[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by blue2fire

This is very weird. I really thought they were kidding.

Good for me as i live in Austin but i doubt the hippies will appreciate it.

How far outside of town will the track actually be?

EDIT: Just read the article again and they have yet to choose a location. Hard to believe they inked a deal without even knowing where they'll put it...

[mPlasticDesign]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

I'll definitely still go but there's something funny about the Canadian GP being 1,500 miles closer than the nearest race in my own country.

Why are you complaining? I would much rather go the the Canadian GP!

[E90SLAM]

Even though it sounds a bit weird that USGP will be held in Austin, TX. But having one withing US is still good news and also a purposely built track for F1.

[lib]

Originally Posted by KingOfJericho

How far outside of town will the track actually be?

EDIT: Just read the article again and they have yet to choose a location. Hard to believe they inked a deal without even knowing where they'll put it...

It's all hearsay at the moment but here's what I've been hearing:

• World on the street is that they were looking at/working with 2 or 3 different locations all in the South East corner of the city.
• I heard a soundbite yesterday from some local official claiming the sight isn't being announced because a real estate deal has yet to be finalized.
• Someone from the production company that worked to bring it to Austin stated that it would be located within 10 miles of the airport.
• The current popular assumption is that this will be built somewhere along TX-130.
  • It's a small expressway loop on the East side of town that passes the airport and several undeveloped properties that are more than large enough for this track.
  • 130 connects to the primary North-South that travels between Dallas, Austin and San Antonio as well as the routes between Houston and Austin.
  • There are very few people living on that side of town. All of the money and influence is in the rolling hills on the West side of town.
  • A few of the undeveloped plots of land in that general area are elevated and have a good view of downtown and the hills to the West.

If we simply look at the undeveloped/underdeveloped areas within 10 miles of the airport you're left with this:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.475845&z=11

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by ///Metak

Why are you complaining? I would much rather go the the Canadian GP!

My complaint, if you want to call it one (I call it a whiny gripe), was that it is not going to be in NY because I could easily go every year. With all of the hype about a NY based GP I was blindsided by the Texas announcement. I will definitely be going to Montreal next year although I'm always happy for a new track. Indy was lame.

[K330i]

Originally Posted by E90SLAM

It won't be until 2012. I would guess two weeks before or after the Canadian GP. which is around late May to mid-July normally.

It all depends the schedule from FOM, which they normally release the race schedule around November-December on previous year.

more like one week after..... then they take the summer break for 3 weeks.
similar to the way it was from '04-'07... minus '06 when they needed a holiday weekend to help make up for the '05 debacle.

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by K330i

more like one week after..... then they take the summer break for 3 weeks.
similar to the way it was from '04-'07... minus '06 when they needed a holiday weekend to help make up for the '05 debacle.

Possible, I'm just saying two weeks that was because its normal break between races.

You never know until FOM release the schedule.
Like this year, there's only one week break between Australian GP and Malaysian GP, which they had to haul ass for about a 9-10 hour flight distance.
Which between Malaysian GP and Chinese GP, they have two weeks.
Then after the Chinese GP to Spanish GP, there's a three weeks break (which is lucky this year because things could get worse due to the volcanic ash)
After the Spanish GP, Monaco GP is on the next weekend.

As you can see, the schedule is not determined by the distance and where's the previous / next venue. Its just something made up by the FOM. I don't work with Bernie, so I don't know what are their basis. Maybe the cargo company that FOM contracted has a bit influence.

[rambalu80]

Austin should be pretty good for me. About 3 hours away and quite a few friends in Austin, couldn't ask for more!

[xbook]

I smell road trip from SoCal ... who's with me!!

[hotpants]

i hate the toll road!

