Texas signs 10-year deal for US Grand Prix
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Posted on 05/25/2010 2:29:27 PM PDT by highnoon
Formula One World Championship Limited and Formula One Administration Limited (together, the F1 Commercial Rights Holder) and Full Throttle Productions, LP, promoter of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™, announce that a historic agreement has been reached for Austin, Texas to serve as the host city of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ for years 2012 through 2021.
(Excerpt) Read more at formula1.com ...
Life is good! Did not see this coming at all.
Exactly what do they mean by a "purpose-built track"? Where's the money coming from to build a brand new road course that can handle something the size of a F1 event from a facilities and track requirements perspective? That is a huge sum of money.
And is this going to be another boring Tilke designed track that puts you into a coma when watching a car race?
It’s probably purpose-built because the surface streets in Austin are crap. Maybe they’re constructing at a defunct airfield; that would be the best use of space (presumably they would tear up any existing runways; sebring is boring to watch). I hope they do. We need a good venue for motorcycle racing too (Texas would be an awesome place to race over the winter).
Tilkedrome or some cr*p street race. I wonder who in Austin came up with Bernie’s $20 to 30 million a year fee?
I wish them well, but besides Monte-Carlo due to its history, all road course f1 races are predictable processions of cars with no overtaking. Running this in the streets of downtown Austin would be incredibly BORING!!!!
I really hope they are building a dedicated track.
Crud. I was kinda hoping they would return to Long Beach
Fortunately, the will not be holding this event in my Austin neighborhood.
Austin, Texas... AUSTIN, TEXAS??!! You mean that traditional hotbed of road racing, Austin, Texas?
Give me a f*cking break. Kind of like when the SCCA moved the runoffs to Topeka. Boy that sure brought in the crowds.
In my opinion there’s only 2 maybe 3 venues that have the requisite layout and history to host a U.S. GP. The aforementioned Watkins Glen and Road America at Elkhart Lake, Wisc.
Of course Bernie could care less about the traditions surrounding open wheel road racing. With this dick it’s about who can cross his palms with the most money.
More’s the pity.
F1 came to Dallas TX in July of 1984. I went and saw it at the Dallas fairgrounds. They had built some new asphalt roads for the event. Wonder of wonders, it got hot that day (Hot? In Dallas? In July?) and the asphalt literally disintegrated, in essence ruining the race. I was there and got some photos which I still have.
Yeah, any roadrace track is going to need to be poured concrete. They’ll probably have to develop a special texture for it, and be very careful where the joints go (maybe very small squares, instead of the usual 10x15’?) so the track doesn’t degrade too much over time. Black asphalt just doesn’t work here.
Please, Dear Lord in Heaven, do NOT allow Hermann Tillke anywhere near the design of the new track. Hermann is the author of so many snooze-fest tracks; we do not need another one.
Well, at least it’ll get Austin traffic moving for a few hours each year.
Oh, let’s see....
N on Congress @ 1st St.
E on 11th St.
N on Red River
E on MLK (Juneteenth St).
SE on Airport Blvd.
W on 1st.
N on Congress.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Shorter course: substitute 5th St for 1st St.
The only defunct airfields are the former site of Mueller airport, which is now a shopping center, childrens’ hospital, and old hangars used for movies; and Tim’s/Executive airpark, which is now Dell computers.
Thank God that I am not the only one who thinks this is a BAD choice... Austin? Really? Maybe if there is a party at the moontower... but they are gonna build a new track there and attract what demographic exactly? Coffeehouse metrosexual douchebags? Whiskey voiced singer-songwriter hippiechicks? Good luck with that, Bernie.
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