Formula 1 coming to Austin, Baby!

18 new photos I shot this morning near dawn:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.386958934651991.106848.157330087614878&type=1

Here's a sample:

430292_386959587985259_157330087614878_1660875_1410245209_n.jpg
 
Latest COTA time-lapse, posted today:

The Link

ETA: For some reason that youtube video "has been removed by the user". Weird. Still works at the COTA FB page though: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=241449145943521&set=vb.219399881419693&type=2&theater
 
I took a bunch of construction photos yesterday morning & posted them to the FB page:

The Link


I'm just now getting around to posting some samples here. Enjoy:

The Media center on the left, then the west and east ends of the Pit/Paddock building:
396405_393514983996386_157330087614878_1679708_1308797114_n.jpg


Connecting the ends of the Pit/Paddock complex:
424170_393514887329729_157330087614878_1679705_277837164_n.jpg


The Media Center:
424499_393515077329710_157330087614878_1679711_1217277497_n.jpg


Work on the Medical Center is just beginning:
402116_393515643996320_157330087614878_1679719_1101271622_n.jpg


East end of the Pit/Paddock and the Medical Center:
430661_393515400663011_157330087614878_1679717_685416678_n.jpg


Pit/Paddock viewed from out around Turn 11 hairpin:
403051_393513897329828_157330087614878_1679692_1798786114_n.jpg


The "Longhorn Straight":
425290_393514613996423_157330087614878_1679701_1123601414_n.jpg


Turn 10 (downhill 130R?):
419156_393514160663135_157330087614878_1679695_37563696_n.jpg


Trucks coming down from Turn 10 to the hairpin, delivering their loads, then returning home along the Longhorn back straight:
418259_393514567329761_157330087614878_1679700_2084229604_n.jpg


You're doing it wrong. Rookie.
418750_393514697329748_157330087614878_1679702_2003568519_n.jpg
 
AustinRaceHotels.com (@AustinRaceHotel) posted 18 new photos last night from her COTA tour of Monday afternoon.

From the front of the Pit/Paddock looking toward Turn 1:
The Link

Highlights:

6937345053_7cd29ba4cc_b.jpg


Standing at Turn 11 looking down the back straight toward the stadium section:

6791229770_a698034036_b.jpg


From Turn 1, looking at the Medical Center, Pit/Paddock, and prep for Main Grandstand construction:

6937351897_3b8de932d5_b.jpg


From the parking lot area looking to Turn 1:

6937350153_10cc43234c_b.jpg
 
Terrible and I wish all the best to him and his family. Here is to a speedy, no pun intended, recovery.
 
Hey l00p...According to 10PM local TV news reports, he is still in critical condition. They showed video of the patient being wheeled from a StarFlight MedEvac helicopter into the ER at Brackenridge Hospital. No chest compressions were being perfomed and the Flight Nurse was supporting his respiratory efforts with a BVM. Hopefully these are good signs. Hope for the best.

Here's the latest update from the Statesman, 10:25PM Central Time:
The Link
 
BTW, I pushed these to the back burner yesterday due to the accident news, but I took a bunch of construction photos Monday morning. Any of you who follow my twitter feed (@austin_f1) may have already seen them, but for those of you who haven't, here they are:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3...4878&type=1

For those of you not on Facebook, here are some highlights:

The west half of the Pit/Paddock Building, the media Center, and the beginnings of the Main Grandstand:

430547_397193456961872_157330087614878_1691978_2010492267_n.jpg



Grandstand construction going vertical on the west end near the Media Center:

417250_397195573628327_157330087614878_1691997_1687635260_n.jpg


421294_397194200295131_157330087614878_1691986_256415753_n.jpg


425270_397196043628280_157330087614878_1692000_180291448_n.jpg



Media Center and west end of Pit/Paddock Building:

429934_397193973628487_157330087614878_1691982_322801142_n.jpg


429470_397195606961657_157330087614878_1691998_932877685_n.jpg



East half of the Pit/Paddock Building:

