The race may be the main event, but it doesn’t have to be the only event - what does a great race weekend look like for the whole family?

Realistically speaking, not everyone who travels together loves motorsports in quite the same way.

One person might happily watch every practice session, qualifying lap, and support race on the schedule. Someone else may love the atmosphere and the main event, but doesn’t necessarily want to spend three consecutive days sitting trackside. One child may already know every driver on the grid, while their sibling may be considerably more interested in what the WiFi quality is like and what’s for lunch.

All of them should be able to have a fantastic weekend.  

What makes a corner unforgettable?

Some corners in motorsports have become almost as famous as the circuits themselves:

Eau Rouge and Raidillon at Spa. The Corkscrew at Laguna Seca. Parabolica at Monza.

Mention one to a racing fan and chances are they don’t simply picture a bend in a piece of asphalt. They picture a car or motorcycle moving through it. They remember a pass, a mistake, a qualifying lap, a photograph, or perhaps the first time they experienced it themselves. That’s an extraordinary amount of identity for a piece of pavement to acquire.

It raises a question I think about constantly as we work through the vision for Charlotte International Circuit: What makes a corner memorable?

A racetrack shouldn’t sit around waiting for race day.

When most people picture a racetrack, they likely picture the big weekends: grandstands full of tens of thousands of people arriving from around the world, garages busy, cars on track, hospitality packed.

Those weekends matter enormously, but in the 2020s and beyond? They aren’t enough.

One of the principles behind CIC from the very beginning has been that a world-class motorsports destination should be useful far beyond its marquee events. That means designing for what happens on an ordinary Tuesday in February just as deliberately as for what happens on Race Day.

From the very beginning, Charlotte International Circuit has been envisioned as more than a racing facility. It has been designed to be a destination. One that you look forward to returning to again and again. One that generations celebrate and enjoy.

From the very beginning, Charlotte International Circuit has been envisioned as more than a racing facility. It has been designed to be a destination. One that you look forward to returning to again and again. One that generations celebrate and enjoy.