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"&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;X Games descended on Austin\u2019s Circuit of The Americas (COTA) last year for the first time. This year\u2019s Austin event does it again, but with an updated sense of style.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;With the June 4-7 event taking over the 350-acre racing facility and one downtown location, X Games will up the offerings from six venues to 10 this year while introducing new events and courses.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Last year the Skateboard and BMX Vert event kicked off Austin\u2019s X Games by staging in front of the state\u2019s capitol building in the city\u2019s downtown. While the Vert ramp moves to COTA this summer, the intersection of 11th&amp;nbsp;Street and North Congress Avenue\u2014that\u2019s in front of the capitol for those not up on Austin navigation\u2014fills with the Moto X event that sees riders attempting to clear a bar as it goes higher and higher. Last year\u2019s winner\u2014inside COTA\u2014was Ronnie Renner with his 34-foot clearance. Renner set the event\u2019s record at 47 feet at X Games Los Angeles in 2012.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u200BNew for 2015, the Harley-Davidson Flat-Track oval offers racers the ability to build up to speeds reaching 130 mph. The Moto X QuarterPipe also makes a debut. In this event, eight freestyle motocross riders will attempt a trick off a single quarter pipe feature. On the same course, the Moto X Best Whip gives riders a six-minute \u201Cjam session\u201D to perform tricks, with fans voting on the winner.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Skateboard and BMX Big Air event adds a new discipline\u2014Big Air Doubles, which pairs a BMX and skate athlete as a team\u2014on the MegaRamp. Athletes start at the top of an 88-foot-high drop-in ramp, soar over a 50-foot gap, land and then launch another 20 feet in the air above the quarter pipe.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Other courses provide some intrigue too, such as the Moto X Speed &amp; Style pitting racers head-to-head on a track that includes air tricks. The Enduro X track drops logs, rocks, jumps and tight curves into the racers\u2019 line.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;\u200BUsing the existing home of Formula One\u2019s U.S. Grand Prix venue, event designers build BMX tracks into turns, such as the track\u2019s signature Turn 1, which already boasts a natural elevation drop of 133 feet. The track\u2019s front stretch, which boasts ample seating, suites and built-in infrastructure, hosts courses for BMX riders and skateboarders. Additional viewing areas get brought in to supplement seating already there. And with other turns and seating spread across the venue, organizers can space out events and courses while keeping the athletes in front of spectators.\r\n\r\n\r\n\t&lt;strong&gt;MORE EDGE: &lt;/strong&gt;Tribute to Dean Potter, the rise of Filipe Toledo, more\r\n\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Creating the rally course\u2014the largest course each year\u2014lets designers add dirt to sections of the existing Formula One track and run-off areas to fashion a multi-surface track.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;If 2014 was the introduction of X Games Austin as a single-venue home, think of 2015 as a slight renovation.\r\n\r\n&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;Tim Newcomb covers stadiums, design and gear for Sports Illustrated. Follow him on Twitter at @tdnewcomb.&amp;nbsp;&lt;/em&gt;\r\n&lt;/p&gt;"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.si.com/edge/2015/05/20/creating-courses-for-x-games-austin-2015>