United States Grand Prix - Formula One (F1) - Austin

[Slowhand]

http://en.espnf1.com/fia/motorsport/story/57886.html?CMP=chrome

November 18, 2012 is the official, confirmed date of the Formula 1 US Grand Prix. Glad to see they went ahead and moved they date. It'll put the race in a potentially crucial timeframe in the season as well.

[RWhite]

I am anxious to see what the final ticket prices will be. Also, I imagine now that the race date is set, the motels, hotels down there are chomping at the bits for extra revenue for that weekend!

Noticed that even Google Earth has the race track denoted as "Formula 1 United States Grand Prix". Less than 1 1/2 miles off the freeway. Boy, don't you know that little stretch of road (FM 812) will be crowded that weekend!

[Darren M]

Giggity! Giggity!Goooooo!

[Bputacoma]

Yay! time to find a hotel....

[AdamLX]

So has anyone heard rumors on ticket prices or possible dates available?

[Bputacoma]

new video!

http://www.redbullracing.com/cs/Satellite/en_INT/Video/Red-Bull-Racing-Shows-Texas-Some-Real-Horsepower-021243088594121

[01vnms4v]

No go on iPhone

[RWhite]

Looks like it was filmed on one of Red McCombs' ranch. He is one of the major investors in the Austin venture!

[RWhite]

Noticed on their website is a "Sign Up Now For Ticket Info...." tab

http://circuitoftheamericas.com/contact.html

And, a list of job openings down there such as:

Accounting and Finance
Administration/General Management
Communications/Community Relations
Facility Operations/Event Staff
Legal
Retail/Concessions
Sales & Marketing
Technical Services
Volunteer
Apply for Future Notification Only
Internship

Hopefully, the weather will cooperate, as mid Nov. weather is sometimes a crap shoot here in Texas.

[momo]

looks like formula one might be making 2 stops in the US in 2013.

this time in New Jersey on a street circuit across the bay from manhattan:

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/bryan_armen_graham/10/26/f1-new-york/

WEEHAWKEN, N.J. -- New Jersey may sound like an unlikely tour stop on a Formula 1 circuit that includes such exotic locales as Monte Carlo, Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Sao Paolo and Kuala Lumpur. But that's exactly where the world's richest and most-watched motor sport is coming in June 2013, when the Grand Prix of America begins running along the banks of the Hudson River in West New York and Weehawken. Here are five things you need to know from Tuesday's announcement:

New Jersey will provide the stage, but New York will provide the scenery. The 3.2-mile course will run on existing public streets from the start/finish line at Port Imperial (the ferry terminal where Tuesday's press conference was held), rising some 150 feet along the precipitous New Jersey Palisades before looping back down along the Hudson waterfront. It's very much a New Jersey event -- Gov. Chris Christie said the race will generate approximately $100 million annually in economic activity for the state -- but the deal-maker was the proximity of the course to New York City, where F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has long fancied holding a Grand Prix. "Formula 1 is very much a TV sport and it looks for tremendous backdrops," Steve Matchett, a Formula 1 commentator for Speed Channel, told the assembly of local and international press. "As we look behind us here at the cityscape of Manhattan, it's going to be something the whole world will recognize instantly."

• Click here to see a high-res PDF of the race course (Warning: large file)

No taxpayer dollars will be spent. New York media magnate Leo Hindery, who founded the Yes Network in 2001, is the lead organizer for the race and appears to be embracing his role as a promoter. Rather than depending on a state-funded subsidy to cover the hefty annual sanctioning fee -- a figure that remained undisclosed Tuesday but is thought to be in the neighborhood of $30 million -- Hindery and his group of investors will foot the bill throughout the life of the 10-year agreement. That means no government subsidies or compensation of any sort. "Every expense, whether it's public safety, whether it's cleanup, will be covered by the promoters," Hendery said, a guarantee he made Christie when they first met. That was good news for Mayors Richard Turner of Weehawken and Dr. Felix Roque of West New York, whose cities will receive some renumeration for the courtesy of hosting the race. Hendery also noted the cost-saving measure of hosting the race on existing roads rather than a special purpose-built facility. "There's not a yard of dirt or a foot of asphalt that goes in," he said. The only projected infrastructre costs are the grandstands (which will seat 75,000), repaving of the roads, concrete barriers and the garage -- which was already under construction Tuesday behind the press conference.


Gov. Chris Christie was on hand Tuesday to announce the latest addition to the F1 slate on the lot where the pits will be situated.
Lucas Jackson/Reuters
They will not be racing in your backyard. New Jersey won't be the first urban residential setting to host the Formula 1 traveling circus, where most of the events incorporate local streets. Throughout a two-year planning process, Hindery looked to other "models of success" in Valencia, Shanghai and Singapore, whose breathtaking photogenic nightscapes are among the sport's most glamorous advertisements. Despite the heavy volume of residential housing within spitting distance of the course, there is not a single residence within the circumference of the track. Hindery said access to "a half-dozen houses" along the Palisades on the course's upper portion could be affected, but measures will be taken to ensure easy access. "There won't be one individual who won't be able to get to his or her house on the three race days," he said. Myriad public-transit options made the site a no-brainer, with the ferry terminal, light rail system and the PATH making it what Hindery called "the only truly green race in all of Formula 1."

