COTA takes precautions for Hurricane Harvey

Circuit of the Americas, no stranger to feeling the wrath of major storms, is bracing for Hurricane Harvey less than a week before its next racing event.

“We have taken all safety precautions we can, based on what we have learned in the past,” said Katja Heim, the track’s COO.

In April 2014, COTA suffered straight-line wind damage from a severe thunderstorm. The Halloween storm of 2015, which included a small tornado near the track, caused significant structural damage because of flooding and wind shear.

Track officials said they do not anticipate any problems in staging the Pirelli World Challenge, which begins Friday and ends Sept. 3.

To help those fleeing from Harvey, the track and entertainment facility in Southeast Austin has opened its new, premium RV lot, part of a 2017 expansion project. The parking lot includes hookups for water and electricity, as well as access to showers and restrooms. Spots must be reserved in advance.

Sunday morning’s Formula One watch party at the track has been canceled. COTA officials said they didn’t want fans risking potential flooding to get the track to see the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa.

The next F1 watch party at COTA will be Sept. 3 for the Italian Grand Prix.

Also canceled were the FC Barcelona academy training sessions scheduled for this weekend at COTA’s new soccer field, which will be expanded to house a USL professional team in 2019.

The FCB Escola camp, which has more than 100 young area players participating, opened Monday.

“Just before the kids took the field, one of the coaches said, ‘Hey, this is a historic moment. You are going to be the first guys to kick a soccer ball around at Circuit of the Americas,’ ” said Roberto Pinto da Silva Jr., COTA’s special projects director.