USGP 2012, Austin, TX

[Driver]

People are wondering where the money is coming from, talking about nothing getting done these days but they have very SHORT memories. Heck, in just the last 10 years we went from no toll roads to barely being able to miss them. Our oil dollars put to work (one of the local news reports mentioned Middle Eastern companies put up most of the construction money and get the lions share of the profits for the next 30 years or so). 

Anyway, I hope it happens, we need something like this. Dell continues to circle the drain, all our manufacturing (Tracor, Rolm, Texas Instruments, Lockheed Martin) moved offshore or to Mexico or outright closed up shop decades ago .. well you get the point....

[dp35]

I was hoping that just for a change of pace, this track would be designed by someone not named Tilke.  Looks like that wish will not come true.  Apparently Bernie or some other powerful F1 person believes that there's only one person on this planet qualified to design new F1 tracks.  Oh well.  If this improves the chances of this actually happening, then maybe its a good thing.


Tilke to design Austin F1 Circuit
The new Austin Formula 1 track, which will host the American Grand Prix from 2012, is to be designed by Hermann Tilke, race organisers have announced.

Shortly after revealing its 10-year deal to hold the US event, Austin race promoters Full Throttle Productions have now earmarked a site for the circuit and confirmed that Tilke will be involved.

The exact location of the venue has not been disclosed, but Tavo Hellmund, managing partner of Full Throttle Productions, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press that its was 'more than 700 acres.'

Hellmund also ended speculation about who would design the track by confirming that F1 regular Tilke, the man behind track designs at Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Shanghai, and Sepang, will be involved.

Race promoters said the track would be "one of the finest permanent road course facilities in the world. Fans should expect the craftsmanship Tilke is famous for, with a priority placed on green building and a track similar to the great grand prix tracks of previous generations."

[Bruce Fielding]

[quote="dp35"]
... the craftsmanship Tilke is famous for...and a track similar to the great grand prix tracks of previous generations.
[/quote]

Mutually exclusive, I would say...

Unless he's learning from his mistakes...

Which doesn't look likely.

The best tracks are the ones that take advantage of the natural contours of the area. Most modern tracks are imposed rather than sympathetic.

Having said that, a LOT of great tracks are just unused WWII airfields - which by their nature tend to be on the flat side, it being tricky to land a Lancaster on a slope...

[WorkingOnIt]

More from the local newspaper:
http://www.statesman.com/news/local/tra ... 11472.html

"A letter sent on April 7 to Ecclestone and signed by Gov. Rick Perry, Comptroller Susan Combs and Hellmund promises $25 million per year in state support for the race from the state's Major Event Trust Fund. ...the fund is used to reimburse local governments for costs they incur hosting large sporting events.
...
[managing partner of Full Throttle, Tavo] Hellmund said Tuesday that he not overly concerned about the timetable. "If it slides back, it slides back," Hellmund said. He said he was more concerned with getting things done correctly.
"If Bernie comes back to the table," [president of Monticello Motor Club in New York, Ari] Straus said, "Monticello is ready." "

[WorkingOnIt]

Q&A with Bernie Eclestone
http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/ ... s-gp-qa/P3
Q: Even in Texas finding $200m to build a circuit isn’t easy...
  “[Tavo]’s done it, otherwise he wouldn’t embark on it.”

Can F1 take shortcut to US success?
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/formula-1 ... icle/2966/
"Monaco is unique on the calendar, so much so that teams re-design their cars specifically for it with tighter steering and extra downforce add-ons, so why not allow another track to be created to suit its audience?
When Hermann Tilke takes pen to paper for the Texas track, he should listen to what the fans want - a atmospheric stadium section, maybe a fully banked corner and some clear overtaking opportunities. And then add the final piece of the jigsaw - a short-cut, as suggested by Bernie Ecclestone, to set up the chance of a last-gasp finish."