Originally Posted by lib

It's all hearsay at the moment but here's what I've been hearing:

• World on the street is that they were looking at/working with 2 or 3 different locations all in the South East corner of the city.
• I heard a soundbite yesterday from some local official claiming the sight isn't being announced because a real estate deal has yet to be finalized.
• Someone from the production company that worked to bring it to Austin stated that it would be located within 10 miles of the airport.
• The current popular assumption is that this will be built somewhere along TX-130.
  • It's a small expressway loop on the East side of town that passes the airport and several undeveloped properties that are more than large enough for this track.
  • 130 connects to the primary North-South that travels between Dallas, Austin and San Antonio as well as the routes between Houston and Austin.
  • There are very few people living on that side of town. All of the money and influence is in the rolling hills on the West side of town.
  • A few of the undeveloped plots of land in that general area are elevated and have a good view of downtown and the hills to the West.

If we simply look at the undeveloped/underdeveloped areas within 10 miles of the airport you're left with this:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UT...,0.475845&z=11

[CodyATX]

Well at least I dont have to go far!

[lib]

Update 1 - 5/26/10:
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor...19290455_x.htm

Austin-area site obtained for US Grand Prix

By Jim Vertuno, AP Sports Writer
AUSTIN, Texas — Race promoters say they have secured a site and designer to build a track for the new Formula One United States Grand Prix to be run in Austin, beginning in 2012.

Tavo Hellmund, managing partner of Full Throttle Productions wouldn't disclose Wednesday the location of the Austin-area site nor its price, but said it's "more than 700 acres."

Hellmund also said the German firm Tilke GmbH firm had been hired to design the venue. Tilke has built racetracks in Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Shanghai and Istanbul among other cities.

Formula One officials made the surprise announcement Tuesday of the revival of the United States Grand Prix, which hasn't been run since it was last held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2007. The officials also announced the Austin track would be the first in the United States built specifically for a Grand Prix event.

So far, Hellmund has not released details on how much the Austin racetrack is expected to cost, other than to say it will be built with private money and not with any public funds.

In a statement from Full Throttle, promoters said the course would be "one of the finest permanent road course facilities in the world. Fans should expect the craftsmanship Tilke is famous for, with a priority placed on green building and a track similar to the great Grand Prix tracks of previous generations."

Formula One president Bernie Ecclestone said the race in the Texas capital would mark the first time a course would be built specifically for an F1 race in the United States.

Before its run in Indianapolis, Formula One had been hosted by Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix and other cities on city street circuits. The race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway was run on a road course built inside the oval track. Watkins Glen, N.Y, hosted a Grand Prix from 1961-80.

Austin seemed an unlikely destination for a Grand Prix event on a circuit that includes stops in Monte Carlo, Sau Paulo and Singapore. But with a metro area population of about 1.7 million, Austin is a 3-hour drive or less from Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

[Dartanium]

interesting, hope it comes true

[lib]

Update 2: 5/26/10
http://adamcooperf1.com/2010/05/26/t...ady-purchased/

Tilke designing Austin track, site already purchased

Veteran circuit designer Herrman Tilke will be responsible for the Austin F1 track, promoter Tavo Hellmund has confirmed to this writer. Hellmund also says the project is also much further along than has been assumed, and the track has already been drawn.

“This has been long in the works,” he told this blog. “Everything is in place.”

Although the former racer told local media yesterday that three possible venues were still under consideration, that suggestion was apparently a smokescreen.

While several alternatives were under consideration, one site was settled on some time ago, and the land – over 800 acres – has already been purchased. Not only that but initial permissions for amenities such as water and waste, which are usually time consuming affairs, have already been granted.

Although Hellmund has yet to divulge details of what he calls a “killer location”, he confirmed that the site is to the east of the city, a few miles from the airport. It is said to be in hilly countryside that has provided Tilke with a good starting point for a design.

The German has been asked to create a fast circuit with challenging corners that resemble those of classic established circuits such as Silverstone, Hockenheim and Spa. It will be over 3-miles in length.

Tilke first sent a representative of his company to Austin around two years ago, and has made personal many visits since. He is currently looking for office space in the city in which to base the project.

