Attendance at races

Well it depends on how you stack things

Those numbers also include a strong Mexican presence which some suggested around the region of 40%.

If we compare it to other nations that have a strong "motorsport" history it's about the same. Melb/Silverstone/Japan/Monza all get around that 120k number. Monza used to get over 150-200k over 10years ago.

Shanghai does have a 200k capacity but I don't think they have ever filled it for f1. Maybe year 1? Not any more half the stands are closed to the public for the race.

I remember reading that German GP numbers were down this year but I don't recall the number and Spa which everyone loves as a track usually gets around 60k come race day.

 

Just wait til next year. Two Mexican drivers, Perez with a top tier team, NBC promoting on broadcast TV, tickets on sale earlier, new hotels built, and a venue that isn't still under construction a week prior to the race

Still won't be Indy numbers (not sure we'll ever see that again), but it will be higher than 2012 and maybe more than Silverstone this time?

 

I hope to have some special vino for you to enjoy the weekend with! Thanks for the assistance this year with my idea to help out an F1 fan

 

I've heard this number as well, but honestly did not see this by my eye.

 

I've seen that # thrown around a lot...did COTA release that themselves? I don't remember

 

I was in the bleachers on turn 9 for all three days. I'd say the Mexican tourists made up a huge portion of those people sitting around me.

My fingers are crossed that a track won't be built in Mexico City. I'd like to see attendance at COTA grow.

BTW- Massa deserves huge kudos for his season performance and being an awesome team player.

DT

 

Thanks, I was happy to do it!

 

I've heard that number too, but I've also heard 15% total foreign ticket sales also.

from: http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/11/17/uk-motor-racing-prix-perez-idUKBRE8AG0K020121117

 

The first USGP at Indy had nearly 250,000. One reason I do not yet consider Austin a success.

 

of the 210,000 folks who attended I'm guessing only 5% understood what they were watching and the knew the following basic facts:
• F1 has many GPs all over the globe
• There is a grid lap before the actual start of the race
• Lights out means go; there is no green light
• Your MP4-12C engine is not the same as the Vodafone MP4-27
• Sebastian Vettel
• Fernando Alonso
• Bernie Ecclestone F1 Supremo
• The RB8 is not an Infiniti
• DRS
• General concept of tires going off/pit-stops
• Which one is Lamborghini? *facepalm*

amongst many other things that escape me at the moment...it was entertaining listening on all the side conversations going on around me to say the least...I probably should've been more intoxicated.

 

Well considering USA has 300million people(plus another 100mill in mexico) vs 22mill for Oz it's not that great...

There was huge sections of in-field that was empty they could easily get another 50k in there if there was demand.

Yeah that's what I was going to ask, if people that went to the race noticed the presence or not.



There is definitely room for improvement, if the NBC does a good job marketing the sport next year we should have better numbers

 

They cut off general admission sales back in August. No doubt they could have sold more. They capped them out of worries of the roads not being able to handle any more people; I assume next years attendance will be higher (roads handled everything quite well)

 

Yes, the US has over 300 million people, but what percentage follow F1 at all? Maybe 1%?

 

Curious statement. What are your other reasons? Did you attend?

 

was the COTA race sold out? I didnt see any empty seats, and was told that GA tickets sold out months before the race.

 

I was there. It was packed! I can't imagine any more people standing in the hotdog line. It was crazy. There are some changes with concessions and all around mobility within the venue that will need to be made for greater capacity. It's not just about seating for watching the race.

 

I have the tickets sales demographic but it's broken down by language so all "spanish" is lumped together..

You know they only sold 120K tickets to "soft start the facility?

It could handle more, but they wanted to test out the Traffic Plan etc...

 

Hard to sneeze at $30M cash flow...+/-...rough numbers..

 

No, we missed him though...lots of problems in hotel bookings, sleeping on the ground, not so much...

 

Hard to compare. In many places they give the tickets away for free.

 

I don't think its hard to compare at all. Singapore, Monaco, Silverstone, Suzuka, Brasil, Montreal, and Germany are well attended(based on experience).

Korea, India, Shanghai are very lax in their "paid" attendance, the rest are in the middle.

Austin, it appears is in the top 3 for paid attendance, and paid or not full seats are full seats on TV. My money is on Jersey if it happens being number one in attendance with Austin coming up #2 followed by Silverstone.

If F1 is to make it in the US we need a good show by NBC and full stands when they do visit our shores. That being said NBC obviously wanted it, I hope they do something with it!

 

The mexican polulation around Austin is close to 25%+ anyway.

 

The thing is, none of the GSs were actually full. Esp the Main GS, with big empty areas during the race...even after cutting off GA sales at 40K to push people to GSs.

Main GS:

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/407089_484710144917925_1690348064_n.jpg

https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/47982_484710518251221_406430999_n.jpg

Turn 15:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/935325_484710208251252_1566737486_n.jpg

Turn 1. There are no gaping empty areas, but there are many empty seats:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=487907614598178&set=a.484710078251265.1073741825.100001368316718&type=3&theater

The esses. Not too clear, but the Turn 4 & 5 GSs look pretty sketchy. Don't have shots of it, but Turn 6 wasn't full either.

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/525230_484710651584541_256557016_n.jpg

GSs at turns 2 & 6 are not on the plan for this year, for now.

In 2010, they said they'd be disappointed with less than 200K people. Then a few months out from the race they said the capacity of the track was 140K. Then a bit later they lowered that to 120K. Then they closed GA sales at 40K when there was clearly room for more people. Then they announced a crowd of 117K on race day. Hmm...

A month or two ago, COTA's Geoff Moore called the USGP a sellout. Last time I checked, 117 <> 120....and the reality is the track can accommodate a LOT more than 120K.