US GP in Austin Discussion and Speculation...

Ate dinner Saturday night with a high up project manager at Austin Commercial in Dallas. He just completed the Irving Convention Center, and is heading up the Parkland Hospital
$1billion plus hospital under construction in Dallas.

His group has been called in to assist the Austin branch with the grandstands. The biggest issue he has seen is bringing the F1 group up to speed on the Americans with Disabilities Act requirements in the states, and the costs that comes with that. They are in a redesign and repricing mode right now.

He will keep me posted on the progress of the facility. Glad to have found a good source of information on this subject. When I tried to explain how big a deal this is to people all over the world, his eyes glassed over and I could see him drifting off.

 

Sometimes the second lowest bidder is right where you want to be, brudda!

Only time will tell.......

 

This track will be something very special i think from a driver´s point of view. AND the fans with the carbon copy of turn 8 istanbul with the stands inside the turn. just epic.

So many elements form other tracks in the world incorporated into one nice circuit

 

They just want 4% 'of everything" to be the labor brokers, keep your hooks in him for some good seats tho.....

He's wrong about one thing, tho...only the track design is from Euro firms, the facilities architect is out of USA and has done PLENTY of stadium work. I guess we can look forward to those stupid pedestrian ramps like Reliant Stadium........the folks in wheelchairs will die where they burn, punching a lit button for a slow azz elevator...LOL!

 

Yes, HKS is the design team, but there was some talk from the Tavo group about not needing to do this and that, when you know as well as anyone that the rules take precedent over the dollars.

 

THAT kind of attitude will get you two 'go rounds" with Permitting!!!

Glad to see some known players on board the team, for sure, just worried about the whole cash flow situation......I doubt Tavo would satisfy the Credit Check my company uses, for example...

Time in business: "Since the middle of last week"......."OK, Thanks"........

 

"You'd better just take that 'boyish charm" of yours on upstairs, and see what you can do about this situation..."
City of Houston Permit Clerk, wearing three inch long curved fluorescent polished fingernails

I went up and had a Chief Inspector to make some computer entries (against a project that was "Foundation ONLY" as far as Plan Approvals went), and bounded back downstairs to give her the (quite large) check....

 

I have a COMPLETELY opposite opinion.

'Carbon copy' is good?....no way. Sounds like the adult food equivalent of baby food.

 

Turn 8 is one of the best turns in F1.
What is so bad about having a close replica of that turn in another country?

I think this will be one of the few drivers tracks in the world.

 

I agree, Turn 8 is spectacular as is the 130R in Suzuka and the Eau Rouge at SPA.

 

That's the kind of thing they do at Disneyland.

 

...And i´m done here. that´s enough for me lol.

Fantastic logics and view of things.

 

I'd prefer originality...copying other racetracks is lame.

 

There is a difference between copying and incorporating best features, but sometimes it's a fine line. Would you say that all F1 cars are copies, or, the various manufactures have incorporated key features they feel make their car the best? People can disagree all day what they think is best or not (you know the old saying, An opinion is like an ......., everyone has one, and no one really cares to hear someone elses), I'm just glad F1 is coming back to the states. Be it Texas, Indianapolis, or Toadsuck AR.

 

Please, definitely not Ar-Kansas!

 

but it's cheap

 

True. However we wouldn't have much today if the racetracks of old just copied each other.

 

Maybe if Tilke copies his own original design it will be a sort of double negative? So possibly greatness

 

Beat me to it. But then again F1 venues are literally becoming theme parks

 

Construction update; crews are working 12 hour days, 6 days a week


http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/racing/entries/2011/02/28/not_24x7.html

Construction at Austin’s Grand Prix site not 24x7
By John Maher | Monday, February 28, 2011, 03:52 PM

Promoters of the U.S. Grand Prix have been told to have the track ready to host a Formula One race by June, 2012. They would appear to be on very tight deadline but promoters haven’t pushed the panic button — at least not yet.
A couple years ago, when heavy rains caused contractors to fall behind on the construction of the north end zone project at the University of Texas football stadium, construction literally was ramped up to a 24x7 pace.
Construction at the F1 site southeast of Austin has increased in the past two weeks but it’s more like 12x6, limited to daylight hours with Sundays still a rest day of rest. Here’s a Sunday shot of about a half dozen idled pieces of big machinery.

 

Thankfully the Koreans showed that the track doesn't need to be finished to hold a race.

 

Good news!

 

Yes, very encouraging.

 

I heard that the Austin track design incorporates a big stage for rock concerts, sprinklers and this roundabout. Rumor has it, that they will build a giant windmill in the middle of it:
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POI Do F1 cars drive on the right or the left of the road?