This time last year I was in Austin, Texas.
To be honest, I didn’t see as much of the weird capital of the south as I’d have liked. And most of what I did see was thanks to one of the most famous geocaches out there, the Necropolis of Britannia Manor III.
Because the real reason for my visit to Austin was the inaugural Formula 1 US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas.
I love Formula 1. Absolutely love it!
Trackside at Hockenheim (2003)
Until last year, I’d been to five F1 races with Sue and Rich, my collaborators on everything to do with Jaspa’s Journey. We’d been four times to the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, and once to the German Grand Prix at Hockenheim. And Rich had also been to a second race at Hockenheim and another at the Nurburgring (also in Germany), before we all met. Not that Sue and I care, obviously.
Hockenheim 2003 – Coulthard & Alonso
Montreal 2003 – less than idea conditions during Friday practice
Montreal 2005 – checking out the pit exit
Montreal 2006 – Inside David Coulthard’s Red Bull garage!!
Montreal 2007 – Jenson Button pitstop
In any case, when we heard that the 2012 F1 season would include a race at a brand new, purpose-built track in Austin, we just knew we had to be there! Besides, we’d never been to Texas before, and so decided it was the perfect opportunity to change that.
Now I’m sure that most people who attended last year’s race flew into either Austin itself, or perhaps San Antonio. We flew to… Wichita, Kansas! There we rented a car for the drive to Austin. Now Google maps says this should be an 8 hour, 545 mile trip. We managed to turn it into a 5500 mile (yes, that does say 5½ thousand miles), two week marathon, which took us through Kansas, Oklahoma, Colorado, Utah, Arizona and New Mexico, before we finally arrived in Texas. If you’re curious about our exact route, I posted a blog every couple of days along the way, starting here.
But great though the whole Journey to Austin was, it was all really just a prelude to the 2012 Formula 1 US Grand Prix.
We spent three incredible days at the track with our friends Jeff and Patrick. Everything about the weekend was perfect, including the weather. The Circuit of the Americas is an amazing facility, and our seats were the best in the house, giving us an unmatched view that took in the majority of the track.
Austin 2012 – View from our seats at Turn 12
And the race itself?…. Wow! It was one of the most exciting F1 races I’ve ever seen. And the fact I got to see and hear and feel it live made it all the more thrilling.
Austin 2012 – Turns 3 to 6 during Friday practice
Austin 2012 – Lewis Hamilton takes the lead, right in front of us
This past weekend, the Circuit of the Americas held its second Formula 1 Grand Prix. And I so wish I could have been there for it! I hope it won’t be long before I again hear the roar of F1 cars first hand, but sadly, this year it wasn’t to be.
Although don’t feel too sorry for me…. The reason I couldn’t make it back to Austin this year is because this time next week I’ll be on a plane to Hawaii! Be sure to come back to Jaspa’s Journal to find out what I get up to in my 50th US state.
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And all this time I’ve been thinking of Austin as the music capital of the south.
It’s so much more these days, Rob!