The fifth round of the 2013 FIA World Endurance Championship sees a visit to the only new track on the calendar this year, the $400 million sports and entertainment complex of Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.
Built on a 1,000 acre site in southeast Austin, the 3.427-mile (5.515 km) circuit opened to wide acclaim last year and welcomed Formula One in November 2012 for the United States Grand Prix. Both track and facilities were highly praised by the Grand Prix fraternity and since then MotoGP, V8 Supercars and the Rolex Sports Car Series have also visited. The FIA WEC and the American Le Mans Series are joining for a bumper festival of sportscar racing of the year, the International Sportscar Weekend, and track action starts from Thursday, 19th until Sunday 22nd September.
The impressive, new Circuit of The Americas facility in Austin, Texas boasts a 3.4 mile (5.5km) layout was designed by Tilke GmbH & Co. The Grand Plaza, Observation Structure, Tower Amphitheater, and Main Grandstand were designed by Austin-based architectural firm Miró Rivera Architects.
Located in Central Texas, Austin is the State capital and the 11th largest city in the United States of America (4th largest city in Texas). The city has a wide range of cultural, academic institutions and businesses and is viewed as a very cosmopolitan place to live or visit – with many different types of restaurants, bars and diverse nightlife. The city is also home to development centres for many technology corporations, adopting the nickname “Silicon Hills" in the 1990s. However, the current official slogan promotes Austin as "The Live Music Capital of the World", a reference to the many musicians and live music venues within the area.
Opening the weekend for fans is the showing on Thursday evening at the Long Center for Performing Arts of the iconic film “Le Mans”. Fans will be able to experience the real spirit of Le Mans at the weekend with the cars of the American Le Mans Series and the FIA World Endurance Championship.
Fiona Miller