Hellmund is adamant that Austin is an ideal location: “Other than New York or LA, which already have 10m people, where are you going to find a place that within 150-mile radius you have three of the top 10 largest markets in the United States? That is the wonderful thing. Our position between Canada and the United States, North, South and Central America, is unbelievable.

“You take that into account, you take into account the draw that Austin is, it’s the state capital, it’s in the hill country, it’s got a huge, huge vibe and tag of being the coolest place.”

As reported previously, the race is set to benefit from the ‘Texas Major Events Trust Fund,’ which is intended to reimburse cities for costs they face when hosting big sporting events.

However, that relates only to specific events and does not have an impact on the cost of building the facility, which is apparently budgeted at $200m. The track build is being financed by private investors, and when completed the venue is likely to be named after either Texas or Austin.

One of the key elements that has helped to generate funding is that aside from F1, the circuit will be used to help develop alternative fuels.

Tavo has known Bernie Ecclestone since he was a teenager. His father was involved in promoting Indycar and TransAm races in Mexico City, and also helped to bring F1 back to the country in 1988. Hellmund Sr was also involved in the 1986 soccer World Cup and in organising music events.

While the Austin project was greeted with some scepticism, Hellmund’s enthusiasm for it is infectious and he certainly makes a credible case for it. It will be fascinating to see what happens next.

[stampchez]

Exciting to hear that there is more substance than it might have appeared yesterday.

[E90SLAM]

AW FUCK!!! I FUCKING KNEW IT!!!
I FUCKING JINXED IT!!!

http://planet-f1.com/news/3213/61748...New-US-Circuit

Good news for, well, absolutely no one except the man himself: Hermann Tilke has been named as the designer of the new American F1 track in Austin.

Just hours after Bernie Ecclestone announced he had signed a deal that would see Formula One return to America, with Austin in Texas as the new venue, news has broken that Tilke will be the one responsible for the new track.

The German designer has already brought F1 the Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Shanghai and Istanbul circuits, most of which are sorely lacking in any excitement - although they do look good.

And now, for reasons many in the PF1 office cannot fathom, he's been put in charge of the new American track.

According to the Associated Press, race promoter Tavo Hellmund says the "more than 700 acres" of pure Formula One track will be "one of the finest permanent road course facilities in the world.

"Fans should expect the craftsmanship Tilke is famous for, with a priority placed on green building and a track similar to the great grand prix tracks of previous generations."

There is a spot of good news, though, as some reports claim Tilke's latest will be along the lines of Silverstone, Hockenheim and Spa.

But while fans may not be over the moon at the prospect of another Tilke design, the F1 teams are relishing a return to the States.

"Well done, Bernie," Williams team's chief executive Adam Parr told Reuters. "He promised he'd find a great race for us in the States and this is excellent news. We are a global sport and not having a race in America has been a big hole in the calendar.

Meanwhile, McLaren MD Jonathan Neale welcomed the news in a Vodafone phone-in.

"I saw the headline and whilst I'm not aware of details I think most of us in Formula 1 would relish the opportunity to go back to America. It's a really important place for us to be," he said.

"Our markets and our sponsors all want to operate there and Formula 1 has to do something about the package and the way in which we present it to make it acceptable to one of the world's largest markets.

"Without any expert knowledge on it - I'm not going to bluff my way through it - I'd say it is fantastic news if it turns out to be true and if we can make it happen."

[E90SLAM]

Originally Posted by lib

Update 2: 5/26/10
http://adamcooperf1.com/2010/05/26/t...ady-purchased/

Didn't read this post until I saw it on planet-f1....

[Echo M3]

Apologies to all you Texans out there, but is there REALLY that big of a Formula 1 fan base in your parts?

New York was always the most logical -tons of tourists as well as a large expatriate population. Also quite a decent amount of awareness of Formula 1 among the general population. LA would have been my next bet, given the car culture and diverse demographics.

I don't see hosting a race in Austin any better than having it in Indianapolis. Location is key in Formula 1 - if the track design is not a classic (and if Tillke makes it, it won't be), it's bound to follow the fate of other middle-of-nowhere tracks like Jerez, Magny-Cours, etc.

