z-u-later

iTrader: (43)

Yes, you read it first here. The track is suppose to be built near the Austin airport. Awesome! Also, posting this in the Texas Forum.

http://www.formula1.com/news/headlin...0/5/10824.html

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor...43711466_x.htm

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...=breaking_news

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...ritethru.0500/

RED RIDER

iTrader: (8)

Heck yeah..this is gonna be freakin awesome!!!!

350ZTheStandard

iTrader: (4)

All the hype for Austin in the article but, no talk of the racetrack design, location, cost, who is paying for this track especially in shi**y economic times.


Remember USF1 had to shut down without ever turning a lap, Americans tend to bite off more than they can chew.

I''ll beleive it when I see it.

Z You Later

iTrader: (13)

road trip!

Frostydc4

iTrader: (3)

*1000000000000000000000



How far is Austin from San Antonio?

MarvinMartian

http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin...l?surround=lfn

"Meanwhile, city of Austin and Austin Chamber of Commerce officials were unfamiliar with race organizers’ plans and do not appear to have been deeply involved in the deal, according to city and chamber sources. Although Mayor Lee Leffingwell was cited in the news release on the Formula 1 website, a staffer said the mayor was not informed prior to the announcement."



That don't bode well.




I'll believe it when you spell "believe" correctly.

sektor 11

iTrader: (4)

I'll stay put right here in Cincinnati with my fingers crossed.

350ZTheStandard

iTrader: (4)

[QUOTE=MarvinMartian;8411445]http://austin.bizjournals.com/austin...l?surround=lfn

"Meanwhile, city of Austin and Austin Chamber of Commerce officials were unfamiliar with race organizers’ plans and do not appear to have been deeply involved in the deal, according to city and chamber sources. Although Mayor Lee Leffingwell was cited in the news release on the Formula 1 website, a staffer said the mayor was not informed prior to the announcement."



That don't bode well.


Before this announcement I was hearing there was a private club in upstate NY that had a race track that was to be updated and COULD have been acceptable in 2-3 short years.


I'll believe this when I see it.

Remember USF1 had to shut down without ever turning a lap, Americans tend to bite off more than they can chew.

marques1

iTrader: (5)

Here is the article from the american statesman below. To think if they do build this track they are thinking of building it on 130 toll road and 290, guess where i live extremely close to 290 and 130 toll road.



Is Formula One coming to Austin?
Race cars might race through the Austin area starting in 2012.
Claude Paris/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Enlarge Photo Formula One race cars such as these in Monaco might race through the Austin area starting in 2012, according to plans announced Tuesday.

Related
What is Formula One?
Facts about Formula One
2005: Tavo Hellmund is built for speedAt statesman.com
Latest local news »
Briefs: two childen killed as train hits car near Rockdale Updated 12:31 a.m.
Man gets a year in jail for violating plea agreement 11:35 p.m. Tuesday
ACC buys 18.5 acres at Highland Mall from Dillard's Updated 5:18 a.m.
Resident wants horse carriage companies out of East Austin neighborhood Updated 12:27 a.m.
Lawyer for Sanders family not given all info in shooting investigation Updated 12:42 a.m.
Latest local news and last 7 days of headlines
More on Statesman.com »
National League roundup
American League roundup
Suns reserves get even with Lakers
Sports Digest: Woods reportedly will return at Memorial
The World Digest: Yemeni kidnappers free 2 American hostages; North, South Korean tensions rising.
Perry writing anti-Washington book
Suburban Dallas man executed for killing wife
More By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Updated: 11:57 a.m. Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Published: 10:54 p.m. Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Post a Comment E-mail Print ShareLarger Type Small Type
Monte Carlo. Istanbul. Barcelona. Montreal.

Austin?

Maybe.

In two years, Austin might join the glamorous international circuit of Formula One racing, where the low-slung cars can hit 220 mph and the spectators are reputed to be high rollers.

On Tuesday, Bernie Ecclestone, the president and the CEO of Formula One Group, announced that Austin would host F1 races from 2012 through 2021 and become the first U.S. city to stage such races since Indianapolis in 2007.

"The economic impact is said to be almost as big as a Super Bowl, and that's every year," said state Sen. Kirk Watson, D-Austin, who authored legislation last year that made it easier for Texas to attract an F1 race.

Ecclestone said the Austin Grand Prix race, for the first time in U.S. history, would have a track specifically built for Grand Prix racing. Racing experts said such a track could cost as much as $250 million.

The announcement stunned many in the Texas auto racing community and surprised and delighted some political leaders, but it left others wondering about significant details — including where a track would be built, who would build it, how much it would cost, who would pay for it and why would an Austin project succeed where others haven't?

"This is bigger than national buzz. This is international buzz," said Bill Dollahite, a race car driver and president of Driveway Austin. "We've now got a pin at the center of the map that says we're the capital of Formula One racing in the U.S."

Dollahite said his phone was ringing off the hook Tuesday — and he isn't even connected with the project, merely with racing enthusiasts through his local driving school.

Local race car driver Tavo Hellmund is managing partner of Full Throttle Productions, which will partner with Ecclestone's company for the Grand Prix project.

"I got 18,000 e-mails in three minutes," Hellmund said as he was rushing to a plane. Hellmund said that neither city nor state money would be used to build a track. He declined to reveal his investment group, but said he had talked with Ecclestone as early as 1999 about a Grand Prix event for Austin and began serious discussion four years ago.

"Austin is more of an F1 crowd than a NASCAR crowd," Hellmund said. "The geography, the tech money, the nightlife, the music. It all just fits with what Formula One is all about."

He said that the bidding process alone cost more than $1 million. Hellmund said land has not yet been purchased, but that three sites are being considered.

