Circuit of the Americas Development Updates - Page 9

Armybrat · #**161** Posted **Feb 26, 2011, 11:30 PM**

Drove around McAngus Road & Elroy Road on Thursday checking on my land - saw the beginnings of access driveways to the F1 property being opened and some heavy earth-moving equipment in the field on the west side of their location.

Looks like they really are gonna do it.

vfacundo · #**162** Posted **Feb 27, 2011, 3:39 AM**

See more pictures at "Friends of Formula 1 Austin Texas" on Facebook.

Armybrat · #**163** Posted **Feb 27, 2011, 4:13 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by vfacundo

See more pictures at "Friends of Formula 1 Austin Texas" on Facebook.

My 25 acres is just south (left) of that neighborhood, fronting on McAngus Road.

Jdawgboy · #**164** Posted **Feb 27, 2011, 10:13 PM**

That part of Travis County is not much to look at. To think that at one time around 200 years ago that area was filled with rolling prairies and live Oak, Elm, and other Hardwood Forests mixed through. It was probably very beautiful before the forests were wiped out to make way for ranching, now its just scrub with Mesquite and some juniper. Mesquite not even being a true native to the region really sucks the ground dry with its deep roots as well as the Juniper.

KevinFromTexas · #**165** Posted **Feb 28, 2011, 12:40 AM**

Responsible (and sensible) ranchers actively clear out Cedar. That stuff guzzles water and will deplete their ground (well) water. Getting rid of it is also a good way to keep a creek flowing on your property.

Anyway, yes that area is pretty dull. My sister lives in the neighborhood that's visible in the photo above. There is a pretty sweet view of downtown from just outside her neighborhood.

Armybrat · #**166** Posted **Feb 28, 2011, 2:29 AM**

Well, the area along McAngus Road & 812 to the south is nothing but 3rd world trash. Probably the ugliest neighborhood in Travis County. The neighborhood shown is pretty nice with a fairly new school.

That will be an embarassment to the State of Texas when the international "jet set" drive through 812 on the way to the F1 races.

My 25 acres is all clear and plowed to raise hay.

Jdawgboy · #**167** Posted **Feb 28, 2011, 7:59 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by Armybrat

Well, the area along McAngus Road & 812 to the south is nothing but 3rd world trash. Probably the ugliest neighborhood in Travis County. The neighborhood shown is pretty nice with a fairly new school.

That will be an embarassment to the State of Texas when the international "jet set" drive through 812 on the way to the F1 races.

My 25 acres is all clear and plowed to raise hay.

You see now that is nice, and something to look at rather than scrub and dead grass. Eventually Im assuming the run down trailer neighborhoods will slowly be replaced in time. But my thinking is any new investment coming to Austin from Formula 1 will probably be Downtown or right around the track itself.

JoninATX · #**168** Posted **Mar 1, 2011, 7:25 AM**

Beneath the Hype of F1 Austin: Part 1

Quote:

By Flood1 - Tuesday January 25, 2011 - 2:32 am .
1074 Views | 1 Comment | 1 Votes

Building a Formula One facility and promoting a Formula One event is a very complicated matter. Back in May when Bernie told the world that Formula One was coming to Austin, we were all quite excited. Especially exciting was the prospect of having the first “real” F1 circuit in the US since Watkins Glen.

But soon after the initial party was over, there was the realization that a very difficult task lay ahead. When sober minds started considering all of the things that must be done to pull this rabbit out of the hat, the exhilaration turned to a measured panic.

Initialization of the Project -

The processes involved in managing a project of this nature are well understood. All projects have the same elements, but some projects have very special circumstances that must be considered. I have been following this closely and there are some aspects of this project’s implementation that I am very comfortable with, and some that I am not.

The fact that Tavo Hellmund and his group Full Throttle Productions (FTP) secured a 10 year contract with Formula One Management (FOM) is in itself a remarkable accomplishment. Several years of preparation preceded the announcement, and the success is a testament to Tavo’s hard work and perseverance. He used his contacts in F1 to his advantage and never stopped pursuing his dream in spite of the odds against him.

