F1 Austin

[BTM]

Looking forward to Austin...I liked the IMS as a venue, but as far as the surroundings go...well...uhhhhhh

[SteDevote]

An hour and a half drive.

[E90SLAM]

http://www.formula1unitedstates.com/...aster_Plan.pdf

[UltimateBMW]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

http://www.formula1unitedstates.com/...aster_Plan.pdf

I'm printing that off on our plotter here at work. Amazing.

[escobar929]

man, that track looks great, didnt think there would be so much elevation change

[mastek]

SoCal needs an F1 Track.
We have 3 International and 2 National Airports, 1000 Hotels, 10,000 Restaurants, Disneyland, Hollyweird, etc, etc

This is the car capitol of the world -- more Ferraris, Mercedes and BMW's sold here then anywhere in the world -- wheres the F1?? WTF = Texas??

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by mastek

SoCal needs an F1 Track.
We have 3 International and 2 National Airports, 1000 Hotels, 10,000 Restaurants, Disneyland, Hollyweird, etc, etc

This is the car capitol of the world -- more Ferraris, Mercedes and BMW's sold here then anywhere in the world -- wheres the F1?? WTF = Texas??

But where to build the track? Palm Springs?
You have to realize current FIA spec track are no where in the middle of the city. (except singapore where's a city track)

Sepang is 60km away from downtown Kuala Lumpur.
Bahrain and Abu Dhabi got all the "desert" they want to build, but still slightly away from city center.
Shanghai is approx 30km away from city center and located inside something looked like an industrial area.
Suzuka is not near any major cities like Tokyo or Osaka, and its approx. 60km from Nagoya.
Korean International Circuit is build near a small town of Mokpo, and its no where near the Capital Seoul.
Then the new Indian Grand Prix, Buddh International Circuit, is more than 300km away from New Delhi.

In the current Formula 1, if you want a build for purpose track, they will need to find a large empty land to start with. I do not see any of these around major cities near California, neither near big cities near East Coast.

Austin's Circuit of the Americas is just about 10miles away from downtown Austin. Great for tourism, and teams to enjoy the local atmosphere.

Plus Austin is locate right in the middle of both East Coast, West Coast, Mid-West Region, Central Americas, Caribbeans. Everyone can get there in less than 2-3 hours flight.

[biglare]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

But where to build the track? Palm Springs?
You have to realize current FIA spec track are no where in the middle of the city. (except singapore where's a city track)

Sepang is 60km away from downtown Kuala Lumpur.
Bahrain and Abu Dhabi got all the "desert" they want to build, but still slightly away from city center.
Shanghai is approx 30km away from city center and located inside something looked like an industrial area.
Suzuka is not near any major cities like Tokyo or Osaka, and its approx. 60km from Nagoya.
Korean International Circuit is build near a small town of Mokpo, and its no where near the Capital Seoul.
Then the new Indian Grand Prix, Buddh International Circuit, is more than 300km away from New Delhi.

In the current Formula 1, if you want a build for purpose track, they will need to find a large empty land to start with. I do not see any of these around major cities near California, neither near big cities near East Coast.

Austin's Circuit of the Americas is just about 10miles away from downtown Austin. Great for tourism, and teams to enjoy the local atmosphere.

Plus Austin is locate right in the middle of both East Coast, West Coast, Mid-West Region, Central Americas, Caribbeans. Everyone can get there in less than 2-3 hours flight.

+10000000!

Austin is an amazing city, and not just because I'm originally from there. If you have never been you owe yourself a visit.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by mastek

WTF = Texas??

Texans are friendlier .

[mastek]

Originally Posted by elp_jc

Texans are friendlier .

Its cause they get to carry guns.

Its true that most new (and old) F1 venues are far away from any major city.
There was and Air Force Base that closed approx. 10 yrs ago - outside of Irvine - i was part of a group/consortium that was looking at building a permanent F1 track there. Everything was in place - except the 300 million USD. A the time (2004) ...no one wanted to invest.
I know Austin is a great city an the people are friendly - im happy for them that they are getting a world-class facility.
But we deserve one more and we have the infastructure to deal with 100k more people over a week/weekend. And you'd be surprised how much property there is nearby LA.
Downtown LA could host a GP as much as i hate temp street circuits, cause we need a proper Race Track out here.

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by mastek

Its cause they get to carry guns.

