So these three grandstands are for the 120,000 people, or are the masses supposed to sit on the grass? Who exactly is COTA's target market for buying tickets? Sounds more like the people that attend races for the social value, and not real race fans. Would the typical European F1 fan shell out this kind of money for a race ticket along with airfare and the obscene hotels, when they can drive to half a dozen other venues for a fraction of the cost? Is COTA thinking there are a few thousand American race fans that would pay this much money to attend a race, year after year? And after the first 2-3 years, does anyone seriously think this will continue? Question for those that paid their reservation deposit, was the money put in some sort of escrow account that allows for it to be refunded if the event is a no-go? Or are you just out of luck?
Quite amazing this event is. I think my plan for NJ and now Argentine are becoming quite firm. Too bad the dedicated F1 fans in the US continue to endure this ever changing .......something.
Yes, it was our understanding that only people that paid for or are going to pay for the licenced tickets will be getting an actually seat at Austin, for everyone else it will be a GA ticket sitting on a grassy nole. Im worried the GA tickets are going to be a few hundred bucks. Austin sure seems to be going about this all wrong. Jim
If GA tickets cost anywhere near a few hundred bucks, they can count me out....and go F themselves. Mark
Refundable - if the market (based on survey) is open to PSL, why not test the waters and see how many sign up ($500 discount if you paid now)? If only a few bite then they can open it to normal format - can't quite do it the other way around!! I don't necessarily condone their approach but they have over 15,000 accounts that have made a deposit - even if only a fraction convert, it's still $$$ in the bank. Remember we don't have any top tier professional sports team here, so locking in for a world class event may appeal to local businesses and wealthy individuals that want to entertain.
So much for the fans eh? Indy took such good care of fans. Austin and real fans deserve better than what is going on now. So good for the rich who could care less but get to be seen and real fans get grass on their ass? LOL!!! Thats TOTAL BS!
Can this be right???? Spa has 12 grandstands, Malaysia has 15 or so. The seating capacity at Malaysia is something like 40,000 people, and at Spa it's 70k total which includes general admission - so maybe 30,000 grandstand seats. So with 3 grandstands, how many seats will COTA have available? 9,000? Less? GA is great, but I think it mostly appeals to locals who don't want to spend tons of money on the event. But if you're (very conservatively) spending $1,000 for a plane ticket, $1,500 on hotel and $1,000 in misc stuff (food, souvenirs, transport) *per person*, who is going to care about saving $350 on the track ticket? If that's correct, this thing is going off the rails quick. They ought to just start in 2013 and get it right from the beginning.
Refundable by whom? COTA? So the money is not in an escrow account, it is in the hands of those that may fail, and likely keep the money. Like someone else said, they are going about this the wrong way. Slowly, I cross that line that hopes they fail miserably. This group has no concern the the race fan, unless they are a race fan that can afford tickets to a race that cost in the Superbowl range. A $500 discount for a ticket that should cost no more than $200? Some bargain. At the end of the day, it will be the City of Austin that looks bad.
...where have been over the last 10+ years? if F1 was about fans, tickets would be $100 and European tracks wouldn't be continuously are risk of loosing their slot! None of the recent tracks have been built with Fan in mind - it's about the glitz and glamor, the rich and shameless... If you don't like it, there's always Nascar !
City will be just fine either way, plenty of other things going on that are putting it on the map. COTA is a private venture, how they decide to market the seats is their business...last thing we need is more government involvement!
Just curious whether you support tax dollars going to this? $250M of tax payer money is a lot of PUBLIC funding going to a private venture...
Great attitude seems coming from those in Austin now that a sad reality is coming forth. Sorry, but all the criticism of COTA is well warranted. Not sure why you are all so defensive, facts are facts. European tracks may charge $300-$400 Euro for a grandstand seat, but that comes nowhere near $1500 to $5000 USD. Not to mention hotel room costs, train access, etc. And at least they offer more ecnomic grandstands in Europe. My start finish line Penthouse seats at Indy were $150 all the years the F1 race ran. The grandstand I think J or H, at the first turn, and actually site of the best action, were under $100. Even my Indy 500 seat, and they still get over 300,000 attending, has been at $150 for the last 10 years. And if you ask GuyIncognito here on FChat, I have the best seat in the house. Like I have been saying 3-4 years, with this approach and it will be over. And using NASCAR as slam really was silly. Its great racing, for decent money. They understand it is the middle class fan that supports the sport, and will be back year after year if treated fairly. COTA does not seem to get that point. Is the fact the COTA is only building just a few grandstands a sign they themselves are not sure of success? Do not have the money? Not one single new F1 venue in the last 10 years was built with such few grandstands with such gross pricing. Seems like even COTA sees the writing on the wall.
