Formula Expo

Courtesy of Formula Expo

With Austin's first U.S. Grand Prix scheduled for Nov. 18, there are still a lot of folks wondering – what is a Formula One anyway? Formula Expo president Ian Weightman said, "Formula One has never worked particularly well in the U.S., in large part because people don't understand what's so cool about it." The author of Formula1InAustinBlog.com, he's turned his obsession with F1 into a full-fledged preview/intro to the globe-trotting motor sport before it gets to Austin. "It's easy to get the Formula One aficionados there," he said, "but we're trying to get people to see that this is a family-friendly event." The history zone will explain F1's long lineage and evolution, while the technology zone breaks down the baroque science and cutting-edge engineering behind those weird wings. For anyone feeling a little more hands-on, there will be eight simulators on the floor for the Formula Expo championship cup, plus a timed pit stop challenge to change a real F1 tire. Seasoned gearheads will likely be drooling over the vintage cars on display, like the groundbreaking Lotus 79 – yeah, the same one in which Mario Andretti won the 1978 F1 championship – and an array of classic British cars including a 1935 Rolls Royce. Vroom vroom, indeed.

Sat.-Sun., June 16-17, 9am. Austin Convention Center, 500 E. Cesar Chavez, 389-0315. $15, advance; $20, door; $50, family four-pack. www.formulaexpo.com.