So me and a few friends are going to go watch the MotoGP round at COTA in April. It seems like the consensus is that the general admission tickets are the way to go rather than the grandstand tickets. I'm trying to decide if I want to splurge and add on a paddock pass for 250 bucks. Have any of you guys bought the paddock pass? Was it worth it? The MotoGP website is a little sparse on details regarding what kind of access the paddock pass gets you. Also, anyone know if the 3 day general admission ticket gets you access to the track on Thursday?
So I didn’t pay for the paddock pass but I did have a pass that got me back there. Having Dovi sign my Duc hat and seeing all kinds of MotoGP stars, I would have been more than happy to pay for it.
A group of 4 buddies went 2 years ago, looking back, here's what I remember: - Paddock VIP pass is essential if you're a fanboy or gearhead - we killed Thursday and Friday all day in there, then floated around, watched MotoAmerica races Saturday, grandstands on Sunday. - Tickets - no idea as we got ours well in advance via a GP paddock hookup - best decision EVER. - Austin - REALLY cool city, loved it. Killer BBQ, live music EVERYWHERE, and Saturday night they shut down a main downtown street and turn it into one big nightclub essentially, you can pop into bars along the street and watch loads of different bands. 4th St rings a bell... - We stayed in the middle of Austin at a crappy Super 8 - bad decision, shoulda looked south, closer to downtown and the COTA. Rates in crazy expensive though, book early. There are food vendors at the track for lunch, plenty of room to walk around, and lots of time to wander around on Thursday/Fridays - we walked the track while the MotoGP circus were all doing laps on their pit scooters to learn/familiarize themselves with it then we walked up the tower but I believe Sat/Sun all of that is on lockdown unless you're an invited VIP. To answer your question about Thursday though - a regular paddock pass is only valid Fri-Sun, ours were passes from team members so it allowed Thursday entry which was my favorite day. Riders were relaxed and chatty, mechanics had everything on display and were cleaning assembling everywhere. Friday onwards is game day for all of them and understandably so...
I believe you can get into the Moto America paddock without passes. I didn't realize that the first year I went, but last year we went in. I did have access passes last year, but that got me into the motogp pits.
Great track, lots of good viewing locations even with GA. I found very few track ushers the first year there to give me pointers. Nice people but not as cordial as the yellow shirts in Indy. They also don’t allow coolers so a brew or liquor will cost you.
I have been to 3 of the Austin GP races so far and the GA tickets are the best bang for the buck. Main grandstand tickets are nice for the seats/shade and the pit pass is good for getting up close to the racers. Parking lots A or T if you drive a vehicle to the track ( A lot is usually reserved for the more expensive tickets/packages) and you can bring 1 big bottle of water with you into the track( they search your bags upon entry). The tower is $20 buck for a trip to the top and the views from there are bad ass, worth it for some pics up there. My sister lives on the south side of Austin and that's where I stay so cant comment on hotels but I can recommend Rudy's BBQ for lunch ( love that place lol )
so looks like "early bird" specials on tickets are available http://www.circuitoftheamericas.com/motogp/tickets
We camped there. Entrance is tricky to find at night. They came around with water to fill tanks daily. Showers and toilets were clean. Quick access to the Esses, about a 10 min walk to the main paddock. Decent peeps there, plenty of room. I’m never ever gonna drive there again though. I-10 through Louisiana sucks!!!
Out of interest has anybody ridden it? Each time I watch the GP I think that track and facility looks amazing.
I can't believe no one has mentioned the Handbuilt Motorcycle Show, it is a must see: https://revivalcycles.com/pages/about-the-handbuilt-motorcycle-show And they have this: https://www.google.com/search?q=wal...Csh7LYAhUL9YMKHclBDC8QsAQIbg&biw=1280&bih=612 In my opinion, this is as cool as the GP, maybe even a little bit cooler.
Especially after Baton Rouge. I thought I was gonna lose some teeth! God knows what was happening in the trailer. The place is unbelievably huge. Makes Barber look like a go-cart facility. It's fast, fast, fast and challenging to find your lines. Three heavy braking zones, two flickie back and forth zones, some blind entries and exits and a few very tight turns. The back straight seems to go on forever then, suddenly, you're braking for all she's got. Stay away from the left side of the back straight at the kink...nothin' but whoops at 160mph when you're leaned over a bit. I think I skipped across a couple crests the first time I found myself out there. Don't go there...it's worse than I-10 in Louisiana. 105º in the shade, I was there for three days this past August. Wearing leathers all day was actually better than not, they insulated me from the heat...not that I wasn't peeling off the top when in some shade. It's also a very safe track to ride. You would deliberately have to hit something off track if you went "moto". Having a brake failure could be bad...prolly best to bail.
My wife and I decided we are going to COTA for the GP this year and I have a few questions for those that have been there. We are staying near the airport and we are planning on being at the track on Fri, Sat, Sun. We are kind of stuck between doing the 3 day GA tickets or the 3 day multi-Grandstand tickets. If we were to get the Grandstand tickets, would we be able to still sit in the GA areas if we decided to? How is the viewing from the GA areas? It looks like most of them are hills. Is visibility of the track a problem when the crowds fill in? Would it be worth picking up a few cheap camping chairs (we are flying in) to take along if we sit in GA? Any recommended viewing areas? It looks like T1 is a must. Also the esses. I saw someone mention that the MotoAmerica pits are open to everyone, is that still the case? As for the GP paddock passes, is it worth the $250 a head? I've been through the MotoAmerica pits before and enjoyed it but they've always been free (except Daytona). Thanks for the info.
I went two years ago. Got the multi grand stand pass which I thought was worth it as we got to see multiple points of the track. No paddock pass... however redbull always throws a party downtown so we got to mingle with all the racers anyway. My memory was blurry at that point as drinks were flowing liberally... Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Oh and we got an air bnb 5 minutes outside dowtown for like 150 for the whole weekend Thursday through Monday Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I rode it in 2013, it was smooth as glass then, looks stupid bumpy now. I was living in Dallas at the time, so a 3 hour drive was a no brainer. Garages and the whole place were new so very high marks from me.
Just rode it on thanksgiving, they shaved a bunch of the bumps down, but if you go offline on the back straight, better have a good dentist on call. I would still call it smooth overall though.
I enjoyed sitting in the Stadium section, not looking at a track map, but it is a section after the back straight where you see the bikes make around 4 turns. I've always purchased general admission tickets and just walk around. The time I went into the stadium section, no one was watching the entrance ramp, race had started and I just walked up and grabbed an empty seat. My first year I didn't realize the MA pits were open access, evidently I tried to enter from a side they don't let you in. Last year, I scored some MotoGp access passes and that's how I learned the MA pits are wide open. Since I usually go with my son, I would have to pay $500 to get in there, and for me that isn't worth it. I relate things to tires, and that's almost a set and a half for my kid, so I would rather buy him some race tires.
