COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[Pup]

Slapped on? That sounds a bit like jealousy. You're not upset to have a little competition are you?

Competition? No. We're not competitors. I'm not trying to sell anything. I haven't made a dime off this & haven't tried. I've helped others make money, though, including them.

I'm sure that just like any other fan group, it's just a guy and his friends,

No, it's a guy & his sister. They've fairly well isolated themselves by now. They tried to recruit me to help them, but I declined. Busy enough as it was.

\but he has put up a pretty nice website (http://www.theaustingrandprix.com/) and taken some initiative with the t-shirts and organizing F1 parties on race weekends, etc. I'd think you'd be happy to have the added support.

It's a nice website, but they've never added anything to my efforts. The only people they help or promote is themselves. Several people have helped them, only to regret it. The watch parties are great, but a mere shadow of the one they're taking from.

No, that doesn't sound like jealousy at all.

[hairy_scotsman]

That's really just two complaints, isn't it?

I said up front it's not a complete list.

I agree with A, but I understand why because 1) it's the first season and they're on a tight schedule, and 2) they obviously want to sell as many PSL's as they can so they're trying to create a sense of scarcity....It's not ideal, and the tight schedule is mostly their own fault, but I understand the why of what they're doing.

I understand what they think they're doing, too. I just question whether it will work. LOTS of people are already saying they're fed up & it's too late. They're making other plans.

As for B, well, no one outside of their group knows

Yes we do, Many people have reported receiving this exact message:

Currently we have over 15,000 accounts on our waitlist that have secured exclusive priority, and the main Grand Stand will be sold out with the first 2,000 accounts that choose their seat locations.
Below are a couple points of interest to note:
• All of the seats in the main Grand Stand, Turn 1, and The Grand Plaza have a personal seat license attached to every seat
• General admission tickets will go on sale in June/July (Non psl seats)
• The personal seat license is a one-time payment that gives you ownership of the seat for 15 years (You can sell or transfer)
• With a PSL you are required to purchase the season ticket on an annual basis
• The season ticket consist of 3 days of F1 and 3 days of V8 Super Cars
• There is a $500 discount per PSL if you pay upfront in full
• The prices levels for PSL’s and season tickets are the same in all three seating areas (Grand Stand, Turn 1, Grand Plaza)
• Currently we do not have diagrams of Turn 1 seating or Grand Plaza seating

Of course that could change, and they could decide to build some of the other planned GSs for this event...but time is getting short.

but it doesn't take a genius to see how they've peppered their PSL sales info with weaselly phrases and words like:

"All temporary and permanent grandstands are presently intended to be for PSL holders only."

"GA tickets will likely be grass seating only."

"PSL holders get first dibs on "VIP Parking"..."

"Currently defined seating blocks..."

Indeed.

In other words, what they don't sell as PSL will get sold as one-off tickets. And they can add all the additional grandstands if they want.

That may in fact be what eventually happens, but it is not at all what they're telling people.

[hairy_scotsman]

No, that doesn't sound like jealousy at all.

It's not. It's just the reasoning why I and most others won't deal with them any more. Do so at your own peril. Just watch your back.

[xpensive]

...
- So it looks like, at least for this year, GS seats will only be available to Companies, Brokers, or Tour Groups looking to recoup their investment.....and people hoping for GA seats are left in limbo waiting for even the most basic of info. The scenario I see is even if the PSL seats get sold, their resale is going to be difficult at best, and fans looking for a cost-effective alternative in GA will be delayed so long as to be unable to make arrangements.

- COTA may or may not be able to sell those PSLs. We'll see. But the average annual cost per GS PSL/Season Ticket, even assuming no interest or price increases, will be $567 (Trackside) to $1583 (Club). If I'm a ticket broker or tour operator, I have to think it's going to be hard to recoup all of that. Either way, it's bad news for any fans wanting one of those seats.

Believe it or not, but for where I'm sitting the above is a very good thing, Jack and Diane cannot waste their savings on race which is not to be. As for those companies, brokers, tour operators or PSL big-spenders, I couldn't care less if they go broke.

[Pup]

I understand what they think they're doing, too. I just question whether it will work. LOTS of people are already saying they're fed up & it's too late. They're making other plans.

And why is that? Is it because you're running around getting them worked up over it without even giving the circuit a lousy three weeks worth of exclusive PSL sales?

All of the seats in the main Grand Stand, Turn 1, and The Grand Plaza have a personal seat license attached to every seat

Which is covered under the previous 'currently'. And even if it weren't, there's no reason that they can't sell those PSL's to themselves and then offer the tickets individually.

That may in fact be what eventually happens, but it is not at all what they're telling people.

And you wouldn't expect them to do any differently. They're trying to sell PSL's, after all.

