COTA plans second circuit for local clubs as venue goes private

Circuit of the Americas (COTA) has advanced plans for a second, shorter circuit north of its Formula 1 track as the venue prepares to move to a private model. The proposed course is for cars and motorcycles, Parris Mullins, COTA’s senior vice-president of motorsports, said.

Once that change takes effect, the existing circuit will no longer be available for track days or regional driving clubs. Mullins said the new facility is intended to give local motorsport users a lower-cost place to drive and continue grassroots participation, responding to the displacement of organisations that have worked with COTA since the track opened.

The new multi-storey clubhouse at Turn 1 is serving as an extension of the Paddock Club during the United States GP weekend. From January 2, it is due to become The Circuit, a year-round members-only club; Mullins says there will never be more than 300 members.

The second track’s layout has been defined but remains undisclosed. COTA is not planning another FIA Grade 1 facility, Mullins said; the proposal instead calls for FIA Grade 3 standards, suitable for touring cars, sports cars and entry-level single-seaters. COTA is also open to hosting smaller motorsport series there.

Mullins would like a banked corner—something the existing circuit lacks—and a distinctive chicane. He gave no firm completion date: COTA still needs to finalise the plans and work through the process with the city. Mullins said the aim is to move sooner rather than later while still getting the project right.