Formula 1 coming to Austin, TX!!!

You forgot Monza. Very narrow with trees not too far from the gaurdrail on the straights. So why not run it at Road America--with the needed upgrades to the paddock, seating areas...

aussiesmg wrote: NASCAR is grassroots..............bwaah hah ha, $20 million budget may be cheap compared to F1 but it is far from grassroots. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/nascar-basics/nascar-race-car-cost.htm You are welcome to build an F1 car if you can show how you can meet the standards of the class, same deal as NASCAR, just a higher standard, like building an ITA car has lower standards than NASCAR

$20 million is the costs of a competitive team that is in it for championships- but you can buy old equipment or lease it from other teams for much less than that. and if you have a hungry driver that wants to prove himself or an older driver that just wants to stay racing you probably won't have to pay him very much.

NASCAR allows anyone to race if they have a car that fits the rules. try to build or buy/lease an F1 car and show up at the track to race without getting approval a year in advance and see how far you make it.

they might be high tech for what they are, but you can still tune up a Cup car with a screwdriver, a timing light, and a few wrenches. and the cars are built to take abuse instead of shattering with even the slightest contact.

how is that not grassroots?

i never said i don't respect the F1 cars for what they are- they are awe inspiring machines that do awe inspiring things- but they are boring to watch and the backdoor politics that follows F1 around is just simply ridiculous.

i know i'm not going to change anyone else's mind, and no one is going to change mine. but there are reasons why F1 will never be big in the USA. our culture is different, so our choice of motorsports are different and we like what we like for different reasons.

novaderrik wrote: .i know i'm not going to change anyone else's mind, and no one is going to change mine. ... our culture is different, so our choice of (fill in blank) are different and we like what we like for different reasons.

Jingoism defined.

Nova's appraisal is dead on, though. Some things are just not meant to be, and F1 in the USA might be one of them. I don't share this view, but have long acknowledged that the average US fan* is rarely interested in what's going on outside our borders

And it is ironic that such a race series would be on the radar among a group of people who build entire performance cars for less than the price of a single wheel nut from an F1 car, but they are the top of the "food chain", if you will.

As far as the Bernie circus goes, bigger names and bigger money call for bigger drama. Not always good drama, but a soap opera all the same. Enjoy it for what it is and be glad you're not a part of it..

*average US fan = not on THIS site..

I may not be the hugest fan of F1, but if it's in my backyard, I'll sure as hell go watch.

NYG95GA wrote:

novaderrik wrote: .i know i'm not going to change anyone else's mind, and no one is going to change mine. ... our culture is different, so our choice of (fill in blank) are different and we like what we like for different reasons.

Jingoism defined. Nova's appraisal is dead on, though. Some things are just not meant to be, and F1 in the USA might be one of them. I don't share this view, but have long acknowledged that the average US fan* is rarely interested in what's going on outside our borders And it is ironic that such a race series would be on the radar among a group of people who build entire performance cars for less than the price of a single wheel nut from an F1 car, but they are the top of the "food chain", if you will. As far as the Bernie circus goes, bigger names and bigger money call for bigger drama. Not always *good* drama, but a soap opera all the same. Enjoy it for what it is and be glad you're not a part of it.. *average US fan = not on THIS site..

Exactly.

That's all F1 is, a soap opera for race fans.

I happen to be a big fan of this particular "show."

Now I just need a Racers Underground invite so I can continue to watch it and WRC, now that our cable is cancelled.

On another forum this just popped up: http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=791811

It's a special event at another of the tracks in the Austin area. They say the track is F1 calibre, but I guess that remains to be seen. I gave the link because it also gives some info on one of the hotels and some of the planning that can happen in the area. This isn't an isolated event, there are tons of others that take place there because there's more to see and do than just be on a track ala The Texas Mile.

carguy123 wrote: ...They say the track is F1 calibre, but I guess that remains to be seen.

I wouldn't think so, from looking at it. There's that weird split in the road and all.. there are residential sections around here with similar roads.

Mostly these days, all Bernie wants is those well-thought-out-but painfully-boring Tilke designed tracks.

Personally, I'd like to see Jenson hot on Lewis' butt when they came around turn 7 at Road Atlanta, and then crack the throttle open, while lapping Jarno...

but maybe that's just me.

NYG95GA wrote: Personally, I'd like to see Jenson hot on Lewis' butt when they came around turn 7 at Road Atlanta, and then crack the throttle open, while lapping Jarno...

Are we talking racing, or ...

Lawdy. I need to start proofreading my posts more closely.

Actually, now that I think about it, turn 7 opens into a STRAIGHT.

