14 months would be tight if they had everything financed, scheduled and contracted. Which they don't.
And if they do have it in place, why dont they just say so........hmmmm guess its not in place. Id like to see this be done and Id like to visit Austin. Im not going to put much thought into it, until they have publicly made significant progress, and the finances are in order and put out publicly, with faces and numbers that seem genuine. Its seems alot like Delorean more than USF-1. They might get there but something says it will fold soon after. As posted above F1 and money and longevity are not something that stay together for the long term. History has ample proof the odds are against it. Too bad somehow someday maybe that will change. On the surface this project does not seem to be the one.
I wonder how much of this "everything else" is locked into the contract, and actually required prior to the race. Now that the race is on the schedule, maybe the hidden plan is to finish the track itself, and then conduct the race as if it were on a street circuit, with temporary "everything else". It wouldn't make Bernie happy, but it might be a way to actually make money at this game.
F1, the US market and make money have been historically shown to be mutually exclusive. This sport does not in any way capture the US market at large. When someone posts the total and complete funding to make Austin a viable and respected event, I will believe its real. SO far its piece-meal and innuendo. India is an example of what SHOULD be happening already in Austin. I still believe its a plan, to sell a business plan for a race and garner profit on the sale of the plan.
Just got back from the Austin site and I have to say... The "problems" with the infrastructure don't seem to be so doomsday as made out to be here. The track is not but 6 or so miles from the international airport. SH130 could handle the traffic, along with 71 and probably 21, (there's plenty of possibility for ingress/egress) the site is not but a half mile from 130 and FM812 could easily be widened, it's already got enough room to be almost a 4 lane highway. The land in the surrounding areas are mostly for sale and there are no subdivisons to piss off because of the noise, not to mention it's already under the flight path of the airport. It's remote enough to be safe as a circuit, but still close enough to be easily able to route plumbing and electricity. There are plenty of places for people to stay on a race weekend, the resort I'm currently at isn't but 20 miles from the circuit, with downtown Austin the same distance if not closer. That infrastructure is there as well, there is no end of possibilities in that regard. Progress seems to be going well with a plethora of vehicles working on site, the layout of the site is clearly visible and it looks like the sites for the buildings are being prepped. I had negative feelings while heading to the site but after seeing it I'm feeling a lot more confident. Funding is the major (and pretty huge) issue, but I think it's the only real hurdle. Yes, I realize the gravity of that statement and will be the first one to tell you funding doesn't look too good from what we know. I'm not going to jump the gun here but I think and am really hoping that the naysayers will choke heavily on their words. This isn't a farce, and those who say it is haven't been there
Thank you for a fair assessment, I really hope it comes off and by that time I will have consolidated our homes to Austin and put the US residential market behind us.
Thanks for that update; as long as there are no sprinklers, I'm still supportive. Here is an aerial photograph taken today http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/racing/entries/2011/03/16/aerial_photograph_of_austin_fo.html
It's still out there, I'm sure the people who are complaining now, will still be complaining about something as they are sitting in the stands watching the race in Austin.
Aerial shots of track construction: http://vimeo.com/austingrandprix/first-aerial-video-of-austin-track-construction
Nice to see some recent aerial footage finally. It looks like a fair amount has gotten done in the last month and a half although they have a long way to go. I'm still calling BS, at least until I see the entire track graded and ready for paving.
Spot the difference! Two F1 tracks roughly 1 year away from race day. Anyone notice any difference? ....one of these things... is not... like the other... doo daa doo daa. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I guess its the money or lack of. Still no public announcement of funding and its real status. I hope this keeps moving along but its not looking like it will get there on time unless something changes. We shall see what the future holds.
Nobody doubts the work is capable of being done, the doubters merely point out the fact that all results of this project thus far do not point to it being completed in time for the race date. I'm not an optimist, a pessimist or a naysayer but I do believe actions speak louder than words and always judge by results. The results thus far are poor.