COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[xpensive]

Just did and almost everything downtown Austin seems to be fully booked, while the three-star available is 700 USD.

Get outa here, is that because of the F1 race alone?

[lotus7]

Just did and almost everything downtown Austin seems to be fully booked, while the three-star available is 700 USD.

Get outa here, is that because of the F1 race alone?

Try to get anything cheaper in Monterey/ Salinas for the Laguna Seca Historics in August - OK they have Pebble Beach the same weekend - still it's not F1

[Pup]

I suspect that a lot of hotels are holding rooms until the individual tickets go on sale.

HS, I thought we agreed that you'd save your political stuff for the other seven or eight forums that you cross-post your FUD on.

[FW17]

Just did and almost everything downtown Austin seems to be fully booked, while the three-star available is 700 USD.

Get outa here, is that because of the F1 race alone?

What else did you expect

Try the san antonio hotels, quiet a few are still available and reasonably priced

[hairy_scotsman]

Here's a guy attempting to direct rainwater to a pump out in the chronically wet low spot between turns 10 & 11 Tuesday afternoon after extended rains.



...and just a few minutes ago the Statesman came out with a construction report from COTA:

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/ ... _circ.html

Thankfully, it looks like both the T16 and T3 ped bridges are underway.

[hairy_scotsman]

HS - it seems like it's been a while since you've posted any updated pics of the tracks progress. Do you have any to share?

Been busy. Thought I posted these already.

Shot these 3 days ago:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... =1&theater


Samples:

[thearmofbarlow]

Just did and almost everything downtown Austin seems to be fully booked, while the three-star available is 700 USD.

Get outa here, is that because of the F1 race alone?

Check the week before and the week after. Yes, that's due to the F1 race. The prices are strict supply and demand. That is how the hotel industry works. It's not gouging if someone is willing to pay it, it's maximizing profits.

Having lived in nearby PA for some years, I'm imagining there to be a few more lodging options in that particular area
than around Austin? Besides, I doubt if the NJGP is going to have that much of an impact on the NYC hotelmarket?

Austin has quite a lot of hotel space. It's not exactly a podunk town. If you think the prices won't be just as high for the NJGP you're in for a shock. You're talking about one of the most expensive areas of the country to begin with, and then you throw a major sporting event that will attract upwards of a quarter million people... yeah, it's gonna get DAMNED expensive.

[strad]

It's not gouging if someone is willing to pay it, it's maximizing profits.

IF as at Indy, you book for a given price 9 months early,,THEN when you get there more than double the price, That's Gouging.

[thearmofbarlow]

It's not gouging if someone is willing to pay it, it's maximizing profits.

IF as at Indy, you book for a given price 9 months early,,THEN when you get there more than double the price, That's Gouging.

Are you saying you had reservations then they upped the price when you got there? That's simply bad business if that's the case.

[Pup]

[swarren7]

HS - it seems like it's been a while since you've posted any updated pics of the tracks progress. Do you have any to share?

[xpensive]

...
Austin has quite a lot of hotel space. It's not exactly a podunk town. If you think the prices won't be just as high for the NJGP you're in for a shock. You're talking about one of the most expensive areas of the country to begin with, and then you throw a major sporting event that will attract upwards of a quarter million people... yeah, it's gonna get DAMNED expensive.

Didn't think so either, but how many people do you have within a 50 mile radius of the NJ track, 20 million perhaps? Of which the most are probably not even going to be aware of the race anyway, why I find it difficult to believe that the influx of 50 000 -100 000 F1 fans is going to make that much of a difference on hotel demand?

[Pup]

So I hope someone - an architecture student in Austin perhaps - will be at the Austin Auto Show this weekend grilling CotA on every conceivable aspect of the track construction and arranging some more construction tours.

[Crucial_Xtreme]

Hellmund's woes meant the only man with motorsport experience departed the scene (he believes temporarily), thereby granting doomsayers more ammunition, for CotA president Steve Sexton has a horse racing background, as does promotion VP Julie Loignon, while executive VP Bruce Knox rose through McComb's financial ranks.

All in, there's precious little hands-on grand prix experience in the top tower – either exceedingly good or extremely bad, as November will no doubt indicate.

Then, apparently little on-site parking will be available – and what there is won't be cheap – so most fans will be bussed in from remote sites, while the main arterial route to the venue, the two-lane Elroy Road, is expected to be jam-packed afterwards, such that crowd clearing will take over three hours.

All the while construction hold-ups hit the news, some due to alleged non-payment and others due to the unseasonal weather which blighted the region, so all in things looked pretty bleak for F1's return to the States. The announcement of a grand prix in New Jersey did little to help the mood, and during March this year one of the paddock's most optimistic voices muttered: "The more I read about Austin, the more I'm convinced I'll be at the F3 race in Macau that weekend."

Finally, despite a blaze of statements in March that the ticket sales process had commenced, it transpired that only Personal Seat Licenses – debentures in plain English – were on sale. These empower well-heeled punters to purchase seat guarantees for 15 years, with, though, no guarantees the grand prix will be held for any length of time. Not what Fred Fan desires...

Fast forward to last week's Spanish Grand Prix, and Knox, in common with Belgian, German and Abu Dhabi promoters, was working the paddock, pressing flesh across the board, providing updates and addressing concerns. He was adamant nothing would stop the race, with the construction progress being ahead of target.

"From a construction standpoint we're ahead of schedule," he told this column in a one-on-one. "We had the first layer of asphalt poured in the last couple of weeks; there are actually three layers, so basically all formation and ground work has been done.

"The pit/paddock building has been topped off, the media/conference centre has been erected. The main grandstand is [currently] being constructed, as well as the medical centre. We'll have all elements in place, definitely, for the first grand prix in November."

Of course, 'everything' covers a multitude of sins, so what does Knox mean by that?

"If you look at motorsports facilities, it's a combination of permanent and temporary structures. We have a capacity for 120,000 people. Looking at the layout and design here [Catalunya], we'll have the Paddock Club, which is two levels, 2500 capacity on each level, so 5000 people, similar to here. The main grandstand at 10,000, and then at different areas of the track you'll have different hospitality levels, with grandstands, with trackside suites, to fill that 120,000-person capacity."

--------

Still, he is adamant the grand prix will happen. "There is zero per cent chance of the grand prix not going ahead; we're 110 per cent confident from a construction standpoint. We were just talking with Peter Wahl [a partner in Tilke, circuit architects] earlier today. Of course he did South Korea [a close shave] for Hermann Tilke; he did India, which was close as well.
"So what they've done from a very early time, starting over a year ago, is really counsel us on sticking to timelines and making sure we're event-specific ready to go. We've basically met or exceeded that timeline. From a business standpoint the response has been phenomenal, so we're 110 per cent we're going to be racing in Austin in November."

With just over six months to go, his message to fans is: "If you want to go and watch Formula 1 in the US, book your tickets and get on a plane, but basically be ready for a party, because Austin knows how to party.

"And leave room in your luggage for the pair of cowboy boots you'll buy in Texas to take back to Europe!"

Austin Still Battling For It's Grand Prix

This is not the entire article. Just parts that were most interesting.

[strad]

the two-lane Elroy Road, is expected to be jam-packed afterwards, such that crowd clearing will take over three hours.

This has been mentioned a few times over the months...I know that's a loooong time, but the fact is that many many racing events take hours to completely exit all the fans...Besides,,,That three hours, that's if you're the one to turn out the lights.
I'm not one to push and shove my way out the minute a race is over anyway...I don't want to be part of the massive exodus .