The appeal of having it in a big city is that the whole family can come along, and it provides a reason to visit other than the race. What foreign tourists will fly all the way to Austin, Texas, just to see a race on an uproven track?

[lib]

Originally Posted by pman10

Apologies to all you Texans out there, but is there REALLY that big of a Formula 1 fan base in your parts?

Yes. There is. You have to remember that no one who lives in Austin actually grew up in TX.

Yes. I know, I know. It's Texas. I used to share your thoughts on Texas.

I grew up in NY. I've lived on both coasts. I used to swear I would never permanently move out of the North East. I was extremely skeptical about moving to Austin. In the end I learned none of what I was told about Texas actually applied to Austin. I was simply ignorant about the area and so are you.

Now, if they had chosen any other part of Texas...

Originally Posted by pman10

New York was always the most logical -tons of tourists as well as a large expatriate population. Also quite a decent amount of awareness of Formula 1 among the general population. LA would have been my next bet, given the car culture and diverse demographics.

Everyone agrees that NY & LA would have made sense. The problem is neither of those cities are able to do what needs to be done to get F1.

Originally Posted by pman10

I don't see hosting a race in Austin any better than having it in Indianapolis. Location is key in Formula 1 - if the track design is not a classic (and if Tillke makes it, it won't be), it's bound to follow the fate of other middle-of-nowhere tracks like Jerez, Magny-Cours, etc.

3 of the top 10 largest cities in the US and >22 million people are within 180 miles of Austin.

It's certainly no NY, but if we're honest neither is anywhere else in the world.

[KingOfJericho]

Originally Posted by lib

Yes. There is. You have to remember that no one who lives in Austin actually grew up in TX.

Yes. I know, I know. It's Texas. I used to share your thoughts on Texas.

I grew up in NY. I've lived on both coasts. I used to swear I would never permanently move out of the North East. I was extremely skeptical about moving to Austin. In the end I learned none of what I was told about Texas actually applied to Austin. I was simply ignorant about the area and so are you.

Now, if they had chosen any other part of Texas...

Everyone agrees that NY & LA would have made sense. The problem is neither of those cities are able to do what needs to be done to get F1.

3 of the top 10 largest cities in the US and >22 million people are within 180 miles of Austin.

It's certainly no NY, but if we're honest neither is anywhere else in the world.

I understand your point completely about Austin not really being as "Texas" as other parts of the state but the most successful tracks are those that are in destination cities. Austin just isn't that. Europeans want to come to NY or LA while they poke fun at Texas (mostly because of Bush). It just doesn't make sense to me but that's just my opinion. I know Austin is cool but I just don't think it will be nearly as successful as it could have been in NY/LA.

[mPlasticDesign]

Originally Posted by lib

.....3 of the top 10 largest cities in the US and >22 million people are within 180 miles of Austin.

It's certainly no NY, but if we're honest neither is anywhere else in the world.

3cities >22mill? The whole state has 24mill(2009).....

NY is an excellent choice no doubt, but to not consider CA on weather alone???

Just look at the numbers:

CA State Pop: 36,961,664(2009 US Census)http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/06000.html
NY State Pop: 19,541,453(2009 US Census)
TX State Pop: 24,782,302(2009 US Census)

Of the top 25 metro populated areas CA alone has 5. East coasters still can choose to go to the Candian GP, or even the British GP if you really wanted. Us west coasters got nothing even remotely close.
Then consider 3 more larger cities on the west coast in addition to the 37mill in CA:

Phoenix Metro: 4,281,900(2008 Wiki)
Portland Metro: 2,159,720(2009 Wiki)
Seattle Metro : 3,407,848(2009 Wiki)

If you want to go strictly on population density, Indainapolis actually is a good choice, but the city still sucks. The bars suck! The restaurants suck! It just plain sucks!

[KingOfJericho]

I like this one...