That's the first thing that struck me too. Austin's traffic infrastructure is the absolute worst of any city I have ever experienced. I used to live there and there is no such thing as a short cut. I'm convinced that whoever designed Austin's roadways was an Aggie getting their ultimate revenge.:arf:
Supposedly, it's going to be way on the east side by the airport. Good thing that nice new toll road is finished.
Bernie Speaks! This week's announcement that a United States Grand Prix will be run in Austin, Texas, in 2012 came as a huge surprise, even to the sport's insiders. But race promoter Tavo Hellmund has been dealing with Bernie Ecclestone for more than two years while trying to put the deal together. Hellmund is adamant that the funding is in place to build the track. It is now known that the state government will provide $25 million per year to help with the expenses of running the event. In Turkey on Thursday, AutoWeek spoke with Ecclestone about plans for the Austin race. While he wasn't giving too much away, what he did say was, as ever, fascinating: Is it fair to say that Tavo's dad brought F1 back to Mexico in 1988? I think together, we did, yes! And you've been friends ever since? Yes, we've kept in touch. And with Tavo, I've known him since he was born. Did the Austin idea come up straight away after F1 finished with Indianapolis? No, but we've been talking about it for a long time. What was it that convinced you to go there? Well, it's a good place. Texas is a great place, it's something that suits us. But Dallas didn't work in 1984. No, but it would have been nice. Dallas was good. Had you been to Austin before this came up? No, I only went there because of this. What were your impressions? Good; it's a nice place. It's got all the features that we want. What is it about Tavo that convinces you that he can get the job done? Well, I trust him. But it was a difficult job, even for Tony George. Yeah, but he's got a different way of looking at things. He knows about F1. What's the biggest hurdle he's going to face? I think he's going to face hundreds of them. He'll have to jump over them all as he gets there! Building the circuit, for a start, is not going to be easy. But we'll get it done, no fear. He's got a lot of help from the government. In that sense, he's got a head start compared with Tony George? Tony was unfortunate. It was the right and the wrong place. Right place for the type of racing they have, the wrong place for us. I mean, as far we know, he never got any government help, did he? No, not at all. I think everybody thought that Tony didn't need any help. Even in Texas, finding $200 million to build a circuit isn't easy. He's done it, otherwise he wouldn't embark on it. And a permanent track is the way to go? This sort of facility [Istanbul]. It's going to look good. It's a better bet that a street race? Yes, sure, I think we've got enough street races now. Is it fair to say that street races like Phoenix were not the best way for the American public to see F1? I don't know what the American public want to see in motorsport. I think they've seen too much oval racing, so I hope we can wean them off that! Do you think he can get a crowd? Yes, sure. Dallas was good, it was full up. In somewhere like Las Vegas, you were always going to get people coming from all over the world. Austin's not really got the same appeal. The difference is that Austin will have a track, and Vegas didn't have one. Read more: I trust Hellmund for Formula One in Austin, Ecclestone says
From Thursdays Drivers Press Conference (only relevant parts included here) Dan Knutson, National Speed Sport News: To all of you: Bernie Ecclestone has announced that there will be a US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. I'm looking at your T-shirts and caps and I see names like Mercedes Benz, Red Bull, AT&T. How important is it for your teams' sponsors to have a race in the US? WEBBER: It's a huge market, we know that. A lot of people live in North America and they're very passionate about their sport. There's naturally a lot of people involved in our business that do business in North America. If it's of benefit for all of us to go there and hold a Grand Prix under their noses and for them to embrace Formula One racing as best they can – because obviously it's a different kind of sport for them, let's say – so