The Circuit of The Americas is using its new Thursday event ahead of the MSC Cruises United States Grand Prix to chase an audience well beyond its existing fan base.
Grand PrixView Thursday launches on 22 October, ahead of the main race weekend, with standalone tickets priced from $20 and free access for existing three-day ticket and hospitality holders.
The day includes F1 Academy track action, a Formula 1 Pit Lane Walk, early access to the F1 Fan Zone, and merchandise shopping before the weekend crowds arrive, while COTALAND, the circuit’s theme park, is also open.
Asked what the circuit was hoping to gain from opening up access a day earlier than previous years, Bobby Epstein, Chairman and Founder of COTA, laid out the plans.
“One of the biggest ones was we wanted to engage with potential new fans and students and inspire them and find a way to include them,” he said on a media call to a select number of journalists, including Sector.
“We’re going to bring out 10,000 sixth graders or 12-year-olds and give them a chance to learn and engage with the sport.”
The education angle extends beyond the track itself. Epstein pointed to the range of careers F1 offers beyond driving, and said COTA sees the day as complementing school STEM programmes.
“There are so many different types of jobs that come out of Formula One that I think people don’t realise beyond just being a race car driver, whether that’s an engineer or a marketing expert or the conditioning coach or management,” he said.
“You can culminate a classroom exercise with a visit to the circuit, and that would only be possible on Thursday.”
We wanted to engage with potential new fans and students and inspire them and find a way to include them.
Bobby Epstein
The idea also grew out of fan behaviour COTA observed last year, when campers began arriving well ahead of the race itself.
“We learned last year when we opened the campground on Wednesday that hundreds of campers showed up because they’re just taking the whole weekend off,” Epstein said.
“Thursday just opens up so many possibilities for us.”
Epstein was clear the format itself isn’t new to motorsport, even if it is for COTA.
“I know we’re not the first to do that, but it’s the first time for us, and I think it offers us a lot of different opportunities and a lot of different avenues that weren’t available to us on traditional Friday, Saturday, Sunday,” he said.
Locals are part of the target audience too. Epstein said many in the surrounding community have never actually seen what happens on the COTA campus during a grand prix weekend, and the Thursday day is designed to change that.
“I think they still picture an oval racetrack with a car going around, because that’s what Americans would think of as car racing, and it’s just such a different festival,” he said. “Why are all those people going to Circuit of the Americas for the Grand Prix?”
“There’s so much more to do and see, and they can come see what it’s all about for $20. I think we’ll pick up a lot of locals as new fans and future customers.”
