Austin MotoGP 2013 in jeopardy?

JohnnyKnockdown said:

Pretty cool Texas

I like the notations

Geo, can you analyze to see if they were jotted with a standard #2 pencil or the mechanical variety



Weve all probabaly drawn out a fantasy track in our heads or our notebooks a time or two

How cool would it be to have your ideas come to life.



I question the decision to use Schwantz to help design the track.

The bikes he rode were scooters compared to what they are riding today.

Too much has changed for his opinion to be relevant. What may have worked in his time could be dangerous today

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JohnnyKnockdown said:

Pretty cool Texas

I like the notations

Geo, can you analyze to see if they were jotted with a standard #2 pencil or the mechanical variety



Weve all probabaly drawn out a fantasy track in our heads or our notebooks a time or two

How cool would it be to have your ideas come to life.



I question the decision to use Schwantz to help design the track.

The bikes he rode were scooters compared to what they are riding today.

Too much has changed for his opinion to be relevant. What may have worked in his time could be dangerous today

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A limited number of pre-paid parking permits—or the Circuit of The Americas (COTA) shuttle—will be the only way to access the COTA area during the 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX™. There will be no cash parking at the venue, and roads leading into CoTA will be restricted to vehicles displaying assigned parking or residential permits..



The recommended transportation to COTA is by the official shuttle bus network operated by COTA in partnership with the City of Austin, Travis County and Capital Metro. Check here soon for details on where to pick up the shuttle throughout the greater Austin area.



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Parking directions will be supplied with your parking permit and it is extremely important that these directions be followed! Not following instructions will mean your access into CoTA will be challenged.



Parking for Recreational Vehicles will require a pre-paid permit and will also be sold on first-come, first-served basis. Check back here for additional details starting in June 2012.



Parking for people with disabilities will require proper documentation submitted to COTA by Nov. 10, 2012. Please submit your request and your State ID to[email protected]. All documentation will be reviewed to assure authenticity.

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Jumkie said:

Thanx for the updates Texas.

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lil red rocket pilot said:

For a track that's supposed to be used for F1 this season its further behind than donington was when they bid for the four wheeled formula. At least they had a track in place but it fell through!

Don't want to be a prophet of doom n gloom but.......................................

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The Circuit of the Americas in Austin is beginning to take shape following the application of the first layer of asphalt on Tuesday.



Whilst it's believed construction remains behind schedule following heavy rainfall during the tail-end of 2011, application of the first of three layers of asphalt is promising.



The unique formula has been developed especially for the climate and region, according to Dr. Rainer Hart of Hart Consult International which has worked with Hermann Tilke on various F1 circuits.



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The final layer won't be laid until a month before the event takes place in November to avoid damage from construction machinery.

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Racing experience? None. It’s not needed, apparently.

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That plan presumably included the ouster of the man who did have motorsports experience, Tavo Hellmund, who undeniably did the heavy lifting in bringing F1 to Texas. He cut the deal with longtime family friend Ecclestone; he designed, engineered and named the track; he signed both Australian V8 Supercars as well as MotoGP motorcycle racing to race at the facility, and he was the voice, and the face, of F1 in Texas.[/font]

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Then, a year ago, friction developed between Hellmund, chief investor Bobby Epstein and McCombs, which has never been explained entirely. Epstein and partners let the deal with Ecclestone lapse, again for no thus-far-explained reason, and Epstein then managed a last-minute, Hail Mary deal with Ecclestone, by all accounts at a less favorable rate than Hellmund’s original contract. There may be some reason for this other than squeezing Hellmund out of the deal he created, and perhaps it will come out in the lawsuit Hellmund has filed. But Ecclestone himself has said that he trusts Hellmund, who “picked the wrong partners,” so it seems unlikely Epstein wants Ecclestone testifying on his behalf.

