Circuit of the Americas Development Updates

[the Genral]

I bet they get to it now. This is getting exciting.

[hookem]

Originally Posted by electricron

Plans to widen Elroy Road doesn't widen it. Who is going to pay for that?

Is that a serious question?

Who paid for the road widening near the new Cowboys Stadium? Or the Texas Motor Speedway? Surely this is not the first major sports facility to be built in Texas. Why does everything become so baffling when it has to do with the CoTA?

[nixcity]

And who is going to pay for the road to the new subdivision, to the new shopping center, to the etc...????That is not an argument to be used against something, it comes with all growth, and most growth will not provide near the financial payoff that the COTA will.

[electricron]

Originally Posted by hookem

Is that a serious question?

Who paid for the road widening near the new Cowboys Stadium? Or the Texas Motor Speedway? Surely this is not the first major sports facility to be built in Texas. Why does everything become so baffling when it has to do with the CoTA?

You might be surprise to read that TMS and the Cowboys paid their share for new roads near them. So, that was a serious question. Looks like the Circuit is paying for the studies, but still not determined who will pay for the construction. I suggest the City should have that answer on paper already.

Another reply I don't wish to reply separately, Developers in many areas of the State pay for expanding arterial and other roads in/next to their developments.......

[BevoLJ]

This isn't in Austin. At least until it is annexed a few years from now. So I don't think they can do anything about the roads. All of those talks are being done with the county.

I can understand the whole point behind the corporate welfare. That the governments shouldn't be subsidizing these companies. And even more that the $25mil will be going to the UK not staying here in the US. But to expect that the developers build the roads is a stretch to me. That to me is the job of the governments (in this case the county and state.) Having the state give that money to get F1 to come here, and then having the developers do the state (and county's) job by building the roads just seems backwards. lol. What is next? Is the developers going to be expected to provide security and fire protections too?

[Myomi]

Originally Posted by electricron

You might be surprise to read that TMS and the Cowboys paid their share for new roads near them. So, that was a serious question. Looks like the Circuit is paying for the studies, but still not determined who will pay for the construction. I suggest the City should have that answer on paper already.

Another reply I don't wish to reply separately, Developers in many areas of the State pay for expanding arterial and other roads in/next to their developments.......

Wait, so the city didn't pay for anything. I guess the 0.5 percent sales tax increase, 2 percent hotel tax increase, and 5 percent rental care tax increase are all just building a big pile of money somewhere.

Or did they go into helping finance building the actual stadium itself ($325 million dollars I do believe?) And you are kidding yourself if you think the Cowboys paid for the road construction. Maybe some of the side streets perhaps. But the main roads into the area are all funded by taxpayers. Do you really think the I-30 improvements were done by the Cowboys? Hate to break it to you but that was done by the Federal Government. What about TX-161? No, that looks like TXDoT paid for that. Actually, do you mind showing me what road improvements the Cowboys actually paid for?

[hookem]

Originally Posted by electricron

You might be surprise to read that TMS and the Cowboys paid their share for new roads near them. So, that was a serious question. Looks like the Circuit is paying for the studies, but still not determined who will pay for the construction.

Not surprised at all. What I'm saying is that CoTA will be no different; it's already cost-sharing the road improvements for FM812. I'm sure that they will contribute whatever amount is appropriate compared to other facilities in Texas. There is no reason to think otherwise.

[verybadgnome]

Originally Posted by BevoLJ

This isn't in Austin. At least until it is annexed a few years from now. So I don't think they can do anything about the roads. All of those talks are being done with the county.

I can understand the whole point behind the corporate welfare. That the governments shouldn't be subsidizing these companies. And even more that the $25mil will be going to the UK not staying here in the US. But to expect that the developers build the roads is a stretch to me. That to me is the job of the governments (in this case the county and state.) Having the state give that money to get F1 to come here, and then having the developers do the state (and county's) job by building the roads just seems backwards. lol. What is next? Is the developers going to be expected to provide security and fire protections too?

No it isn't a stretch at all. There already is a taxpayer-paid road, FM 812, out there that is perfectly adequate for the amount of traffic demand currently on it. Here is a 2010 congestion map showing the segment in grey meaning "uncongested:"

http://campotexas.org/pdfs/Roadway%2...0in%202010.pdf

F1 wants their fans to have quick access in and out of the facility. Their is no constitutional right to quick and speedy ingress and egress to private motorsports facilities the last I checked. To me that is a luxury that they should pony up for because in a normal workweek that extra capacity is just a waste. Also not paying for a road upgrade will force the developers to find a more creative set of solutions, or not depending solely on capacity improvements for the performance they consider mandatory.

And it really doesn't matter if it the county or the city b/c in the end they will have to either take money from other projects or try to pass a bond package to pay for it. I guess it could matter if you live in the county and it was paid for by the city but that is really a zero sum game.

[Armybrat]

F1 Track gets a tax break - Aleshire is hoppin' mad :

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...e-1613607.html


I had to laugh at this bit of ignorance:


"A wildlife refuge next to an F1 racetrack? Is this a refuge for deaf creatures? The jack rabbits ain't going to stick around," Aleshire said.

