USGP is back in Austin, TX (merged)

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

 

Thank you...

Working for the Houston race, I laid out the Paddock areas, the parts perimeter precast system, and the 18 wheeler parking of the Transport Rigs, among multiple other tasks...using AutoCAD and some photo integration processes I had to find and borrow from the oil industry!!

In a way, a permanent facility would be easier in a lot of respects.....but not in everything.

The power system of a temporary circuit greatly resembles the circus, or the Rodeo...power cords and generators everywhere and lots of duct tape and zip ties...

At a permanent track this all turns into conduit and wire installed with structure..lighting and broadcast requirement also becomes a huge cost item.....

 

If you were a betting man how would you set the odds on it happening?

 

Still here

 

Great question...would like to hear this answer too.

 

Most 'betting men' don't bet on long shots...

 

True, they always have the best strip clubs.

 

Austin is a magical place...Stevie Ray used to play for a $2 cover.

I've already covered the Strip Bar capacity...LOL!
We are good there......

If Mexican wealth in flight will cover the heavy lifting, and we get a "Green" name on the front of it.....maybe.

Maybe a condo overlooking Bastrop has appeal???

 

Understood. Thing is that some here are talking like its a lock.
I was wondering what those closer to the action and with a better sense of the terrain thought.

 

The State money is a 'reimbursement" as I understaind it so you have the 'cost of money" and a lot of factors other than "how fast does concrete cure?" to really make it fly.....

Tavo is out front with the ball, but maybe Dad is still behind him, funneling support??

I see puppets dancing but the strings are only visible in a certain light.....

Not to imply anything negative..... Moorespeed says Tavo is a nice nough guy, a decade ago, back racing karts...

Can anyone get Full Throttle on the phone, yet?????

 

I've lived and worked in the immediate area for nearly 40 years. I supervised heavy construction (although nothing on this scale) for some years and I spend time in social settings regularly with people in positions to participate significantly in all aspects of this project. If done properly, the Austin/San Antonio area could definitely be great for something like this and I will be first in line to buy tickets whenever they're available.

However, I can't see even a whisper of a chance there will be an F1 race near Austin in 2012. Nobody I have talked to from the financial, real estate, architectural, engineering or construction industries knows much more than what has appeared in the news. The same seems to apply to all local and state agencies which must be involved. When we're talking about a project costing several hundred million dollars and involving the large number of private, corporate and governmental entities which must necessarily participate, I'm pretty sure somebody would know something. Besides, building anything of this magnitude in less than 2 years significantly increases the amount of money required along with the public profiles of the major players.

Aside from the press releases, there is virtually no evidence anything unusual is going on in the area right now. By contrast, can you imagine the level of local activity which would accompany a project like this? And less than 2 years before the world supposedly shows up for a race?? I'm sorry but I just can't see it happening. I would love to be proven wrong and will gladly acknowledge my error, but until then I see this as having considerably less chance of happening than USF1 had when it was announced.

 

Thanks. Not what I was hoping to hear but not surprising.

 

Wow...

 

i think it's funny that varsha/speed got rooked again

(in case you didn't catch the f1 debrief where they had a 10-15 minute segment about it)

 

Never confuse SPEED with a legitimate news outlet. They're entertainers first and last they will hype the product anyway they can.
Nothing wrong with that. It is what it is.

 

I took my nieces to the movies a few months back with my cousin... as we are watching the pre-movie ads, they have local lawyers offices and dentists and such. She turns to me and says "why don't you advertise your company on these? Tons of people would see it". I told her that all advertising needs to be targeted, and relevant. I sell globally and (especially) nationally, so advertising in a movie theatre in Boston would make no sense. Local businesses who'se prospective customers are in the audience are a different story.


The same with an Austin GP. People talk about a lot of money in Austin. I would respectfully say - so what? If I own a chain of grocery stores all over the USA and live in Austin, what relevance does the USGP-Austin have to me? Those people aren't my customers. I'd bet the vast majority of attendees would be people who don't live in Austin, and I'll bet a large number would be people who don't even live in the USA.

So I don't see why "lots of oil money" would make a difference. Companies like ING, Vodafone, Marlboro and such sell internationally, so any attendee is their potential customer - just like any movie theater goer is a potential customer of the local dentist.

Bernie retains the $$ for all trackside advertising... so the fact that there is $$ in Austin won't matter... even IF some local high roller wants to capitalize on it, they'll be paying Bernie. The money to pay for it has to come from ticket sales and/or other events at the track.

But F1 should be the main attraction, not the loss leader for other events. You don't put big screen HDTV's on sale below cost to get people into the store to buy USB memory sticks - you do it the other way 'round.

So if there was a valid financial argument - exclusive of F1 - to make a racetrack in Austin, F1 wouldn't need to be the reason to make it happen. And if that valid reason exists, why didn't it happen before F1 came along?

Furthermore, if a valid argument can be made for a GP in Austin and if it's capitalized and approved and all of that... why would this Tavo guy be THE guy you choose to run it? For such a prestigious project, why wouldn't they team up with the largest commercial building company in TX, or the biggest sports promoter? Tavo Hellmund - the guy who'se phone was disconnected and who ran some NASCAR race twice isn't the guy that you would call.

-The fact that they chose this guy to create the event
-The fact that nothing has been done yet
-The fact that the money is not in place

And many more factors all go to show a very strong likelihood that this is a total pipe dream.

I'll never happen.

 

Bernie was especially fond of Tavo, when he was but a wee lad.........

 

What he said.

 

You're right on most points and the only reason that I might question your conclusion is that the economics of F1 defy logic on a regular basis.

 

I think the words you are looking for are bribe, kickback and back-room deal

 

No.
Not the words.
The things themselves.
Small, unmarked in a plain envelope if you will

If such things happened I'd be as shocked as Inspector Renault.

 

Well, I spent the weekend with two Swedish teenaged sisters out on Lake Travis.......

Their stepdad says he knows the lawyer that is working for Tavo, who is doing the track!
So this thing is gonna happen!!! LOL!

Sadly, a bunch of wankers built houses along the ridge overlooking Devil's Canyon, and turned my favorite water ski run into a lagoon of tied off yachts, floating together with load rap music and girls booty bumping each other on the swim platforms...all behind a line of 'No Wake' bouys.....

It's a good thing my boat wasn't there...I would have blasted thru the whole lot of them, at 40MPH and showed them how to U-turn up on the inside rail, in a 200' radius, skier and all.....

"No Wake" indeed!!!

It left me mildy depressed........

 

Tough life you got there bro.

 

Lago Vista = Party Central........

Of course you could get lost in all that Scrub Cedar, and wander for days......the build up of the Lake Travis shoreline was amazing......but sad.

But all that crap in the middle of my ski run, HAS to go.......

I'm calling LCRA now.....

 

Another article by a sceptical author: http://www.pitpass.com/fes_php/pitpass_feature_item.php

I think it's a real shame that Bernie plays these stupid games and gets peoples hopes up. I am sure there are still some people in the US who actually think there will be a Grand Prix in Austin. I don't understand Bernie's logic. Surely he can see that a Grand Prix in the US is needed? So why does he seem to be doing all he can to antagonise the Americans by pretending they are going to have a race anywhere other than Indy?