Formula 1 has given us street circuits between casinos, a pitlane tunnel, and a paddock with a fake marina. Now the Circuit of the Americas wants the world's largest cowboy hat, complete with a bar inside, and it's hoping Guinness World Records might take note of it.
This will all happen at the upcoming United States Grand Prix, where a Guinness official will inspect the build on the Thursday ahead of the race weekend.
A 75-foot hat
COTA president Bobby Epstein has confirmed the dimensions of this behemoth. Built from fibreglass, it will be 75 feet in height - roughly 23 metres - and inside will feature a Western-themed bar with access from Lone Star Land, a part of the circuit built for spectators. The construction of the thing is understood to be close to being finished.
"I thought the circuit should have a tourist attraction with some kind of Guinness World Record," Epstein told The Athletic. He wanted a landmark people would recognise even when the F1 circus isn't in town. "Instead of a regular tent, why not build a 75-foot cowboy hat?"
Fair enough. Most of us would have settled for the tent.
No existing Guinness World Record tracks the largest cowboy hat - maybe unsurprisingly, meaning COTA could start the category if it is indeed verified as a record attempt by Guinness. Epstein also expects that the hat will stay at the venue year-round rather than just go up for the F1 race.
Lone Star Land, for the uninitiated
If you haven't been, Lone Star Land is COTA's ranch-themed fan zone. The circuit has embraced traditional Western aesthetics with it being so popular across the state, and the fan zone often hosts performances such as line dancing and rope demonstrations, along with the odd Stetson hat thrown in the mix.
How big is big, even for Texas?
The hat has some local competition. Fox San Antonio reports the largest cowboy boot sculpture stands 10.74 metres tall in San Antonio, so COTA's hat would tower over it at roughly double the height. Guinness has also recorded 39,013 people wearing cowboy hats at Angel Stadium in Anaheim in 2012. That's a gathering COTA's grandstands would have a decent shot at matching, if everyone remembered to bring a Stetson.
What else is happening in Austin?
The weekend may see Kimi Antonelli secure a championship title in Austin, and Williams plans to display its Marvel-themed show car in the fan zone. You can read about that by clicking below.
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