CoTA looks toward many future events

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Now that the Formula One race is over and is gone, what's next for Circuit of the Americas? The U.S. Grand Prix was a big hit among drivers and fans, and drew 117,429 people in its final day.

"In short, the weekend was miraculous," said CoTA president Steve Sexton.

City and state leaders were celebrating, too.  It was vindication for critics who said the Circuit of The Americas, Austin, and Texas, couldn't pull it off.

"You know, those few naysayers that were out there have been proven absolutely wrong," said Gov. Rick Perry.

But there is room for improvement.

Matt Crawfod enjoyed every minute of his first F1 race, but he noticed minor flaws from a fan's perspective.

"There are some growing pains, as far as the width of side walks, and the ability of people to traverse from one area of the course to the other could be improved," said Crawford. "I'm sure there's a lot of stuff they're going to do as far as beautification and layout to make sure you can get to the merchandise tents easily."

The facility during the U.S. Grand Prix was set up with 70,000 temporary seats. More permanent structures could replace them in the future.

"There are some opportunities we see in expanding," said Sexton. "We don't have those tied down completely right now, and we'll be discussing those over the next month, in terms of what we want to do that's a little more permanent in the time frame we have to do it."

Circuit of The Americas was built as a year-round venue. The Tower Amphitheater will be complete in April 2013, and the Velocity Lounge is available for parties. In addition, a handful of championship races are already on the track schedule for 2013.

"I plan to go to MotoGP. I plan to go to V8 Supercars. I plan to see the LeMans," said F1 fan Kyle Hodge. "It's a great track, and the prices for those events are not as expensive as F1.

Here's a look at the Circuit of The Americas 2013 racing schedule:

• Feb. 28 - March 2: Grand-Am Rolex Series
• April 19 - 21: MotoGP U.S. Grand Prix
• May 17 - 19: V8 Supercars Texas 400
• Sept. 21 - 22: American Le Mans and World Endurance Championship
• Nov. 15 - 17: Formula One U.S. Grand Prix