Back in Texas, he shared his dream with lawmakers at the very top of the political hierarchy. He brought the Governor, Rick Perry, on board as well as State Comptroller Susan Combs. With them came legislation (SB 1515), introduced by Senator Kirk Watson, to include F1 as a major event, thus making the event eligible for funds from the Texas Major Events Trust Fund. This may be worth as much as $25 million per year: very good work from FTP.

Choosing the architectural firm that would lead the design effort had taken place well before the FOM contract had been signed. There are only two circuit designers with the credentials necessary to design F1 circuits: Apex Circuit Designers, Ltd of Buckinghamshire, UK and Tilke GmbH of Aachen, Germany.

Tilke got the nod. The project schedule is very demanding, and FTP needed a design team that knew the ropes. Tilke knows where every receptacle, waste bin, and toilet must be placed. Their design team is intimately familiar with every detail of the FIA’s requirements for homologation of a circuit. There was no other choice.

Tilke is not highly regarded by many F1 fans, but FTP took control over the design and influenced the outcome, as is their right: they are paying the bills. The result is a very good circuit layout placed on a property that has interesting topography.

Early on the FTP team and their partners had identified several potential properties in the Austin area that would be suitable. They obtained options on some of these properties two years ago, although exactly where is not clear. However, the deal was struck with the owners of the Wandering Creek development. The Wandering Creek housing development project had its share of problems, and those problems were compounded by the bursting of the housing bubble. One of the financial partners in the Formula 1 United States team is Bobby Epstein and his firm Prophet Capital. It is no coincidence that he was also an investor in Wandering Creek. The acquisition of property for the circuit was now complete.

http://www.austinpost.org/content/austin-gp-project-management-part-1

Spaceman · #**169** Posted **Mar 22, 2011, 5:06 PM**

Bernie is meeting with Michael Bloomberg who wants a GP in the New York area...If one follows any F1 chat rooms most chatters will tell you that Bernie has no loyalty to anyone but himself....He is hated by the F1 community for his money grapping ways...A New York GP would be a street race, not on a actual track...As to whether the US could support two races, that remains to be seen..The Austin organizers need to keep on top of this and be on guard when dealing with Ecclestone.

Jdawgboy · #**170** Posted **Mar 23, 2011, 3:06 AM**

Sure Michael Bloomberg would love a GP in New York but that is a very up hill battle. Not only that but most of the officials in Staten Island are not likely to support it.

Armybrat · #**171** Posted **Mar 25, 2011, 1:34 AM**

Aerial view of the Race Track:

http://vimeo.com/austingrandprix/first-aerial-video-of-austin-track-construction

KevinFromTexas · #**172** Posted **Mar 25, 2011, 3:05 AM**

^You can embed the video on the forum.

http://vimeo.com/21259599

Here are the tags you need. On the video link above, you'll notice some numbers to the right. Those are all you need to embed the video.

It should look like this: [vimeo]21259599[/vimeo ] Now just move in that last bracket, and this is what you get:

Video Link

BevoLJ · #**173** Posted **Mar 25, 2011, 3:18 AM**

Very very cool. Thank you Gruntbrat! =)

They seem to have made a lot more progress over the past couple months than I had imagined they could have. Didn't they just get federal approval to begin in mid January?

Jdawgboy · #**174** Posted **Mar 25, 2011, 5:17 PM**

They are moving at a break neck speed. Im not surprised now when they say they will have it complete by June 2012. They have a huge construction crew that works at least 10 hours a day.

BevoLJ · #**175** Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 9:52 PM**

Seen a couple stories on F1 Austin the past two days. One from UT saying they will try not to plan a football game on the same weekend of the race. 300k people in town for the race and over 100k in town for the game could end up a real mess. The other is that they are adding another race to the Austin track. A motorcycle race.

http://www.statesman.com/sports/longhorn...a-2012-1392384.html?cxtype=rss_longhorns

Quote:

UT says it would consider moving a 2012 football game if it coincides with Formula One weekend
By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

University of Texas men's athletic director DeLoss Dodds said he will consider moving a home football game if it falls on the same weekend as Austin's Formula One race.

