Witness The Largest Cowboy Hat In The World
Towering over the racecars and spectators at the Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas, a cowboy hat standing 108 feet tall, or about 33 meters, has officially become the largest fiberglass sculpture of a hat, according to Guinness World Records. The sculpture, which features a solid metal brim and a crown that reaches up into the sky, was unveiled on October 19 at the Formula 1 track and sponsored by Austin-based western wear company Tecovas, whose name sits across the cap. The unveiling was designed to connect the international appeal of Formula 1 with Austin's local Western heritage, and the celebration pulled out all the stops with riders on horseback, a trick lasso performer, and Speed Bump, an armadillo who doubles as a local soccer club mascot. "The results announcement was very Texas," said Guinness World Records adjudicator Michael Empric, who was there to witness it.
The hat sits along one of the main thoroughfares of a venue that hosts the annual United States Grand Prix but also works as a year-round destination, with an amphitheater for major concerts, an observation tower, go-kart tracks, and its own amusement park called COTALAND. The track has even bigger plans for the landmark, since organizers have teased that they might build a bar underneath the brim and, perhaps down the line, add a giant sombrero to showcase another part of Austin culture. Formula 1 has gained immense popularity overseas after the Netflix series Drive to Survive, and the record-breaking hat gives the circuit a landmark that is unmistakably Texan.
