If you’re a car enthusiast and you live in Texas, then seeing the Circuit of the Americas is probably on your bucket list. The 3.4-mile track near Austin is known for hosting the United States Grand Prix among other major racing events. But for many enthusiasts like myself, getting behind the wheel and tackling a Formula 1 circuit is a dream.

I recently had the opportunity to attend a track day event at Circuit of the Americas, and it was an experience I won’t forget. I signed up for the event through Edge Addicts, and the process was fairly straightforward. There were several experience levels to choose from; I went with a Beginner’s Course that came with an instructor. It was only $400 for 2-20 minute session on track. I was expecting it to be much more expensive being an FIA-certified circuit and I was getting an instructor.

On the day of the event, I arrived at the track early to get settled in and attend the driver’s meeting. The driver’s meeting covered the rules and regulations of the track, as well as some tips for driving safely and efficiently. The track staff emphasized the importance of respecting other drivers and being aware of your surroundings, as well as following the flag signals and obeying the passing rules. My session utilized the “point-to-pass” method, meaning that you are not allowed to pass another car unless the driver points out of the window to the side of the car they want you to pass on. I found this to be an extremely easy way to make sure that all drivers are on the same page. This is increasingly more important in the lesser experienced groups as accidents are much more likely to happen due to error.

The beginner’s class was divided into two 20-minute sessions, with a short break in between. As I made my way out into Pit Lane, we were greeted by our driving instructor that would help us navigate during the session. I was given the green light and made my way out onto the main straight. It was surreal seeing the track from behind my own windshield. I have been to the circuit for numerous events and watched on TV, but it’s insanely different at speed in your own car. As I completed the laps, I became much more confident and started to really push the car. Entering the corners at speed and feeling the red and white curbs rumble under the car made me feel like a racing driver. I was probably pushing my car at about 80% of what a professional would, but seeing how this was the fastest I’d ever pushed it, it felt like 100% to me. I was hooked. The session ended and I headed back into the pits to cool the car down. My adrenaline was pumping and my heart was racing. I had never felt that level of excitement before. Having played 1000s of hours of driving games and dreaming of racing at a major circuit my whole life, I couldn’t believe that I got to do it. Nothing was going to stop me from being out at the track every weekend for the foreseeable future. At least that is what I thought. 

My second session started the same but ended very differently. The main difference in this session was that the track temperatures were about 30 degrees hotter than the morning session. Having had no problems (or any real experience) I figured we should be fine. Somewhere around the 6th or 7th lap, I started to get a bad vibration under braking. It was a weird feeling as the brakes themselves felt totally fine. My car was driving like the control arm bushings were toasted and was getting sketchy. The instructor suggested we slow down and pull into the pits to see if something was wrong. After a thorough inspection, we could only determine that the brakes overheated and caused some pad glazing but we couldn’t figure out why it happened. For the sake of safety, we decided that it would be best that I did not finish the rest of the session. I let the car cool down for about an hour before trying to drive it again. I made a couple of laps around the parking lot and everything felt good again so I made my way home to investigate more. Due to traffic on the circuit, I didn’t ever get a clean lap, but below was the fastest I managed on the day. You can see the brake shudder develop as the lap progresses. 

When I got home, I confirmed our suspicions when reinspecting the car. It appears that the brake pads I had on the car were upgraded, but not rated for “Track Use”. Unfortunately, it was an error on my part when ordering them and I should have purchased a higher-rated pad. Additionally, my brake fluid was looking pretty old. It probably would have been fine, but I think the combination of slightly old fluid and slightly not good enough pads generated a lot of heat and ended my day early. However, I took the day as a win. I checked off a major bucket list item and managed NOT to crash my car under braking issues; You can’t ask for much more than that. 

Overall, my experience at Circuit of the Americas was fantastic. The track is world-class and driving on it was a dream come true. The staff and other drivers were friendly and respectful, which made for a great atmosphere. However, the brake issue did put a bit of a damper on the day, and I wished I had taken a bit more time to properly review my brake parts order before hitting the track. Would I go back? Absolutely. In fact, I’m already looking for my next track day event. I am eyeing Laguna Seca as my next choice. The thrill of driving on such legendary circuits is simply too good to pass up.