Circuit of the Americas Development Updates

[Trae]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

you are talking about citydata.com?

City-Data is probably the most entertaining forum out there. If you want good laughs, visit City-Data. It brings me back to my SkyscraperCity days. SSP is much better for mature conversations, but C-D has gotten a [i]little[/b] better, in some areas.

Anyway, this F1 track is good for Austin.. You guys seem to be doing a lot lately.

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by JoninATX

wwmiv mybad I got over excited when I saw that F1 was in "trouble" someone was telling me that it was cancalled. I'm a little flustrated so my apologies.

Why would you be excited over something like that? Do you not realize how big this is for Austin? Obviously you care enough about this city or at least interested in it to be on a forum like this, why would you be against something that will do so much for this city???

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by MichaelB

you are talking about citydata.com?

Yes I was talking about citydata.com Fun to get on there to talk smack but I like SSP the best.

[JoninATX]

I'm not against F1, I was concerned about what would happen that's all.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/ne...t-be-just.html

Formula One Austin races won’t just be for world’s elite

Austin Business Journal - by Don Muret, Street & Smith’s SportsBusiness Journal
Date: Monday, April 18, 2011, 7:41am CDT

The planned Formula One Austin racing facility will accommodate general admission spectators as much as its wealthy premium patrons, the sport’s core audience in other parts of the world.

The Circuit of the Americas, a $400 million project, is the first dedicated F1 track to be built in the U.S. Project officials are positioning it as a multipurpose property that can play host to music festivals and foot and bicycle races, all popular recreational activities in Austin.

[KevinFromTexas]

You know, that article I posted above said the F1 races in Austin wouldn't be for the elite. Well, now maybe it will.

This is of course referring to News Corp which owns Fox News, Myspace and other forms of media. The concern is that News Corp would make it a cable only event and possibly even Pay Per View only.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2011...-talks-murdoch

Formula One subject of takeover talks by Rupert Murdoch and Carlos Slim
News Corp in talks to make joint bid for one of few sports where it has no foothold with Mexican magnate Carlos Slim

Ben Quinn, Mark Sweney and Dominic Rushe in New York
guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 19 April 2011 22.15 BST
Article history

Rupert Murdoch's News Corp is in talks with Carlos Slim, said to be the world's richest man, about making a joint bid for the control of Formula One motor racing – one of the few major commercial sports in which it has yet to gain a foothold.

The bid was, according to Sky News, in the early stages, with News Corp in talks about forming a consortium that would include the Mexican billionaire.

It would also be the first time that the global media group, which currently owns the rights to most live Premier League football, had taken over an entire sport and could be a major blow for the BBC.

The BBC counts F1 as the last major sport – unprotected by legislation governing its broadcast – over which it has sole broadcasting rights in the UK.

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/sport/2011...ews?intcmp=239

'It is rubbish, Formula One is not for sale' insists Bernie Ecclestone
• 'We would not sell to a media company,' says Ecclestone
• Any financial offer would have to be 'ridiculous'

Giles Richards
guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 20 April 2011 11.05 BST

Bernie Ecclestone has dismissed speculation of a potential takeover of Formula One by a consortium led by News Corporation.

It was suggested on Tuesday that News Corp had held talks with the world's richest man, the Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim (who entered the sport as a backer of the Sauber team this year), and a leading manufacturer, rumoured to be Ferrari, with regard to the possibility of making a bid for F1.

However, Ecclestone, the chief executive of the owner and commercial rights holder of F1, the venture capital company CVC, claims the story is without foundation.

"It is all rubbish," Ecclestone told the Times. "Formula One is not for sale. And, anyway, we would not sell to a media company because it would restrict the ability to negotiate with other broadcasters."

[Mdlx]

Google recently updated their maps to March 9, 2011. You can just make out the track layout among all the construction

The location of the arrow is somewhere along the pit straight
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=30.132...,0.027874&z=16

[KevinFromTexas]

I saw the site today. We drove past it on FM 812. You can see downtown from right on FM 812, and just a bit east of there the road goes up a steep hill and has an even better view of it. And just a little farther than that 812 goes into Bastrop County. On the way back I saw downtown from inside Bastrop County.