New York got screwed
No it didn't - Texas makes perfect sense for F1

F1 drivers' response
http://www.crash.net/f1/news/160110/1/f ... es_gp.html
http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula ... rss_sports

And, on the road trip side - this turned up today
Texas Barbecue Trail
on the map detail below, the Texas 130 corridor mentioned in other articles for the track location is the roadway between Manor and Garfield.  (The airport is the gray patch just west of Garfield).

[dp35]

[quote="WorkingOnIt"]
Can F1 take shortcut to US success?
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/formula-1 ... icle/2966/
"Monaco is unique on the calendar, so much so that teams re-design their cars specifically for it with tighter steering and extra downforce add-ons, so why not allow another track to be created to suit its audience?
When Hermann Tilke takes pen to paper for the Texas track, he should listen to what the fans want - a atmospheric stadium section, maybe a fully banked corner and some clear overtaking opportunities. And then add the final piece of the jigsaw - a short-cut, as suggested by Bernie Ecclestone, to set up the chance of a last-gasp finish."[/quote]

I read this and found it hillarious, ridiculous, and insulting.  Apparently this is one European journalist's opinion of what American F1 fans want.  How about just giving us a legendary circuit with great passing opportunities, good sight lines, good access, and a good party at night.  Is that so much different from what F1 fans in every other country want? 

[WorkingOnIt]

[quote="dp35"]
[quote="WorkingOnIt"]
Can F1 take shortcut to US success?
http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/formula-1 ... icle/2966/
"Monaco is unique on the calendar, so much so that teams re-design their cars specifically for it with tighter steering and extra downforce add-ons, so why not allow another track to be created to suit its audience?
When Hermann Tilke takes pen to paper for the Texas track, he should listen to what the fans want - a atmospheric stadium section, maybe a fully banked corner and some clear overtaking opportunities. And then add the final piece of the jigsaw - a short-cut, as suggested by Bernie Ecclestone, to set up the chance of a last-gasp finish."[/quote]

I read this and found it hillarious, ridiculous, and insulting.  Apparently this is one European journalist's opinion of what American F1 fans want.  How about just giving us a legendary circuit with great passing opportunities, good sight lines, good access, and a good party at night.  Is that so much different from what F1 fans in every other country want?  
[/quote]

I figured it's an intentional wind-up, given the photo used and the (I hope) mock serious mention of Ecclestone's shortcut idea.  Parody does still indicate a grain of truth to how others see us.

[WorkingOnIt]

Tavo Hellmund says finances are in place
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/83928

He has also defended his decision to use Hermann Tilke, the famed F1 track designer, because he claims the German is the best man for getting venues up to the right standards.

"I signed a deal with him a long time ago," said Hellmund. "They know where FIA and FOM want every plug, literally. They've already done the design, there's already a masterplan, and we have unbelievable land, a few miles from the airport. It's a killer location."

He added: "We optioned the land nearly three years ago with this in mind. We've already got the permitting for utilities, water and waste water, and those are the biggest things to get sorted. None of the land is developed, but it already has the infrastructure, roads and that kind of stuff."

[Driver]

I find some of the comments quite retarded. I even saw one post where someone said Austin was flat. Delusional... We don't have mountains, but... All the griping and grumbling from other places like NJ/NY that didn't get it just sounds like sour grapes. Regardless of WHERE it is F1 (in a single annual race) in the US will ALWAYS be a oddity and will have a certain ability to draw people to its venue whether its Texas, New York, Cali, or Kansas. MAYBE people might actually LIKE the idea of it being in a place that isn't the same ol thing like Vegas or NYC, maybe people might LIKE to travel to a different host city. And to all those people saying it's "hard" to get to the local airport (which is more than big enough to handle any air traffic & transport) there's also San Antonio's airport just 1.5 hrs South.

I'm more excited that it'll be a REAL road track, and possibly other races will actually happen there like maybe some of the ALMS/Petite LeMans stuff, some MotoGP and other like stuff. If the venue happens I could see even possibly NASCAR (biting my tongue) adding it as a road course race in place of one of their many boring oval ones. Lord knows a little diversity in their gene pool could'nt hurt. If that happened I might ACTUALLY go and watch a Nascar race.

