Who wasn't a bit skeptical when they announced it? I mean, come on, it was totally unexpected. Some have just moved on after seeing all of the progress, and trust that its gonna get done....
Well, the fact that the date got pushed back 5 months certainly has a little (read: a lot) to do with the viability of the project. Increasing the construction time by 30-40% has a radical effect on the viability of a time-constrained (and money constrained) project.
From what I've gathered, the investors are waiting on the check from the comptroller. Once COTA gave the press release that the date of the event was provisional until the final vote, and Bernie came out publicly saying the date was going to change...the comptroller had no choice but to hold the application until November. Pure speculation...
Do you honestly believe they ever intended to have the race in June? A November date, paired with Interlagos, makes a lot more sense. I believe the June date was just a means to put a little time pressure on those certain entities that always delay and drag their feet.
I'm tired of chiming.....LOL! It really doesn't hinge on the money, on my contracts, it IS monthly, but you keep pounding against the deadline. The money catches up at the end anyway...it is possible they hit some milestones early and the off site fab components are not yet complete. I told a guy once "You cannot run to Home Depot for the 2000 light fixtures, buddy!" He got me fired..... I have no insight into Austin Commercial that I would care to flex, and Tavo seems to have it under control. There, I quit calling him Tavio, the poor guy has been thru enough! I'm gonna register for Swantz's bike racing course..
If there was never any intention to have a race in June, why on earth put it on the calendar then, forcing a situation where excuses needed to be made to change it? I think the fact that it was scheduled for June, and that the project plan we have seen concludes in June is redoubtable evidence that it was intended to be in June. The alternative is that Austin Commercial was asked to come up with a fake project plan, and all the meetings and permits were based on a knowingly false promise, and the schedule published to the world was fake. Nope, I don't believe that.
To force the city council to expedite the approval process?? Excuse = 'Bernie wants it that way?' Seems like something that COTA can't be blamed for at all......If anything, the city council wanted them to seek a November date, saying it would be better for the ozone. wouldn't say it was 'published to the world' more like, an hispanic contractor association uploaded it to the website, probably without the permission of Austin Commercial, as they have since stopped uploading stuff relating to the project...... Original plan ended in the middle of July, not June....... Wouldn't they have to be done in March to satisfy the FIA inspection 90 days before hosting the race?
The reason is very simple: to put the pressure on the legislature to cough up the $25 Million. That's a pretty good reason to put the race in a June spot. We know how slowly governments work, and I find it likely that it was done to put time pressure to try to reduce the inevitable delays in dealing with the legislature. As for moving the date, you don't have to give an excuse, you just say the November date makes more sense because: 1. weather is better (it won't be over 100 degrees, and will make it easier to sell tickets) 2. reduced travel, since they have to go to Interlagos at that time. 3. Perhaps gives additional significance to the race, in terms of deciding the championships, being so close to the end of the season (which again helps sell tickets). As for the project plan, you can type up a fake one in 10 minutes. I don't see that as redoubtable evidence. Nobody ever makes phony/not-entirely-truthful press releases right?
Have you looked at their website? I have not. This isn't a "large" job for a firm like that, I think it would wait for their year end newsletter. In the day to day we try to stay OUT of the news as it's usually because of a workplace fatality. Also, and Tavo touches on this in the latest Autoweek article, you become a lightning rod for nutjobs in regard to nuisance litigation.
We're talking about renting a house, Ill keep you in the loop. LOL at homer... Just picked up season 13
http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/racing/entries/2011/08/26/f1_track_vertical_construction.html?cxntfid=blogs_formula_austin Vertical construction at the Circuit of the Americas should begin in two to three weeks, according to track spokesman Jeff Hahn. Construction at the track has not halted, but it has slowed considerably in the past few weeks. On a few recent visits to the site, the workers parking lot was mostly empty, holding perhaps 20 cars. While there were a few pieces of heavy machinery moving about, it was nothing compared to the anthill-like activity at the track in recent months. Circuit officials have said the intensive earth-moving phase of the construction is done and they are ahead of schedule. In addition to the abnormally hot and dry weather this summer the race organizers have been helped by an apparent shift in the race date. Organizers have been told to have the 3.4-mile circuit southeast of Austin ready to host Formula Ones U.S. Grand Prix in June 2012. It now appears the race is more likely to be staged in cooler weather in November of that year. Friday Hahn said the track is also closing in on a few key material purchases as the prices on asphalt and steel have dropped recently.
Looks like Top Gear was out there driving the course before DC. http://www.topgear.com/uk/photos/us-gap-2011-08-26
City starting work on substation.... pic from friends of formula 1 facebook. http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.279466948734524.85308.157330087614878&type=1 Image Unavailable, Please Login
COTA withdraws application for METF $$$ (for now)... http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/racing/entries/2011/08/29/new_date_for_f1_confirmed.html?cxntfid=blogs_formula_austin Any connection between this and the suspension of work at the site?
Doubt it. Probably finished up the grading and site prep early. Should be filing for permits for the buildings in the next two or so weeks (per statesman article) Susan Combs probably isn't wanting to write the check early. And, seeing as how the local government has already signed off on it. It's only her keeping it from getting done, and she's been involved with this for a long while..... When they start putting up the buildings are you going to stop second guessing them?
We've been hearing that the money is being released in chunks, after each milestone. To think that getting the check from the state is not one of the milestones would be, for lack of a better term, niave. Sure they have the city endorsement, but the check aint in the mail yet. As posted above, we'll know when we start seeing vert construction.
Ben, if you pay attention to what I said all along, it was that progress was not sufficient to meet 6/2012. Turns out I was 100% correct. That said, I don't believe this project is financially viable and fully funded as COTA has been claiming. They make some progress during the summer, while lobby for public $$$,... and as soon as that money gets held up,... progress stops. Interesting... I'm still a skeptic. (prob 70/30 that there won't be a race in 2012). Would I like there to be... 100% yes. Do I believe there will be,... no. Donnington Park was much farther ahead than this and collapsed.
from Bernie Ecclestone.....“’We have, for example, moved Austin to November because it’s 40 degrees (Celsius) there in summer. We did not want to repeat the experience of Dallas,’” he said, referring to the 1984 race that was held under brutally hot conditions. Do you honestly believe Bernie just thought of that after the provisional calendar was first published? June was never going to happen; just put there so COTA could get the applications rushed through the city.
