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. […]
Tag Archives: COTA
October
28
Photo Preview of the USGP
posted by Motorista
Get the picture? It was a great weekend! 🙂 The full story to come…
October
23
F1icane
posted by Motorista
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!
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
The Indy 500Â 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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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!
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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, […]
November
22
F1 Sunday – the Rest of the Story…
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
posted by Motorista
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
03
Hot Laps
posted by Motorista
I got up this morning, drove to Circuit of the Americas, took about ten hot laps around the track, and drove home. Bucket list item accomplished before 10 a.m. HOLY CRAP!!!!!!! Bucket list experiences are kind of surreal. I just like BEING at COTA. Then, last weekend, I got to ride in a pace car […]
October
27
Vintage Saturday: Racing Minis
posted by Motorista
Title kind of speaks for itself, don’t you think? I have lots more photos from Saturday (and not a lot from today – my camera’s memory card got cantankerous, making my camera unusable from 10:30 a.m. on), but I’m a little tired from RIDING IN THE ASTON MARTIN PACE CAR and BUYING MY FIRST RACING […]
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