Where to sit at COTA?

"zachaput" (zachaput) 08/21/2013 at 14:07 • Filed to: None

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So I'm planning on going to the ALMS/WEC weekend at Circuit of the Americas. Reserved seating cost the same as general admission. While I plan to spend most of my time wandering around the general admission areas, I think it's worth getting a reserved seat since it costs the same.

Options are the main grandstand, turn 1 grandstand, and the turn 15 grandstand.

So what does oppo say?

AustintheBruiser > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 14:08

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I'd get main grandstand tickets so that you can see the start and some pitstop action!

ncasolowork2 > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 14:11

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I'd get Turn 1 grandstand seats. Normally I'm a fan of General Admission at a road course, but COTA has pisspoor GA areas relative to some of the other tracks. The reason is all the grandstands they installed in the best GA areas. F1 fans want to sit in the best areas so they put grandstands there and charge obscene amounts.

Just look at the most expensive F1 tickets... they're the top of the Turn 1 grandstand.

Z_Stig > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 14:12

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I would choose turn 15. Looks like you'd be able to see a couple of the preceding corners and the cars will be going slow enough to see them real clearly.

CKeffer > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 14:23

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Easily turn 1 grandstands. While you're wandering the GA areas by turn 18&19, as well as the one by turn 7 offer decent views, and so to sections near turn 14.

Soloburrito > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 14:56

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My seating guide:

T1: Highest point of the track. Good views of T1, T2, Esses, 16-18, 20, and Pitlane. You can also see the last half or so of the backstretch and T11 if you're high enough, but just barely.

T15: Best views of the stadium complex, if you're on the top row, you can turn around and have a great view of the 18-19 and T1-2 and the Esses. Also have views of 6 and 7 I believe.

Main grandstand: best view of main straight and pits, but noise is amplified.

YMMV, but in my experience for pretty much any event except F1 and maaaybe Moto GP, the ushers are lax with their ticket checks everywhere except for the Main Grandstand.

I think it's a safe bet that you'll pretty much be able to roam wherever you want during WEC weekend including the T1 and T15 grandstands.

I also definitely recommend taking a lap around the track. The view from turn 10 as the cars exit 9 and are flat out racing down the hill to 11 is fantastic.

Vizzini > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 15:00

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You will see the most passing action from the Turn 15 stands as the cars come to the end of the back straight. Turn 1 probably offers the best combination of passing action and iconic vistas, with start/finish drama and a distant view of the pits thrown in the mix. At the GP, I was a little underwhelmed with the action at Turn 1, I think because the cars have to slow so much to get around the turn. The action was better with the sports cars, though. I think Turn 12 (directly visible from the T.15 stands) offers more dramatic passing, but it can't match the view from T.1.

For just wandering around, I kind of enjoyed T.2, down in front of the stands/suites. You could get really close to the track as the cars accelerated down the hill. It made for some good pictures and great noise.

ncasolowork2 > Vizzini 08/21/2013 at 15:41

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Turn 1 was pretty epic in the Grand-Am race but so was Turn 13.

GasolineLollipop > Z_Stig 08/21/2013 at 16:36

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As high up as you can sit in the turn 15 seats will give you the best view. My legs hurt thinking of the climbing the hill at turn one all day.

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 16:39

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Here's the thing. Get the grandstand tickets at T1. Since 6,7,8 stands are GA too for ALMS you can check them out too during the weekend. Not to mention the GA grassbanks around the track.

Chairman Kaga > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 17:01

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This advice is only useful if you opt to wander off the reservation and check out GA spots. Otherwise, I'd say main grandstand, because shade. It's going to be BLISTERING out there, and there's NO shade unless you're in the main stands.

But for GA?

My favorite spot by far (this is based on F1 and a full weekend at Aussie V8s) is the hill at turn 7. You have a nice view up to the chicanes after the bridge all the way down into turn 10, then a solid line of sight up the straight. You also get some sightlines across the track at 16, if I recall correctly. Also breeze.

My second favorite spot was the hill between 18 and 19, mainly because there's always a good breeze and you get some action in 19 into 20.

Third favorite is under the bridge at the chicanes. Get there early and claim a spot in the shade (notice a theme among my favorites? Yeah, it's hot in texas in the summer). Good sightlines coming out of the 2/3 complex and into the s-curves. Also loud as hell under the bridge.

The Big Hill is OK, but it's always crowded so it's hard to get a good sightline down the hill, although there's always some good racing in that corner. The biggest problem is that there's never any breeze. We lasted a single race before the heat and sun drove us away.

Chairman Kaga > ncasolowork2 08/21/2013 at 17:02

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The grandstands are only there for F1. The hill at turn 7 was awesome for the Aussie V8 races.

Chairman Kaga > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 08/21/2013 at 17:03

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Actually there are no grandstands at 6,7,8. They're only installed for F1, otherwise it's bums on the grass.

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > Chairman Kaga 08/21/2013 at 17:14

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Wait, the 6,7,8 stands are taken down and put up only for F1? 2,3 stands are metal seating too that are designated GA for WEC I think?

Chairman Kaga > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 08/21/2013 at 17:31

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As far as I know, it's temporary. If you go to Google Maps you can see them all set up, presumably prior to last year's race. The only time I've seen bleacher seating in turn 7 area has been for F1. Can't speak to MotoGP. I'm almost certain the only permanent seating areas are the ones denoted in yellow on this map. All the gray blobs are actually GA (actually, anywhere not it yellow, as people clog up the hillside at turn 1 even though it's not officially GA) and open to anyone who can find a patch of grass. Turn 7 is just a bare hill, and as far as I'm concerned, the best vantage point a member of the proletariat can hope for. Around the tower isn't terrible either.

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > zachaput 08/21/2013 at 20:46

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I had seats at turn 11 for F1, but wound up watching the race from the GA seating right by the bridge between turns 2/3 and 4. Absolutely loved it. The only other place I might think about sitting is down by turn 7 or over near 14/15, but there's not a lot of GA over there.

Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents > Chairman Kaga 08/21/2013 at 22:12

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They just posted that turn 12 bleacher stands are going up for the GP. So they are temp stands. Interesting.

Chairman Kaga > Icemanmaybeirunoutofthetalents 08/22/2013 at 10:25

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That's a good spot too. Corners 16-18 are fast, leading down into 19 where there's heavy braking.

But yeah, they can configure seating to suit the crowd and the type of race. Pretty smart of them to avoid all of the permanent seating like some other facilities.

Stef Schrader > zachaput 08/23/2013 at 15:06

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15's probably my favorite single view. That whole s-section has a lot of passing and it's fun to see cars bunch up through the S and fight to spread back out again after 15.

Otherwise, WALK AROUND! If it's anything like Grand Am or V8s, the paddock may even be open to walk through. Too many good views here to sit in one spot.