430009_397193020295249_157330087614878_1691972_109784935_n.jpg



East end of Pit/Paddock and the Medical Center:

404292_397193290295222_157330087614878_1691976_233683703_n.jpg



Medical Center:

404961_397194773628407_157330087614878_1691988_1547903426_n.jpg



"The Wall"...LOL:

425023_397194883628396_157330087614878_1691991_1728050610_n.jpg



Scraper making the steep Turn 1 climb:

427705_397194170295134_157330087614878_1691985_1930458521_n.jpg


423970_397195556961662_157330087614878_1691996_1482361307_n.jpg



Turn 11 Hairpin ( R), Turn 10 (L), and the Longhorn Straight:

65753_397196180294933_157330087614878_1692003_1264630440_n.jpg



Hairpin & Longhorn Straight:

425203_397196330294918_157330087614878_1692005_1933147092_n.jpg



The Hairpin is pretty tight:

425151_397196440294907_157330087614878_1692007_466741759_n.jpg



Longhorn Straight. Yesterday's accident likely happened somewhere in the area beyond & right of the straight in this photo:

423012_397196246961593_157330087614878_1692004_748227871_n.jpg



Love the elevation:

422858_397196393628245_157330087614878_1692006_243474263_n.jpg
 
...and here are 8 nice new COTA construction photos via @StatesmanF1's Facebook page:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.306398636089643.74001.125170184212490&type=1


421722_306402919422548_125170184212490_833997_221775098_n.jpg


430556_306400522756121_125170184212490_833983_988113011_n.jpg


430107_306400542756119_125170184212490_833985_1338140721_n.jpg


422929_306400572756116_125170184212490_833986_707088435_n.jpg


426374_306400626089444_125170184212490_833987_144257340_n.jpg


421675_306403549422485_125170184212490_834000_302444759_n.jpg
 
I just finished reading the Hellmund v. Accelerator Holdings legal petition. Some of you might be surprised by its contents. The latest COTA update from AutoWeek has a copy of it as well...
The Link



Here's the direct link to the petition:
The Link
 
BTW, for any of you who are interested in this case but don't have the time and/or the inclination to read all of it, I've made a sort of "Cliff's Notes" version of the Hellmund v. Accelerator petition. I've hit most of the high points and included some relevant quotes and paraphrased in other places. It's by no means comprehensive, but you should get a decent overview...

In reply to:

 
Hellmund in P1 to be Allsport boss?
The Link

This could be great for COTA, assuming they make things right. It could never hurt to have someone on your side in a senior F1 position.
 
I don't need no ******* PSL.Meanwhile...seems as though a pattern is emerging.The deeper we dig into this story, the worse it looks for the COTA boys:The Link

AutoWeek's Steven Cole Smith knocks another one out of the park.

Looks like COTA was trying an end-around on an already great contract in an attempt to sidestep Hellmund. Sound familiar? It gets better. It seems Epstein even went so far as to lie directly to Schwantz, claiming that he had offered Hellmund $10M for the MotoGP rights. Schwantz directly refutes that claim.

In reply to:






 
With the arrival yesterday of "the mother of all cranes" as one observer put it, Main Grandstand construction begins in earnest:

429587_407706662577218_157330087614878_90057405_659850491_n.jpg
 
COTA brass went to Melbourne & will go to other GPs in an effort to gather the best ideas to handle crowds on race day. Anyone besides me think it's a little late for something like this? Shouldn't this have been going on last season?
The Link
 
After getting the franchise Tavo did nothing; after announcing the investment Epstein and McCombs did nothing; why should anyone be surprised about what COTA is doing now?

I pray that the USGP race itself will be good because, except for a privileged few, the fan experience is going to be horrible (and down right miserable if it is raining). It will start with a two hour ride/wait on a school bus just getting into the venue and apparently downhill from there.

Until there is real fan access to the track, there will be issues.
 

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