Its true that most new (and old) F1 venues are far away from any major city.
There was and Air Force Base that closed approx. 10 yrs ago - outside of Irvine - i was part of a group/consortium that was looking at building a permanent F1 track there. Everything was in place - except the 300 million USD. A the time (2004) ...no one wanted to invest.
I know Austin is a great city an the people are friendly - im happy for them that they are getting a world-class facility.
But we deserve one more and we have the infastructure to deal with 100k more people over a week/weekend. And you'd be surprised how much property there is nearby LA.
Downtown LA could host a GP as much as i hate temp street circuits, cause we need a proper Race Track out here.

I believe you are talking about Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. I've been there many times for AMG Events (twice) and Taste of Lexus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_...tation_El_Toro

However, the organizer will have for fork up more than 650mil USD just to get the four parcels of the land. That was back in 2005, not sure the cost of land 6 years later. But I'm sure the overall cost of construction will be higher. That puts a big burden to the organizers, on top of what they will have to pay to Bernie's bank account.

Where the overall cost to build Circuit of the Americas is just approx 250 mil.

That does not include the landscaping to create elevation difference. Foundations of various buildings and the track. Also prep work to dispose existing buildings and existing runways.

this will also force Top Gear US to go somewhere else. (Not that they're good, just give them a second season chance!)

[M3_WC]

Originally Posted by mastek

SoCal needs an F1 Track.
We have 3 International and 2 National Airports, 1000 Hotels, 10,000 Restaurants, Disneyland, Hollyweird, etc, etc

This is the car capitol of the world -- more Ferraris, Mercedes and BMW's sold here then anywhere in the world -- wheres the F1?? WTF = Texas??

Originally Posted by mastek

But we deserve one more and we have the infastructure to deal with 100k more people over a week/weekend. And you'd be surprised how much property there is nearby LA.
Downtown LA could host a GP as much as i hate temp street circuits, cause we need a proper Race Track out here.

We can't even get a NFL team here in LA. How do you think we will get a purpose built F1 track? Not going to happen, especially in this crap California economy.

I have been to Austin a couple times, great place. The downtown is really nice. They have that huge South by Southwest event every year. That attracts a ton of people from all over.

Plus you have to remember Texas has 3 of the top 10 most populated cities in the US (Dallas, Houston, San Antonio).

[kaaoszx]

i am looking forward to traveling to the south now.

[Echo M3]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

But where to build the track? Palm Springs?
You have to realize current FIA spec track are no where in the middle of the city. (except singapore where's a city track)

Sepang is 60km away from downtown Kuala Lumpur.
Bahrain and Abu Dhabi got all the "desert" they want to build, but still slightly away from city center.
Shanghai is approx 30km away from city center and located inside something looked like an industrial area.
Suzuka is not near any major cities like Tokyo or Osaka, and its approx. 60km from Nagoya.
Korean International Circuit is build near a small town of Mokpo, and its no where near the Capital Seoul.
Then the new Indian Grand Prix, Buddh International Circuit, is more than 300km away from New Delhi.

In the current Formula 1, if you want a build for purpose track, they will need to find a large empty land to start with. I do not see any of these around major cities near California, neither near big cities near East Coast.

Austin's Circuit of the Americas is just about 10miles away from downtown Austin. Great for tourism, and teams to enjoy the local atmosphere.

Plus Austin is locate right in the middle of both East Coast, West Coast, Mid-West Region, Central Americas, Caribbeans. Everyone can get there in less than 2-3 hours flight.

Sorry mate, but you're completely wrong about the part that I bolded. The Indian Grand Prix is about 30-40km from Delhi, in an area called Greater Noida (a suburb).It's about 30-45 min drive, depending on traffic. So really, it helps support your overall argument. Cheers

[Echo M3]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

I believe you are talking about Marine Corps Air Station El Toro. I've been there many times for AMG Events (twice) and Taste of Lexus.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marine_...tation_El_Toro

However, the organizer will have for fork up more than 650mil USD just to get the four parcels of the land. That was back in 2005, not sure the cost of land 6 years later. But I'm sure the overall cost of construction will be higher. That puts a big burden to the organizers, on top of what they will have to pay to Bernie's bank account.

Where the overall cost to build Circuit of the Americas is just approx 250 mil.

That does not include the landscaping to create elevation difference. Foundations of various buildings and the track. Also prep work to dispose existing buildings and existing runways.

this will also force Top Gear US to go somewhere else. (Not that they're good, just give them a second season chance!)

Also, that will never happen, given that El Toro is essentially being turned into a gigantic housing development/shopping center/national park. I don't think a Formula 1 track would be too popular amongst the suburban families, haha.