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And granted, while the “season pass” includes the Australian supercars, you have to wonder how many fans would come back for that race to get some value out of their PSL and ticket. According to the Circuit of the Americas projection for economic impact: “The Circuit of the Americas-hosted Formula One United States Grand Prix will attract as many as 300,000 people each Grand Prix weekend, with an estimated 80 percent of attendees coming from outside Texas.”[/font]

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If 80 percent are coming from outside Texas, how many will want to board a plane or make the drive to return for Australian supercars? It’s a complete wildcard and could depend on scheduling. If the race is run during an off weekend for NASCAR Sprint Cup, some stars from that series could come to race. Or would they? NASCAR owns Grand-Am, and Grand-Am is working on a tie-in with Germany’s DTM touring-car series. So would it be interested in having its Cup drivers race in a competing series?[/font]

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Also, the 80-percent-from-outside-Texas for the F1 race is an eyebrow-raiser for another reason: Reportedly, for the last few Grands Prix at Indianapolis, more than 50 percent of the attendees came from within 300 miles of Indy. I won’t even address the 300,000 people-per-weekend projection, again assuming that Circuit of the Americas knows its business. The permanent grandstand at Circuit of the Americas, by the way, is expected to hold maybe 8,500, with temporary-grandstand seating bringing the total to maybe 55,000 to 60,000.

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An additional concern is the fact that, with barely six months to go, Circuit of the Americas has no “official car of the race” lined up, and the only major sponsor deal announced is a co-promotion with Pirelli, which would be there anyway, because the tire company has a deal with Formula 1. Circuit of the Americas seems to be promoting the fact that it is building a track far more than it is promoting the actual racing. The planned Grand Prix in New Jersey, while more than a year away, has already scheduled F1 champ Sebastian Vettel to come drive the circuit next month as a publicity event. That’s the sort of thing you’d think Circuit of the Americas would be doing.[/font]

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And while the track construction was undeniably behind schedule, work continues at a frenzied pace, and we are past the point of wondering whether or not it will be ready in November. Remember that Ecclestone needs three things to race: A track, fences and a garage. He does not care much about the rest. He has, after all, called the race attendees the “studio audience”—his money is made through sponsorships and television. It isn’t his problem if all the planned track facilities aren’t finished or how well the parking plan works—presently it calls for almost all parking at remote lots miles away, with fans bused in on official shuttles, which apparently won’t be free. This despite the fact that Circuit of the Americas is certifiably In The Middle Of Nowhere, surrounded by prairie that looks, to me, like a pretty good place to park. A rental car, anyway.

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AUSTIN, TEXAS, May 7.



Incredibly, nearly six months until the return Formula 1 to the U.S., poor management by the company behind the race is threatening one of the best opportunities this country has had in its history to put together a successful Grand Prix. Initially confirmed for June and shortly thereafter rescheduled for November 18 (in the penultimate round of the 2012 calendar) the return of an F1 Grand Prix to the United States began as a dream.



After several years of work, Mexican businessman Tavo Hellmund managed to complete a long list of items for this race, including government support of the City of Austin, Texas, and a Mexican pilot generating buzz in F1. It was easy to imagine the response of the fans in cities like Dallas, Houston, El Paso, San Antonio and surrounding areas as well as all Mexicans could easily emulate this kind of Grand Prix circuit of Mexico.



The site, named Circuit of the Americas, referring to the most famous racetrack in our country, was presented as one of the most modern and fun racetracks ever to be seen in F1.



The idea of this track was to give the drivers and fans a stage where they could enjoy a unique experience. Tavo Hellmund, with experience in NASCAR racing and other series in Europe, helped design a circuit where the cars are seen for a long time, and would be interesting for people even if they don't understand a lot about racing so they wouldn't lose interest in the competition.



Late last year, Excelsior spoke to Hellmund about his idea for the GP. It was to compete with the best shows in the world. He told us that, unlike other countries presented by F1 in the United States, it would offer a unique and facinating fan experience, so he was not going to waste the great opportunity he had to make this a memorable Grand Prix.