The course itself is promising. The German engineering firm Tilke GmbH, whose previous racetrack projects include the Bahrain International Circuit, Turkey's Istanbul Park and the Korea International Circuit, was responsible for the course design. Matchett likened the elevation change and waterfront locale to the prestigious Monte Carlo Grand Prix -- Formula 1's signature event -- and praised the demanding blend of fast straights and slow chicanes. "I have no doubt this will be one of the great marquee racing events in history," said Humpy Wheeler, a legend in race promotion and a consultant to Hindery's investment group. "I couldn't have conceived a better course than this one here."

It may fall on deaf ears in a crowded sports market, but this is a big deal. This isn't the first time the famed open-wheel circuit has tried to gain a stateside foothold. The United States Grand Prix was held in Watkins Glen, N.Y., from 1961 until 1980, with subsequent events in Long Beach, Calif., Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix. (Lewis Hamilton won the last USGP at Indianapolis in 2007.) But Formula 1, which claims more than a billion fans, is the No. 1 sport worldwide in revenue produced per event, a fact not lost on Christie and the many local officials at Tuesday's announcement. Media coverage was intense: Twenty-one news cameras and dozens of international media were on hand, with many headed directly to the airport afterward to catch up with the F1 circuit in Greater Noida, India. The three-day event is expected to attract 100,000 people, with the average price of a three-day ticket around $360. Whether it can capture the imagination of American sports fans remains to be seen, but there's little doubt the world will be watching.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/201...#ixzz1bzWBYFWN

[Bputacoma]

ummm...not looking good for austin...

http://houston.culturemap.com/newsde...pport-houston/

Circuit of the Americas (COTA) has suspended construction of the Formula 1 track being built in Elroy, just southeast of Austin.

A press release sent Tuesday afternoon makes it clear that Circuit of the Americas and Formula 1 have reached a road block in agreeing to a contract. "We have spent tremendous resources preparing for the Formula One and MotoGP Championship races, but the failure to deliver race contracts gives us great concern," said Bobby Epstein, founding partner of Circuit of The Americas.

According to COTA, the track and Formula 1 agreed to a contract timetable which has not been met. Without a contract with Formula 1, there can be no race. Despite plans for MotoGP and concerts, without Formula 1, the track has no chance.

------------------------------

The State of Texas has withdrawn its commitment to help pay for Austin’s Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix. Further, even if the state wanted to help, there is not current application for funding on file; the application submitted by Circuit of the Americas back in July for $25 million of the state's Major Events Trust Fund (METF) was withdrawn in September.

In a statement issued at noon Tuesday, State Comptroller Susan Combs cites the high-profile and very public disagreement that has emerged between Tavo Hellmund and his Full Throttle Productions on one side and the investor group funding the Circuit of the Americas track on the other.

According to the State Comptroller’s statement: “The recent announcement of an annual Formula 1 race in New Jersey is a concern, as additional races have the potential to reduce the number of attendees to a Texas race, thereby decreasing the economic impact. Additionally, the reports of a slowdown in construction at the Circuit of the Americas, and recently publicized disagreements between the race rights-holder and the circuit developers have prompted speculation about whether the Austin race will even occur.”

This is the first public acknowledgement that Austin’s U.S. Grand Prix is in great jeopardy. And it’s led Combs to change the state’s stance on a commitment to helping the track financially — even if a new application is submitted.

Combs continues in the statement: “Let me state clearly: We have not paid out any money for the Formula 1 event. The only dollars that can be spent on the United States Grand Prix are tax revenues attributable to the successful running of a race. The state of Texas will not be paying any funds in advance of the event. Further, as is the case with all METF events, each application will be reviewed and analyzed for its likely economic impact and only after the race occurs would any funds be disbursed.”

That means no money will be committed before the race happens, which is a complete change from what had been discussed by the COTA and the State Comptroller’s office just five months ago.

Combs has been a vocal proponent of Austin’s Formula 1 deal and was one of the first to support it publicly. Her commitment to the race came in the form of a promise to pay $25 million dollars per year for 10 years out of the state’s METF. The money was to be used to help pay the Formula 1 license fee and could be paid as early as one year before the race was held.

The METF money comes from tax revenue collected from those who attend big events around the state. Their hotel stays and sales taxes go into the fund.

As reported by CultureMap on Monday, the investor group, led by president Steve Sexton, appears to be working to move Hellmund out. Hellmund, however, is the main connection COTA has with Formula 1 boss Bernie Ecclestone. Hellmund and Ecclestone are lifelong friends.

Suffice it to say this: The U.S. Grand Prix is now in deep trouble and may not happen at all.

[RWhite]

What a shame, especially if we lose out to New Jersey!

[momo]

yup, grape might have been right all along.
taco tavo helmond always seemed to be in over his head from the get go.
austin was never the right city.
bernie is a 660 year old vampire that's bleed entire countries dry.
it just never made sense.

i would say austin would have happened for sure but now i'm just flat out doubtful with new jersey on the projected 2013 calendar.
i hate to say it but the jersey race would be so much better anyways. a fucking street circuit with GD manhattan as the back drop and has about the elevation change of spa francorchamps? yes.

[momo]

oh vampire bernie looks to be potentially killing off the korean GP next year after they wanted a renegotiation on rates. he said hell fucking no. if korea has a race in 2013, they will just lose more money.

poor korea, after building a dedicated f1 track they only have gotten 2 whopping races, both flops as far as i'm concerned and that might be all that track ever sees.

the indian gp on the other hand was huge success. very well received.

if i had to take a wild guess what austin might resemble... probably closer to korea than india.

[John -- '02 HAWK]

And just think there is 25+ mil dollars of TX tax payers money stuck in the track