COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

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What do you think of the prospect of a USGP 2012 at Austin Texas

Good thinking. Place has good infra structure and nice climate in winter.
126
47%
Not good as it has no motor sport tradition in the US.
23
9%
I will wait to see how it will shape up.
97
36%
I don't care.
23
9%
 
Total votes: 269

King Six
King Six
1
Joined: 27 May 2008, 16:52
Location: London, England

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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I gotta agree. It looks to be in a more advanced state than Buddh International was at a similar time before the event. Korea too. Don't think there will be too much of an issue to get this race this year, it's politics that will drag this ship down if anything.

hairy_scotsman
hairy_scotsman
15
Joined: 13 Nov 2010, 22:47

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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Do we have any photos of what India's facility infrastructure looked like in the same time frame?

Getting the asphalt for the track down really shouldn't be a main concern. That should get done no problem. The buildings well should be done, too, even if behind schedule. They're only doing race-essential structures. All the smaller detail/infrastructure projects, though, as Strad said...those really add up. There are just so many things, even just immediately near the racing surface.

I do believe there will be a race. It's just a matter of how the infrastructure, etc, will work.

ETA: Oh BTW, in a recent Statesman article, Dave Doolittle quoted Scott Kahler saying that they plan to begin initial paving of the circuit "around April".
Follow me on twitter @Austin_F1 ...

Pup
Pup
50
Joined: 08 May 2008, 17:45

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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Well, what's on the list?


Civil

Pit Building

Grandstands

Media Center

Medical Center

Paddock Buildings

Track and Curbing

Fencing and Barriers

Irrigation, Landscape and Runoff Areas

Misc. Paving

Temporary Grandstands

Tents and Port-a-potties

And the silly tower, I suppose.



What am I missing?

xpensive
xpensive
214
Joined: 22 Nov 2008, 18:06
Location: Somewhere in Scandinavia

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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Some four months from FIA's inspection and we're looking at a moon-landscape without a decent access road, snap out of it...
"I spent most of my money on wine and women...I wasted the rest"

beelsebob
beelsebob
85
Joined: 23 Mar 2011, 15:49
Location: Cupertino, California

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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xpensive wrote:Some four months from FIA's inspection and we're looking at a moon-landscape without a decent access road, snap out of it...
Remember that that's roughly what India and Korea looked like 1 month before FIA inspection date.

Pup
Pup
50
Joined: 08 May 2008, 17:45

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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Don't confuse FIA inspections with FIA certification. The inspections, in practice at least, just say 'Yeah, you're on target to be ready'. Of course, you have to actually have something to inspect, which was Korea's problem. The regs say everything has to be complete to the FIA's satisfaction, which I suppose is where the wiggle room is. Certification is when everything is done, and the FIA says ok, you can race. In India, certification happened a week before the race, and according to this article at least, that's business as usual...

http://www.f1sa.com/index.php?option=co ... Itemid=157

Which makes sense, of course. The FIA can't exactly certify Monaco or Singapore 90 days out, can they. :wink:

Regardless, even going by the letter of the regs, they need to be finished with the track, barriers, etc.; the pit building; medical center; media building; grandstands; and paddock buildings by August 18. That's four and a half months, and I don't see any reason why they can't do that.

But in reality, mid-November their ultimate deadline.

User avatar
FW17
170
Joined: 06 Jan 2010, 10:56

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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hairy_scotsman wrote:Do we have any photos of what India's facility infrastructure looked like in the same time frame?
There is all the details here http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthrea ... 714&page=2
Pup wrote:

My only disappointment so far is that they scaled back the main grandstand. I'd have much preferred the original.
Why the fascination with Grandstands? US is not out there to prove to the world like China and Abu dhabi. Silverstone has not one permanent grandstand, everyone is temperory.
hairy_scotsman wrote: All the smaller detail/infrastructure projects, though, as Strad said...those really add up. There are just so many things, even just immediately near the racing surface.

I do believe there will be a race. It's just a matter of how the infrastructure, etc, will work.


