Posted: 8/14/2014 9:36:22 PM EDT
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I've been a casual fan of F1 for many years but have become more interested in the last 5 years or so. I've decided to attend a race either next season or the one after. My two choices are either Austin tx or Montreal. Although it would be easier I don't have much of a desire to go to tx. It seems like canada would be a cool experience.
Anyone here been to either of these races with some insight they would care to share with me. Thanks in advance. ERic |
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Quoted: I've been a casual fan of F1 for many years but have become more interested in the last 5 years or so. I've decided to attend a race either next season or the one after. My two choices are either Austin tx or Toronto. Although it would be easier I don't have much of a desire to go to tx. It seems like Toronto would be a cool experience. Anyone here been to either of these races with some insight they would care to share with me. Thanks in advance. ERic There isn't an F1 race in Toronto. Montreal is not Toronto. |
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There isn't an F1 race in Toronto. Montreal is not Toronto. Quoted:
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I've been a casual fan of F1 for many years but have become more interested in the last 5 years or so. I've decided to attend a race either next season or the one after. My two choices are either Austin tx or Toronto. Although it would be easier I don't have much of a desire to go to tx. It seems like Toronto would be a cool experience. Anyone here been to either of these races with some insight they would care to share with me. Thanks in advance. ERic There isn't an F1 race in Toronto. Montreal is not Toronto. You are correct sir!  . Not sure how I got that wrong. Ever been to the race there?
ERic |
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I've been to Montreal a couple of times and it's a great city to visit as long as you're not in the cold weather. Went skiing there one year over Christmas vacation and it was freakin' cold, so keep that in mind.
It's a great city with lots of neat stuff to do besides watching the race. Chris |
Austin is awesome. They go up a hill, pull like a 170 degree turn, roar down the hill, and hang a hard right. Let's see NASCAR do that. 
ETA: The beer was pretty good too. Traffic sucks ass getting there unless you come down the new bypass tollway Texas has built so we can all avoid Austin. |
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This is what I came here to suggest lol. |
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Quoted:
Austin is awesome. They go up a hill, pull like a 170 degree turn, roar down the hill, and hang a hard right. Let's see NASCAR do that.
ETA: The beer was pretty good too. Traffic sucks ass getting there unless you come down the new bypass tollway Texas has built so we can all avoid Austin. Do you even Watkins Glen bro. 
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I've been to COTA twice, once for F1 and once for MotoGP. COTA seems like a nice facility and I thought the track was pretty cool but I'm not into it enough to know how the various tracks compare. While COTA is a nice, new premiere facility it's located out in BFE amongst "homes" that look more like junkyards. I guess it was the only sizeable piece of land cheap enough to build something like that in the Austin area.
For my F1 trip (last year) I won deluxe tickets to the Friday practice session from my employer. It didn't include parking so I parked in one of the offsite park-n-ride lots for $10. They had a fleet of school busses ferrying us to the track. I don't know how far it was from where the bus drop off point is from the track itself but it was a walk and a half. Far enough that there were pedicabs offering rides for money. My tickets were for some hospitality suite that turned out to be pretty swanky. The seats were basically like high-back office chairs. They had a free buffet going as well as staff that waited on us, bringing us drinks, etc. The suite was at turn 19 along the straight to turn 20 so we had a good view of the cars coming out of turn 18. My brother (who went with me) and I were spoiled by the suite which made up for all of the other annoyances (parking, bus ride, walking, etc). Even though it was only the practice session, watching them live in person was awesome. 
ETA: The race was in early November IIRC and the weather was pretty mild and pleasant. iPotato video I took: My second trip to COTA was for this year's MotoGP race. My wife bought me tickets on the main straight in the grandstands across from the pits. She got me onsite parking but it was still a walk. The grandstand seating was cool as we got to see the bikes come and go from the pits and got to see some of the racers (like Rossi) fairly close. While the grandstand seating was nice I think there's probably better places to sit if you really want to see the action. |
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Austin is awesome. They go up a hill, pull like a 170 degree turn, roar down the hill, and hang a hard right. Let's see NASCAR do that.