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by pman10

Sorry mate, but you're completely wrong about the part that I bolded. The Indian Grand Prix is about 30-40km from Delhi, in an area called Greater Noida (a suburb).It's about 30-45 min drive, depending on traffic. So really, it helps support your overall argument. Cheers

Apparently Google map doesn't help and I didn't read too much into wiki until just now. Thanks for correcting!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaypee_Group_Circuit

Originally Posted by pman10

Also, that will never happen, given that El Toro is essentially being turned into a gigantic housing development/shopping center/national park. I don't think a Formula 1 track would be too popular amongst the suburban families, haha.

That was my point replying to mastek, even if the organizers had the opportunity to bid for the El Toro field back in 2005. The construction cost will be astronomical. Also they had to outbid the ones who purchased the land back in 2005 for 650 million USD.

It was just not economical to build over there back then, and now its impossible at all.
I was comparing the overall project cost between the two.

I'd like to have a F1 grand prix near by (I live 30-40 miles away from El Toro). But I prefer to have a better facility and track, and reasonable ticket price. If the grand prix near by but cost twice more than Austin. I'll just stay home.

[Echo M3]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

A
That was my point replying to mastek, even if the organizers had the opportunity to bid for the El Toro field back in 2005. The construction cost will be astronomical. Also they had to outbid the ones who purchased the land back in 2005 for 650 million USD.

It was just not economical to build over there back then, and now its impossible at all.
I was comparing the overall project cost between the two.

I'd like to have a F1 grand prix near by (I live 30-40 miles away from El Toro). But I prefer to have a better facility and track, and reasonable ticket price. If the grand prix near by but cost twice more than Austin. I'll just stay home.

I agree, I would take better facilities/track over a convenient location with a hastily prepared/boring track. Especially given that the economics favor a track at a location like Austin.

I think my only concern is whether Austin will make an entertaining venue, where people have something to do after the race (like in Montreal, Monte Carlo, Singapore, Shanghai, etc.). After attending the Indianapolis Grand Prix, I realized how boring it can be to have absolutely nothing to do after a day's worth of action on track. We couldn't even find a decent place to grab a beer, for crying out loud!

That being said, the members on this board seem to suggest that Austin is a fairly vibrant city. So, in the interest of having a track on home soil again, I'll sit back and cross my fingers that it's a success!

[M3_WC]

Originally Posted by pman10

I think my only concern is whether Austin will make an entertaining venue, where people have something to do after the race (like in Montreal, Monte Carlo, Singapore, Shanghai, etc.). After attending the Indianapolis Grand Prix, I realized how boring it can be to have absolutely nothing to do after a day's worth of action on track. We couldn't even find a decent place to grab a beer, for crying out loud!

That being said, the members on this board seem to suggest that Austin is a fairly vibrant city. So, in the interest of having a track on home soil again, I'll sit back and cross my fingers that it's a success!

Don't worry, you won't have any problem finding a place to get a beer in Austin. Austin has a very eclectic nightlife, with a young diverse crowd. Texas University is right there, with over 50,000 students.

I feel you on Indy. I have been to the 500 and the area is quite boring. But that is the mid-west for ya.

[scott@bmwhn]

been following this since the idea came to fruitation. Can't wait for the first F1 race and hopefully I can afford the tickets to go

[Nutballa]

Have they started construction?

[UltimateBMW]

Originally Posted by Nutballa

Have they started construction?

On page 2 there are pictures of them levelling the land.

[E90SLAM]

Texas Senator is questioning the need of hosting Formula 1 while the state is in deficit...

The group behind bringing F1 back to America are facing fresh criticism from sceptics who say the cash-strapped Texas state can't afford the ambitious scheme.

With a budget deficit estimated to reach $27 billion over the next two years, some state lawmakers are wondering where the $250 million is going to come from to build a new race facility in Austin, Texas.

The plan is to initially pump $25 million into the facility then use the revenue generated to reinvest $25 million each year for 10 years.

Backers of the project have estimated that the Formula One race will bring in about $300 million in revenue annually to the city but Texas senator Dan Patrick isn't buying it.

"This is something we should not be doing," Patrick said. "How can you justify spending $25 million? That is 500 teachers."

Opponents of the plan think the money would be better spent on education and preventing the layoff of teachers.

Formula One is expected to make a return to the US in 2012 with the purpose-built Austin circuit.

Under the agreement, the Texas capital city will host the US Grand Prix until 2021.

The Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted a US Grand Prix from 2000-2007, an eight-year run that had it's problems.

In 2005, 14 of 20 drivers withdrew just prior to the start of the race to protest concerns about tyre safety.

Prior to arriving at Indianapolis, Formula One had run in the US in Long Beach, California, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix on a variety of street circuits.

http://planetf1.com/driver/18227/693...nnot-afford-F1