The ongoing dispute at the Circuit of the Americas is still nasty, even in the face of the upcoming inaugural MotoGP visit.
Last fall, we told you Kevin Schwantz was embroiled in a controversy with the Circuit of the Americas track in Austin, Texas; he claimed he’d had an integral role in bringing MotoGP to the track, and then been cut out of the financial benefits.
Now, the former international motorcycle racing star says he’s been thrown out of the facility, and banned.
Supposedly, the incident went down last week; Schwantz says he was visiting the track as a guest of Attack Racing CRT and the LCR Honda team during their MotoGP test when security told him to leave, and accused him of criminal trespass. If he returned, Schwantz says, staff told him he’d be arrested.
Schwantz is suing track owners at the moment, trying to get a piece of the MotoGP pie, so it’s no wonder if they wouldn’t be happy to see him. However, treating a native Texan like this just before the Austin GP doesn’t look good on COTA, especially as two teams had invited Schwantz to go there. No matter who ultimately comes out on top on this dispute, it’s a black eye for racing.
[…] and brouhaha has ensued since the beginning of this debacle, probably reaching its pinnacle when Schwantz said he was thrown out of the track last spring while visiting as a guest of MotoGP racers. You can read more about it here and here […]
[…] and Segways (???) at home. However, keen observers will note it doesn’t stop anyone from smuggling Kevin Schwantz in inside a backpack or something […]
[…] a lot more to the track itself than its owners’ battle with Kevin Schwantz; it’s a great roadracing venue. Costa got to test the latest edition of the Panigale there, […]
[…] Here’s what the Circuit of the Americas had to say about the controversy with them removing Kevin Schwantz from their facility: […]
Let’s respect those who have made the sport exciting
RT
From the title: Kevin Schwants To Be Let In.
With apologies of course.
*SNORT* 😀