Formula 1 coming to Austin, TX!!!

monark192 wrote:

sobe_death wrote: While I'm excited, I'll believe it when they break ground. Why on earth they chose to build a new facility instead of renovating one of our many already great courses such as Laguna Seca is beyond me. Though it has been rumored that F1 has east-coast fever when it comes to the US

Laguna Seca is too 1) Short 2) Steep - corkscrew 3) Narrow 4) Remote 5) Short of pit / paddock space. etc. Unless your name is Monaco, you don't get any exceptions to the standards required of tracks.

Strange that the Indy Cars didn't really have problems there or at the other tracks they ran at either and at their peak they were very close in speed and ticket buyers as the F1 circus.

I don't like Tony george. I think he is an overinflated blowhard. I don't like the oval at Indianapolis. Its killed too many good racers due to its antiquated design.

I thought the F1 infield circuit at Indy was excellent, and could be a real world class road race track, with maybe a couple of small revisions. I hope something comes back to the US, but If Tony can't keep Bernie happy, I don't see anybody else doing it.

car39 wrote: Apparently, Foxworthy was running out of "You might be a redneck" jokes. And now it's time for "Blue Collar F1 Racing with your announcers, Ron White and Larry, the Cable Guy.

White, Hobbs, and Clarkson. Now THERE'S a team!

Learn the sport and laugh your a$$ off, at the same time.

I think it's absolutely fabulous and who said it would only be used for F1 races? It'll be there and there is no shortage of other people wanting to use a good track.

There's an infrastructure and money to build it in Texas whereas most of the country is in a recession. Texas is about the only place in the U.S. right now that could build it.

Yes, it's a drive for me, but it's a whole lot better than going up to Indy where they don't appreciate ya. In Texas they'll get the royal welcome

NYG95GA wrote:

car39 wrote: Apparently, Foxworthy was running out of "You might be a redneck" jokes. And now it's time for "Blue Collar F1 Racing with your announcers, Ron White and Larry, the Cable Guy.

White, Hobbs, and Clarkson. Now THERE'S a team! Learn the sport and laugh your a$$ off, at the same time.

what's there to learn about F1?

you aren't allowed to attempt to enter a race unless they allow you to build a car.

you aren't allowed to get too close to another competitor.

the same 2 or 3 people win every race.

despite being the most high tech and expensive race cars in the world, they don't even have starters on them.

everyone involved thinks they are the most important people in the world and get offended if other people don't share that same view of them.

these are just some of the reasons why F1 doesn't have the same level of support in the US as it does everywhere else.

novaderrik wrote: what's there to learn about F1?

The cars weigh less than 1500 pounds, but have 800 horsepower.

They have 6 or 7 gears, and shift at 18,000 RPM.

Need I go on?

FWIW the state of Texas has to date borrowed $1 billion from the US Treasury to pay state unemployment benefits. That's why I want to know who is paying for the track. If it is to be funded by some group of private investors then great. If they are planning on funding it publicly then I think it stinks. If a state has to borrow money from the Feds to pay their unemployment compensation but can spend who knows how many hundreds of millions on an F1 track then I think their priorities are wrong.

I'm not sure how I feel about this. I'd like to see TWS elevated to a more "serious" level, as right now it's just kind of backwoods HPDE and club racing. It seems a multi-million dollar course just two hours away could kill the chances of TWS becoming a higher-level course.

Well TJ you definitely don't want Cali or NY to build a track then, do you?

unevolved or would another track in the area attract more racers and races and help both?

I'm not sure, really. That's an interesting point, I guess we'll just have to wait and see, and enjoy the racing in the mean time. TWS needs a massive infusion of cash to really improve, IMO.

Of all the metro areas in the US to support an F1 race, they chose Austin? What, was Omaha unavailable?

Living just outside of Austin, I am pumped beyond belief.

But only because I hope it means they build a kart track in Austin again so my son can have a local track.

Keeping my fingers crossed that it's really going to happen.

-Rob

I am not going to hold my breath. But, I will be very happy if it happens. Last F1 race I saw in person was in Monaco in 82, just before I shipped home from Italy.

nderwater you obviously are not familiar with Austin, the Hill Country, Houston, etc.

There are more Fortune 500 companies in Texas than any other state and many of them are located in that area.

Recently Wired said that every Metro area in Texas outperformed every Metro area outside of Texas so we're talking about the only U.S. economy that could reasonably build and support a new track.

