I think if the community leaders would get out of their turf-protecting roles and get behind this project, it could be a real asset to the community. If they keep throwing up roadblocks, it'll never happen. They need to start saying "What can we do to help make this happen?" Then they need to go and do it! There's due diligence, and then there's foot dragging........all I see are lines in the dust so far....
Hehe, welcome to the land development industry: where the hopes and dreams of money, land, and vision converge and perish on the shoals of bureaucracy. It's like this everywhere. Apologies to Scott 'cause I know he works on the other side of things, but development gets dragged down by somebody protecting their turf, somebody covering their ass, and somebody just being lazy. For every good government worker who's willing to help, there's another who fits all the bad stereotypes you hear about. And heaven help you if one of your partners is an ******* or incompetent. If you're going to piss off a government worker or local official, you might as well double the time it's gonna take to get something done. /Rant :mad2::mad2: Sometimes you get lucky and you have good relationships with the local officials, or you cross all your T's and dot the i's and the bureaucracy is navigated efficiently, or you have a client willing to throw boatloads of money at making everybody happy. But usually, it just takes time to sort everything out. Unfortunately it appears that time is in short supply.
And sometimes it is simply people who are unable to figure out how they're going to make a buck out of this for themselves. Reminds me of a story from back in the '90's. US were shipping tons of aid to Russia (food, medicine, etc.) which set rotting on the docs because the local mobsters and "officials" could not figure out how they were going to profit on something that they got for free and were supposed to give away for free.
I think the questions raised by the joint land-use committee's document were fair and reasonable. These represent the minimum of public issues that should be addressed and carefully planned for prior to approval. I'm a huge fan of F1; I really want to see this succeed, and I want to be there for the first F1 race, but I still see the need to address these items. Seemed to me like the tone of the document was extremely reasonable, and that the committee are prepared to be accommodating, but need at least this amount of preparation from the developers. _Dave_
The latest spin from the track... November 2, 2010 FIA Official Visits Austin and Gives Formula 1 United States™ Team a Thumbs Up USGP Track Site Development on Schedule for 2012 Opening Austin, TX – Promoters for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ revealed that a top U.S. auto racing official made an official visit to Austin, TX to review the site, plans and development progress of the first purpose–built F1 racetrack in the United States and site of the 2012 Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™. Nick Craw, president of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States and Senate president of the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile, the Formula 1™ sanctioning body, toured the 900–acre site, met with Formula 1 United States team members as well as local, city and state officials and gave the project development plan his approval and a strong “thumbs up.” “It will be great,” Craw said of the proposed Austin track. “This has some of the most interesting, exciting and different features, drawn from other successful venues around the world. It is a very strong team they’ve assembled here,” Craw continued, “I think it’s a very good plan and a very solid business model. They've set the bar pretty high.” Craw’s visit to Austin also included meetings with Texas Comptroller Susan Combs, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, Travis County Judge Samuel T. Biscoe, Formula 1 United States team members and Peter Wahl, managing partner of Tilke GmbH – leading designer for racetracks and test facilities throughout the world and, most importantly, the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ track in Austin. Tavo Hellmund, chairman of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix, said, ”We were pleased to have Mr. Craw and Tim Mayer, alternate FIA delegate, visit the facility site and meet the incredible team assembled to build and operate what we believe will be one of the premiere racetracks on the circuit and a world–class venue. Our team is committed to building more than a racetrack, we are thinking far beyond the expected and are developing an environment that will provide an entertainment experience for both participants and spectators alike.” “The track design has been developed with the drivers and spectators in mind,” Wahl said. “The drivers want to have high-speed corners; that’s what they like. We want to force them to faults and errors; otherwise, the race is not interesting for the spectator. When we design a racing experience, we must consider both points of view to have a truly successful event.“ The surrounding landscape of the 3.4–mile circuit allows for maximum elevation changes and a combination of more than 20 turns. Drivers and fans will have the opportunity to enjoy views of the scenic hill country at this state–of–the–art facility that will hold 120,000 fans. The conceptual master plan features additional visitor attractions including a proposed driving/riding experience and seminar building, motorsports driving club, kart track and welcome center. According to recent reports, the federation will consider a proposal in November to return to the former requirement that new Grand Prix facilities pass inspection at least 90 days before a race. Craw stated, “That probably protects everybody’s interest a little better than running right up against the event,“ but he then added, “if the U.S. Grand Prix didn’t want that rule, he would lobby against it.“ Wahl, managing partner of Tilke GmbH and designer of the Korean track stated, in an interview last week he wouldn’t be a fan of a 90–day rule. “We always get a time frame that is very short these days,” Wahl said. “If the (U.S.) race was held in May or April, that would give only one year for construction.” “While we would love to have the luxury of having a completed track 90 days in advance of the event date – the schedule, much like the construction schedule for the last five grand prix track developments and races added to the schedule, will potentially not afford us this opportunity,” said Hellmund. “All of these events have been successful in their own right and it wouldn’t make sense to invoke a 90–day mandate now, that would affect only one track in the world – ours,” he concluded.
Track Layout courtesy of the Speed Channel http://assets.speedtv.com/images/article_assets/105/1054991/1054991_article_img_large2.jpg
Why does it seem like all the F1 tracks have sharp corners with small radiuses? Is that a European thing or an F1 thing? Seems like all the good American road courses feature more sweeping corners and technical sections that look like esses, not zig-zags.
My guess would be that to really challenge an F1 car and its driver with all the downforce they possess, very tight corners in sequence are needed or the speed would be insane.... Also think with the straights and tight turns the subsequent drastic changes in speed really test the braking and acceleration capabilities of both driver and car, they also represent possible passing opportunities .... 2 cents PS: It also forces the teams to make more compromises in the high speed/low speed Aero and mechanical chassis set ups....
FYI the December issue of Racecar Engineering has an interesting and somewhat relevant article on the failed effort of Donnington Park to become an F1 track. They made several mistakes - mainly around how & when they got financing. But another key issue was that the road infrastructure was insufficient to handle the traffic loads. Moreover, the city council didn't work quickly enough to commit to (let alone build) the necessary improvements....sound familiar?
I'm on the mailing list, and they just sent out a notice that the construction firm has been chosen for the project. That's about it... _Dave_
Yeah, saw that and as much of a post whore as I am that informational tidbit from USF1 didn't garner more than a yawn from me.
One thing they know how to get done in Texas is building roads! I'm cautiously optimistic, and have already let my brother (who lives in Austin now) know that we will be visiting as soon as the date is firmed up!
YesIfit's link worked for me too.... Interesting that the vid said they were taking core samples, but that rig wasn't doing that - that drill looks more like what they use for putting in fence posts and such. On a separate note, I'm just appalled at the poor grammar, incorrect sentence structure, lousy spelling and incorrect word useage that's become so commonplace in the media. Our local fishwrap/birdcage liner is no exception.... It's as if they only use spellcheck, they don't care weather the word they've chosen is the write one for the intended usage, and they damn sure don't seem to check the facts of what they're reporting anymore.