Circuit of The Americas signed a multi-year agreement with the V8 Supercars Series that will allow the Australian touring cars to make their North American debut May 17-19, 2013. The V8 Supercars Championship is made up of 15 championship events across Australia, New Zealand and Abu Dhabi, with the United States joining the schedule in 2013. Australian V8 Supercars race exclusively on road-course or street circuits and combine the sheer horsepower of NASCAR stock cars with the handling of GT competitors in the Rolex GRAND-AM series.
V8 Supercars are based on modified versions of Australia’s two most popular passenger cars, the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore. Automakers Nissan and Mercedes have announced that they will also provide vehicles for the series in 2013. All V8 Supercars run on 85 per cent CSR Ethanol, a renewable fuel made from the bi-product of the sugar refining process. Race formats include sprint races as short as 100 kilometers, as well as middle-distance endurance races with the race length often depending on the venue.
Tickets for the 2013 V8 Supercars series at Circuit of The Americas go on sale Tuesday, Oct. 16. Three-day general admission tickets are $69 and three-day reserved seats will range in price from $83 to $275. For more information on tickets and pricing, visit www.circuitoftheamericas.com/tickets.
Annual attendance for the series can reach 1.75 million people (many events attract in excess of 200,000) and every race is telecast live on the Seven Network across Australia and the TV3 Network in New Zealand. SPEED TV in America televises selected events live. In 2011 the series was granted “international status” by the world governing body of motorsport the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, which enables V8 Supercars to race at up to six international destinations each year, elevating the sport to among the top tier of all categories worldwide.
More information can be found at v8supercars.com.au or v8supercarevents.com.au.
Circuit of The Americas also signed the world’s premier motorcycle racing World Championship, MotoGP, starting with a 3-day series set for Apr. 19-21, 2013. The new circuit will be the first North American racing venue to host both two-and four-wheeled World Championship events in one year’s time.
MotoGP consists of 18 races in 13 countries on four continents with pan-global television coverage. Nine nationalities of the world’s most skilled riders, including current US riders Colin Edwards, Ben Spies and 2006 MotoGP World Champion Nicky Hayden, compete with cutting-edge, prototype motorcycle technology produced by Ducati, Yamaha, and Honda, as well as the new CRT regulation machines from the likes of FTR, Suter and Aprilia. The series traditionally holds three races, including Moto2 and Moto3 competitions, during each event for various classes of motorcycles based on engine size.
MotoGP’s reach extends to more than 200 countries and territories that receive live or same-day delayed broadcasts of the MotoGP events, with the coverage delivered to more than 337 million households worldwide.
MotoGP 2006 World Champion Nicky Hayden, who hails from Kentucky, rides for the Ducati Factory Team and said he’s eager to try out the new Austin circuit. “It’s great for riders and fans to have another MotoGP event in the United States, and Circuit of The Americas will give us a chance to expose more of our homegrown fan base to MotoGP in an up-close-and-personal way,” Hayden noted. “I love competing at new, fresh tracks and am really looking forward to racing at the Austin circuit.”
Texan Colin Edwards races for the NGM Mobile Forward Racing team and their CRT project. The former World Superbike Champion said a MotoGP race at a new circuit just two hours from his home in Conroe, Texas (near Houston), means he can actually “drive to work” for a change. “Adding a race to the US schedule makes a statement that MotoGP is working to expand it influence on American soil. The best way to grow our sport is to add races, and with events on the East and West Coasts—and now one in Middle America—it’s the perfect opportunity for more fans to see us in action. Plus, my family is really looking forward to jumping in a pick-up truck and driving up to Austin to see me compete.”
Rider Ben Spies, who calls Longview, Texas, “home,” is also excited about the 2013 schedule. “Who wouldn’t be excited to have a MotoGP race in their home state? I hope all of my CMRA, WERA and AMA racing friends and family storm the track. It will be so easy for me to cruise down to Circuit of The Americas from my house in Dallas.”
Tickets for the MotoGP event at Circuit of The Americas go on sale Oct. 16, 2012, will range in price from $133 to $199, and be available for purchase through Ticketmaster. For more information, visit www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com/tickets.
Established as a World Championship by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) in 1949, MotoGP is now into its 63rd year. Information about MotoGP can be found online at www.motogp.com.