"This will be a game-changer for Austin. ... We expect every hotel from San Antonio to Temple will be full," Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell said. "This will solidify our standing as an international city. ... Hundreds of millions of people also see the broadcast, and those who don't know about Austin will."

Texas Gov. Rick Perry also was enthusiastic and commended Comptroller Susan Combs for her help in attracting the race.

A state tax-incentive program — known as the Texas Major Events Trust Fund — is intended to reimburse cities for the costs they bear by hosting profitable events, such as a Formula One race or the Super Bowl, which will be held in Arlington in 2011. The host city, county or organizing committee applies for the money. Senate Bill 1515, authored by Watson, specifically added Breeders Cup and F1 races as eligible events.

An F1 Grand Prix is one of the most expensive sporting events to stage, and the racers would not be roaring down Congress Avenue or Sixth Street the way they screech through the streets of Monaco. Newer stops on the circuit have large, and sometimes quite lavish, tracks.

"I can tell you this facility cost about $250 million," Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage said of his NASCAR track. "(An F1 track) would exceed that."

Texas Motor Speedway opened in 1996 and has a capacity of more than 191,000.

Hellmund said the track would be at least three miles long. Dollahite estimated that it would take 600-1,000 acres for the track and grandstands.

Manor developer Pete Dwyer said he met with Hellmund in the fall of 2008 after Hellmund expressed interest in a 600-acre tract along the Texas 130 toll road near U.S. 290.

Hellmund put together a track layout that Dwyer called a "pretty impressive master plan" and mentioned that he would show it to Ecclestone, Dwyer said.

But the project never materialized after some financial incentives from the state didn't come through, Dwyer said.

View as single page

marques1

iTrader: (5)

about a hour and a half depending on how you drive.

marques1

iTrader: (5)

According to the article the track will be right in my back yard literally, lol. 290 and 130 toll road is basically where i live..hmmmm. Any one need to rent my house out...lol.

MarvinMartian

Editing goes a loooooooooooooong way . . .

marques1

iTrader: (5)

^^^can you explain what you are trying to say in a little more detail, please!

350ZTheStandard

iTrader: (4)

1st the NFL fuc** the players & the fans by having a SB in NY in the cold of winter & now a race in F1 race in Austin. Still not buying this story:

no land purchased & the 600 are site is very small for a 3 mile + F1 track

no investment group announced, or even hinted at yet

Seems like the city, state & even the governor of Texas were NOT aware of this project

Where is the feasabilty of running other sanctioned races races at this proposed facility?? Nascar is barely able to hang with a simple road course like Sonnoma. F! racetrack is so much more technical than the roundy round kids could ever handle. Perhaps a track like this could host MOTO GP bikes, surely not the friday night midgets or quarter midegets at a facilty like this.

If the quoted price of a F1 track is being quoted at 250 million, realistically it will be closer to 425 million, in the middle of the greatest economic recession we will ever in our lifetimes see.

If the track is built it would be a clever idea to also build a drag strip, smaller road course and driving school & possibly a golf course, and full camping facilities, not just for races weekends.

If this track is built & the F1 teams come to Austin, I too will be there also for the whole week, if your going to be a part of F1, do it.

Everyting is bigger in Texas, especially dreams

350ZTheStandard

iTrader: (4)

F1: US GP News Draws Mixed Reaction
Many observers are skeptical about whether a Formula One event will succeed in Austin, Texas...

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/artic...ixed-reaction/

Ataru074

iTrader: (19)

no.. 250 is the cost of the nascar track... I think for a F1 track with all the facilities required it's easier to go around 500 as starting point (according to the speculations on prices around the tracks built in the last 10 years)....
Shanghai was around 450 million... and did anybody said "cheap labor" ?

of course... you can build a track without all the entertainment, being more "old style"... but you still need a lot of money and need to attract 200K people for each event able to spend in average more than 200$ for a ticket... to make it profitable you also need some racing events like motogp, touring car champ during the racing season.. and a lot of "driving education" events... but usually the pricing for that on F1 tracks is "a little" more that what we are used to pay... and considering that around there you have H2R and TWS...

for example to drive on spa francorchamps for 2 days.. with open pit lane... it's about 720 euros... single day around 500... that using groups able to give you a hefty discount compared to the standard 195 euros per 25minutes session.

I wish I'll see F1 on a serious track here... but I really don't see that happening

KornerCarver

iTrader: (2)

Maybe things are going better than was originally thought. Here is an article from the SpeedTV website..................


Veteran circuit designer Hermann Tilke will be responsible for the Austin F1 track, promoter Tavo Hellmund has confirmed to SPEEDtv.com. 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 said. “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 three 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?" he said. "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.”

F1 RaceCast Online! Follow Formula One live online timing & scoring, practice, qualifying, race coverage, commentary and more on SPEEDtv.com!

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.

Hellmund 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 organizing 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...

MPD47

iTrader: (10)

You think having Tilke is a good thing?

I'd rather not have a USGP than have another track like Istanbul, China, or any of his other awful redesigns of once great tracks.

BornSlippyZ

iTrader: (1)

This and In-n-Out are reasons I would move to Texas!

idrive_MD

iTrader: (8)

Second that, F1 was needs new tracks that incourage regular passing oppurtunities, not single file racing surrounded by rediculous architecture. Sure the tracks look spectactular and they are uber safe, but they dont seem to really offer much other than a few hair raising moments when someone passes another driver in the one passing spot on the track.

On that note, I still can't wait for F1's return to the US and I hope the project works out. I am also happy to see Indy give Baltimore, MD a shot since I live 30-mins from it.