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Austin Texas GP Track Revealed

Joined Jul 2006
11K Posts | 291+
Texas
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looks fun for bike i cant wait



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http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula1/promoter-unveils-f1-track-layout-890582.html



Austin's Formula One race track will be fast, have a signature start, pay homage to some of the world's best Grand Prix circuits and offer plenty of good sight lines for fans, according to race promoter Tavo Hellmund.



"It should be nice," Hellmund said Tuesday as he looked at plans for the track. "I think drivers and fans should really like it."



Since May, when the race was announced, fans have been eager to see drawings of the track.



Hellmund, head of Full Throttle Productions, unveiled the track layout Tuesday in a meeting with the American-Statesman.



The 3.4-mile track has 20 turns, a maximum elevation change of 133 feet, a back straightaway that is three-quarters of a mile long and a width that will vary between 39 and 52 feet.



Hellmund said the F1 cars should be able to reach a top speed of 200 mph on the track.



He also estimated the cars might be roaring by the grandstand at 180 mph on their way to a tight, uphill corner at Turn 1, one of the highest points on the track. Hellmund said Turn 1 could be the circuit's signature corner and that it would also be one of the four designed spots to give drivers their best chance for passing, or overtaking as it's called in F1.



"Everybody will pull out and probably go three-wide into that braking turn," Hellmund said.



Unlike some NASCAR races, there's typically not much passing in an F1 Grand Prix. Some F1 fans blame that situation on Tilke GmbH, the German engineering firm that has designed most of the sport's modern circuits and is also overseeing the U.S. Grand Prix project.



Hellmund said the cars themselves are more to blame for the single-file racing than the engineers.



"They're so on the ragged edge that it's hard to pass," Hellmund said.



He said the best way to create such opportunities is with a good straightaway that leads to a turn with more than a 45-degree angle. Hellmund said that's the plan for turns 11, 12 and 20.



In addition, turns 3, 4, 5 and 6 and will be a nod to the Maggots/Becketts section at Silverstone in England, and turns 12, 13, 14 and 15 will have the feel of the Hockenheimring in Germany.



There's also a shout-out to Istanbul Turn 8 in turns 16, 17 and 18.



"It will be similar to one gigantic turn," Hellmund said of that sequence.



Hellmund said fans should be able to see plenty of action from most of the turns and straightaways.



"They will all offer good viewing because of the (changes in) elevation," he said.



The U.S. Grand Prix circuit is slated to be built on a 900-acre tract southeast of Austin and could hold 130,000 to 140,000 fans.



Austin's first U.S. Grand Prix is slated for 2012. December has been mentioned as a possible starting date for construction.



"I don't want to put a date on it. Everybody is hustling and bustling," said Hellmund, who said construction would begin as quickly as possible.
 
Hell yea Curve! Better build that additon now for all the guests you'll be hosting!!! I know where Curve will be spending his track days in the future.

I would assume this will be bike safe track?
 
Hum.... could be worse. (But was hoping for better.)



It looks like a .......ized Hockenheimring.

I DO like the long Curvey half; it reminds me of the old Solitudering that real heroes like Surtees blasted around in the day. (150MPH, nothing but trees for guardrails.) It ought to be a piss on a MC.
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After that, it devolves into to a typical Tilkedrome - random short segments, randomly attached end-to-end.
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What they don't mention is: Who's gonna pay for all this? Invariably, projects like this receive some manner of Gov't funding which is, in turn, funded by the local population. THANKS CURVE!!
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talk & plans are cheap...... i'll believe it when i see construction start.... & finished.........& then a race.
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Weak. Circuit racing is dying in the US and a euro-style track is not going improve anything. We've got plenty of good tracks, and we have plenty of posh sporting venues. This is Texas so the track should have been something distinctive and remarkable. Maggots/Becketts is not going to make Texans proud, it's simply Euro-flattery and Tilke clutching at straws b/c if he designs anymore tracks himself, he'll be banned from F1. Furthermore, if they wanted to copy a Euro-track that is more inline with Texas race fans, they would have copied Monza.



I doubt Keven Schwantz had anything to do with choosing the layout b/c the track does not look good for bikes. Especially the Mickey Mouse turns in the second half of the lap.



