F1 controversy in Texas.

Um......no.

I worked the Texaco Grand Prix of Houston, it's actually pretty extensive, you grind the crowns off the concrete streets to flatten the intersections, lay a high performance asphalt coating, weld or bolt every manhole in the course down firmly to prevent lifting..

The concrete barriers and catch fencing are the easier part of it, but even that has to planned down to the foot, as they interlock at the ends....

I did all the AutoCAD for the race here, even figuring out the Transport parking in the Paddock, prior to the event.

 

BigTex,
Do you remember that hospitality tent they had serving lunch for all the workers? Pretty good food it was, I was working for HL&P out of the now defunct Dallas street sub-station and I remember working on those manholes.

 

I humbly submit for your consideration that comparing F1 as it existed when it came to Dallas in the mid-eighties to what it is today as it prepares to descend on Austin is like comparing a match stick and a plutonium reactor. Yeah, the concept is basically the same but in practice quite a different thing. I think you will have a hard time reaching valid conclusions about why F1 will succeed or fail in 2012 if you're reaching back to Dallas in 1984 for facts. The motorsport scene alone in the U.S. has changed radically in that time. How's Indycar doing these days? NASCAR was a bunch of rednecks running around in circles and driving their own rigs to the races in 1984. (Okay, maybe that part hasn't changed so much.)

I totally agree that the jury is still out and probably will be for some time. It has to hard to see how, from a promoter's perspective, you can make a profit staging a race. Bernie's terms are pretty simple: you pay me a ****eload of money and I'll bring the circus to town. Good luck selling the seats, parking passes, some trackside advertising, concessions, and in the case of Austin, personal seat licenses. Obviously Epstein & McCombs (sounds like a law firm to me) think they have it worked out. We'll see.

As far as the location goes, Texas may not be the "heart" of F1 country but Mexico and South America sure are. I can tell you this definitely figured into Tavo's plans originally when he was thinking of locations. I predict our southern neighbors will show up in droves and hopefully spend a lot of money in the process. If it's a good show they'll probably come back again.

 

I didn't even realise there was a historic race there - in that photo I can see David Piper in his green Ferrari 275LM s/n 8165, and behind appears to be his continuation P4 '0900' which would have been quite new then.

Paul M

 

Dang, I'll need to find my box o' photos from my weekend at the race, I still have my ticket stubs / passes as well.

 

chris economaki in those shorts...priceless