COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[FW17]

The podium should be like Monza and Indy combine
Winning car gets hoisted up
podium over hangs the track rather than the pit building

And there is something about a stadium atmosphere in sports; eg: 165,000 people at Bristol, too bad the Austin GP circuit will not have sections with a huge concentrate of people

[godlameroso]

Any news regarding the progress of the track?

[dren]

Tickets are sounding pricey. I was paying around $85 when I last went to the USGP for a regular stadium seat. They may be upwards of three times that for an actual seat. Me and a friend are road tripping it out to Austin either way for the first race. Love the track layout.

[strad]

I'm getting worried..
Steve Sexton was hired as the president of the Formula One United States project.
A horse racing guy that his last gig was Churchill Downs. Where he was head of Churchill Downs Entertainment which sought to make use of the track for non horse racing events. He staged a three day music festival called HullabaLOU.
THAT LOST 5 MILLION DOLLARS!!!!!

[Pup]

Any news regarding the progress of the track?

Progress pics...

[andrew]

Can they just leave it at that? Might make an interesting race.

The corner in the 3rd picture looks straight out of a rally stage. Looks promising if the rest of the track is like this.

[Giblet]

That third pic is a very nice looking corner in either direction. It's about time that a track was built that has some natural undulation to the surface, not a flat desert with a few token ramps.

I hope the fact that Tilke doesn't have free design reign on this track might make it good and or at least dissimilar.

[WhiteBlue]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/ ... 5_mil.html

Tavo Hellmund finds $12.5m from investors towards his F1 project cost.

[hairy_scotsman]

Hi again guys...

I just received a call for another show of support from all of us! Right now is a very good and very important time to let members of the Texas Legislature know just how much support there is throughout the U.S. and the world for the Austin F1 racing facility, so please email the following legislators at these addresses:

Senator Kirk Watson

Kirk.watson@senate.state.tx.us



Senator Steve Ogden

steve.ogden@senate.state.tx.us



Representative Eddie Rodriguez

eddie.rodriguez@house.state.tx.us



Representative Jim Pitts

jim.pitts@house.state.tx.us



You may use the following email template letter or, better yet, explain to them in your own words why and how you're going to be supporting Formula 1 racing and the USGP in Austin, Texas. Mentioning things like how far you're traveling, how much money you're spending, and how many of you are attending the races could never hurt! You may also use a combination of the two if you like, but please send some variation of the following and be sure to pass this on to other fans, supporters, family, and friends. Thanks everyone! Your help is appreciated very much!:

"Dear Senator Watson and Representative Rodriguez,

As a strong advocate for bringing the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ to Austin , Texas , I urge you to support this important project for all Texans. Formula 1 racing is the most-watched annual television sport in the world, providing an opportunity for Texas to be seen by millions of viewers in more than 180 countries.

The 1,000-acre project, which will host the Grand Prix, is currently one of the highest-profile construction projects in the State of Texas . Construction of the facility is estimated to cost between $250 million to $300 million. Located only five minutes from the airport and 20 minutes from downtown Austin , this facility will be a hot spot for business, education and entertainment.

The potential economic impacts created by this facility for Texas are enormous.

· The F1 event, alone, is projected to generate more than $300 million annually for the state.
· In a down economy, the F1 project is creating more than 1,100 construction-related jobs for Texans;
· Construction totals are expected to exceed $300 million, providing revenue to numerous Texas-based companies with thousands of Texas employees;
· The facility is being built to attract and accommodate year-round uses that will generate millions of dollars of additional revenue for the state. Examples of uses beyond race weekend include:

o Conference facilities and executive meeting suites;

o Trauma and medical care training facility; and

o Law enforcement training opportunities.

· The facility is also intended to serve as an incubator for new, cutting-edge technologies and is already serving as a catalyst for companies wanting to relocate to Texas to be associated with the project.
· Its potential for educational-sector opportunities in our state is already apparent, with curriculum partnerships being planned between F1 and Del Valle ISD, Texas A&M University , St. Edward’s University, Huston- Tillotson University and the University of Texas .

We need your support. The jobs, educational opportunities and the economic impact it will create for our state depend on it.



cc: Senator Ogden

Representative Pitts"

[volarchico]

Already planning my trip there and saving up for ridiculously expensive tickets! Do we know what part of the season the Austin race will be in (what month)?

[shadowkhas]

I'm guessing they'd hook it up with Brazil.

[andrew]

The track is due to be completed in July 2012 but the date has not been announced yet.

[WhiteBlue]

Already planning my trip there and saving up for ridiculously expensive tickets! Do we know what part of the season the Austin race will be in (what month)?

The track is scheduled to be finished in June. At the moment is appears that the race will take the slot of the Turkish GP. According to local contacts the Turkey contract may not be extended.

In the first year a new venue is usually not twinned with another race meeting back to back in order to evaluate the capability of the logistic scheme. From 2013 the USGP will probably be twinned either with Brazil or with Montreal. It is pretty open which of those two they prefer.

The announcement of a provisional calendar by the FiA usually comes at the end of July. So we will have to wait and see how Bernie will juggle it for 2012.

[volarchico]

@WB, thanks for that really informative post!

Also found this interesting article on the progress and reasoning behind Austin:

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/ ... x/&h=de3af

[Mr Alcatraz]

I guess they came up with a name for the track.

Organisers of the 2012 United States Grand Prix have named their track the ‘Circuit of the Americas’.

There is a Kooky video link at the end of the article. Here, I'll post it.
http://www.circuitoftheamericas.com/

I do mean kooky in a good way. I guess I'm going to have to attend, it’s only 1/2 way across the country