Formula 1 coming to Austin, Baby!

******* wow. I just got back from the golf course and saw this (an hour ago, but just regained the ability to move), and I thought they would probably do something to Driveway Austin. However, that track isn't even comprehendably close to F1 standards, and they would more or less have to rebuild the whole thing and buy land around it for all the grandstands, facilities, parking, etc. I watch F1 regularly and have a better comprehension of the magnitude of this event than most, but am well aware that it would be beyond foolish to act like I can even begin to understand how big this will be. I went to the first two CART races in Houston, but that was a completely different situation. I expect to show up on race day and step on my own jaw before the rest of me has time to react.
 
So I guess telling people I will be the one stepping on my own jaw won't be a good way to find me. I guess a whole bunch of us will be doing just that. I type this wondering if it is a dream or something.

I was going to try to get up to Canada or something to witness one up close and personal. Now it comes to our backyard. Our backyard goes to the world.
 
from my response in the Cactus Cafe thread:

"Apparently this has been in the works for years. I've heard that the site has been being looked at for over a year. If all that is true, then design has probably already been done or is at the very least well underway.

Some folks have said this may be a smokescreen for something else, but I doubt it. Not when it's being released on F1.com and the BBC, AP, and every damn where else.

It occurred to me that maybe all those other rumors over the months about other tracks may have been thrown out just to throw everyone off the scent of the real trail to Austin. If so, it surely worked."
 
Cool article with some details I hadn't seen elsewhere...

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Is there an F1 watch group here in Austin? Race this weekend...

I was screaming, laughing, and crying all at the same time when I heard the news....F'in awesome!!!
 
I was in shock last night when I saw the 10 o'clock news. I still can't believe it. This is huge economic news for Austin.
The AAS says three sites are being considered, don't know if they really know the truth, but mentioned one near 290E on the tollroad.
News reports said the track would be within ten miles of Bergstrom.
Construction costs may be high, because west of IH-35 is all rock, and east is all clay shifting soil which would have to be stabilized.
Yeah, we need to go as a group and see the first race!
 
I've had repeated goosebumps over this. I went to the GP at the speedway the first 2 years. It's an amazing spectacle.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Bernie requires upfront money to get on the schedule. It isn't a promotional deal with profits going here and there. Bernie locks in cash at no risk to him. Someone has stepped up bigtime.
 
Bernie wants money early and often. If FOM says they have a deal, and Austin delivers - they have a deal.

On the other hand, one uncommunicated mis-step or failure by Austin to live up to its end of the bargin, and F1 in Austin is dead.

The concern is having the track ready. Hopefully the contract has a provision that will allow an alternate arrangement for the first race. That would have to be a street race somewhere in or around Austin that could accomadate 100,000 + spectators plus the teams and all that goes with a F1 weekend.

What would be great is a temporaty circut that runs along both sides of Ladybird Lake and into the park. Traffic would be horrible, but it is horrible every day anyway.
 
Bernie and F1 demand mucho dinero, and their demands can make the event unprofitable. It is possible the race promoters/partners could take a financial beating.
Even the city could lose if they extend expensive infrastructure to the area and the economic benefits are not as expected. So sensible expenditures should rule the day, but you know how that can go.
Many tracks over the years have lost the F1 date on the calendar for failing to spend vast sums required to update new safety or other requirements handed down by a somewhat dictatorial governing body of F1.
But it sounds like a ten year deal is in place now for Austin, so hopefully it will last at least that long. There will be some problems, you can bet on that.
I hope it will work out well and continue after the ten year run.
Most of the comments at the bottom of the AAS story were negative, but you can expect that from some of the usual sources of myopic malcontent commentary.
 
Yep...some of those people will complain about absolutely anything...and if you read them, most of 'em don't even have a clue what they're complaining about in the first place.

Even better, many of them are now registering and posting in the thread over at Speedtv.com's f1 board. I encourage you all to do the same to counter the dissenting Austin voice.
 
This won't be a street race around Lady Bird Lake. It will be a permanent race track built to world class standards. The city has said it is not building the track, so it will not be in charge of that, but they surely will have to provide some incentives and infrastructure, and they will get criticized from some sectors for anything they do, just like every other political body.
 
That would require building another circuit. I don't think there will be any more temporary street circuits, too many regulations. Besides, it might interfere with bat appreciation day, or the annual chihuahua dress-up parade.
 
I don't think they'd have this aggressive timeline if things weren't already pretty far along. They have plenty of reasons for not announcing the site even if it already located and acquired, so I wouldn't expect them to tell the public anything until it's absolutely necessary.
 
I would think that everybody from Taxi companies to City Hall will or should do the same. There needs to be some bending over backwards to help those getting it here. This is by far the biggest thing to happen to Austin, EVER.

The amount of tourism not during race week will go up. The international money coming here will be astounding year round compared to what it is now. Everything amps up a notch. As a home owner and taxpayer I am elated for this as well.

The people, okay, girl watching, is another major benefit.
 
I'm not the biggest fan of racing (especially nascar) but for some reason I'm extremely excited about this and can't wait for it. I've been glued to my CPU finding any info I can on F1 for the last 24 hours. Thanks to all you F1 fans on here for sharing all your knowledge.
 
How long (if ever) does it take a landfill to become stable enough for something like this? There are some in east Austin, including near the airport, that have been capped for a variety of lengths of time. It would seem to me that there would be no neighborhoods, environmentalists, etc. complaining if it could be done on such a site. It just seems to me that that announcing the race the day before the deal is made to buy the land is a moronic business decision unless the land is to be bought from a partner in the venture, such as the city of Austin or the state of Texas.
 
Here I am, a born and raised Austinite, huge Horn fan, all pumped up about the Texas Stars making the Calder Cup play-offs and having a legit d-2 soccer team play in downtown Austin. But this, this right here., I dont even know how to respond. I'll be honest, I've never watched a single F1 race and I am so freaking excited. I can only imagine what doors this will open for Austin and the Central Texas. Cheers to city council and state government for making this happen. Damn fine time to be an Austin sports fan.
 
Steven, your link is tits! Great info. The land is over 800 acres and the tedious formalities such as water and waste have already been dealt with. That is huge too as small as that may seem to some. The posturing and angles that get in the way won't.

There are some very big people who know a lot about F1 racing (include Mandingo, heh) who are very excited about this. They seem to have done exhaustive research into it and are still very excited. This is the biggest event to hit Austin, ever. Son of a ***** this is amazing.
 
To me, the fact that Tilke was here 2 years ago and has made several trips here since is very telling about how far along this may be.

The info about who Tavo's dad is and how he knows Bernie clears things up a bit as well.

I have to admit, I'm a bit overwhelmed at this point. So much to figure out and find out. So many possibilities. This may sound overly dramatic to some of you, but for me, this is potentially life-altering news.
 
Oh,I get it and believe you. I was anticipating your initial posts about this and look forward to ones in the future. I love watching your excitement.
 
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