The USA GP Experiment... ZakYak's journey into the F1 hinterland...

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

T-33hrs to departure...

A nice little 2.5 to 3 hr drive out west on Interstate 10 peeling off onto Hwy 71 and onto Austin...

Am starting to get excited...

 

[Greenlantern101]

I'm sure you will have fun it looks like a great venue. Are you staying out there for the 3 days ?

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Drive up Thursday afternoon... drive back Monday... am doing the full race weekend...

Will work on posting photo's and updates on this thread during the weekend... 'er indoors received a very nice camera as a birthday present a year ago... which she is kindly lending me for the weekend

Am quite interested to see what selection of historic GP cars get to run around as well...

http://www.historicgrandprix.com/cars.htm

 

[Greenlantern101]

The Historic racing at Silverstone was brilliant they were really going for it despite the monsoon weather and the cars being priceless. Spins a plenty.

http://cliptheapex.com/threads/gls-silverstone-diary.5248/#post-142999

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

I can't believe I missed your thread... excellent...

Being seated at the end of the main drag I am hoping for some sideways cars and smoking Michelin's / Pirelli's / Goodyear's in the historic race... am handily placed for the driver autographs (about 500m from the grandstand)... will see if I can get Brogan that Vettel or Maldonado autograph he is sure to cherish

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

T - 7 minutes to leaving the orifice... C'MON Windows Explorer... hurry up with the data back-up... man's got places to be...

 

[Brogan]

Have fun chap.
I'm sure it's going to be a weekend to remember.

 

[Fenderman]

Whatever happens in the race it'll be one of those "It was history being made and I was there" times. That's gotta be good!

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Temp's 37F to 40F...standing at the gates stamping my feet with the other hardy souls on Friday and today... the gates open... and in we go... sun is rising... what a great way to start each day...

I am pretty sure you can tell from the footage... but they have pretty much finished this circuit (95%)... a few niceties not yet completed... grassed area's and tables and chairs / benches ... but it lives up to the "lots of land in Texas" ... they haven't had to shoehorn this venue in between a village, a freeway and aunt betty's natural honey bee hivetown...

Being at the end of the main drag you do not appreciate how fast these modern F1 cars can decelerate until you see the historic GP class (I will admit... I had my legs crossed for a little while as 1969 Ferrari V12 bansheed down through the gearbox and then accelerated away from Turn 12)... too much to say... not enough words in my head... but between F1, Historic F1, Ferrari Challenge and the GT3 West cup cars... it has been a satisfying couple of days... even Bernd Maylander tooling around AT SPEED in the AMG safety car with his station wagon back straight buddy Allen van der Merwe in the sister AMG right behind him doing the Friday track inspection was sensational to watch... they were sliding through each corner... and that engine note... I am not a Mercedes road car fan... but I will make an exception...

Wish some of you were here... crowd is an excellent mix of locals, brits, latin (from South America ... to espana)... plenty of Europeans visitors who made the journey...

Some snaps... have plenty... will try figure out a solution after the race weekend to put a bunch up for all to see... am trying to shrink a few down to postable size...

 

[gethinceri]

Nice update ZakspeedYakspeed, wish I was there it sounds epic. Drink some weak American beer for me!

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Some Friday snaps... from waiting in line with the sun rising over the Turn 15 grandstand... to the 12'x5' turkey grill... to the view from the General Admission section on the hill at Turn 1 (oh yes... General Admission... some guys said they got Friday GA tix for $5)...to some F1 of all vintages...

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Nice update ZakspeedYakspeed, wish I was there it sounds epic. Drink some weak American beer for me!

Beer is crap... everything overpriced... sticking with the water and coffee... it's a long day to get to the track before 7am...

 

[gethinceri]

Curly fries! Sign me up, I want some!!
Ace pics my friend.

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Some Saturday snaps... I just love the smell of burning brakes early in the morning...

 

[Brogan]

Sounds like you're having a great time.
That fourth image really shows the elevation change, better than all the other photos I've seen so far.

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

At track... In stand... Watching the queue of GT3's line up in their paddock area readying themselves for their race in 45mins... Much bigger line to get in this morning....

 

[ZakspeedYakspeed]

Pic's from Sunday... some passing sequences in here... Hamilton on Webber (first attempt), Hamilton on Webber (second attempt), Hamilton on Kimi after pitstops, end of Hamilton on Vettel (he passed him out of my vision)... but check how Vettel doffed up the entry into 12 and got the front left airborne off the apex and washed out his exit...

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