Most liked posts in thread: F1 Coming to .... TX!!

Nathan · Aug 11, 2011

Austin GP responds positively to U.S. Grand Prix date change - AutoWeek

Organizers of the U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, have responded positively to Wednesday's news that Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone plans to move the U.S. GP to Nov. 18, 2012, rather than holding the race in June next year as originally planned.

"I have been hoping for a late-season race date since this project began and see this as a very positive sign from Formula One that it wants its U.S. event to be an over-the-top success," said Tavo Hellmund, chairman of the U.S. Grand Prix. "Mr. Ecclestone has dozens of competing issues to consider when it comes to the race calendar. He has to balance the interests of the teams with those of the promoters, and even consider the unique situation of each host country.

"To put our race near the end of the schedule puts us in a prime spot to welcome the world next year, and I could not be more personally and professionally appreciative."

The revised 2012 F1 calendar contains numerous changes compared with the schedule the FIA issued in June but remains unofficial until the FIA World Motor Sport Council ratifies it at a meeting later this year.

Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, in a prepared statement, also praised the new race date and Formula One Management for respecting the area's air quality at different times during the year, and also said that the proposed date gives organizers the opportunity to optimize the Circuit of the Americas' construction, staffing and scheduling.

Steve Sexton, president of the Circuit of the Americas, said, "The mayor's input regarding Central Texas' air quality during the summer months was obviously important to Formula One Management, and to their credit, they listened and have responded.

"First and foremost, we want our fans to have a great experience when they come here. The prospect of milder weather makes that more likely. It also gives us time to better prepare our staff and the thousands of volunteers who will be supporting Formula One race-week festivities."

One issue that remains unclear is whether the date change will effect the planned payment of $25 million from the Texas Major Events Trust Fund to Ecclestone; the money is earmarked to cover F1's sanctioning fee in year one of its 10-year deal with Hellmund. However, Texas law says the money cannot be paid more than 12 months in advance of the event for which it will support. That would appear to mean a delay in the payment now that the race will take place in November.

"Our application to the Events Trust Fund is complete and has been submitted," said Wayne Hollingsworth, a member of the Circuit Events Local Organizing Committee's board. "We appreciate the support the [Texas state] comptroller's staff has provided to us to make that possible. While we have not fully analyzed the implications of a potential change in race dates, we believe that any such change--if implemented by FIA--will not affect the eligibility of the Formula One event for the Major Events Trust Fund, but would merely affect the timing. And if the event date does in fact change, per the statutory requirements, we will update our application based on the new date and look forward to receiving approval later this year."
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Nathan · Aug 17, 2011

Red Bull F1 Roadshow Coming to Austin

Red Bull is bringing one of its famous road show events to the state Austin. The event is reportedly slated to feature veteran driver and team ambassador David Coulthard driving one of the team's demo cars up Congress Avenue between 15th Street and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard from 7 a.m. to noon this coming Saturday.

A crew will be filming the event, which spectators will also get a chance to watch from the sidelines, though details on how many passes DC will make and whether he'll be meeting with fans after the demonstration remain undisclosed. For that matter, the team has reportedly yet to secure the necessary permits for the event, but assuming the paperwork comes together, Texas is about to get an earlier taste of F1 than they expected.

Nathan · Aug 23, 2011

Coulthard drives Red Bull F1 car on the Austin "Track"

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVxQzseaUb8]F1 2011 - Red Bull demo at the Circuit of the Americas - Coulthard on the dirt track - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Aug 23, 2011

That was..........different. Not sure what the point of doing that was other than to show Red Bull are willing to do pretty much ANYthing for a bit of publicity. Need to see if I can find some post-stunt comments from Coulthard.

Nathan · Aug 23, 2011

They are now the 1st F1 team to lap the circuit .

Steve · Aug 23, 2011

I guess that means Coulthard has the lap record...

Metalman · Aug 23, 2011

Welp, looks like they are starting to race on the Circuit of the Americas track......

Fixed.... Thanks Steve....

Steve · Aug 23, 2011

Metalman said: ↑

Welp, looks like they are starting to race on the Circuit of the Americas track......
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Psst, MM, check out Nathan's post (#210).

Alan · Aug 23, 2011

Damn - I wish they would let folks know about this stuff.

I was thinking about driving up to Austin to see him run downtown, but then I heard it was cancelled. Well, I guess they did it anyway.

Maybe they were worried about me and the other 5 F1 fans in Texas showing up and trashing up the place.

Steve · Aug 23, 2011

Another example of Red Bull's anything-for-publicity mentality:

Tom Cruise drives Red Bull F1 car (gpupdate.net)

23 August 2011
Mission: Impossible star Tom Cruise was the lucky recipient of a Red Bull Formula 1 drive in California last Monday. The 49-year-old actor was coached by 2001 championship runner-up turned BBC television pundit David Coulthard.

Cruiseâ€™s Red Bull outing came at the 2.5-mile Willow Springs track in Rosamond, with the â€˜The Last Samuraiâ€™ completing 24 laps over the course of a seven-hour session which started with Coulthard explaining the racing line.

â€œTom's the real deal,â€ said the Scot, with Cruise eventually improving on his first lap time by some 11 seconds. â€œI was surprised that he picked it up so quickly and is such an accomplished driver.

â€œHis recall was incredible, considering how complicated driving an F1 car is. He's a guy who really pushes the envelope in real life. This day was not green screened. He thoroughly impressed me.â€
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Steve · Aug 23, 2011

... and here's another snip about the event from autosport.com:

In a behind closed doors session on August 15 at the Willow Springs circuit in Rosamond, Cruise was given a day to learn all about the challenges of driving F1 machinery. The event was part of Red Bull Racing's recent promotional trip to the United States.

