Circuit of the Americas

Circuit of the Americas sits southeast of Austin, Texas, and is run by Circuit of the Americas LLC. It opened on 21 October 2012 and, according to Wikipedia, is the first purpose-built Formula 1 track in the United States, laid out by Tavo Hellmund and Kevin Schwantz with input from Hermann Tilke. The Grand Prix circuit measures 5.514 kilometres over twenty turns and runs counter-clockwise, so it has more left-handers than rights. Elevation change is 41 metres, most of it in the climb into the first corner. On two wheels the venue has been in the calendar since 2013: the Grand Prix of the Americas ran here through 2025, and MotoAmerica Superbikes raced in Texas from 2015 to 2019 and again from 2022. The operator also lists Formula 1, NASCAR and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Corners packed that tightly over that distance mean constant direction change: the circuit rewards clean turn-in points, and the blind climb into the first corner takes the apex out of sight before you tip in. Our record files it as technical asphalt. If the bike will not hold a tight line through the linked corners, top of our cause list is too little rear ride height - the steering goes lazy, and raising the rear or dropping the front sharpens turn-in again.