Circuit of the Americas Development Updates - Page 26

BevoLJ · #**501** Posted **Jul 30, 2011, 12:13 PM**

So Nov. 18th. Wow. What a great week. F1, UT vs A$M, Thanksgiving... man that would just rock. And is a great date for the US GP.

Hotels will be packed full for two straight weeks. lol. All those here for F1, all those in town for the game, then visiting loved ones for Thanksgiving weekend.

It will be a real test of our airport of the likes we have never seen. It will blow the doors off any other Thanksgiving travel days in the past, or SXSW.

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...type=rss_local

Quote:

Reports say new provisional 2012 F1 calendar moves Austin race from June to November
By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 12:16 a.m. Saturday, July 30, 2011
Published: 9:57 p.m. Friday, July 29, 2011

Austin's inaugural Formula One race in 2012 might be getting a new date one that could set up one of the biggest, wildest weeks in Austin's sporting history. Imagine the city's first Grand Prix, which could attract as many as 120,000 fans on a Sunday, followed a few days later by a Thanksgiving Day Texas-Texas A&M football game.

Reports have surfaced this week that F1 boss Bernie Ecclestone has presented F1 teams with a new provisional schedule for 2012 that puts the Austin race on Nov. 18.

The World Motorsport Council, an arm of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, last month penciled in June 17, 2012, as the date of the first Austin race.

"That (November date) is provisional until approved by the WC," FIA official Nick Craw said in an email Friday.

Craw is president of the Automobile Competition Committee for the United States and Senate President of the FIA, the international governing body of motor sports of which the World Motor Sport Council is a powerful arm.

That council is expected to finalize F1's 2012 calendar in the fall.

One F1 team, Williams, declined to comment on whether a new calendar had been circulated. Three others did not respond to emails from the American-Statesman.

Ali Putnam, a spokeswoman for Austin's Circuit of the Americas, said circuit officials are moving forward as planned.

"The articles appearing are speculation — they are not an official source of information regarding the Formula 1 2012 race calendar," she said. "Until such time as we receive an official announcement regarding changes to the schedule, we are proceeding as planned toward the June 17, 2012 date."

...

Spaceman · #**502** Posted **Jul 30, 2011, 5:02 PM**

It could also be near freezing with strong north wind and rain...As a former mailman I froze my butt off on several occasions in late November. In 1980 there was snow on the ground for Thanksgiving...

Jdawgboy · #**503** Posted **Jul 30, 2011, 9:21 PM**

Yes, I had to point that out on the Friends of Formula One Austin Facebook page and people were replying actually Austin is blah blah blah which I know quite well how Austin weather is since I was born and raised here and I made the point again it can go either way could be nice, could be very very cold.

Cloud92 · #**504** Posted **Jul 30, 2011, 10:49 PM**

pretty sure it wont be freezing in november

hookem · #**505** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 1:14 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cloud92

pretty sure it wont be freezing in november

I agree. It might be a miserable 50 degrees and rainy ("mild" by most European standards), or it might be 75 degrees and sunny. But below freezing? No way.

BevoLJ · #**506** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 2:04 AM**

It can get pretty nasty and cold around or after Thanksgiving, but it is usually quite nice. July though is a whole different story. It is pretty much always hotter than hell.

KevinFromTexas · #**507** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 4:45 AM**

The average first freeze for Austin is December 2, but we usually have a freeze before Thanksgiving.

electricron · #**508** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 5:22 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The average first freeze for Austin is December 2, but we usually have a freeze before Thanksgiving.

Even 40 to 50 degrees F would be too cold for the F1 racing tires. It doesn't have to get down to freezing for the tire's traction to be bad....

hookem · #**509** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 6:48 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by KevinFromTexas

The average first freeze for Austin is December 2, but we usually have a freeze before Thanksgiving.

Umm, wouldn't that mean we don't usually have a freeze before Thanksgiving?

the Genral · #**510** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 10:40 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hookem

Umm, wouldn't that mean we don't usually have a freeze before Thanksgiving?

I do remember quite a few Thanksgivings where I drove to my parent's house in NW Austin for TG dinner and we had sleet coming or going.

The ATX · #**511** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 12:11 PM**

What we know about a June race date is that it will be very hot every year of the 10 year event.

It will almost always be very pleasant on a Novemebr race date. But over a 10 year period there will probably be at least one unseasonably cold, miserable day.

