http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MG2OeeqpvvA
Apart from his lack of speaking skills if you watch it all the way through he made some good points and has some pretty cool ideas. Now, if he can get all the funding...
If you want to see weekly photo updates of the site, there is a Friends of F1 Austin page that puts them up. https://www.facebook.com/pages/Friends-of-Formula-1-Austin-Texas/157330087614878 Here is one of their latest shots showing a good sized dirt spread out there now. Image Unavailable, Please Login
Yes. I don't understand why some folks suggest Austin is going to be a modest track. It was never sold as "we're going to build a back-to-basics racetrack in Texas". It was sold as an upcoming world class facility that would rival the best facilities in the world. The modest track was something that was invented by posters here to create a case for why it can be completed in time. I think Austin will absolutely be more than 50% of what Yas was. Why would anyone think it won't be?
I was pretty damn impressed when I went to Yas, that's why. I'm expecting Austin to be comparable to Korea.
+1 You need a script that hits all the points. Ad libbing is risky and stupid. Who would put money with this clown? Not me.
I'll probably be heading out to see the site again on Friday. Mike makes some great points, it IS supposed to be a worldclass facility. I don't think anyone can deny they are way behind, but I wonder if they are going to be like Korea and have the minimum done for the first GP, Korea is going to look vastly different in the years to come
Korea started further ahead (in terms of infrastructure) than Austin is, and they had more time to get the job done too, and they still barely made it by the skin of their teeth. Using Korea as an example, the AustinGP is already doomed.
Not suggesting Austin will work, but Korea did have serious flooding problems during the construction.
That is the most encouraging update in a while. Nice to finally see a substantial amount of machinery moving in.
I read an article that discussed what had been done in Korea to make the track happen, and they mentioned that utilities were relatively easy due to the proximity to existing lines. I can't find the article at the moment, it was some time ago I read it. One of the stumbling blocks in Austin is because it's far from developed areas, there is insufficient water/electric/etc and they have existing lines on the property that need moved.
Nonsense... This property is "on the grid"...no worries. It's a high pressure gas transmission pipeline that needs to move, or they can leave it there. But when you see a "No Smoking" sign you'd better know they MEAN IT!!! LOL!
Maybe you should have read what I posted a few weeks ago, and like Tex says, that's utter nonsense, it's 6 miles from Austin's International Airport. I can agree that it is a stretch of reality for it to be built but that's just internet crap. Like I said, I'll be going there again probably on Friday and hopefully will get more in depth with what is going on surrounding the track
I don't get what is utter nonsense. You should have read what I posted a few weeks ago - the infrastructure is not there. Not the water and power, nor the traffic. Tex was mistaken when he said it would not require a big electrical build out, it requires huge electrical build out, and the same for other utilities. The distance from the airport is irrelevant - the infrastructure is not there, and there is a question at the moment (that I believe goes unresolved) over who is paying for the (last I heard, required by the state) traffic upgrades. There are extensive infrastructure requirements for Austin that have not yet been sorted out.
Reality makes certain demands. We still need an announcement about funding the other 95% of the monies needed. Moving dirt today is not a very telling part of the story. I'm all for it........ just don't see it happening, right now.
+1 And STRMike's comparison with Korea is a valid one: We're about a year away from completion, yet not a whole lot has been happening. After I read the article in the F1 magazine about the full scale of this project, I have to say, they got an awful long way to go and are in all likelihood already behind schedule. Even if they had all the funding secured at this point, which it doesn't seem to be the case. Tavo might be coy about the opening day/year and think this is all for 2013 anyway, but Bernie is no fool: He'll take him to the cleaners if there is no race in 2012. Whether Tavo grew up around Bernie or not is irrelevant.