2015 Pirelli World Challenge (March 8)

We went to Austin the weekend of March 7 – 8, 2015. I had some shopping (browsing) I wanted to do in Austin because San Antonio can be limited when it comes to stuff like tiles and cabinetry. Anyway, we planned a getaway to coincide with 2015 Pirelli World Challenge at Circuit of the Americas (COTA). The one thing we did not count on was the cold and rain!

The first race was composed of slower cars. Dan’s coworkers could not be bothered to show up for this race. However, they did show up for the other faster cars. I thought the slower cars were rather interesting. Of course, I am not into racing like my husband is; so, I am sure it can be boring to those who love FAST.

I have actually witnessed a spinout this major curve (pictured above). Three cars spun out at the same time. Fortunately, no serious accidents occurred at this spot.

This is the last curve in the track.

We could one see a very small portion of the track. The rest were on huge screens. So, we were basically watching the race on TV. I thought it was poor planning of the builders because the building(s) blocked the majority of the track. But, you still get the experience of the sounds and feelings of a race. I actually had to wear ear plugs in spite of being without an hearing-aid because the sound of cars roaring by actually hurt my ears. Yes, make that plural. It even hurt my dead right ear!

PURPLE! I loved and privately cheered for this car in spite of it being nearly last in the race. If you don't know, purple is a favorite color of mine.

The second race was composed of much faster cars. I was interested in the first race; but, once this race started, I understood why people prefer fast over slower cars.

I wanted to animate the above two pictures; but, I did not make the time to do so.

I did not take pictures of every single race as it was extremely cold and miserable. In spite of feeling miserable on account of the weather, I had fun! It was seriously raining the last race I took pictures. I was completely floored when all the cars started. The backwash from cars was seriously horrendous. I looked at Dan with wide eyes after they all turned the corner and he was grinning and exclaimed “that was so awesome”. Seriously? All I could think was it was extremely dangerous.

The above video was shot by Dan with his iPhone. This was the second start up of the race as there was a major accident that forced them all to slow down.

Word to the wise about COTA: if you are gluten intolerant or have Celiac disease, you will need to do some serious planning concerning food because COTA does not allow food to be brought in and every single food merchant was full of gluten. Granted, not many food merchants were open that day; but, still… I could not find a single item that could potentially be gluten free with the exception of drinks. I ended up eating some food with gluten and paid the price. But, I have to say it was worth the price of brain fog, bloating, stomach troubles and joint pain!

Footnote: Dan says that on days of major popular races (e.g. Formula 1), there are many more food vendors and many are huge. So, there may be some gluten free options for those types of races. He mentioned a 18 wheeler truck full of whole chickens roasting.