COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[andartop]

That schedule would be a logistical nightmare. Teams love some fly aways with two races back to back in the same region. But then they need a break of two weeks or three if they have to do another fly away right behind that.

Well, how about something like that then:

Abu Dhabi
Bahrain
Spain
Monaco
Malaysia
Australia
Europe
Singapore
Korea
Turkey
Hungary
Belgium
Germany
Canada
Brazil
GB
Italy
China
Japan

The benefits would be:
a) Back to back races in nearby countries convenient for teams and (rich) fans who might be able to attend both!
b) In between trips back to Europe for teams to rest.
c) No one would be able to watch Barcelona and Valencia back to back and stay awake during both, so they must be separated!
d) Abu Dhabi makes more sense to me as season opener rather than last race. Don't know why.
e) British GP can be any time of the year with equal chance of rain...
f) Also, GB and Italy GP which are fan favourites and most important for teams (seeing as most teams are based in GB then Italy) will be more interesting near the end of the season. China might also actually attract some interest by being nearer the finale. Hungary can be in August when most people are on holiday so they will not miss much!
g) Last race HAS to be either in Interlagos or Suzuka. I will not bargain on that.

Sorry mods, I know I'm off topic.

[andrew]

Herman Tilke's initial sketch for the new track in Austin:


(I would love to take the credit for this one but I sadly can't).

And a suggestion from all forum users:

[JohnsonsEvilTwin]

Who should we credit for the initial pic?

On a side note, does anyone have a picture of tilke so I may burn his effigy?

[mx_tifoso]

That 29 apex turn is going to wreak havoc on the tyres!

[Jersey Tom]

Good amenities. Red bull brothel.

[Pandamasque]

Who should we credit for the initial pic?

Tilke?

I think the pit building should be in the shape of a giant 1 mile long hot-dog. Imagine all the glamorous guests and oil billionaires' smug faces watching the race from inside a hot-dog!

Also it's bloody time they build a tunnel so that the cars could actually prove they can go upside down at high speeds. And it should be transparent so F1T could have some revealing pictures of diffusers. With lava in the bottom as an incentive to drive upside down. See? I thought of everything.

[ISLAMATRON]

Herman Tilke's initial sketch for the new track in Austin:


(I would love to take the credit for this one but I sadly can't)

I applaud your only good contribution to this forum thus far... excellent.

But Tilke's tracks are pretty good, Malaysia is great and Turkey is fantastic.

[WhiteBlue]

Herman Tilke's initial sketch for the new track in Austin:

I applaud your only good contribution to this forum thus far... excellent.

But Tilke's tracks are pretty good, Malaysia is great and Turkey is fantastic.

I agree with Islam. Tilke is much better than his rep and the vast majority of fans are simply too brainwashed by Hermann's detractors to realize that. I predict that Tilke will do an excellent job with the assets and the resources that will be put at his command. You cannot polish a turd (like Yas Marina) to look like gold.

Tilke is a petrol head and he knows very well how to use elevations to make dramatical corners. But the fact remains that most venues for tracks are flat, restricted by budget and FiA/FOM requirements so that you end up with a lot of Mickey Mouse stuff to please the TV cameras.

This time it is in the spec that the owner wants high speed and maximum drama from the available elevations. Tilke will deliver on that IMO. And as usual in his projects he will deliver on time in budget. If the job can't get done in the time frame Hellmann is looking for Tilke will tell him before the sh!t hits the fan and they will put the date back one year. But I'm fairly confident that will not happen.

All parties want to have the USGP back on the map before the Concord runs out at the end of 2012. It is a litmus test if Bernie keeps his promises to FOTA and I predict he will. He is a cranky old bugger but he knows he must be seen to keep his side of a bargain to stay in power. Austin is such a brilliant move by Ecclestone that I'm still stunned. I did not think he would be able to pull off his old stunt of milking the tax payer in the US. But he did!

Tony George never bothered to try it and he had a facility that was committed to racing anyway. Hellmann with a clean sheet of paper could bluff the Taxans out of 250 million smackaroos. Just brilliant.