I'm so glad it's down south.

novaderrik wrote: what's there to learn about F1? you aren't allowed to attempt to enter a race unless they allow you to build a car. you aren't allowed to get too close to another competitor. the same 2 or 3 people win every race. despite being the most high tech and expensive race cars in the world, they don't even have starters on them. everyone involved thinks they are the most important people in the world and get offended if other people don't share that same view of them. these are just some of the reasons why F1 doesn't have the same level of support in the US as it does everywhere else.

Oh my, this is where the "Ugly American" phase comes from.

1. Duh, its hard to race without a car and you have to show it will be up to spec and show the ability to build the infrastructure. See USF1 for an example as to why.
2. How do they have wrecks at almost every race if they can't get close to each other
3. 4 different winners in 6 races for 2010
4. No open wheel race car has a starter, I hillclimbed again Formula Libre cars that had no starters.
5. What do you base this statement upon, Mark Webber is a nice guy and a few past US drivers are very approachable.
6. Because Formula One has literally billions of viewers throughout the world I have to say once again, the whole world doesn't start and finish with the US states...(same comments made for a "World Series" in a game that few countries play in, Cricket has dozens of competing countries and has yet to call itself something so presumptuous)

Streetwiseguy wrote: I don't like Tony george. I think he is an overinflated blowhard. I don't like the oval at Indianapolis. Its killed too many good racers due to its antiquated design. I thought the F1 infield circuit at Indy was excellent, and could be a real world class road race track, with maybe a couple of small revisions. I hope something comes back to the US, but If Tony can't keep Bernie happy, I don't see anybody else doing it.

The Indy circuit was an odd combination of too fast and too slow. The infield part was torturously slow and the outer circuit allowed ludicrous (at least in F1 terms) speeds. The final tire fiasco (for which I blame Michelin more than the track) was the death knell for Indy F1.

I know there is no love lost for F1 here in the US but I can't wait to see it come back. I have been getting more and more involved in watching over the past 10 years and for me it keeps getting better and better. In the past couple of years there have been some great battles both for race wins and for the championship. I mean when was the last time the NASCAR championship came down to the last corner (ie. Lewis Hamiltions championship year). I really do hope this thing sees the light of day unless the government starts spending and putting us more into debt than we already are.

aussiesmg wrote:

novaderrik wrote: what's there to learn about F1? you aren't allowed to attempt to enter a race unless they allow you to build a car. you aren't allowed to get too close to another competitor. the same 2 or 3 people win every race. despite being the most high tech and expensive race cars in the world, they don't even have starters on them. everyone involved thinks they are the most important people in the world and get offended if other people don't share that same view of them. these are just some of the reasons why F1 doesn't have the same level of support in the US as it does everywhere else.

Oh my, this is where the "Ugly American" phase comes from. 1. Duh, its hard to race without a car and you have to show it will be up to spec and show the ability to build the infrastructure. See USF1 for an example as to why. 2. How do they have wrecks at almost every race if they can't get close to each other 3. 4 different winners in 6 races for 2010 4. No open wheel race car has a starter, I hillclimbed again Formula Libre cars that had no starters. 5. What do you base this statement upon, Mark Webber is a nice guy and a few past US drivers are very approachable. 6. Because Formula One has literally billions of viewers throughout the world I have to say once again, the whole world doesn't start and finish with the US states...(same comments made for a "World Series" in a game that few countries play in, Cricket has dozens of competing countries and has yet to call itself something so presumptuous)

say what you will about "Ugly Americans", but our motorsports are open to anyone that can build a car to spec and get it to the track. wanna go racing in the top NASCAR series? then build a car and show up at the track, pay the entry fee, and attempt to qualify for the race. you might not do very well and you might go bankrupt, but you don't need any prior approval to form a team and build the cars like F1. you just need a rulebook.

it's kind of funny that a series like F1- which represents the ultimate in unobtainable technology and has such a condescending attitude towards it's worldwide fanbase- would have so much support on a website for a magazine that is called "Grassroots Motorsports". yes, there is a lot of money in NASCAR, but it is still a pretty "grassroots" organization all the way up to it's top levels and i can't recall a time when they haven't been able to fill out a full field in any of the 36 or so races every year in the 20+ years i've been watching the Cup series. yeah, the Chase is stupid, but i really don't care who wins the championship. i just like watching the races.

good used up Cup cars get used in lower racing series- is there any other series where up and coming drivers can race in last year's F1 cars?

who was the last owner/driver in F1? NASCAR currently has a few of them in the Cup series.

how many small F1 teams show up every week, knowing that even if they somehow get into the race, they probably can't afford to actually finish the race, let alone be competitive?

and when was the last time NASCAR got any government- local, state, or federal- to build them a new track to race on? any upgrades to tracks that NASCAR has mandated in the last 10 years have been safety related- things likeSAFER barriers and better catch fences- and nothing silly like closed off air conditioned garages so the teams can keep everything they do a secret. the NASCAR garage areas are all wide open so everyone can see what everyone else is up to during the race weekend. that seems pretty damn grassroots to me...