So there. Hrrumph.

carguy123 wrote: On another forum this just popped up: http://www.s2ki.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=791811 It's a special event at another of the tracks in the Austin area. They say the track is F1 calibre, but I guess that remains to be seen. I gave the link because it also gives some info on one of the hotels and some of the planning that can happen in the area. This isn't an isolated event, there are tons of others that take place there because there's more to see and do than just be on a track ala The Texas Mile.

I know this isn't why you posted it, but I just had to say something.

Events like this are why no one considers the Herrafrush movement a legitimate motorsports style, merely a passing trend.

They're renting out a very nice track for a day (well north of $10K, usually) to do what? Park on it. That's right, they're renting a race track to have a car show on the track. Not the paddock, the track itself.

C'mon son.

The last F1 race I went to was the Dallas Grand Prix in July of '84, which Keke Rosberg won in a Williams. According to Hobbs, it was because the track was falling apart so badly (Dallas in July!), that nobody else knew what to do with a car that handled that badly. Except for Rosberg, who's car always handled that bad.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1984_Dallas_Grand_Prix

http://formula-one.speedtv.com/article/f1-tilke-designing-200m-austin-track/

Site is secured, over 800 acres, course over 3 miles in length.

The site is east of town and hilly, or so the article says.

Texas built a 4-6 (depending on what sections you're in) beautiful toll road east of the city about 3 years ago. My son and I use it every time we travel to Houston and regularly comment how there is NOTHING out there but hills and farmland. We've regularly said it would be a perfect area for a kart track. Sounds like we weren't just thinking big enough!!

I'm willing to bet the track will be in that area. No large wooded areas to distract vision, lots of natural rolling hills, great access to the airport, etc.

I really hope this will actually happen!!

I figure it'll be somewhere around here: http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Austin,+TX&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=46.898798,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Austin,+Travis,+Texas&ll=30.279972,-97.58091&spn=0.100508,0.154324&t=h&z=13

-Rob

Tilke must know "where the bodies are buried".

He might be the only guy in the world who has Bernie in his back pocket.

Lord knows what he gets paid to design these tracks. I've designed tracks for years, and never got paid anything except free fun runs. But then, mine were a bit short of 3 miles...

They're going to build a blend of Silverstone, Hockenhiem, and Spa. Fantastic!

In the middle of NASCAR country? Gimme a break.

Isn't Bernie Ecclestone like 728 years old and is artificially being kept alive by the scowl from which all his power flows?

Seriously, when will the dude stop choking the sport? Austin, Texas...ha! Good for music, probably not good for an F1 race.

Twin_Cam wrote: Isn't Bernie Ecclestone like 728 years old and is artificially being kept alive by the scowl from which all his power flows?

I'm not sure of the numbers, but that's basically it.

Darth Vader with a Ferrari.

In reply to NYG95GA:

Not quite. Darth Vader still had some good in him.

carguy123 wrote: Well TJ you definitely don't want Cali or NY to build a track then, do you?

Nope. I am not against a new road course anywhere - I just don't want it publicly funded. I've never been to Texas other than brief stops at the DFW airport which I don't count. I doubt I would travel there in two years to watch an F1 race, but I do hope it succeeds for whomever is putting up the money.

Not to defend NASCAR but when did Texas become NASCAR country? I'm pretty sure it's not in the "south" of NASCAR lore. You know--Georgia, the Carolinas, etc. Sure they hold a race in Texas, but I would hardly consider it their country. That being said I'm upset cause my Ex lives in Texas--Austin to boot! I would worry about running into her! What a psycho hose bitch!

I guess I'll continue to go to Montreal as long as they can continue to please Bernie.

^ Not only that, but Austin is the center of Texas much like a hole is the center of a donut. It may be in the middle, but it's fundamentally different from what it's in the middle of.

billy3esq wrote: ^ Not only that, but Austin is the center of Texas much like a hole is the center of a donut. It may be in the middle, but it's fundamentally different from what it's in the middle of.

Are you saying that Austin is the jelly? Thats pretty much my favorite donut filling.

Maybe Bernie just wants to challenge the notion of "Texas sized." Austin makes sense for a number of reasons. Austin's locals may not hold much interest, but F1 is a national event, and Austin is a really desirable place to visit. Many who travel across country for a race want something else (or something for the significant other) to do. The arts, the outdoors, and the culture will draw in a diverse crowd and keep them occupied for a trip. Not to mention that Houston is probably one of the most accessible and affordable flight destinations from Central America. I just priced a round trip flight from Mexico City and it was just over $300. The presence of petroleum companies cannot hurt the financial backing, either.

One last point, I think that F1 can appeal to more than racing fans. The aura that surrounds it is almost magnetic, just as the Olympics has people watching curling and the World Cup has even Americans watching soccer.

rob_lewis it's funny you should post a link to that area because that's almost where the Austin Statesman said it would be.