Every street circuit (singapore, australia, valencia, monaco)are done in 45 days, why is it so impossible to do it in Austin. Until this year malaysia had tents as team hospitality units, this year permanent buildings were built for the teams, one of which burned down last night.

so Imagefor some time. Tickets also have been announced for June 1.

Pup
Pup
50
Joined: 08 May 2008, 17:45

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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I am fascinated with grandstands. :lol:
WilliamsF1 wrote:Until this year malaysia had tents as team hospitality units, this year permanent buildings were built for the teams, one of which burned down last night.
This is exactly what I mean when I say that COTA's being judged on a sliding scale. First, everyone just says they've got to be finished on time. But now, when it looks like they will, suddenly you're saying that the buildings have to be finished and not burn down.

Nothing will please you people.

munudeges
munudeges
-14
Joined: 10 Jun 2011, 17:08

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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Quite apart from the fact that it's nowhere near where India was, India had a captive workforce they could call upon at any time plus unlimited amounts of government cash on hand. The problems India had were in all the infrastructure details, as they were with the Commonwealth Games. They're quite clearly building in Austin with no thought to logistics, decent access, location, research (I see the Cota execs are off on a whirlwind fact finding mission right now when building has started) or with any consideration to any ticketing plan, if indeed there is one. Look's like they'll finish? Yer.......

The bummer for Cota executives is that they're probably only going to get some funds when it actually looks as if they're being moderately serious about building something.

Pup
Pup
50
Joined: 08 May 2008, 17:45

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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Seg, when trolling becomes absurd then there's no need to reply. It loses it's effectiveness entirely.

Hey, x, you really need to mentor your pupils on the basics before releasing them in the wild.

xpensive
xpensive
214
Joined: 22 Nov 2008, 18:06
Location: Somewhere in Scandinavia

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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Pup wrote: ...
Hey, x, you really need to mentor your pupils on the basics before releasing them in the wild.
Hmm...afraid you got that one confused, but anyway, we should be more careful now as moderation was back last night;

From my humble and most respectful perspective, it would seem that the plausibility for a Formula One race in the
great state of Texas as early as November this very year, is less than a hundred percent.
"I spent most of my money on wine and women...I wasted the rest"

bhall
bhall
244
Joined: 28 Feb 2006, 21:26

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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xpensive wrote:From my humble and most respectful perspective, it would seem that the plausibility for a Formula One race in the
great state of Texas as early as November this very year, is less than a hundred percent.
You mean those sh*t-kickers in Austin don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting this thing done?

:D

User avatar
Pierce89
60
Joined: 21 Oct 2009, 18:38

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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bhallg2k wrote:
xpensive wrote:From my humble and most respectful perspective, it would seem that the plausibility for a Formula One race in the
great state of Texas as early as November this very year, is less than a hundred percent.
You mean those sh*t-kickers in Austin don't have a snowball's chance in hell of getting this thing done?

:D
I have to admit, I'm starting to look to Chris Christie as the U.S.'s F1 savior. :lol: :wtf:
“To be able to actually make something is awfully nice”
Bruce McLaren on building his first McLaren racecars, 1970

“I've got to be careful what I say, but possibly to probably Juan would have had a bigger go”
Sir Frank Williams after the 2003 Canadian GP, where Ralf hesitated to pass brother M. Schumacher

bhall
bhall
244
Joined: 28 Feb 2006, 21:26

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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The only thing Chris Christie has ever saved is a spot in the buffet line. Then again, considering his "stature," that's no small feat. (I seriously wonder when was the last time that man saw his feet.)

As a former resident of the Garden State, I feel I'm allowed these statements.

hairy_scotsman
hairy_scotsman
15
Joined: 13 Nov 2010, 22:47

Re: 2012 US GP to be held in Austin

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WilliamsF1 wrote:Tickets also have been announced for June 1.
Where/when was this announced? Hadn't seen that anywhere else.
Follow me on twitter @Austin_F1 ...