Thus, he was building this dream. The government pledged to support the race: the city of Austin and the state of Texas would provide, over a period of ten years, nearly the cost of the circuit. Bernie Ecclestone, who owns the commercial rights Formula 1, provided a ten-year contract with one of the best prices on the world calendar.



With the path already defined, in the summer of 2011 David Coulthard drove the Red Bull car on the track and gave wings to the circuit at that time (and until a few days ago) which did not have a single drop of asphalt. The images were spread around the world and hoped this was the first in a series of events that would promote the great race, unfortunately not the case.



Sources close to the circuit let us know that the failure of the venture capitalists with Ecclestone was forcing them to renegotiate the favorable contract that they had.



After days of suspense COTA announced that after the trip (to London) they would pay more to bring Formula 1, losing some privileges that were in the first contract. The initial project, a race of Moto GP 2013, and the government aid is blurred and the clouds began to form over the circuit.



Tavo Hellmund, who still owns more than 20% of the project, seemed to disagree with the direction they were taking their partners and questioned some of the items with the leadership of the project he had begun, his dream with spectacular scenery. Instead the developer hired promotion and marketing people brought from Hockey League (NHL) and horse racing, none with experience in racing.

The result of this maneuver is visible in the limited number of tickets sold.



Surely, these marketing geniuses heard that in places like the Plaza de Toros Mexico and the stage of the Dallas Cowboys the PSL was a success and tried to make the business of his life, by selling PSLs for up to $5500, not including tickets that are between $500 and $1250.



Given this scenario, we traveled to Austin to see what was really happening.



For fans who already had plane tickets or bringing caps on they would ask for autographs, of Americans who believed they finally would have a decent Grand Prix and even brands that are already rubbing their hands with the opportunity to be present in this country, we found a scene of terror and no sponsor tied.



Not so impressive was the terrain, the fabulous designs, or the 500 men and dozens of machines that we saw working in three shifts per day. We were certain that the project will be ready for the rigorous review of the FIA, who will arrive a few days before event.



Unfortunately, neither with the great weather or an unlimited budget, our source told us there is not enough time to build the original project.



We found no large difference seen in the images that Red Bull made public nearly a year ago. We discovered that almost any time of the construction had been completed and understood the reasons that for too long, do not talk about cars in Austin but heavy machinery.



When it opens the door there will be four permanent grandstands, which definitely will not fit the 120,000 people that had been announced, the reason is a lot has been modified with the intention of having project completion closer at hand.



The Circuit of the Americas today needs a miracle, or else investors with lots of money, and luck, so that F1 cars will run just as the Red Bull of David Coulthard did on land, or in place of this venue will be an exhibition for Motocross or X-Fighters.



Things have not taken a good path, claims between the project owners have damaged the organization and what has happened is not a good omen.



Only time will vindicate those who have made the right decisions and if you are to take yours do not trust anyone who sees the opportunity in the uncertainty of doing good business.



This track is missing a lot and unfortunately these deficiencies are only the tip of an iceberg that could soon sink this great ship.



A bittersweet relationship:



Although more than half a century of Formula 1 has had great presence in the U.S., with 51 Grand Prix made between 1959 and 2007, could never take root in the United States.



From the first season of F1 in 1950, America has welcomed the top flight, first in the 500 Miles of Indianapolis, which was part of the schedule of the top flight, and then a United States Grand Prix separately.



Between the mid-70's and late 80's lived the period of greatest love between the Americans and the F1, even making two runs of seven seasons.



One hundred fifty-seven drivers Americans have gone through the category, the latest Scott Speed at Toro Rosso, between 2006 and 2007.



With his arrival in F1 Speed broke a drought of 12 years, after the farewell of Michael Andretti in 1993.



Despite the large number of pilots, only two were champions, the first Phil Hill in 1961 with a Ferrari and in 1978 Mario Andretti won the second title in a Lotus.



F1 has never been able to settle well in the United States for its rivalry with the national championships in NASCAR, Indy and Grand Am, beloved by the American public.

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