COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[strad]

Like I said, I have no doubt the powers that be want it and will overcome any opposition.
I never said I was in opposition..Hell I want a U.S. F1 race enough that I'm more than willing to offer up Austin as a sacrifice.
And if you've been there 30 years you know the water quality and aquatic flora and fauna have suffered from improperly controlled expansion, that is documented.
Work has been done to restore it, but it will never be the same as it was..BUT I have no desire to argue about the past indiscretions ecology wise, I certainly am not an eco freak, and am just happy to see the track moving along.
As I say..any roadblocks will be brushed aside so there is really no need for activisim

[hairy_scotsman]

Like I said, I have no doubt the powers that be want it and will overcome any opposition.
I never said I was in opposition..Hell I want a U.S. F1 race enough that I'm more than willing to offer up Austin as a sacrifice.
And if you've been there 30 years you know the water quality and aquatic flora and fauna have suffered from improperly controlled expansion, that is documented.
Work has been done to restore it, but it will never be the same as it was..BUT I have no desire to argue about the past indiscretions ecology wise, I certainly am not an eco freak, and am just happy to see the track moving along.
As I say..any roadblocks will be brushed aside so there is really no need for activisim

I'm sure you're a fan, or you wouldn't be here. Here's the thing, though. You say you're "willing to offer up Austin as a sacrifice".

How's that?

How are we sacrificing Austin by building a track on 900 acres 15 miles southeast of downtown in a sparsely populated area on environmentally insensitive land?

I don't hear anyone complaining about the adverse effects of ACLFest on the environment here, particularly the added emissions from traffic, huge diesel generators running nonstop for days on end, massive amounts of trash, or the runoff created by the event by closing Zilker Park 2 months prior and dumping fertilizers on the grass for several weeks.

C3 has made no secret of the fact they want to increase the number of tickets they are allowed to sell to the event. In fact, the ticket sales limit has been increased for next year. Most people didn't catch that. When the track is built we'll have a place to put all those fans and more without tying up the park for 2 months, shutting down Barton Springs Road and screwing up businesses along there, and shutting down streets adjacent to the park.



This venue is going to be something Austin can use for much more than just racing events and will enhance the city, not sacrifice it.

[strad]

We can hope..but we will see.
Don't be suprised if F1 sniffs it's collective nose at Texas...hell I think anywhere in the U.S., and winds up leaving you high and dry after a few years. You have taken most of what I have said wrong..I wish you and Austin, a wonderful city, the best. AND I have high hopes for the track and the race...I just don't have much use for the overblown egos involved in F1. Even the mechanics think they are some kind of stars and expect bow and scrapping. Been there...seen it.
BTW...You do understand that Bernie gets everything and the promoters don't get squat.

[donskar]

Just a few points here from a 15-year Texan and a 50+-year F1 fan:
F1 -- and especially F1 sponsors, the heart and blood of the sport -- need the USA more than the USA needs F1. I'll go so far as to say that having a US GP on the calendar as a yearly event would help bring more sponsorship (and maybe even manufacturers) into the sport.

As to the cultural differences, Austin is a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city. Those who judge it otherwise without having experienced it should examine their prejudices.

Disclaimer-I live in Houston, but have spent a lot of time in Austin, where one of my children lives.
NOTE: for "sport" above, read "business.

[Giblet]

If the Mickey Mouse Indy GP was able to last a few years with the biggest idiot in Motorsport, Tony George, running it, Austin has a very good chance.

If the track and atmosphere are good enough, then the F1 people will want to go there, much like Montreal.

This one has more potential then other Tilkedromes, as he doesn't have a blank sheet and his own free reign on the design.

I look forward to attending 2 races in 2012, both on North American soil.

[strad]

Man do I get misunderstood...I lived in and enjoyed the hell outa Texas...I like Austin..I think they got carried away on some pipe dreams a few years ago, but that is perspective and I think Hairy feels differently..oh well we all get to have opinions.
I would never question the sophistication of Austin, as donskar seems to imply, but you better believe F1 will.
Nothing ever will flush the bad experiences that Phoenix and I had with Bernie and the circus out of my mouth, and I can only hope Austin gets treated better. As for the track..It may be Tilke but it looks good to me, and health..and finances willing I will be there.

[donskar]

Man do I get misunderstood...I lived in and enjoyed the hell outa Texas...I like Austin..I think they got carried away on some pipe dreams a few years ago, but that is perspective and I think Hairy feels differently..oh well we all get to have opinions.
I would never question the sophistication of Austin, as donskar seems to imply, but you better believe F1 will.
Nothing ever will flush the bad experiences that Phoenix and I had with Bernie and the circus out of my mouth, and I can only hope Austin gets treated better. As for the track..It may be Tilke but it looks good to me, and health..and finances willing I will be there.

strad, My input: "As to the cultural differences, Austin is a sophisticated, cosmopolitan city. Those who judge it otherwise without having experienced it should examine their prejudices."
. . . was not aimed at you. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

[hairy_scotsman]

Man do I get misunderstood...I lived in and enjoyed the hell outa Texas...I like Austin..I think they got carried away on some pipe dreams a few years ago, but that is perspective and I think Hairy feels differently..oh well we all get to have opinions.
I would never question the sophistication of Austin, as donskar seems to imply, but you better believe F1 will.
Nothing ever will flush the bad experiences that Phoenix and I had with Bernie and the circus out of my mouth, and I can only hope Austin gets treated better. As for the track..It may be Tilke but it looks good to me, and health..and finances willing I will be there.

