COTA Austin - construction and infrastructure

[xpensive]

I never said anything negative of Tilke, it's just that the modern-day F1 tracks are xtremely costly, with wide run-off areas and state of the art facilities in each and every respect. I'm afraid the organisers thinks it's about an IRL or Nascar race.

I might be a rude awakening when the bills for this and that, on what is demanded of a modern F1 track start coming in.

[Jeffsvilleusa]

Singapore is the model for a successful purpose-built track, isn't it? Albeit it's a street circuit. According to wikipedia, the design was a combination of Tilke's design with KBR (houston-based construction outfit) who completed it. Another case of design by committee?

Anyway, any business man worth his salt would know xcactly what they are getting into, wouldn't they?

[xpensive]

Street-circuits typically cost a fraction of what building a road course from scratch out on an open field.

A Houston street-circuit would perhaps economically feasible and logistically plausible?

[hairy_scotsman]

Street-circuits typically cost a fraction of what building a road course from scratch out on an open field.

A Houston street-circuit would perhaps economically feasible and logistically plausible?

Maybe. It would also be flat and feature lots of right angles...but what does Houston have to do with this?

[donskar]

Street-circuits typically cost a fraction of what building a road course from scratch out on an open field.

A Houston street-circuit would perhaps economically feasible and logistically plausible?

In fact, a couple IndyCar races were held on Houston streets. Seemed to go quite well.

[xpensive]

Just that I believe that a Texas race would have been economically feasible, had they not gone the whole nine yards, completely overshoot and decided to build an entirely new track, my prediction is that they will run out of money before summer.

[hairy_scotsman]

Just that I believe that a Texas race would have been economically feasible, had they not gone the whole nine yards, completely overshoot and decided to build an entirely new track, my prediction is that they will run out of money before summer.

The original deal, as Hellmund constructed it, was economically feasible. Very. Is it feasible now? Not so sure. Running out of money wouldn't surprise me in the least. They've already done so before.

The investors who kicked Hellmund out of the deal inspire no confidence whatever, imho.

[strad]

few things that the designer can do to make a track more or less exciting,

He could not put a pass destroying kink before the corner...or add elevation changes. That's part of what's exciting about Austin..seems to be the first track he has designed with any features or passing places,,,but there is still time for him to ruin it.

[hairy_scotsman]

few things that the designer can do to make a track more or less exciting,

He could not put a pass destroying kink before the corner...or add elevation changes. That's part of what's exciting about Austin..seems to be the first track he has designed with any features or passing places,,,but there is still time for him to ruin it.

Tilke didn't design the layout of COTA, and he wasn't given latitude to ruin it, not that I think he would necessarily have done so...and really, no, there isn't time.

[beelsebob]

Tilke didn't design the layout of COTA

Uhh, yes he did, he's been lead designer on it since day 1.

[hairy_scotsman]

Tilke didn't design the layout of COTA

Uhh, yes he did, he's been lead designer on it since day 1.

...and he was hired by whom?

Hellmund & Schwantz designed the layout. Tilke was retained to do the rest (and there's a lot of that).

[Pup]

my prediction is that they will run out of money before summer.

Put up or shut up, as they say. You'd be on long odds of course, given that the financing is already in place and Bernie already paid.

So perhaps a better tack for you would be this:

With the amount of money they're putting into the project, I don't see how COTA will be able to service their debt, much less show a profit in the years to come. I fear that they're grossly overestimating the longer-term public interest in the sport and underestimating the impact that the Jersey Shore GP will have on ticket sales. The safer bet surely would have been to measure the potential for the event by running a street race for several years before investing so much in such a grand facility.

Well, that's admittedly less trölltastic - but as predictions go, it does have the distinct advantage of actual possibility. But I'm interfering with your fun.

[hairy_scotsman]

my prediction is that they will run out of money before summer.

Put up or shut up, as they say. You'd be on long odds of course, given that the financing is already in place and Bernie already paid.

No offense, but I think all we really know for sure is that Bernie has been paid....for one year. COTA is the only one saying the financing is in place. I've heard differently, esp in regard to enough financing to finish the entire project.

[Pup]

Who, other than COTA, would say?

[hairy_scotsman]

Who, other than COTA, would say?

Bernie, for one, and all he's said in that regard is that they don't have the money...but even disregarding that, you're ready to just take COTA at their word after all that's gone down?