty of foods and drinks available to get everyone through the day, and I didn’t find that the lines were ever too long.  I ended up with an “evil wiener” (a surprisingly nice hot dog), and lots of lemonade (since I was on my own and driving).

The four races of the day were the Moto2, Moto3, MotoGP, and the Superbikes, in that order.  As the racing picked up, so did the crowds, although I never found it to be uncomfortably packed.

I’ve been to the MotoGP at Philip Island in Australia before, and I’d have to say that I liked that track slightly better, just because it was a bit more accessible, at least at the time I was there.  Although I could walk all around COTA, I never really felt like I was close to the action, and it was difficult to take detailed pictures without a zoom lens.  The experience may have been different from the more expensive seats, but I’m just comparing general admission in both places.

In spite of the crowds, getting around was fairly easy, even the lines going over the bridges were moving quickly.

The state sheriff and highway patrol were there, but everyone seemed very well behaved, and I suspect the cops spent as much time watching the races as watching the crowd.

During the Moto2 I watched turn 1 as two riders went down in the first lap.  During the MotoGP Maverick Vinales crashed out right in front of me!

It was great to see Marc Marquez dominate the whole MotoGP race, but even better to see Valentino Rossi battle with Dani Pedrosa and finally take second, moving him into the Championship lead!

While waiting for the Superbikes to begin, I wandered around a bit more, and watched the kiddy bike races.  It was pretty cute to watch, and the girls consistently won.  The boy with the training wheels tipped over — how do you even do that??

It was a perfect day overall though.  I forgot my sunscreen and got a charming sunburn, but even though I didn’t feel incredibly close to the action, it was worth going just for the atmosphere.

Back at my camp that evening, it was cool and quiet.

Interestingly, the guys camped near me were driving this Subaru Outback Baja Ute.  I’ve never seen one before, so kept staring at it until I finally went over to talk to them.  Apparently it’s rather rare and difficult to get your hands on, according to the driver.  I might need one though, it’s very cool.

So there you have it, the only MotoGP race in North America, where I split my time between fan-girling over Valentino and window shopping for bikes.  Yep, that’s a good day!