Remember, the track is by the airport which is is an area that traps more cold air than other parts of the metro. The airport's morning low temps can be about 10 degrees colder on occasion than the city's official readings at Camp Mabry. The December 2 first freeze date is for Camp Mabry averages.

Armybrat · #**512** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 1:11 PM**

Somebody posted this on the C-D Austin forum:

Quote:

Austin temperature data for Nov 18, 2010:
High: 66F
Low: 43F
Dew point: 36F
No precipitation

Spaceman · #**513** Posted **Jul 31, 2011, 10:13 PM**

I watched the race on Speed this morning and it looks as though Bernie as stated the June date is the race day in Austin.

KevinFromTexas · #**514** Posted **Aug 1, 2011, 3:31 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by hookem

Umm, wouldn't that mean we don't usually have a freeze before Thanksgiving?

That's the average for Mabry. I thought it was the average for ABIA, but it isn't. It typically freezes even earlier at ABIA.

ABIA sits at one of the lowest spots in the city in the river valley, and so the cold air always sinks to that spot. The temperature difference between ABIA and the Mabry site can sometimes be 20 degrees. Last February it was 10F at my sister's house, and they live 2 miles from the F1 track.

ABIA historical weather data. Note that the average first freeze at ABIA is Nov. 28. ABIA is only 2 miles from the F1 track. The earliest freeze was Oct 25, and the latest was April 17.

http://www.kvue.com/community/blogs/...105899603.html

Quote:

City Ave First & Last Freeze, Earliest & Latest Freeze
Austin ABIA Nov 28 & Mar 3, Oct 25, 2005 & Apr 17, 1999
Austin Camp Mabry Dec 2 & Feb 23, Oct 26, 1924 & Apr 9, 1914

Cloud92 · #**515** Posted **Aug 1, 2011, 6:48 AM**

i know its Wikipedia but it says the average for Austin in November is 70 degrees and low at 49 so eh i don't know its always changing but its always really nice

KevinFromTexas · #**516** Posted **Aug 1, 2011, 6:56 AM**

I think October is our nicest month. Clear blue skies, crisp dry air and cool temps. It's my favorite time of year in Austin.

hookem · #**517** Posted **Aug 1, 2011, 6:14 PM**

This news may have been accidentally leaked, because there is no mention of it anywhere but this little snippet from this weekend's F1 broadcast. But if it pans out, we could be seeing a Red Bull F1 demo on the streets of downtown Austin in the next few weeks:

http://www.theaustingrandprix.com/ne...in-austin.html

The break they refer to is from now until August 28. So it would have to happen during that time. With the heat in August, I'm not even sure they could run an F1 car -- unless they did it in the evening, and I think the downtown residents might freak out about the noise. But if it happens, it will be quite the spectacle.

KevinFromTexas · #**518** Posted **Aug 3, 2011, 5:58 AM**

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...s-1686574.html

Quote:

Traffic, parking study gives more details of plans to move 120,000 fans at F1 track

By Dave Doolittle
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011
Published: 8:38 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2011

About 20,000 cars and other personal vehicles carrying more than 72,000 people will descend on a Formula One race planned next year at a racetrack under construction in southeastern Travis County, according to a traffic management plan submitted to officials Friday .

Another 26,000 people are expected to arrive by shuttle, nearly 18,000 more will park off-site or in recreational vehicles, and about 1,000 will arrive by bicycle or helicopter, according to the plan, which was done by Kimley-Horn and Associates for local F1 organizers.

The plan is not the final word on traffic control on race weekends for the county roads that lead to the Circuit of the Americas, where yearly F1 races are planned from 2012 to 2021. But it does offer more details from organizers' plans to move an estimated 120,000 people into and out of the circuit and where those people will likely park.

Spaceman · #**519** Posted **Aug 4, 2011, 7:27 PM**

The mayors of two cities on northern New Jersey said that they have been approached by F1 to host street course GP race in 2013...Street course GP races, other than Monaco, have not done well...I wish F1 would put all of its effort behind COTA and stop marketing around it.

Jdawgboy · #**520** Posted **Aug 4, 2011, 8:44 PM**

No they have not been approached by Formula 1, they have been approached by some investors looking to bring Formula 1 there. Im not sure how much steam they really have to actually host this event in 2013 and even though Bernie has in the past desired a race in the New York City area, We already have the commitment for Austin. Many people though do feel that the United States may be able to support 2 races but IMO they need to wait for awhile before they add a second race. Give Austin a chance to show that it can be successful before they throw on another race in the United States. Im not opposed to a second race, just let the race get going here first.