USGP Austin, TX. 2012

(Click on the thumbnails or links to see full size image) Updated 11/22/12

I left Phoenix, finally around 8pm Wednesday evening, with a 1,000plus mile drive ahead of me. Got to have my GP jacket of course!   and packed the trunk   . Put together my travel package.

Well here we are, (well that's Don with his car, next to mine)   in Austin TX. at the La Quinta in Cedar Park (Thursday around 2pm) for the return of Formula 1 to the USA. Its a little overcast and cold!

I have no doubt that the track and race will be spectacular, but I am still pissed off about the prices here.

Friday November 16th:
We decided that we should allow a couple of hours to get to the track so as not to miss first practice. So we left the hotel/motel at around 7am. We are right off the freeway, wrong, Toll Road which will take us almost to the track.

It would appear that not many people want to pay the toll to drive on the road, so it was a breeze. Just drive through the toll booths that say TX tag only or Pay by mail. Cameras take pictures and I guess you get a bill in the mail. So we have no clue how much it costs. LOL!
We were in Parking lot "L" within 45 minutes. (and the Hotel is approx 45 miles away) That put us right at the gate by turn 11 hairpin   just before the long straight to turn 12. This is the General admission area here. (To see all pictures I have taken, and uploaded to date, click here for Friday, here for Saturday and here for Sunday)
This is the kind of view you can expect from Turn 11 GA area.             

We did try to meet Russell at the F1 Village, but the organizers had not sorted out, or realized that fans want to walk around, so they did not have the walkway open in a lot of places. Gates locked across them. So we were unable to meet at that time. We did manage to meet Jack and his wife, Jinel, in the F1 Village, later in the day.

Furthering our quest to find the best spot to watch the race, we went over to turn 18 and 19 General admission area. It is a good place to watch from. You can see turn one and 2, as well as turn 18 and 19 and the back side of the Pits/Paddock Club.   If you are close to turn 19 you can see turn 20 and pit entrance.

As first practice ended, we had a wonder around the "F1 Village" at the main entrance. They have it spread out, surrounding a small pond, making it look very spacious, but believe me, when everyone wants to buy a souvenir, there is no space, except on the grass or in the pond. ;)