[Driver]

By the way, the undeveloped land to the South and East of the Airport is gently rolling hills. Nothing big but not flat either. My parents lived 11 miles past the airport out that way for years (FR21 & FR812). Most of it was farmland or used for cattle and with the recent move of the airport out that way it's been growing pretty fast (at least the subdivisions). You want flat? Go to Dallas, you want tabletop flat, go to Houston.

[WorkingOnIt]

Hellmund and Texas comptroller at Silverstone
http://www.autoweek.com/article/20100715/F1/100719908
Comptroller Combs says state support for F1 is "a done deal"
Hellmund breaks his silence:
“We’re almost done with the [circuit] design stuff. We’ve changed a few things based on the site, and the biggest thing is trying to finish the proper plan for the FIA Circuit Commission. I believe that’s in September. [F1 track designer Hermann Tilke’s] people have been in Austin pretty much nonstop and have met with our architects and our contractors. We’re hammer down.”

Hellmund describes the track:
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/85287
... the circuit will be a break from the norm of modern F1 venues and is set to feature a selection of the very best sequences from other tracks around the world.
"I would say that, hopefully, people will view it as a throwback to some of the older, traditional tracks ... There is also going to be significant elevation – probably more than 100 feet of difference from top to bottom."

Hellmund also is quoted in the above article saying Texas "is not subsidizing anything" and complains about "liberal media", but this column in the local paper begs to differ.
"Hellmund is getting to use $25 million in collected tax revenue ... to offset the cost of the race’s annual sanctioning fee. If he weren’t using public money, he wouldn’t have needed the permission of the Legislature, the governor and the comptroller to get it ... There are also specific differences in the state’s support of the Super Bowl and F1. The biggest is that Texas has agreed to pay $25 million up front for the first year’s race. That appropriation is in the current state budget."

[WorkingOnIt]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/aust ... ealed-tues

http://f1newsaustin.com/
"Full Throttle Productions delivered media only invites this morning for a Tuesday morning press conference"

[WorkingOnIt]

From the press conference:

Site confirmed at "Wandering Creek", formerly proposed for a residential subdivision.  (explains the promoter's previous statements that utility permitting was already done).

Interestingly, according to this, the neighbors may be more accepting of the track than they were the proposed 'teeny tiny tract houses' development. Cathy Olive, president of the Elroy Preservation Association: "every single solitary person I have talked to don't want the track in their area, but all feel it would be preferable to dense residential development."




Official web site is up:
http://formula1unitedstates.com/index.html

Major investor revealed: 'Red' McCombs, mega auto dealer, previous owner of San Antonio Spurs, co-founder of Clear Channel Communications.

I was hoping for more track details, but with reports of ground-breaking in early September, they will come soon enough, I suppose.

Hellmund mentioned an aspect of hiring Tilke that I hadn't heard before.  He spoke about Tilke's team having state-of-the-art expertise with environmental sensitivity.  That's an issue near and dear to many Austinites (and a quality not particularly associated with Red McCombs).  Some groups have been calling for a commitment to LEED standards.

[Driver]

I am VERY familiar with that area, we lived 5 miles further east off 812 & 21 for 15 years. The track will literally be 5 miles or so from the airport as the crow flies. Anybody taking off to the south and banking left will be all over it. ElRoy residents may prefer it to dense commercial development but we all know that dense commercial AND residential will follow it quickly enough.  ::) Good place though, if they take advantage of the rolling farmland that used to be, don't think it's as flat as the picture makes it look as Elroy sits on the top of a hill. They widened the road 10 years ago to 4 lanes (2 each way) and plenty of room to go to six if needed. 30 min drive for me.  ;D

[Bruce Fielding]

One of the issues with Donnington was that it was too close to East Midlands airport and the aviation fuel turned the place into a skating rink in the rain...


...I guess rain isn't a problem where you are, though...