Austin's F1 circuit.

[LRW]

I work in the Construction Industry here withing the UK - so I know how quickly buildings can go up once the main structure is up..... but even so. Only 9 months to get complete and settle in....? I wouldn't want to put any money on it...

That is going to be one tight deadline.

Yo fuggedabouit ...This is America! We get labor from Mexico, steel from India and investors from Saudi Arabia... good as done. USA! USA! USA!

Oh, ok, I''ll stop worrying then.

[tim wood]

Federal docs show COTA raised ~$100M, FIA sets number of laps:



http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/ ... ula_austin



http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/ ... almos.html

[tim wood]

18 new photos I shot this morning near dawn:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 878&type=1

Here's a sample:

[tim wood]

Well, looks like the PSL/Season Ticket Pricing surveys are going out. Just completed mine.

[tim wood]

Latest COTA time-lapse, posted today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uyvVcyem1ZQ

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=24 ... =2&theater

[tim wood]

I took a bunch of construction photos yesterday morning & posted them to the FB page:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 878&type=1


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:


Connecting the ends of the Pit/Paddock complex:


The Media Center:


Work on the Medical Center is just beginning:


East end of the Pit/Paddock and the Medical Center:


Pit/Paddock viewed from out around Turn 11 hairpin:


The "Longhorn Straight":


Turn 10 (downhill 130R?):


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


You're doing it wrong. Rookie.

[tim wood]

Sorry everyone. Been away for a bit due to problems with my login...it was weird.

Anyway, here's an update on construction and the worker who was critically injured Tuesday when a soil compacting roller apparently rolled over onto him.

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/ ... index.html

I have pictures to post for you and I'll get to those asap.

[tim wood]

I pushed these to the back burner Tuesday 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:

[url="https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.397192273628657.108709.157330087614878&type=1"]https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.3...4878&type=1[/url]

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:




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








Media Center and west end of Pit/Paddock Building:






East half of the Pit/Paddock Building:




East end of Pit/Paddock and the Medical Center:




Medical Center:




"The Wall"...LOL:




Scraper making the steep Turn 1 climb:






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




Hairpin & Longhorn Straight:




The Hairpin is pretty tight:




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




Love the elevation:

[andrew]

The Hairpin is pretty tight:

Looks like a tricky corner. The 4x4's spun and the roller's run wide.

[tim wood]

LOL andrew...

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

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set ... 490&type=1

[tim wood]

Video: More on the injured team member from KXAN-TV in Austin:

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/aust ... -improving

[geetface9]

niiiiiice thx for all the pics and vids tim

[tim wood]

This s***'s gettin' real now:

Hellmund sues Circuit of The Americas investors, may seek to regain control:


http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120303/F1/120309942

http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula ... 15199.html

[LRW]

This s***'s gettin' real now:

Hellmund sues Circuit of The Americas investors, may seek to regain control:


http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120303/F1/120309942

http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula ... 15199.html

I think it will be excellent to have an race over in America, and especially in the Southern states, where there passion for motorsport is renowned, and this can only be a good thing for the sport we all love. But its situations like this, that just re-enforce my belief that new GP races should only be granted to tracks that are at least built, and have some proven ability to hold a race.

But I suppose its the Chicken/Egg thing. Because if they cant be guaranteed a slot on the F1 calendar, and all the revenue generated by such a race, you wont get the investors in the first place, to make the track a reality.

I just hope these court cases can be sorted without impact to the venue, and that the track can get finished sometime before November.....

[What's Burning?]

This s***'s gettin' real now:

Hellmund sues Circuit of The Americas investors, may seek to regain control:


http://www.autoweek.com/article/20120303/F1/120309942

http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula ... 15199.html

I think it will be excellent to have an race over in America, and especially in the Southern states, where there passion for motorsport is renowned, and this can only be a good thing for the sport we all love. But its situations like this, that just re-enforce my belief that new GP races should only be granted to tracks that are at least built, and have some proven ability to hold a race.

But I suppose its the Chicken/Egg thing. Because if they cant be guaranteed a slot on the F1 calendar, and all the revenue generated by such a race, you wont get the investors in the first place, to make the track a reality.

I just hope these court cases can be sorted without impact to the venue, and that the track can get finished sometime before November.....

I agree about the race in America, however I want to correct/refine something you've said. Yes the south is passionate about motor sports but those motorsports are NASCAR, drag racing, monster trucks and tractor pulls. They are also not events that draw crowds willing to pay 500 dollars per person for a weekend ticket. Watkins Glen, Mid Ohio, Laguna Seca, Lime Rock are all great road racing courses and none are in the south. There is a reason why there's a race scheduled in NJ in 2013 and that's because that's the demographics F1 seeks. I wish all the best to the COTA but there is no way they'd survive the financial investment solely on commitment of F1. That's why this is being sold as an Americas circuit, to court ALMS, Grand AM, and NASCAR and most importantly, Indy.