2022 Feb 19th
COTA: Super Lap Battle
February was a busy month for the Team at Vibrant Performance as we headed out to Austin, TX for COTA: Super Lap Battle 2022. The event, which was held between February 19th and 20th at the world-renowned Formula 1 Race Track: The Circuit of the America’s, featured our Title sponsored driver Will Au-Yeung, as well as two of our high profile sponsored drivers: Shawn Bassett and Amir Bentatou. With this much talent representing Team Vibrant, we couldn’t miss the opportunity to show up and support our drivers as they took on America’s Time Attack Challenge. We also couldn’t pass up on the opportunity to experience firsthand the impeccable and world-renowned Formula 1 Race Track that is the Circuit of the Americas.
The track at Super Lap Battle is a world-renowned Grade One Status Formula 1 Race Track, and the facilities reflect this distinguishing classification. Circuit of the America’s (COTA) was built in 2012, and is known for its tight turns, and high speed back straight. Sitting at 3.4 miles in length with 20 turns in total, the track is home to the Formula One US Grand Prix, NASCAR’s Texas Grand Prix and the Grand Prix of the Americas. In addition, the track has hosted the MotoGP, the Australian V8 Supercars, the Americas Rallycross Championship, the American Le Mans Series, the Rolex Sports Car Series, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the IMSA Sportscar Championship, and the IndyCar Classics. In 2021, COTA broke the record for number of attendees with 400,000 spectators in attendance in one weekend.
Maintaining a track of this status is no easy feat, and the impeccable upkeep of the track reflects this. In order to uphold its Grade One Status, COTA has a strict policy in place for swift clean ups. Any and all breakdowns, leaks or crashes must be dealt with immediately. The track standards ensure that COTA is always prepped as though a Formula 1 Race will be occurring the next day. With such a small margin for error and the stakes being so high, COTA does everything in its power to avoid damage. If any damage does happen to occur, the ‘culprit’ is charged a hefty clean up fee, which can cost upwards of $5,000.00 depending on much damage occurs and how much clean up is required. These high standards, ensure that the track keeps its renowned Grade One Status. With only 40 tracks worldwide holding this status, we have an endless amount of appreciation for the preservation efforts that must be taken.
While we showed up to support our Sponsored Drivers, our Drivers showed up to win, and that is exactly what they did. Our Title Sponsor, Will Au-Yeung and his Honda Civic Si competed in the FWD Unlimited Class, breaking the previous record and earning himself a Podium Finish 2nd Place with a time of 02.05.600.
Will Au-Yeung was not the only one breaking records this weekend. Amir Bentatou took on the RWD Street Class in his Acura NSX NA1 and broke the current record with a time of 02:13:894, earning himself a well-deserved 1st place Podium Finish.
Shawn Bassett and his Datsun 240Z rounded up our trio of sponsored drivers hitting podium finishes. Bassett competed in the Pro/Comp Class and earned himself a Third Place Podium finish with an incredible time of 02:40:709.
With all three of our Sponsored Drivers earning podium finishes, we are so happy to have been able to attend COTA: Super Lap Battle 2022. The weekend was full of unforgettable experiences for our team; from watching our racers hit the podiums and break records, to being able to experience the legendary Grade One Status Formula 1 Race Track that is the Circuit of the America’s. Life is good for Team Vibrant and we cannot wait to see what the rest of the 2022 race season brings for our Sponsored Drivers.