They said that they'd offer individual ticket sales in early summer, so maybe it's just me, but I'd think that I'd need to wait until early summer before worrying about it.

[Pup]

No, that doesn't sound like jealousy at all.

It's not. It's just the reasoning why I and most others won't deal with them any more. Do so at your own peril. Just watch your back.

Listening to you, Austin must be a pretty dangerous place. They're all out to get you and Tavo, aren't they?

I might have to order one of their t-shirts. I wonder if they'll make me a special one that says "Tavo Wuz Robbed" on the back.

[hairy_scotsman]

And why is that? Is it because you're running around getting them worked up over it without even giving the circuit a lousy three weeks worth of exclusive PSL sales?

Most of the hundreds of posts I've seen like that are in places I rarely, if ever, post anything at all.

Listening to you, Austin must be a pretty dangerous place. They're all out to get you and Tavo, aren't they?

I don't know about Tavo, but they aren't out to "get" anyone that I know of. They will not, however, hesitate to screw their friends if it benefits them.

I might have to order one of their t-shirts. I wonder if they'll make me a special one that says "Tavo Wuz Robbed" on the back.

Maybe they should. It would likely sell better than anything else they have.
[...]

[hairy_scotsman]

Believe it or not, but for where I'm sitting the above is a very good thing, Jack and Diane cannot waste their savings on race which is not to be. As for those companies, brokers, tour operators or PSL big-spenders, I couldn't care less if they go broke.

Me neither. If every ticket brokerage (scalping) company in existence were to vanish tomorrow, I'd throw us all a big party.

I agree, too, that it could be a good thing price-wise for those who are actually able to attend. I just think the ability of people to attend and the experience once they arrive will be what suffers the most.

[xpensive]

[...]

You have a clue what will happen with the money from those happy PSL-investors' money, when hoping for 15 years of F1, MotoGP, Nascar, IRL, NHRA, ALMS and what not when the track is abandoned by the bulldozers half way to completion?

[hairy_scotsman]

[...]
As for the psl money if the project isn't finished...who knows. And what of the investments of all those secondary backers. Also, what happens to the money if/when all they have on the slate is V8SC & maybe ALMS or Rolex?

[hairy_scotsman]

New construction photos from the Statesman. I was wrong about there being new cuts made for Turn 12. It looks in the aerial like it's still uncut.

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 490&type=1

[Pup]

Ridiculousness, huh?

I'll just take this first bit if you don't mind:

Sure I can find it. What's telling to me is that wherever I do, you seem to be right there in the mix egging them on.

Then you aren't looking at COTA's own website, or its Facebook page. There have been thousands of complaints and unanswered concerns on there for months. They aren't me & I'm not there egging anything on.

Now, I don't know your real name, so I can't say one way or another about these two sites for sure. What I can very quickly do, however, is take a peek at the admins on your facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FoF1ATX#!/FoF1ATX?sk=info).

I see a guy named Tim Wood, and lo and behold, the 6th post on the COTA page...

Tim Wood A month *ahead* of schedule? LOL.
Tuesday at 7:23pm

That does sound like you. Maybe it's not, but at the least it's your partner and that's enough for me.

And then, thousands? I can also very easily and quickly add. (By the way, thanks for providing the links in your earlier post.) Since COTA announced the PSL's three weeks ago, I see precisely 330 comments, and a quick glance shows that of those 330, negative comments are an easy minority.

Oh, but there are almost 1300 'likes' over those three weeks, so maybe that's where you got confused?

Or, are you just exaggerating. And stretching the truth a bit. Creating a controversy where there really isn't one?

I do not doubt one bit that there are people who are upset at COTA's PSL policy. But I see no evidence of a crisis, no evidence of mismanagement, no evidence of ineptitude, nor any evidence of anything other than what I'd expect from a group of investors - that is, trying to make as much money off their investment as they can.

[hairy_scotsman]

I know that page, and that's a very nice spin you've put on it. While you may see more positive comments overall than negative ones, if you only look at ticket comments, the negative, confused, and questioning/pleading-for-info ones overwhelmingly outnumber the positive.

Or, are you just exaggerating. And stretching the truth a bit. Creating a controversy where there really isn't one?

Questioning my integrity while spinning as hard as you can? Go back and look again. The truth is there for everyone to see.

[Pup]

Months?

The PSL info was only announced three weeks ago. Three weeks. March 3rd, at precisely 3:17pm CST, is when the specifics were first leaked on the internets. How could people be complaining about them for months?

[hairy_scotsman]

Months?

The PSL info was only announced three weeks ago. Three weeks. March 3rd is when the specifics were first leaked on the internets. How could people be complaining about them for months?

COTA announced PSL Select Seating 2 months ago tomorrow. Negative ticket comments started pouring in at that point, but comments begging for info, confused about vague or incomplete info, or angry about lack of info have been coming in since long before that.