SNEAK PEEK AS X GAMES RETURN TO AUSTIN
Last year provided valuable lesson on need to combat winds.
The X Games are being modified and tweaked for its second year in Austin, while next week’s festival will help with the recovery effort after recent flood damage in Central Texas.
Jason Dial, the Circuit of the Americas’ president and CEO, said Thursday that a portion of all tickets sold from Memorial Day on will benefit the American Red Cross of Central Texas.
“The important thing was we wanted to pause and express our condolences to the families and the communities affected by the floods,” Dial said. “It was important that we do all we can to help the region rebuild.”
Finishing the X Games build-out was also important to offici al s, who gave a guided media tour of the progress.
Many of the athletic venues are “close to midway complete,” and X Games director of competition and logistics Rich Bigge said most of the structures should be completed this weekend.
Once completed, the map and layout at the track will have a more compressed feel
at the southeast Travis Count y track than 2014. It’s an effort X Games vice president Tim Reed said was based on feedback and evaluating customer exper i ences.
“You always learn a lot (from your fifirst year), and we listened a lot,” Reed said. “We realized we’ve got to do the best we can to keep things compact and make sure they don’t have to walk as much.”
There was also a lot to learn from the Austin weather las t year, par ticularly the winds.
Moto X Freestyle was canceled due to wind in 2014. This year it’s been replaced with Moto X Quarterpipe, and placed between turn 14 and 15 where there will be less wind.
“We had a crosswind,” last year, Bigge said. “It’s something I didn’t catch early on. I wasn’t here enough, kind of getting the lay of the land enough. I take it personally when things don’t go on schedule.”
Time spent at COTA shouldn’t be an issue in 2015, Bigge sai d. He fl ew to Austin after the Winter X Games ended in February and has been in Austin “three times a month” during the planning process.
That plan has started to take life, and Bigge showed off the layout Thursday, including:
BMX Dirt has been moved from Turn 1 to between Turns 19 and 20, eliminating an uphill climb for spectators.
Rally cross and Supertruck courses have been modified in front of the Turn 12 Grandstand. They wil l share elements, but each will have its own quirks for competition.
Flat track motorcycle racing will debut on a new permanent dirt trac k. It’s the only event not within close walking distance, but it’s also the only event at COTA on Thursday.
The park and street courses are in the same place, in front of the main grandstand, but both are new designs that Bigge called “one of the best I’ve seen” for the competition.
The vert ramp is being built behind the Austin 360 Amphitheater, known as the Sound Factory Stage during the X Games, after it was held downtown in 2014. In its place, Moto X Stepup will be the marquee kickoff event downtown Thursday night.
X Games officials also revealed more information about the music super stage, which is set to be built by the northeast corner of the track.
Nicki Minaj and Metallica will perform on an 80-foot stage and officials said the area is built to house upwards of 50,000 fans. The rest of the music acts will be on the Sound Factory Stage.