Skip to content
  • by

F1 Race Day at COTA with Full Spectrum

The Event: COTA’s 10 Year Anniversary Event
The Theme: F1 Racing

Celebrating COTA's 10th anniversary

Can you believe it’s been 10 years since the F1 track at COTA first opened? 

Circuit of The Americas is a world-class motorsports and entertainment venue set on 1,500 acres just outside downtown Austin.

We’ve seen a lot of talent, events, and important public speakers visit the COTA. But it’s heart is a 3.41-mile racetrack designed to “challenge the world’s most exacting competitors.” In fact, it’s the ONLY purpose-built facility in the U.S. designed to host motorsports championships.

This year, they celebrated their 10 year anniversary, and we were invited to be part of the festivities. 

This called for something totally unique.

Sketch

First, we started with a sketch.

We needed to capture the details of the race car in a way that would translate on ice.

And we needed to plan what to complete before the event, and what we could finish on-site for a live demonstration for the F1 fans and COTA audience.

Live Carving Demo

With a combination of CNC imaging and a little help from our chainsaw, we brought it all together. 

You can see in the image here how we use multiple blocks to create one final work of art.

Once the pieces are set together, we can begin carving away at the bulk to reveal the finished product.

The Finished Product

Once all the extra ice is carved away, we use etching tools to add any finishing touches.

The most common hand tools used for carving include hand saws, chiselsice tongsjigs, compasses and chippers.

That's A Wrap

After giving our sculpture a final once over for that smooth crystal clear finish and smooth edges all around, our masterpiece is complete.

Two Times the Fun

What’s cooler than watching an F1 race from the COTA Observation Tower

A replica of ice.

In addition to bringing some live entertainment to the event, we created a second sculpture to highlight one of their coolest features.

Check out the video below for another look at our 2nd product for the weekend!