No actually I will be at DTM, Moto GP and F1 and no grass on my ass. Even here in Europe fans get better treatment than what COTA and its 'leadership' seem to have in mind. Way too many other options than Austin. On the surface its a dedicated F1 track for just a few and that along with the history of F1 in the US, will be the end of it potentially. Europe has nothing to do with the problems in Austin. Enjoy NASCAR yourself Frankly its a great series and I hope 1 day to attend a major NASCAR event. F1 could learn alot from how NASCAR takes care of its fans. Indy did a good job and If I remember correctly my ticket prices were 80$ or close to that and I could sit anywhere I wanted until race day. Austin needs HELP
I had half a row in J at Indy, Row AA 1-10, under $1000 for a couple of years then downsized a bit but still 85 per bum slot. On line streaming works for me now, been to most venues, most of the good ones long gone (Kyalami, Oostereichring, THE Nurburgring, Clermont Ferrand, heck even Ricard)
My remark relates to Austin being fine regardless of what happens with COTA, $250M is a state issue. Further, there will not be a $250M in tax payer money if the venture fails (I know from your numerous posts that you are in that camp). If it succeeds, it is no different that giving Apple a $21M property tax rebate/incentive for expanding their local campus.
I am glad that you can enjoy Indy for cheap - though comparing it to F1 is like comparing soccer (aka football in the rest of the world) to Football - hardly the same magnitude of interest and following. Please read my posts again instead of using broad generalizations about folks in Austin. Unlike many here that keep speculating, I get my information folks directly involved in the building and funding - I refrained most of the times from commenting as it has been a lost cause - your last comment certainly exemplifies that! I don't condone what COTA is doing with the seats or how it is marketing this project, anymore than I appreciate Bernie getting rid of the French Grand Prix for a South Korea or India race - but sadly F1 is no longer about the hard core fans, it's an entertainment business - if they can find suckers that are willing to pay $5K for a license it's their prerogative - no different than Jerry Jones charging $25 for a hot dog in his uber stadium - do I like it? Hell no, but that is the reality!
Not much differently than I feel about public funding for football and baseball fields, basketball and hockey arenas, tax breaks for businesses that locate factories in states when the tax breaks and other amenitites exceed the return, etc., etc. If this thing is actually doled out on the basis of the tax returns, it will be one of the better deals a government has every made when it comes to chasing businesses. Article after article have been written (and study after study conducted) about how state and local governments chase businesses and lose their shorts. Legislatures pass motions to quit doing it (and governors make declarations), then turn around and do an even worse deal before you can even say "Ah shucks!" One thing they have improved at is that when they fork over the money for new roads and other improvements and the business climate changes and the company never builds the factory or does so but doesn't produce the jobs, the states in particular have started going after the companies in court and getting their money back. The sad thing is that these things don't usually create new jobs in this country, it's just one state versus another. Want to guess why our governments are in such debt and the corporations are drowning in cash? Ask your legislator. He/she knows. It's them.
If calculated correctly, it is no different. The problem is,... the calculations are never done correctly. The only revenue that should be counted is new revenue to the state,... minus lost revenue. Ticket sales to locals, is only new revenue, if that money would have been spent out of state. Hotel revenue is only new revenue if the room would be empty otherwise. These calculations are absurd RE the NFL and ML Baseball,... because most revenue is local revenue. if a team comes to town,... money spent there is almost certainly lost from somewhere else. Now does the teams cut of the TV deal offset that,... some,... but I doubt enough... It's as if I want to claim new revenue if I open a restaurant,... except all that revenue really comes from decreased revenue at other businesses. recreational money is almost always, either - or... do i spend it here or there. Apple, is almost always new moneys, because if they build elsewhere, that money is gone. that's new jobs to the town. Disclaimer: I am against all public moneys being used to support PROFESSIONAL sports. I don't believe there is a net benefit the way the calculations are done.
Grand stands going up! http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.409933945687823.111227.157330087614878&type=1 Image Unavailable, Please Login
Thanks Ben!! I'll be in town next weekend for a wedding, if anyone wants to meet up Thursday night at the Broken Spoke....you missed last weekend, at Expose! Mmmmmmmm.......Michelle! Alan
Just got an E-mail today from the Ferrari Club of America. They have 2 hotels holding blocks of rooms for $249 and $389. The 3 day ticket package through them is going to be $750, and will be between turns 2 and 3 on a straight going into esses. Parking passes will be $150. Go to their website if you want to see all the info. Also, Austin just hosted the South by Southwest Music Festival with 250,000 attending. Austin PD put out a report on how they handled those crowds downtown, and they plan on using the same plan in November. Austin is used to 100,000 people in the stands, and another 20,000 in town for each of the UT home games each year, so I don't see an issue with the Austin being able to handle the crowd.