Sorry if I misunderstood, and we can't wait to have you here!

P.S. The design looks great to me, as well. I think Tilke gets a bad rap, as he works at the whim of his clients and is limited by the terrain he's given, FIA restrictions and requirements, and design requirement/desires of the client.

Hellmund purposely picked out a hilly piece of land and I think he and Tilke have combined to make the most of what it has to offer.

[FW17]

There is a lot of support to the theory that F1 is a clash of culture to texas and austin.

with this in mind and someone with not much idea of the local motorsport, what will the organizers have to choose from for support races for the USGP weekend?

will it be formula atlantic, formula bmw, formula continental, SCCA, daytona prototype are few that come to mind but are there other collaborations Tavo can make for the weekend?

[Giblet]

It may be Tilke but it looks good to me

This track is, and isn't tilke. Unlike other tracks he has done where he had full design freedom within the confines of the geography and budget, this time around he has been hired to use his skills to design the track the promoters want. They made it very clear to him and his group that is hired to make the track they want with some license.

Hopefully this hand holding with the design will keep it from being like his more boring tracks.

[WhiteBlue]

Austin gives FIA plans for 2012 US GP circuit

Organisers of the 2012 United States Grand Prix have submitted plans for the bespoke circuit outside of Austin with F1's governing FIA. The lodging is earlier than expected, with the body's Circuit Commission not scheduled to meet until February.

"Our early submission is a true indicator of our ability to meet our slated opening in 2012," said promoter Tavo Hellmund.

FIA senate president Nick Craw met with Hermann Tilke official Peter Wahl and Hellmund in October, and according to the Austin American Statesman newspaper said: "I have a very high degree of confidence that they'll bless it (the plan)."

Added Hellmund: "Tilke has done this a million times so they know what is needed. It's all the civil engineering. It's a big book, a massive document. It's a blueprint for what the track is going to look like with all the cross-grading and everything," he explained.

The submission of the plans sets in motion the process for the circuit's mandatory homologation.

"We look forward to approval and positive feedback from the FIA Circuit Commission, which will meet in February to review our submission," said Hellmund.

This looks pretty solid now with the USGP getting ahead of it's dead line for the homologation process.

[hairy_scotsman]

It may be Tilke but it looks good to me

This track is, and isn't tilke. Unlike other tracks he has done where he had full design freedom within the confines of the geography and budget, this time around he has been hired to use his skills to design the track the promoters want. They made it very clear to him and his group that is hired to make the track they want with some license.

Hopefully this hand holding with the design will keep it from being like his more boring tracks.

Good post.

Hellmund had a clear vision in mind of what he wanted in this facility and has stuck to that throughout the design process.

[hairy_scotsman]

Hi again guys!

Some of the gang from Friends of Formula 1 Austin, formula1journal.com, my wife, and I were lucky enough to spend a little time today with Bruce Knox, CEO of Formula 1 United States, and Ali Putnam of 3-Points Partners.

Below is an artist's rendering of the track facility and of the pit complex that Bruce Knox allowed us to photo. He admitted they're a little dated, but they haven't been released to the public before and are the most detailed we've seen.

We talked about a lot of things...here are a few that spring to mind:

To everyone who has helped with email and phone efforts when we've asked, Mr. Knox and Ms. Putnam repeatedly expressed their immense appreciation. They also recounted the Austin City Councilmembers' complete astonishment at getting emails from Russia, Latvia, Germany, and the UK, and at having the Austin City Council streaming video server crashed by all the viewers nationwide and worldwide, all over Europe, and Asia.

HKS's role, among other things, will be to do the architecture of the stands and pit complex, change the look, make the hospitality and kitchen areas work for F1, etc. I think this Tilke version may just show a generic style of pit buildings, but I'm just speculating. They will be done in a Texas style rather than the plain, boxy Euro style seen there.

Also, the area encompassed by T15-19 could hold two full Cowboys Stadium complexes, and we're told the design of that area will look very different from the way it looks on this rendering.

Other:

-There will be RV and tent camping.
-There will likely be a music venue on the track side of Wandering Creek Blvd in the T15-19 area mentioned above, capable of handling 10,000+ fans after events, and possibly another larger venue across the blvd for bigger music events.
-There's talk of maybe profiling the kart track following the F1 course.
-FTP is still open to the idea of a fall date, pairing our GP with Brazil, so long as it's on a Texas bye or away weekend. Interestingly, when flying to Brazil, the F1 cargo planes already make an extended layover in Dallas as is, so this would be a natural fit in more ways than one.

[WhiteBlue]

FTP is still open to the idea of a fall date, pairing our GP with Brazil, so long as it's on a Texas bye or away weekend. Interestingly, when flying to Brazil, the F1 cargo planes already make an extended layover in Dallas as is, so this would be a natural fit in more ways than one.

It is a strategy detail that immediately sprang to mind when they announced the venue. It is extremely valuable to be able to run outside the European summer months and be able to run back to back with North American or South American venues alike.

[WhiteBlue]

Video

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/ ... _f1_a.html

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