Tag Archives: Circuit of the Americas

January 01

2016: The Year of the Car

Welcome to 2016, race fans! One of my resolutions for this year is to spend more time on this blog again. I got so far behind in 2015 that you haven’t even heard about how I got tased by Formula 1 driver Valtteri Bottas. Or all the interesting car-related observations I made in Southeast Asia. […]

October 28

Photo Preview of the USGP

Get the picture? It was a great weekend! 🙂 The full story to come…

October 23

F1icane

After weeks of no rain, we’re gettin’ all hurricane-ish around here. On Formula 1 weekend, naturally. But it’s okay. I’m ready. Check my Twitter feed tomorrow for dispatches from a water-logged Circuit of the Americas!

October 22

USGP Weekend!

It’s here! The Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, TX kicks off this Friday, Oct. 23, and culminates in the big race on Sunday. Unlike the tragedy of last year, I am here and ready to go! The race weekend actually started today for me, with a pit walk at Circuit of the Americas […]

August 21

Surprises

On the way to work today, I ended up behind a Buick that was quite good-looking. A BUICK. More specifically, it was a red Buick Regal and, I have to say, it looks fairly sporty in motion. I was shocked, and I’m not even being snarky about it. Buick’s SUVs are looking pretty good these days, […]

March 21

Pirelli World Challenge at Circuit of the Americas

The Pirelli World Challenge sports car racing series had its season opener at Circuit of the Americas at the beginning of March, and your faithful motorsports reporter was there for the Saturday race! (I had plans for Sunday.) I may have mentioned before that I love Pirelli World Challenge, but let me recap: I love […]

September 27

15 Hours of Motorista: Lone Star Le Mans

Last Saturday, I claimed a personal record that probably no one else cares about: I spent 15 consecutive hours at Circuit of the Americas, that amazing racetrack less than 45 minutes from my house. If you count travel, that makes for a  16 1/2-hour day. It was delightful. The occasion was the Lone Star Le […]

September 04

My New Twitter Friend, Mario Andretti

Today dawned like any other day – other than the fact that it is my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. That is a story in itself! Happy anniversary, MotoMom and MotoDad! Anyway, back to my normal day. I refuse to watch TV and typically get my news through Twitter, so I scan my Twitter timeline in […]

May 28

A Non-Silent, Scream-Worthy Auction

The Indy 500 Pink Watch Party may have concluded, but we are not completely done with pink yet. Be aware, race fans, that Komen Austin is hosting their annual Perfectly Pink Party this Saturday, May 31, and the auction items are pretty fab. I am referring specifically to the F1 Package (scroll about 2/3 of the […]

May 04

More Carrera of the Americas, Because Porsche

Turns out I took a LOT of photos yesterday. So won’t you indulge me while I do another post? They’re Porsches, after all.     Love the Martini livery! Classic. Green means GO! And so they did. Good night!

May 03

Carrera of the Americas – Saturday

Apparently there are benefits to public speaking. After my recent presentation to the Hill Country Region of the Porsche Club of America, I snagged a very kind invite to attend the 2014 “Carrera of the Americas,” a PCA race weekend held at Circuit of the Americas. I went out there today and snapped a few […]

April 21

Swoon: Porsche 918 at Circuit of the Americas

Remember this car? Remember this track? How about we put them together, and throw in Patrick Long, a fabulous Porsche factory driver and all-around good-looker. Let the swooning commence. If only we could see Patrick’s face… And, HEY, did you notice he’s got the $1,800 seatbelt??  

April 13

MotoGP – Sunday

Okay, okay, I take it all back. ALL racing is fabulous, whether two wheels or four. The races today (I caught MotoGP2 and MotoGP) were fast and loud; in other words, awesome. Number 93 Marc Marquez dominated the MotoGP race and brought home the win, followed by Dani Pedrosa and Andrea Dovizioso. All three are […]

April 12

MotoGP – Saturday

So I’m unsure about this two-wheeled racing business. It puts me in mind of a literary quote variation: four wheels good, two wheels bad. You know, Automo Farm. I was out at Circuit of the Americas today for MotoGP practice and qualifying, and let me just tell you: these motorcycle racing fans are a different […]

January 02

Fiatissimo!

Kudos and accolades to my friends over at Fiat of Austin! Word on the street is that they are the “winningest” Fiat dealer of all time, having sold over 2,100 cars since the Fiat brand returned to the U.S. in 2011. If you live in Austin, this is easy to believe. You can’t sneeze in […]

December 29

2013: a Look Back

I never thought the birth year of a blog would be a big deal, but here I am, looking back on 2013 through the eyes of this blog, and thinking about all that has happened since I published my first post on May 25. I have been to car-related events in Michigan, California and Texas, […]

December 20

Gift Guide for the Gearhead

This may be a bit late…but if you’re a procrastinator like me, it’s just in time! Allow me to present Motorista’s First Annual Gift Guide for the Gearhead. In case you know any… Branded Swag Does your favorite gearhead love a particular make or model above all others? Your choices are endless for branded hats, […]

November 22

F1 Sunday – the Rest of the Story…

Where was I before real life interfered? Oh yes – the USGP. In my grandstand seat on Sunday, sipping a COTA Flame, waiting for the races to begin. As I write this, the temperature hovers around freezing and the rain is pooling in my backyard. Last Sunday it was 86 degrees without much of a […]

November 17

F1: Sunday, Part 1

Vettel wins! Surprise, surprise. Still, it was exciting. The battle for 2nd between Romain Grosjean of Lotus and Mark Webber of Red Bull was epic. RoGro held Webber off and took P2. Given that Lotus is one of my favorite teams, I was quite pleased! And exhausted. Go, RoGro, go! Too busy with work to […]

November 16

F1: Saturday

Short day at the track today, as, believe it or not, Motorista does have real-life responsibilities (such as work), that occasionally require a shift in priorities. Nonetheless, I got to see F1 qualifying and the first Ferrari Challenge race, so it was quite a successful time. The big news is that Sebastian Vettel and Mark […]

November 15

F1: Friday

Those blasted Formula cars are fast. I really had to work to get some good photos to show you guys. It’s funny how you can tell the difference between classes of cars based on the ease with which you can capture them with your camera. After the first F1 practice, the Ferrari Challenge cars held […]

November 14

F1: Pit Walk

On a clear day, you can see COTA from miles away. This afternoon, I watched the tower get closer and closer in my windshield, giddily anticipating the weekend ahead. And, in racing, the weekend apparently begins on Thursday. As a perk of having married my seat for 14 years, I got passes to Thursday’s pit […]

November 12

F1 Countdown: le Schedule

What do you have to look forward to this week, you ask? Well, only an up close and personal view of Formula 1 through me, your friendly, devoted blogger! I can’t wait to tell you guys all about the weekend and let you see it with me. I’ll be on Instagram and Twitter throughout the […]

November 08

F1 Countdown: Mark Webber Narrates a Lap at COTA

One week until the Formula 1 US Grand Prix! Now that I am such an old hand out at Circuit of the Americas, I keep expecting the F1 drivers to call me for advice. No, Sebastian Vettel has not called yet. But he does have approximately six days… Here’s a cool video that went up […]

November 06

Excitement

You guys are giving me the warm and fuzzies. Very pleased to see the heartfelt response to Project Keychain (including an awesome story on Jean Knows Cars!), and can’t wait to start receiving your keychains in the mail! And your Facebook likes! And your Tweets and re-Tweets! And…yeah, I’m just excited about all of it. And […]