Having a race in your own country, especially a race close by changes your perspective.

I've been just so-so on F1 this season due to all the rule changes but now I'm stoked.

I know this is Grass Roots Motorsports, but is there any chance this will get a mention in the next issue?

novaderrik wrote: it's kind of funny that a series like F1- which represents the ultimate in unobtainable technology and has such a condescending attitude towards it's worldwide fanbase- would have so much support on a website for a magazine that is called "Grassroots Motorsports". yes, there is a lot of money in NASCAR, but it is still a pretty "grassroots" organization all the way up to it's top levels and i can't recall a time when they haven't been able to fill out a full field in any of the 36 or so races every year in the 20+ years i've been watching the Cup series. yeah, the Chase is stupid, but i really don't care who wins the championship. i just like watching the races.

Hey I agree that F1 is nothing like Grassroots but that shouldn't mean that Grassroots guys on a budget can't like it. I guess the reason I like F1 is because it it really on the cutting edge to technology. Granted, there are some things that need to be changed but I think we can say that for almost any series. To each his own...I'm just glad we can all agree that Speed Rules!

novaderrik wrote: say what you will about "Ugly Americans", but our motorsports are open to anyone that can build a car to spec and get it to the track.

"Ugly Americans" apparently think that motorsports interests should focus on domestic series. That's simply bovine scatalogical logic at work.

If investors in Texas want to build a track and then promote and host a US Gran Prix, more power to them. If they succeed and actually make a profit without bankrupting anyone else, elect them to national political levels.

They are the kind of visionaries we need running the country.

oldsaw wrote:

novaderrik wrote: say what you will about "Ugly Americans", but our motorsports are open to anyone that can build a car to spec and get it to the track.

"Ugly Americans" apparently think that motorsports interests should focus on domestic series. That's simply bovine scatalogical logic at work. If investors in Texas want to build a track and then promote and host a US Gran Prix, more power to them. If they succeed and actually make a profit without bankrupting anyone else, elect them to national political levels. They are the kind of visionaries we need running the country.

actually, this "ugly American" loves watching pretty much any racing series that isn't F1- as long as the cars can be started on their own if they stall out for whatever reason. yes, that leaves out the quickest and fastest piston driven race cars in the world (Top Fuel dragsters and funny cars) and those insane winged sprint cars. the Australian Supercars are just downright fun to watch, and i watch the production based sports car series that they show on Speed from time to time. but i simply cannot sit thru more than about 5 minutes of F1. i've tried, but it doesn't work.

Don't we have a couple of kick as tracks already in the West that can host such an F1 event? Me thinks there is some recently constructed tracks in Utah and Nevada that kick some ass.

amg_rx7 wrote: Don't we have a couple of kick as tracks already in the West that can host such an F1 event? Me thinks there is some recently constructed tracks in Utah and Nevada that kick some ass.

How many of them were willing to pay Bernie though? I'm in the going to believe it when I see them cut the ribbon on the track group. There's no corporate website for Full Throttle Productions LP. Google Tavo Hellmund and you'll get his driver bio from NASCAR West and find that he's put on some short track events in the Austin area. There's been no mention of a location or funding (being in DFW, I hope it's on the northside of Austin, as I really don't like driving through Austin to get somewhere). It seems like two years is a very optimistic time frame. That being said, I hope they can pull this off.

It's not the track man, it's the deal with the city, state, business owners, race teams..... politics

NASCAR is grassroots..............bwaah hah ha, $20 million budget may be cheap compared to F1 but it is far from grassroots. http://auto.howstuffworks.com/auto-racing/nascar/nascar-basics/nascar-race-car-cost.htm

You are welcome to build an F1 car if you can show how you can meet the standards of the class, same deal as NASCAR, just a higher standard, like building an ITA car has lower standards than NASCAR

How do you expect any racing group, other than NASCAR followers, to not be interested in the world's premiere racing class.