The best aspect of the move for the fans is that the teams will do this as an additional race. No other race will be axed for the USGP. We might even have a second US venue. It makes sense to do another one to get a second back to back venue for Canada. Perhaps Tony George takes a leave out of Hellmann's book and screws some money out of Indiana or the Monticelli millionaire bunch screws New York. They do it all the time so they should know how.

[gibells]

But Tilke's tracks are pretty good, Malaysia is great and Turkey is fantastic.

Yeah, but it's like the Welsh say- you sh*g one sheep...[and you're a sheep sh*gger for life]

[WhiteBlue]

But Tilke's tracks are pretty good, Malaysia is great and Turkey is fantastic.

Yeah, but it's like the Welsh say- you sh*g one sheep...[and you're a sheep sh*gger for life]

First Gibells, get your quote right! It was Islam who said that.

Second, comparing bestiality with building a bland track for people who obviously want one and order you to do so is a bit over the top. I do not know a thing about sheep in Wales but I do know that Tilke would rather build a good racing track than a mediocre given the right assets and specs. So do me the favor of discussing this on a level that is appropriate for F1technical and leave the odious comparisons to publications like the News of the World, where they belong.

Back on topic I liked what Stirling Moss had to say. He did not mention the challenge of designing tracks without elevation changes but addressed the other points.

It's all well and good saying Hermann Tilke hasn't designed any exciting circuits, but you have to remember that he has to create them within very strict safety regulations. It doesn't matter how talented an architect you are, if you have to have huge run off areas it makes it very difficult to convey the excitement to the spectators at the track and at home.

So in my mind, with the brief that he must honour, the circuits he has built are probably as good as one could hope for. He puts an emphasis on heavy braking which helps overtaking and it's important to remember that braking late is just as difficult to master as high-speed cornering, especially in the current cars with all their aerodynamics. If you look at someone like Lewis Hamilton, he is a very exciting driver to watch precisely because he is a very late braker.

[gibells]

WB. Sorry to offend. It's just my silly sense of humour- which I have partly picked up by living in Wales. A British self-deprecating thing really. It's something the 3 other home nations within Britain tease Wales about. It's really not serious.

Seriously though, I was just making the point that for all the good that Tilke has done he is really only remembered for the one or two trashy circuits he'd made. Alas life is like that.

[WhiteBlue]

WB. Sorry to offend. It's just my silly sense of humour- which I have partly picked up by living in Wales. A British self-deprecating thing really.

Apology accepted. I do not like the Tilke bashing that is generally popular in the British media and usually take the opportunity to inject a more moderate point of view into the circuit debate.

I see the Austin project as very exciting for F1. A lot hinges on it in terms of putting F1 back on the map in the US. I also think that a race in Texas is fantastic for the fans in Central and South America. They are getting a venue they can visit easier and that can team up with the race in Brazil. That will make the Brazil race even more secure than before.

Even the Europeans will profit from having a race in a climatic zone fit for early or late races in the season.

I believe that the new USGP promoter understands the view of the American motor racing fans. They probably have less concerns than the average European for safety and more concern about exciting entertainment. This is why they issue a requirement for an exciting track.

I have confidence in Hermann Tilke to deliver that excitement within the safety regulations obviously that apply to F1 tracks. If we learn contrary facts along the way when the project unfolds I look forward to discuss the details with you and all members here at F1technical forum.

[andartop]

I like some of the Tilke tracks a lot, and it's true that they have given us quite some interesting races. Well, definitely more interesting than most Hungarian, Barcelona and Monaco GPs of yesteryear anyway..

However, I will never forgive him for agreeing to do what he did to Hockenheimring. Not his personal fault, I agree, but what a pity! If he's such a petrolhead he should have simply said no thanks, and let someone else do the crime!

[andrew]

But Tilke's tracks are pretty good, Malaysia is great and Turkey is fantastic.

Yeah, but it's like the Welsh say- you sh*g one sheep...[and you're a sheep sh*gger for life]

BWAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

I'll have to remember that one.

I would agree that Sepang is good but the rest of his tracks on the F1 calander are dire. Turkey is ok at best but the other tracks are immediately forgettable.

[aral]

But Tilke's tracks are pretty good, Malaysia is great and Turkey is fantastic.

Yeah, but it's like the Welsh say- you sh*g one sheep...[and you're a sheep sh*gger for life]

This is not a forum for discussing your personal delectations, Gibells!