Aleshire knows darn well that jackrabbits infested old Mueller airport until the facility was closed. Taking off & landing, you could always see several of them running around...even on the runway.

[Spaceman]

Aleshire is a pitiful remnant of the 80's.

[austin242]

Got a news aritcle from BBC that y'all might want to look at.

Bernie Ecclestone in Formula 1 bribe probe

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-14213249

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/sports/a-te...d-1638719.html

A Texas-bred burst of speed

By John Maher
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Published: 10:33 p.m. Friday, July 22, 2011

MONTEREY, CALIF. — MotoGP rider Ben Spies is something that Formula One only wishes it had, a born-in-the-USA threat to end up on the podium. Spies, who was born in Tennessee but raised in Longview, had a big breakthrough earlier this summer when he won his first MotoGP race, in the Netherlands.

"It's huge," said Kevin Schwantz, a former motorcycle world champion and a partner in the Circuit of the Americas being built southeast of Austin, about having an American — and a Texan — near the top of the sport.

When it was announced in April that Austin would have a MotoGP race for at least five years, beginning in 2013, Spies was on hand to talk about what it meant to have such an event in his home state.

[LoneStarMike]

Originally Posted by Austin American-Statesman

When it was announced in April that Austin would have a MotoGP race for at least five years, beginning in 2013,

I thought the MotoGP was a ten-year contract

source

Dorna Sports, S.L., 3FourTexasMGP, LLC and Full Throttle Productions, LP are pleased to announce the historic signing of a ten-year contract bringing MotoGP to the new Circuit of the Americas™ facility in Austin, Texas, from 2013.

[migol24]

This article was featured on ESPN.

I find it funny that this article still uses the stereotypes to describe Austin. From the article,

Can a Dodge/Ford/Chevy fan base get behind the circuit of McLaren Mercedes, Ferrari and Renault, where one racer’s car has a Hugo Boss logo on the seat belt and everyone spells “tire” with a “y”?

Austin has done a pretty good job of luring in europeans during SXSW but I'm sure they knew that already.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/24/us...er=rss&emc=rss

I think it's also awesome that Uchi got mentioned!

[hookem]

Originally Posted by LoneStarMike

I thought the MotoGP was a ten-year contract

source

They must have mixed it up with the Australian V8 Supercars, which have signed a 5 year contract from 2013.

BTW, both Formula 1 and Moto GP races are on today, if someone wanted to watch what is coming to Austin...

[priller]

I actually met Kevin Schwantz in a restaurant quite a few years back, during the time he and Wayne Rainey were duking it out on the track. I think he was shocked that somebody in Austin recognized him. He certainly had no security or entourage or anything.

Anyway, I'm really excited about the MotoGP.

[BevoLJ]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fb...19399881419693

[KevinFromTexas]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/...n-1658610.html

Local F1 panel applies to tap $25 million in annual subsidies

By Dave Doolittle
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF
Updated: 8:40 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Published: 8:28 p.m. Tuesday, July 26, 2011

A local Formula One group, acting on behalf of the City of Austin, has filed documents with the state comptroller's office seeking to tap $25 million in annual funds over 10 years to help cover part of the cost of races planned for a track under construction in southeastern Travis County.

Comptroller Susan Combs' office received the documents Friday from the Circuit Events Local Organizing Committee, a five-member board comprising business executives and lawyers selected by local F1 officials. The committee approved the city's involvement in the race July 16, after a City Council vote to endorse the event.

[Armybrat]

View of Austin F1 racetrack Turn 1 hill under construction - looking east from my property:



My property looking north (the hay crop is all burned up - 2011 crop fail):

[BevoLJ]

http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/93442

2012 Formula 1 calendar set for major overhaul
By Jonathan Noble
AUTOSPORT.COM

Formula 1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone plans to move the Bahrain Grand Prix to the tail end of the 2012 season, AUTOSPORT can reveal, as part of a revised calendar that looks set to see Turkey dropped entirely.

Although the FIA published its version of the 2012 schedule at its most recent meeting of the FIA World Motor Sport Council last month, it is understood that Ecclestone has undertaken a major reshuffle in the plans for next year.

With teams concerned about the first race being in Bahrain - because of the still uncertain political situation and the spotlight that could overshadow the season build-up ahead of the event's return to the calendar – Ecclestone's primary focus was on sorting out what to do with the Sakhir date.

As well as that, there was some concern in the United States about the possibility of hosting the new race in Austin in June – when very high temperatures could prove troublesome for drivers, teams and spectators.

Sources have revealed that Ecclestone has now finalised his major reorganisation of the calendar, which he has given to the teams for them to highlight any issues they have.

It is understood that he plans for the 2012 season to now start in Australia, with Bahrain shifting to a November date where it will be fitted in as a back-to-back with Abu Dhabi.

This will give Bahrain authorities an extra nine months to ensure the political situation in the Gulf state is improved enough for there to be no concerns from teams about the staging of the event.

As well as moving Bahrain to later on in the calendar, it is also understood that Austin will be moved to the end of the campaign – with it becoming the penultimate race of the season before Brazil. The two events will also form a back-to-back.