'World's Largest Cowboy Hat' Certified at Austin's COTA: 47-Foot Hat Welcomes Next Week's F1 U.S. Grand Prix
AUSTIN, Texas — A giant cowboy hat unveiled at Circuit of the Americas (COTA) in Travis County, Texas, was officially certified by Guinness World Records on site on October 19 as the world's largest cowboy hat, setting a Texas-sized stage ahead of next week's Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. The track built the installation together with Austin-based Western wear brand Tecovas.
A to-scale recreation of Tecovas' own Cattleman cowboy hat, the structure measures 47 feet long, 43 feet wide and 17 feet tall, excluding its supporting piers. It is made of fiberglass and foam around a steel frame, with the fiberglass textured and color-matched to the original hat, and it carries an iron-brand-style COTA track outline and Tecovas branding, a hat band and a steel horseshoe charm.
A fully operational bar beneath the brim will be open to all ticket holders Thursday through Sunday during the Grand Prix weekend, and COTA and Tecovas will host their second annual "Haturday" on October 24. The hat will remain a fixture at the track beyond race weekend.
"The World's Largest Cowboy Hat belongs in Texas, and there's no better place to welcome fans from around the world with a statement this big," said Bobby Epstein, chairman of Circuit of the Americas. Tecovas CEO David Lafitte called the project a massive celebration of the companies' Austin roots and the bold spirit of Texas. COTA also hosts MotoGP and NASCAR events. (GSM, based on the Speedway Digest / COTA release)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 奥斯汀美洲赛道（COTA）航拍（资料图）。Spheroidite 摄，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons 发布。Aerial view of Circuit of the Americas. Photo by Spheroidite, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