If the two mega-events did happen to collide on the same weekend, it's likely football fans would find there was no room at the inn or wind up paying double or triple what they're used to spending for a weekend stay in Austin.

"I hope there would be a willingness to work together," Dodds said after a recent men's athletic council meeting.

It's uncommon for UT to shift the dates of football games, but it will happen this season to accommodate a television broadcast. The Longhorns' game against Baylor has been moved from Oct. 22 to Dec. 3 to help create a two-game TV package that day showcasing the Big 12 Conference.

The Big 12's loss of Nebraska and Colorado after this school year has left the conference's 2012 football schedule in flux. Right now, Texas has only two firm dates for home games, Sept. 1 against Wyoming and Sept. 8 against New Mexico.

A date for Austin's first F1 race, scheduled for 2012, will not be set until later this year. The 2011 Formula One schedule was announced in September.

Promoters of the U.S. Grand Prix have been told to have their venue near Elroy ready for a race by June 2012. A common assumption has been that Austin's race could be paired with the only other F1 race in North America, the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. That race will be run on June 12 this year and could have ideal weather conditions
....

http://www.bizjournals.com/austin/news/2...izj_austin+%28Austin+Business+Journal%29

Quote:

Formula One Austin facility to host motorcycle race
Austin Business Journal - by Jacob Dirr, Staff Writer

The planners behind the Austin Formula One race announced Tuesday a new partnership to host the motorcycle equivalent, called the MotoGP.
Austin track developer Tavo Hellmund had previously denied reports that the motorcycle race could be coming to Austin.

The race draws 105,000 to 150,000 fans, according to a January article in the Austin American-Statesman.

Details of the new race are available here.

Texas State Comptroller Susan Combs is providing $25 million to help pay for the F1 race. A Combs’ spokesman said no application has been submitted to subsidize the MotoGP.

Track developers also announced the new name of the venue, called “The Circuit of the Americas” and released construction details. Plans include a 5,400-square-foot medical building and more than a dozen meeting suites, each about 3,600 square feet large.

The keystone will be a 3.4-mile circuit track with capacity for 120,000 fans.
.....

Somnio · #**176** Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 10:48 PM**

Quote:

F1 organizers announce top motorcycle series, new initiatives
By American-Statesman staff | Tuesday, April 12, 2011, 03:50 PM

Austin will get another major motorsports event, a MotoGP race for 10 years beginning in 2013. The announcement was made Tuesday.

...

Also announced were plans for a three-story convention center that could be used year-round, and a trauma center that will be used as a training facility for area emergency care professionals and medical school students, officials said.

It will also have a large outdoor live music venue, promoter Tavo Hellmund said.

...

Educational partnerships were also announced with Texas A&M, St. Edward’s and Huston-Tillotson universities as well as the Del Valle Independent School District.

...

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/s...04/12/f1_organizers_to_announce_new.html

http://www.circuitoftheamericas.com/

Somnio · #**177** Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 11:15 PM**

• Video Link

BevoLJ · #**178** Posted **Apr 12, 2011, 11:32 PM**

Wow that video just rocks! Thank you for posting it.

All my friends from other cities always give me crap when I speak highly of Austin because we don't have any "pro-sports" and thus we are an irrelevant city. =P

Well when this thing is done we still might not have MLB, NFL, or NBA teams but this is certainly a pro-sport. And with it being such a large international sport rather than just US it fits much better in Austin than those acronyms I mentioned.

I'm still amazed and don't know quite how the hell Austin landed these races.

KevinFromTexas · #**179** Posted **Apr 13, 2011, 12:00 AM**

Here's that video from their website:

http://www.circuitoftheamericas.com/

Somnio · #**180** Posted **Apr 13, 2011, 12:05 AM**

It really is exciting. Having both the Formula 1 and MotoGP in Austin every year is going to be huge. Austin is going to be the United States' premier racing destination, and the city will become synonymous with racing much like Indianapolis is today.