Being overseen by Red Bull Racing ambassador David Coulthard, Cruise was reported to have reached speeds of 181mph around the 2.5-mile track and, over the 24 laps he completed, he improved his best time by 11 seconds from the start to the end of the day.
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Redbeard · Aug 23, 2011

Willow Springs is my home track! Cool. I'm sorry I didn't know about this.

Steve · Aug 26, 2011

... and here's the video they made of Tom Cruise having fun in Red Bull machinery:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UyW8FdzH9dg]Tom Cruise test drives Red Bull Racing F1 car - YouTube[/ame]

Steve · Oct 3, 2011

Questions raised over US Grand Prix future (gpupdate.net)

Question marks have been raised over the future of the United States Grand Prix, which is set to return to the Formula 1 calendar next year. According to the Austin Statesman newspaper, work at the brand-new Circuit of the Americas has slowed due to a possible change related to the promoters and management at the Texas track.

The first American F1 race since 2007 is set to be staged on the new, purpose-built circuit in November 2012, with funding being provided by the State of Texas and figures estimated at $250 million (Â£161m) for the period of a decade.

However, it is now being reported that race promoter Tavo Hellmund has been in contact with state Comptroller (financial officer) Susan Combs in order to check whether any change in management or promoters would jeopardise the circuitâ€™s eligibility for collecting the necessary funds, which would ensure a positive upkeep for the venue.

In a letter from Combs to F1 commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone, the Comptroller is believed to have stated that major investors â€“ such as billionaire Red McCombs â€“ have not secured rights to hold the race. It is also alleged that Combs has written to Ecclestone in order to discuss a proposed transfer of the contractual rights from Hellmundâ€™s company to Circuit of the Americas â€“ the group which includes the aforementioned investors such as McCombs.

â€˜Should the proposed assignment be consummated, the State of Texas, through this agency, looks forward to working with the Circuit of the Americas to bring the Formula One United States Grand Prix to Texas in 2012,â€™ reads the letter from the State Comptroller to Ecclestone, as quoted by the Austin Statesman.
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Minidave · Oct 3, 2011

I've been wondering why they haven't updated the videos of the work on the track for the last few months.....maybe there hasn't been any?

Steve · Oct 5, 2011

Minidave said: ↑

I've been wondering why they haven't updated the videos of the work on the track for the last few months.....maybe there hasn't been any?
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Construction work resumes at Texas F1 circuit (gpupdate.net)

Tuesday saw construction work recommence at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, which is set to be home of the returning Unites States Grand Prix in November 2012. The recent delay has been linked to questions over the future ownership and state funding for the $300 million (Â£195m) facility.

â€œWe just started back today,â€ Max Chapman, Construction Manager for the project, explained to the Austin Statesman newspaper, which also reports that two heavy pieces of equipment were transported to the venue on Tuesday and that another 19 are set to arrive later this week.

The comeback of a Formula 1 race in the USA will mark the first event in the country since Lewis Hamilton celebrated a second career victory at Indianapolis in 2007.
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minimark · Oct 5, 2011

Good news!!!

.....sure wish Bama had invested our $500 million in this instead of Solyndra. We could have had an F1 track paid for in Texas and $200 million left over.....could have put that on the national debt maybe......

Zapski · Oct 5, 2011

minimark said: ↑

Good news!!!

.....sure wish Bama had invested our $500 million in this instead of Solyndra. We could have had an F1 track paid for in Texas and $200 million left over.....could have put that on the national debt maybe......
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Ha! I think we can find some bipartisan agreement there.

Hmmm.... F1 as a fix to our national problems? Speed Party anyone?

Steve · Oct 13, 2011

Visit To Circuit Of The Americas: Construction to Renew Soon (motorauthority.com)

by Anne Proffitt | October 13, 2011
Construction activity at the troubled Circuit of the Americas outside Austin, TX appears to be happening again. A visit this past Monday, Columbus Day, revealed trucks lined up and stabilizer dirt available for placement.

That Monday there was no work in progress because the area had just received a much-needed dose of rain - but with dry weather in the forecast, they expected to be running the next day.

The 3.4-mile Grand Prix road course is comprised of 12 turns and has a first turn with both a great, climbing elevation change and decreasing radius that certainly looks challenging. At this point, we've been told they're getting the infield done first - and in fact an earth mover started rumbling down the first turn toward the infield as we watched.

The State of Texas is contributing money to the endeavor that's expected to cost about $300 million all told. The city is committed, too, hoping the Austin city experience brings people back for, say, the 2013 MotoGP, once the first Formula One race is in the books.

The track is, to put it bluntly, remote at best and there are no four-star hotels within 15 miles. A single-lane road leads into the circuit; there are freeways five minutes away on a good day.

Everyone at the circuit is, of course very upbeat about the project. While they recognize that the FIA requires a 90-day blessing on their circuit, at this time the expectation is to pour the first asphalt in springtime, even though a minimum 90-day cure is necessary.

The jury's still out on Circuit of the Americas, Formula One's new home in the United States. Whether it flies or not depends on the activity monitor over the coming few months, which will determine its readiness for the biggest racing show in the world.

Â© 2011 Anne Proffit
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Firebro17 · Oct 14, 2011

In the end they (F1) will have wished they had come to Laguna Seca. Texas sounds great on the surface, but I can't help but think how much nicer the venue is and support services are here out west.

Best'a luck!

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