we've seen in the past that it has worked OK at Indy, and it can be exciting in Texas, so let's see how it goes. For Red Bull, we sell a lot of cans over there and it will be good if we can sell some more. SCHUMACHER: Certainly, it's one of the beautiful places around the world to go to and enjoy some good times, lots of great opportunities. For me, naturally, I love to go and race there as it allows me to spend some days before the race to hang out there and enjoy it. But more important for most of the manufacturers that are involved in Formula One, America is a very important market. If you think of how many countries like Brazil, Argentina, all those countries in South America, how many we had of those guys at Indy, then we should have even more, because logistically it's easier to go to Texas than all the way up to Indy. Hopefully, that's the case because one of the points that we have been missing is the sort of excitement that Formula One can create and can give to the fans that are in America. Yeah, it has not fully arrived, but quite honestly you cannot expect those things to happen overnight. You have to give it continuation, and this continuation hasn't happened for a long enough time, plus maybe we haven't yet got a known or successful American driver in our group that would be quite helpful for this. But certainly from our point of view we are very happy to go there. CHANDHOK: It's more of the same, really. I think America is a more developed market than say India. It's a similar thing, they are huge markets with untapped potential as far as Formula One and its partners are concerned. I think that to have a dedicated venue is a new thing. I guess Watkins Glen, so Bernie was saying, was the last time we had one. Maybe that's what it needs, a dedicated Formula One site. I'm very excited to go there. My mum's from San Antonio and my grandparents still live in Texas, so I'd love to go there and have a race. BARRICHELLO: On a personal side I love America as a whole. I've also spent a lot of time there with the family, so it's really good to be going to that side. From the manufacturers' point of view, it's just a great opportunity that's back again and we should never have stopped racing there. Even though the fans don't know Formula One, they are aware and they obviously know more of NASCAR and Indycar but it's a great opportunity for us to show our show and get together. TRULLI: I like going to the US, I think it's a good market and I also think that the Formula One circus is a worldwide business, so why not? We would be more than welcome to go there. Read more: F1 drivers talk about Monaco, racing in the United States
Street races like Phoenix suck for the crowd. I worked that race and unless you were a corner worker, you really couldn't see much. Between the barriers and the chain link fence, the "insurance" was so thick between you and the track you could barely tell what color the cars were. The ticket prices were ridiculously high for general admission and if you wanted to sit, it got even sillier. It was an awesome race from the worker/driver standpoint, but I do not think the crowd was getting their money's worth.
Organisers of a United States Grand Prix risk penalties if the race does not go ahead in 2012. That is the warning of F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, who more than a month ago announced a 10-year contract for a race in Austin, Texas. The contract, with promoter Tavo Hellmund's company, involves the construction of a purpose-built circuit. But given a lack of details so far, and the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway's failure to make the US GP a success, some pundits are sceptical about Austin's bid. For example, the source of the bulk of the funding is a mystery, with Ecclestone revealing nothing more than that the backers are from the US. It has also been suggested that 2012 is an overly optimistic race debut date, but Briton Ecclestone insists it will take place then. "That's what the contract says," he said. "It might turn out to be expensive for Tavo. We've got some penalty clauses, although I wouldn't want to use them." Ecclestone said he is confident Hellmund's project will succeed. "Until he doesn't [succeed], we won't know," Ecclestone added. "You might say I couldn't run the 100 metres in seven seconds, but until I try, you don't know."
