Formula One’s USGP is the most in-demand event ever in Austin
That's the claim being made by SeatGeek, a site that bills itself as “The Web's Largest Ticket Search Engine."
According to SeatGeek, the average race fan is spending $470 on the secondary market for a three-day pass. That is 10 percent more than for the same event in 2012.
Prices are also higher for the USGP than for many of the biggest events in all of Texas in recent years, including the 2011 NCAA men's basketball championship in Houston.
Here are a few stats from SeatGeek:
-General admission three-day passes have sold for $155 on average, while grandstand seats at the turns have gone for an average of $495. The most expensive seats are those in the main grandstand area, which are commanding an average of $925 each on the secondary market
-Right now on SeatGeek, the cheapest three-day pass available is a $159 general admission pass, but the site has seen some fans spend as much as $3,000 each on three-day main grandstand passes in the club level.
-Race fans can save an average of 27 percent by purchasing Sunday-only passes, which are being sold for $344 each on the secondary market. Saturday passes can be had for an average of $81 per ticket, and Friday-only passes are cheapest at $36 each on average.
The race is not sold out, and there are still tickets available. However, the average price is being driven up by fans wishing to buy passes for the best seats.
A search of Ticketmaster shows that there are still three-day passes available for the race on the primary market, but they aren't cheap. A race fan can pick up a three-day ticket for $316 in some of the less desirable areas, and as much as $519 for a grandstand ticket in turn 12.
We've already reported on the fiasco surrounding ticketing at COTA, but it appears that there is still quite a bit of demand for tickets to F1's only stop in America. AutoWeek