📰 Auto News BREAKING: Formula One coming to Austin, Texas in 2012

[Mook]

After a three-year hiatus, Formula One is coming back to the states in 2012 and the city that's been chosen to host the World Cup of Motorsports? Austin, Texas. Yes, Austin.

According to the release from F1, the race will be held in the city from 2012 to 2021, and since Austin doesn't have a race track, a facility will be purpose-built to host the events.

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/05/25/breaking-formula-one-coming-to-austin-texas-in-2012/#continued

Click to read more...

 

[SirMarco]

Should be in CHICAGO

 

[Riski]

Yea right. With all the pot holes and ghetto to drive around

 

[bluzohh6]

HAHAHA we should make a spoof movie called the ghetto 500. And race around chicago making tons of noise

 

[SirMarco]

Yeah I'm sure they would set the race up to go through the Cottage Grove hood......

During the pit stop the home boyzz would have the rims off the car faster then the pit crew could put them on

 

[bluzohh6]

perfect sounds like we have a comedy

 

[IDAFC21]

who the EFF in austin, or even the whole state of texas, cares about F1? Monaco...Spa...Monza....Hockenheim.....AUSTIN. i mean, really?

 

[Primalzer]

who the EFF in austin, or even the whole state of texas, cares about F1? Monaco...Spa...Monza....Hockenheim.....AUSTIN. i mean, really?

They couldn't have picked something better?! Hell Road America would be a better than this, at least they've had some big deal races there, but I know there would have to be a lot done to the paddock area to make it legit, but AUSTIN!? COME ON!

 

[02BlueGT]

This way, they can build their own track, have pretty consistent weather, and not have much local competition for spectators.......I'd bet Austin is giving them some great deals on land and tax write offs too

 

[IDAFC21]

After an initial few hours of generally upbeat reaction, the reality of the huge demands facing the organisers of the proposed US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas have began to raise some serious concerns.

The biggest question is how funding which will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars can be raised when the already very sketchy plans are even woollier about money. Many ESPNF1 feedbackers have been quick to draw parallels with the high hopes which surrounded the ultimately discredited USF1 team.

ESPN's Terry Blout wrote: "No one seems to know if Tavo Hellmund, the Central Texas racer and promoter behind the project, has any money. The plan calls for building a three-mile road course exclusively for F1 - a facility of $200 million to $300 million. It's more than just building a track, a major expense by itself. No one has said where the financing is coming from and who is putting up the funding."

Kevin Eason in The Times was no less worried:

"This is one old Formula One dog who was once bitten by Donington and is twice shy." Even the major Austin daily American-Statesman appeared dubious asking "why would an Austin project succeed where others haven't?"

Another veteran ESPN analyst said: "I'd like to know where he's going to get a couple hundred million dollars and real estate within 10 miles of Austin airport. If Texas officials are in, then they've been suckered … and will be out of the thing as soon as they figure it out."

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/18259.html

 

[Primalzer]

All the more reason to say fuck Austin, and spend 1/10 of the money and upgrade Road America to accommodate F1

 

[asainchris]

There are so many tracks in the us that would be better. Like, Infineon raceway, Laguna Seca, Sebring Race Track, and Road America. All can be upgraded to F1, all have great race history, and even those some of those tracks have hosted Le Mans.

 

[IDAFC21]

i dont think the corkscrew in laguna is very well suited to an F1 chassis, and id think the back runway portion of sebring would be WAY too bumpy. road america would definitely be feasable, but they'd have to completely redo most of the runoff areas. while those prototype le mans cars are probably the closest thing to an F1 car that races in america, theres still a huge difference to what kind of abuse a le mans car can tolerate vs an F1 car

 

[Primalzer]

i dont think the corkscrew in laguna is very well suited to an F1 chassis, and id think the back runway portion of sebring would be WAY too bumpy. road america would definitely be feasable, but they'd have to completely redo most of the runoff areas. while those prototype le mans cars are probably the closest thing to an F1 car that races in america, theres still a huge difference to what kind of abuse a le mans car can tolerate vs an F1 car

I've honestly heard that the only thing keeping F1 from serisously coming to road america is the paddock layout, it is just to wideopen, and there is not enough facilities to make it worth their while. With a complete overhaul of the paddock area, it could be a very viable choice.

 

[asainchris]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_bWOdY6mbU
F1 can run Laguna!

 

[skeezer]

they're building a new track, why complain about it.

should be happy they're bringing it back to the states.

 

[IDAFC21]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I_bWOdY6mbU
F1 can run Laguna!

well i'll be damned. wonder what they have to set the ride height at to keep it from bottoming out. I might be an interesting race, but I fear the only overtaking spot they could take advantage of would be down into turn 1. other than that it would probably be a parade race

 

[Mook]

.

We already told you the United States Grand Prix move to Texas is all about the money. Except now we've learned the $25 million in taxpayer dollars supposedly going to local governments is actually going straight into Formula 1's pockets.

The announcement that the US Grand Prix is coming to Austin, Texas shocked observers and insiders alike, all wondering how the event would be paid for. Our exclusive reporting showed the event would rely heavily on state funds, with the state's "Major Event Trust Fund" offering up to $25 million in funds.

Money in this fund was initially supposed to go to local governments, but a rewrite last year by the Texas Legislature to the state law dictating how the fund can be used allowed the State Comptroller's office to do whatever it needs to do for "attracting and securing eligible events."

This means the money for local governments to improve infrastructure is going to pay the hefty $25 million Formula 1 sanctioning fee. What the money won't be spent on, though, is the construction of the track and the event organizers have yet to indicate how they're getting the estimated $250 million they'll need.

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

Cause that seems ok

 

[02BlueGT]

Cause that seems ok

All those southern states gave BMW, and Hyundai, and a few others an average of $350 million in grants and tax write-offs to setup their manufacturing plants in their state... $25 mil is very small in comparison to the revenue an F1 event will generate for Austin

 

[Mook]

yikes

Well this is bad news for anyone who was excited about the potential for a 2012 F1 race in the States.

Here we've got a Travis Couny (Texas) Board of Commissioner's listening to a presentation by Formula 1 United State's lawyer, Richard Suttle of Arbrust & Brown, LLP. They discuss a number of things, but the two major sticking points seem to be that (1) There's no way that the engineers can get access roads updated to the point where they can clear traffic in under three-hours-- the time it takes to clear Texas Motor Speedway. And (2) at 12:53, Suttle says to make the 2012 opening, they'll need break ground this winter. That wouldn't be a problem if one of the members of the Board didn't laugh out loud.

County officials estimate that 120,000 people could attend the 2012 race which would entail 35,000 vehicles if 15,000 people cam via bus.

It's a long video, 15:01, but it's worthwhile to see what exactly goes into the beginning stages of planning a major racetrack. This isn't great news, but where there's a will and a few buckets of tightly packed cash, there's a way. Surely, though, this won't be the last hiccup we hear about for the 2012 Austin F1 race.

 

[THEHKP7M13]

Meh