ETA: The beer was pretty good too. Traffic sucks ass getting there unless you come down the new bypass tollway Texas has built so we can all avoid Austin. Do you even Watkins Glen bro. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Watkins_Glen_International_Circuit_Map.png http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?act=module&module=gallery&cmd=viewimage&img=712140 Been a very long time since I've watched a race @ Watkins Glen - too bad F1 left years ago. So turns 6 & 7 are somewhat like Austin's 1 & 2 I think, except 7 is @ the top of the hill, instead of @ the bottom. |
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I went to Austin last year..... it was awesome, but fucking hot.
If I go to another race, it will probably be Canada... I want to see as many different tracks as I can. Like others have said... GA blows, buy seats. I did Turn 12 at COTA... good balance between having a great view and not being ridiculously expensive. And get the 3-day pass for practices and qualifying. And show up for the support races... they did Ferrari Challenge last year... 458s going at it and racing the fuck out of one another, and Formula Vintage.... old-school F1 cars (Mario fucking Andretti drove one!). |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Austin is awesome. They go up a hill, pull like a 170 degree turn, roar down the hill, and hang a hard right. Let's see NASCAR do that.
ETA: The beer was pretty good too. Traffic sucks ass getting there unless you come down the new bypass tollway Texas has built so we can all avoid Austin. Do you even Watkins Glen bro. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2a/Watkins_Glen_International_Circuit_Map.png http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?act=module&module=gallery&cmd=viewimage&img=712140 You know, except for the fact... NASCAR DOESN'T RUN THE BOOT. |
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It was many years ago, but Montreal was a great place to see a race.
I saw Senna, Berger etc., and at the time there were no pit lane speed limits. (that was quite a sight)  ),
In a day when I participated in such things, night life in Montreal was first rate and the city really let loose when the circus came to town. Here are photos I took of photos with a potato: Pit crews in shorts! 
This is at the chicane entering the front straight. Watching Ayrton Senna throw a car through there was one of the most amazing things I have ever seen. The car literally seemed to just bounce and float, with him sawing at the wheel. It was unreal. 
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Canada would be my choice (I have been there once)
never been to the one in TX but again I would pick Canada since it has more history and is one hell of a nice track and if you are closer do this one 1st because once you go to one of them you will want to see other tracks. I grew up in Europe and have been to quite a few either way enjoy |
| I've been to three different F1 circuits. USGP at Indy was ok. Didn't seem very special and I'm not a big fan of oval road courses. Montreal was a cool town with great strip clubs. The downtown race atmosphere was nice too. Oh yea, the track out on the island was pretty cool. My favorite was Spa-Francorchamps. Great part of the country, great beer and an awesome track. TV does not come close to doing justice to the size of the hill after Eau Rouge. What a great experience, can't wait to get back there. |
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I've been a casual fan of F1 for many years but have become more interested in the last 5 years or so. I've decided to attend a race either next season or the one after. My two choices are either Austin tx or Montreal. Although it would be easier I don't have much of a desire to go to tx. It seems like canada would be a cool experience. Anyone here been to either of these races with some insight they would care to share with me. Thanks in advance. ERic I know people who went to Montreal and said it is an EPIC event - the partying as well as the race - but it's so epic it's almost impossible to get hotels in the city that weekend. And Montreal is a classic circuit as well. If I had to choose between the two it would be Montreal without a moment's hesitation. |
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You are correct sir! . Not sure how I got that wrong. Ever been to the race there?
ERic Quoted:
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I've been a casual fan of F1 for many years but have become more interested in the last 5 years or so. I've decided to attend a race either next season or the one after. My two choices are either Austin tx or Toronto. Although it would be easier I don't have much of a desire to go to tx. It seems like Toronto would be a cool experience. Anyone here been to either of these races with some insight they would care to share with me. Thanks in advance. ERic There isn't an F1 race in Toronto. Montreal is not Toronto. You are correct sir! . Not sure how I got that wrong. Ever been to the race there?
ERic CART raced in Toronto during their heyday. Street course, was OK. |
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Canada would be my choice (I have been there once) never been to the one in TX but again I would pick Canada since it has more history and is one hell of a nice track and if you are closer do this one 1st because once you go to one of them you will want to see other tracks. I grew up in Europe and have been to quite a few either way enjoy I have racing buddies who go to Canada every year to be track workers for F1 weekend. They love it. And besides the racing there are the French Canadian womenz in the crowd and the Canadian Ballet to occupy the racing fans. A good time to be had by all. |