The quality of the racing determines how people feel about the venue so it will have to be wait and see, but I've not spoken to anyone in the state who thinks this track is anything good (emphasis on people who think). It's easy to get excited about a new venue, but Miller was something to get excited about, but it hasn't improved the racing industry. Texas is a very important racing market, and I'm pretty pissed off that the State government is going to be paying F1's sanctioning fee to get the race. They should be paying us. Everyone is trying to bring races to Texas whether it's NASCAR, IndyCar, or AMA. I have no idea why our politicians are stupid enough to pay Bernie when we hold the cards. It's no wonder he gave the track to Texas, he's probably stunned that the healthiest US economy would actually pay him to organize a race when the manufacturers are forcing F1 into the US market. I actually think that Texas has made a very poor play, and a play that has harmed the plight of other state economies and race track owners. This is both stupid and cutthroat simultaneously which is a bit embarrassing for our state b/c it makes us look incompetent and economically over-aggressive like China or Singapore.



When things are screwed up on the business side, it's hard to be optimistic about the future. I've heard that the manufacturers are only under contract through 2012 which is only 1 year into the Austin contract. Maybe this is more like a royally screwed up business operation.



Anywho, hard to be pissed about a new track, but this is kind of an embarrassment for the great state of Texas, imo.
 
Curve, start getting the extra floor space available, I foresee a few Mexicans staying over your pad.
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Weak. Circuit racing is dying in the US and a euro-style track is not going improve anything. We've got plenty of good tracks, and we have plenty of posh sporting venues. This is Texas so the track should have been something distinctive and remarkable. Maggots/Becketts is not going to make Texans proud, it's simply Euro-flattery and Tilke clutching at straws b/c if he designs anymore tracks himself, he'll be banned from F1. Furthermore, if they wanted to copy a Euro-track that is more inline with Texas race fans, they would have copied Monza.



I doubt Keven Schwantz had anything to do with choosing the layout b/c the track does not look good for bikes. Especially the Mickey Mouse turns in the second half of the lap.



The quality of the racing determines how people feel about the venue so it will have to be wait and see, but I've not spoken to anyone in the state who thinks this track is anything good (emphasis on people who think). It's easy to get excited about a new venue, but Miller was something to get excited about, but it hasn't improved the racing industry. Texas is a very important racing market, and I'm pretty pissed off that the State government is going to be paying F1's sanctioning fee to get the race. They should be paying us. Everyone is trying to bring races to Texas whether it's NASCAR, IndyCar, or AMA. I have no idea why our politicians are stupid enough to pay Bernie when we hold the cards. It's no wonder he gave the track to Texas, he's probably stunned that the healthiest US economy would actually pay him to organize a race when the manufacturers are forcing F1 into the US market. I actually think that Texas has made a very poor play, and a play that has harmed the plight of other state economies and race track owners. This is both stupid and cutthroat simultaneously which is a bit embarrassing for our state b/c it makes us look incompetent and economically over-aggressive like China or Singapore.



When things are screwed up on the business side, it's hard to be optimistic about the future. I've heard that the manufacturers are only under contract through 2012 which is only 1 year into the Austin contract. Maybe this is more like a royally screwed up business operation.



Anywho, hard to be pissed about a new track, but this is kind of an embarrassment for the great state of Texas, imo.



It might not be a great race circuit, but I always wished for a Tilkedrome in the US. The size of the circuit. Huge grandstands and garages are something not seen in any US road circuit at this scale.



Imagine having a complex like that at a US race circuit?



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It might not be a great race circuit, but I always wished for a Tilkedrome in the US. The size of the circuit. Huge grandstands and garages are something not seen in any US road circuit at this scale.



Imagine having a complex like that at a US race circuit?



bahraincircuit_wideweb__430x259.jpg



Tilke tracks are just posh racing facilities, there is no substance to the design anymore. I don't know myself b/c I've never been a big fan of F1, but I've been told that Tilke tracks were originally designed to test the cars and the engineers during a time when F1 had more performance and more money than sense. In other words, the pavement was just a very complicated stress test for the cars and drivers.



Now that the cars are getting cheaper and slower (without shedding any substantial amount of downforce
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), Tilke is lost. His design philosophy is useless and unwelcome. He doesn't know what to design so he just copies other tracks in a bid to rehabilitate his reputation. Bernie continues to use him b/c Tilke is a known quantity and his engineering firm is world class even though the tracks lack substance.



Maybe I'm getting jaded, but posh facilities do not impress me. I want substance. High average speed and lots of overtaking opportunities. I'd also like to see someone come up with a new circuit concept. Surely, overpriced asphalt pool tables, street courses, and giant oval superspeedways are not the only options. It's been 50+ years without any evolution of circuit design. Someone needs to do something about it. The only place that needs to get a bit crazy with racing is the US. Just ask IndyCar fans.
 