[Jdawgboy]

The race track is only one part of a much larger complex. The track and associated buildings are being built on about 340 to 350 acres, but that is only 1/3 of the total amount of land that they bought which is 1,100 acres. This is phase one, there will be a phase two and phase three. No announcements have been made on what the other phases will be but I am sure whatever it is, will also be a very huge deal for Austin...

[JoninATX]

Wow I had no idea that there were 3 phases plan for that area, now I'm more excited to hear whats next.

[Armybrat]

Well, they can buy my 25 acres next door and have 3 1/2 phases.

[Spaceman]

They had better work overtime to complete this project before kathie tovo puts the stops to it !!!!!!

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

They had better work overtime to complete this project before kathie tovo puts the stops to it !!!!!!

Kathie Tovo will not be able to stop it no matter what she thinks. This thing has gained so much steam and gained so many huge supporters and partners that it will be difficult at this point short of complete economic meltdown to stop this project. I still have hope for Randi Shade and don't forget to vote people, but this project has a huge amount of funding and investments. Kathie Tovo has a uphill battle if she thinks she is going to put a dent in this project.

[Armybrat]

Kathie Tovo is a 19-year Austin resident.

That'a about what I figured....a carpetbagger.

[KevinFromTexas]

Well they've already got the land torn up for it. If they were to leave it as is, there would be a huge erosion problem there and it would be an environmental problem. And if Kathie Tovo is going to peddle to Austinites, she better hide that piece of information.

[Jdawgboy]

There is too much already involved with the project and yes it is well under construction. Believe me if they did not think they could complete the project on time for whatever reason, you would not see long term contracts being made by these huge world class race series. They don't just sign willy nilly contracts. This project has been in the works for nearly 10 years which many people don't realize that fact. We are talking about thousands of new jobs and a new international exposure for Austin that many cities would love to have. Its not only the race aspect of the project, that is so important for Austin, its also the extra convention space and executive suites that Austin badly needs. Even the Mayor has stated Austin needs to have more convention space if we are going to be competitive. This project is also the jump start to some very needed hotel construction, which we are now starting to see.

I am very curious to find out what they are planning to do with phase 2 and phase 3.

[Spaceman]

According to the Speed website F-1 is staring to fracture with Ferrari, again, wanting to leave and start it's own league....This is a regular occurance with Ferrari but it could pose a problem for Austin's track..
F-1 is always on shaky ground due to the egos and $$$$$$$$$$$$ involved in this sport...Going through a season with no controversy equates to taking Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton to the Cannes film festival and expecting neither to get drunk nor laid!!! Not gonna happen......

[Jdawgboy]

Originally Posted by Spaceman

According to the Speed website F-1 is staring to fracture with Ferrari, again, wanting to leave and start it's own league....This is a regular occurance with Ferrari but it could pose a problem for Austin's track..
F-1 is always on shaky ground due to the egos and $$$$$$$$$$$$ involved in this sport...Going through a season with no controversy equates to taking Lindsey Lohan and Paris Hilton to the Cannes film festival and expecting neither to get drunk nor laid!!! Not gonna happen......

I wouldn't worry about it, It wont cause a major problem in fact if they do split its fair to say Ferrari could host a race here. The track is designed to host all sorts of races, F1 is huge, yes the biggest of all, but Tavo is smart, he is lining up other race series. Already MOTO GP which has a bigger following in the U.S., more race series will be announced this summer. The point is, this is the only fully purpose built grade 1 circuit in the United States, that in itself is a big deal and that is why we are seeing so much interest from other race series.

[KevinFromTexas]

I wonder what kind of impact or interaction the MOTO GP race and ROT Rally might have on each other. Imagine two biker rallies every year, or them moving the date closer to the race.