Austin promises unique F1 circuit By Jonathan Noble Thursday, July 15th 2010, 16:14 GMT Formula 1 fans and drivers have been promised that the new United States Grand Prix track in Austin will be one of the most challenging and spectacular in the world. Tavo Hellmund, the promoter of the Austin event that is scheduled to hold its first race in 2012, has revealed that 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 - although obviously with the added safety features and requirements that the FIA has," Hellmund told AUTOSPORT during a visit to the British Grand Prix. "It will be a track that the drivers will walk through and think: 'Man, I have to be on my best game today!'" Hellmund said that final details of the location of the track will be released imminently, and that the actual layout should be made public in the next few weeks. He said he was excited by what he had seen from the plans, being put together by F1 circuit designer Hermann Tilke. "It is going to have a really fast section, which will have some pretty challenging corners," he said. "I am partial to a couple of sections that I've seen at Silverstone, so you could see those turn up too. "There is also going to be significant elevation – probably more than 100 feet of difference from top to bottom. There will be pretty views, and I think it will be a bit of a departure from the tracks that have been built recently for F1. So, in that regard, I am excited. "Americans will be proud of it – and it won't be a 'cookie cutter' track. I think people in Texas will be proud of it as well." Hellmund said one of his priorities was to make sure the drivers liked the venue – because that would help ensure the event became a hit. "When you really get down to it, the drivers should be your best endorsement," he said. "They are the ones that talk, and everyone wants to hear what they have to say. So I think between access, mobility, location and then obviously the asphalt within both fences, I think we're going to be good." Hellmund also echoed recent comments from Bernie Ecclestone, who said there were no doubts that the funding for the event was in place. When asked about the financial situation, Hellmund said: "With all due respect, I think it is interesting – because it is nobody's business what my funding is. I can tell you this – the group we have together is world class. "Some of them are well known individuals who will probably never appear publicly – which is for a reason because their privacy and anonymity is part of the deal. "But, I can tell you that Mr. Ecclestone would not have embarked on a deal if he was not pleased with the financial package. And the state of Texas would not have done what they have done without that either. "And I want to be clear about what Texas have done because there are a lot of misconceptions there. They are not subsidising anything – the state of Texas has basically passed legislation, just like they did for the Superbowl, that allows for the contribution of incremental sales tax revenue that is created by that event. So, some of the liberal media in Texas have been trying to take shots at that, but that [the subsidy claim] is a fabrication. "We are excited, because it puts Texas on a platform with the great global events – the Olympics, the Superbowl and the World Cup. They would have not been doing it either if they thought it was a bit wishy-washy."
Austin Formula One race a done deal, says Texas comptroller Texas state comptroller Susan Combs has downplayed potential criticism of the planned U.S. Grand Prix in Austin, Texas, by insisting that the deal is done. Combs has committed the state to a $25 million per year payment from the Texas Special Events Fund. The fund is designed to cover expenses related to major events, and that is believed to represent the annual fee paid to F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone for the right to host the race. The state is not involved in the actual development of the circuit. Local media have suggested that not all taxpayers will be supportive. “The legislation is already passed; it's a done deal,” Combs told AutoWeek. “I think they're going to be very excited.” Combs was at Silverstone last weekend with a group from Texas that included promoter Tavo Hellmund and other key figures in the project. It was her first visit to a Grand Prix, and from a base at Ecclestone's motor home, the Austin delegation met a number of key F1 figures. “It's very, very exciting,” she said of the event. “It has lots of technology, which I found particularly interesting, and it's a real crowd-pleaser, a real show. We're now more excited. With the incredible impact that this has on England, we hope to have a similar impact on the United States.” She said she has no doubts about what a race can achieve. “It's going to put Texas on the international and global map, it's going to put Austin on the international and global map, and it will brand Texas as the home of cars.” The race was also Hellmund's first visit to F1 since he became a promoter. “I think there's a lot of excitement,” he said. “People are looking forward to coming to Austin, and it's been great. I was going to try to go to Montreal but had a scheduling conflict. “I needed to bring some of my partners over, and it just coincided that the comptroller was going to make a visit to a Grand Prix as well just to see the size and the scope and everything, so the timing was perfect. “There's about 12 people here [with us]. Two or three of them are partners of mine. We've got some of our legal team, and a couple of our communications people. I needed for them to get to know the [Formula One Management] system, see how things are run at a Grand Prix.” Hellmund insisted that plans are moving ahead. “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.” Read more: Austin Formula One race a done deal, says Texas comptroller
Expect to pay through the nose for the privilege of attending...for the first time in 20 years, the promoter in Montreal is trying in vain to sell seats for next June at this year's prices. The deadline is Saturday and next year's prices are at least $50 more than 2010 prices...first real increase in years. Would you pay $750 for two seats that your arse won't sit in for another 11 months? Thanks Bernie!
Sure, you can stay here. It's only like a 4 hour drive to Austin where the race will be. Add the traffic and leave on Sat to arrive hopefully on time for Sunday.