Gas Grass or ... no one rides for free
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By the time WE host a Moto GP race i should have the back yard cleared up for our own camp site
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i think the elevation changes are whats gona make this track..

austin_f1_gp_02-4c7edd0f7ba5a-625x360.jpg
 
Maybe I'm getting jaded, but posh facilities do not impress me. I want substance. High average speed and lots of overtaking opportunities. I'd also like to see someone come up with a new circuit concept. Surely, overpriced asphalt pool tables, street courses, and giant oval superspeedways are not the only options. It's been 50+ years without any evolution of circuit design. Someone needs to do something about it. The only place that needs to get a bit crazy with racing is the US. Just ask IndyCar fans.



The circuit might not be what you like with the facilities and such, but you're an old race fan. The kids like the glitz and glamor.



If you want new ideas, then add a jump, Figure-8. Not much you really can do to track design. The classics like Spa, Monza, Nürburgring are being copied because they were great circuits. When you try something new, like Tilke has done previous, like Istanbul, Sepang, Bahrain, Abu Dhabi, people ..... that they are ruining the history of the sport.



Don't talk about the .... we have to suffer here in the US as open wheel fans. Did you see the dildo they want to race? ...., I agree things need to change there, but hell, a dildo shaped car might be going to crazy.
 
Tilke tracks are just posh racing facilities, there is no substance to the design anymore. I don't know myself b/c I've never been a big fan of F1, but I've been told that Tilke tracks were originally designed to test the cars and the engineers during a time when F1 had more performance and more money than sense. In other words, the pavement was just a very complicated stress test for the cars and drivers.



Now that the cars are getting cheaper and slower (without shedding any substantial amount of downforce
<
), Tilke is lost. His design philosophy is useless and unwelcome. He doesn't know what to design so he just copies other tracks in a bid to rehabilitate his reputation. Bernie continues to use him b/c Tilke is a known quantity and his engineering firm is world class even though the tracks lack substance.



Maybe I'm getting jaded, but posh facilities do not impress me. I want substance. High average speed and lots of overtaking opportunities. I'd also like to see someone come up with a new circuit concept. Surely, overpriced asphalt pool tables, street courses, and giant oval superspeedways are not the only options. It's been 50+ years without any evolution of circuit design. Someone needs to do something about it. The only place that needs to get a bit crazy with racing is the US. Just ask IndyCar fans.

well u need to get right on that lex...since no 1 else seems to be.
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Well, politics aside, its always great to get a new world-class track in the US, and Austin is an awesome area, so I'm really looking forward to some F1 action (and hopefully motogp of course -- Indy is a fun place, but I'd shed no tears if it left the calendar).



With regards to the course itself, looking at diagrams will never do justice to the end result, but I think it has the potential to be a successful motorcycle course. A few comments:



3-6 "Silverstone" Complex

Increasing radius alternating esses are super fun. There's nothing wrong with copying an awesome complex; plenty of tracks have these sort of sections for a reason. Holding a proper line and having the balls to hold the throttle as wide as you dare through an extended section of faster and faster flicks is as challenging as it is rewarding.



T10

Difficult to judge how exactly the elevation change will shape this turn, but it looks like it could be amazing. Fast kink? Over a hill? Probably blind apex? Yes please. Could lead to some interesting lines and passing opportunities on T7 because a defensive line here could totally botch your drive up the hill into the 7-10 section.



13-15 "Hockenheim" Complex

Looks pretty good on paper for a tech section but it may be more suited to cars than bikes (see Tilke's fumbles in China, Malaysia). However, it doesn't look as tight as those, so I think bikes will be OK. It will come down to how smooth of a line is possible through 14a-14b and how much it affects the setup for 15. If they design it right and proper lines and speed make it click, it could be a great section. Screw it up and its just a tech-for-tech's sake doodle.



T19

This has the potential to be an awesome turn, or totally bland. Some negative camber here would be a step in the right direction. Basically the scarier you can make this, the better. T19 - T20 are going to be where last-lap heroes can make names for themselves and with a short straight connecting them, it can be a great end to the lap if designed properly. Just like sachsen this year, if you can mind-game the guy in front to block and inside move in T19, you can set up to drive for a pass into 20.



Hairpin punctuated straights

Not my favorite. This is clearly the best way to coax F1 cars into overtaking, but its just not that interesting, especially if every single straight ends in one. I agree with the adage that to succeed in slow corners you need experience, and in fast corners you need heart, and I find the latter much more exciting. Motegi is by far my least favorite motogp course for this reason (and reinforces why Capi is always so good there). Give us a double apex banked carousel somewhere instead of the same old boring sub-90 pin at all four turns.





Let's just hope the thing gets built, and they let us mortals on it once in a while.
 

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