Departure of Jason Dial, president of the Austin circuit

In the week following the deluge in Austin, the circuit’s leaders had started pulling out their calculators and quantifying the financial consequences, as Jason Dial said at the time: « You can sell a little more hot chocolate but, generally speaking, your average basket is higher on sunny days. »

Bobby Epstein, the chairman of the board, also added: « We have lost millions on commercial concessions. We also suffered from the fact that some fans had such a bad experience that they won’t return, although I hope we will be able to change their minds. »

But a week later, it is the very organization of the circuit that is called into question as Jason Dial is himself on the way out, at the request of the board of directors. They communicated as follows: « After a thorough review, the board of directors of the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) has decided to part ways with CEO Jason Dial. We appreciate Jason’s hard work over the past two years, but it is time to take different directions. As we are headed into a busy year, we are committed to delivering an extraordinary experience for fans and world-class events. While the search for a replacement is underway, an interim executive committee will lead COTA’s day-to-day operations. »

Only the former Procter & Gamble executive had to bow out, trying to highlight his record at the helm of the circuit: « *I would like to thank my team for their work in a challenging environment to make the Circuit of the Americas something special for Austin and Central Texas. We have made incredible progress over the last two years. My team’s performance during the F1 weekend with unprecedented rain was extraordinary.* »

Next year, for its fifth edition, the COTA will have a third leader at its helm since Jason Dial only succeeded Steve Sexton in November 2013.

With the participation of www.racingbusiness.fr