2013 MotoGP Round 2 - COTA <Spoilers? You Bet!>

[sejman]

Marquez is bound to make this season more interesting - already is.  Without him I probably wouldn't even bother tuning in. The guy is amazing, fearless, and will surely be involved in some controversial incidents on the track this season.
 

[Grampa]

Marc needs a pack to ride with for it to be interesting.... He and Skipper McCheaterson running away from the chasing peloton does not make for the same show he put on in moto2.

[muskrat]

what a great track COTA is.  If anyone plans on attending next year do general admission and walk around to take pictures.  The track is truly a spectators track.  Watching Marquez yesterday was incredible....fearless bastard.

[gm2]

Without him I probably wouldn't even bother tuning in.

...did you watch the first race?
 

[Triple J]

The wife and I were there. Kind of a boring race, but a good time overall. I was hoping for a better battle between MM and Pedrobot, but Pedro almost highsided (or at least has a scary moment) exiting T18 the lap before MM passed him. Pretty cool to see as we were sitting right there. I think the slight delay caused by Pedro's rear stepping out forced MM to make his move on the next lap though as he really closed up on him. I also think it convinced Pedro that he was going as fast as he could. Crutchlow had a great race, as did JLo. Too bad there wasn't anyone around them.

BTW...T18 looks hairy. Super high speed, long, and all the bikes were wagging coming out of it. Very cool! 

COTA dropped the ball on this race compared to F1. Parking sucked (despite me buying passes well in advance). Getting to the track was easy...followed by 45 minutes to get in the parking lot because there was only 1 way in. F'ing stupid. There were also far too few big screens around the track. They have the screens, as I saw them during F1...no idea why they weren't being used. Amost all of the track was GA...they NEEDED more screens.

...and Austin has great food. The Salt Lick rocks (ate there twice), and the 24 Diner has some seriously good chicken and waffles.  I just need to find a brewery there with good beer & food and I'm set! 

[gm2]

I just need to find a brewery there with good beer & food and I'm set! 

no doubt derby can help you out there

[derby]

I think the slight delay caused by Pedro's rear stepping out forced MM to make his move on the next lap though as he really closed up on him. I also think it convinced Pedro that he was going as fast as he could.

marquez was just following him, waiting to see if pedro's tires would start to go away. as soon as they did, he made his move.

COTA dropped the ball on this race compared to F1. Parking sucked (despite me buying passes well in advance). Getting to the track was easy...followed by 45 minutes to get in the parking lot because there was only 1 way in. F'ing stupid.

there are two entrances to the track; elroy road on the north side and fm812 on the south. we had quick entry and egress (from the south) all three days.

...and Austin has great food. The Salt Lick rocks (ate there twice), and the 24 Diner has some seriously good chicken and waffles.   I just need to find a brewery there with good beer & food and I'm set!  

there's good food and beer all over. next time you're in town, try banger's on rainey street. 104+ beers on tap and gourmet sausages.

[Triple J]

marquez was just following him, waiting to see if pedro's tires would start to go away. as soon as they did, he made his move.

Agreed. You could tell he was just waiting. Seemed after Pedro's moment he couldn't wait any longer.

there are two entrances to the track; elroy road on the north side and fm812 on the south. we had quick entry and egress (from the south) all three days.

Getting into the track wasn't the problem...getting into the parking lot was (lot F). 2 track entrances was actually part the problem because it meant 2 lanes from opposite directions trying to get into one lot entrance. Actually it was 4 lanes because COTA did a poor job of lane marking, so people in the wrong lane were constantly trying to cut in front of the people in the correct lane. It was a cluster, and could have been easily solved by having two separate entrances to lot F...one for each direction. Getting out wasn't so bad because they had more than one exit (through G), but it was blocked in the morning (unless you had a G pass).

I was just surprised there was a problem, because they had such good planning for F1. Hopefully they learned.

[desmoquattro]

Apparently, his 6th place finish has Rossi contemplating a career change:

[sejman]

I bought the Ducati grandstand package which came with (along with T-shirt and other swag) a motorcycle parking in lot D right near the entrance. Since I knew that my wife wouldn't want to be there every day and I don't ever ride two-up, I bought an extra (car) parking pass for race day.  For kicks I tried parking my truck in D by flashing my parking pass and they redirected me to lot C - right across the street .  Easy in - easy out...I was out on 812 before the crowds really got going. I paid a lot more for these tickets, but I figured that I better make the experience as good as I could for my wife who could care less about racing.

It was not clear coming south on 130 that there were two entrances (Elroy and 812) - they definitely botched that on the signage, basically telling everyone in lots A-J? to exit at Elroy.

The fact that my wife actually enjoyed herself is a testament to the venue and the overall organization - great atmosphere, good food, great site lines everywhere. Now if they can just get some track days organized there....

[duccarlos]

What happened to Redding? After the first few laps he seemed to be going backwards.

Please give Espargaro a decent ride next year!!! That kid is more deserving than half the satellite riders. I understand Ducati going with a young Italian and picking up Ben, but everyone else should have at least looked in that direction. And most importantly, he doesn't suffer from the usual Spanish lack of personality.

[akmnstr]

Awesome track, but like most we had parking issues until the race day when I decided to park in a private lot and screw the track lots.  It was a long walk to the track but getting in and out was easy.  One thing that bothered me is that they would not let you bring in your own water unless it was in a sealed commercial bottle, and then just one per person.  I brought my own water anyway and concealed it to get past the inspection.  Their rule on water combined with zero drinking fountains will get them in trouble one day.  A few years ago at Laguna  it was +100 and water became a big issue.  It may be April but it can be hot in Texas, then it will be a problem. 
 
I got into the moto 3 race but the rest was a let down.  Seeing a couple of Hondas running away from the start to the finish was disappointing.   I'm telling myself that the Ducs are improving and it will be interesting before long. 

[Grampa]

^ you have to watch the gp bikes/ CRT bike race, and look at it as lil race events within the race.

race 1. who is the overall winner?

race 2. which ducati will beat the other ducati, and or which ducati will lose the front end first?

race 3. which announcer will be the first to pronounce Espargaró correctly?

race 4. which CRT bike will cross the CRT finish line first?

race 5. which track will it be... a honda track, or a yamaha track?

race 6. which media outlet will be the first to give Cal Crutchlow/Dangerfield some respect?



Im sure there are many more races hidden within the main race, but these are to ones that I watch when the horses are on the track.

[desmoquattro]

^ you have to watch the gp bikes/ CRT bike race, and look at it as lil race events within the race.

race 1. who is the overall winner?

race 2. which ducati will beat the other ducati, and or which ducati will lose the front end first?

race 3. which announcer will be the first to pronounce Espargaró correctly?

race 4. which CRT bike will cross the CRT finish line first?

race 5. which track will it be... a honda track, or a yamaha track?

race 6. which media outlet will be the first to give Cal Crutchlow/Dangerfield some respect?



Im sure there are many more races hidden within the main race, but these are to ones that I watch when the horses are on the track.

You definitely forgot a few:

race 7. where did Rossi place, and how does it affect your personal comeback/i hate Ducati/i puff for Rossi narrative?

race 8. who did Hector Barbera nearly kill today?

race 9. what nicknames did Spidey invent for Pedrouchebot this week?

[Bill in OKC]

A few years ago at Laguna  it was +100 and water became a big issue.  It may be April but it can be hot in Texas, then it will be a problem. 

I was there, I'll never forget that heat.  People started dropping like flies and were being carried away by ambulance.  The health department forced the track vendors to give away iced bottled water for free.