[is not]

The United States Grand Prix will return to the Formula 1 calendar in 2012 after a deal was struck for a race to be held in Austin, Texas.

Following weeks of speculation about the potential return of a race in America, F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone announced on Tuesday night that the event will take place from 2012 to 2021 on a new purpose-built facility in Austin.

Ecclestone said: "For the first time in the history of Formula 1 in the United States, a world-class facility will be purpose-built to host the event.

"It was thirty years ago that the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix was last held on a purpose-built permanent road course circuit in Watkins Glen, NY (1961-1980), which enjoyed great success.

"Since then, F1 has been hosted by Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix all on temporary street circuits. Indianapolis joined the ranks of host cities in 2000 when they added a road course inside the famed oval.

"Lewis Hamilton won the last F1 United States Grand Prix in 2007, signalling the end to eight years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This however, will be the first time a facility is constructed from the ground up specifically for F1 in the US."

[angelmb]

For the first time in the history of Formula 1 in the United States, a world-class facility will be purpose-built to host the event.

Fear the

[SpaceMonkey]

I give it two weeks.

[ajprice]

Hopefully they'll do better than the team.

[ghporter]

This is both fascinating and scary. Where will they build the course? Austin already has some of the worst traffic for a city of its size, due to both geography and what I'll call "poor planning" on the part of TxDOT. I can think of many places for such a course, but I can also see many, many obstacles between those places and completion... VERY interesting.

[BlueSky]

As a Long Beacher, good ****ing riddance.

[mduell]

If they announced a road course it might happen. Purpose built facility? No way.

[is not]

You can try car2go at Austin while you wait for the grandprix!

After a six month pilot program, car2go today announced that its successful mobility program would be made available to the Austin public beginning May 21st.

“Austin has responded to car2go with great interest and enthusiasm, reaffirming our belief that car2go really is an idea worth sharing,” said Nicholas Cole, President and CEO of car2go North America. “Our successful partnerships with the City of Austin and other pilot groups have provided car2go the opportunity to further develop our progressive transportation solution. Now the public will have the chance to take advantage of car2go to get around this great city in an environmentally friendly manner.”

The public unveiling of car2go follows a very successful pilot program with the City of Austin starting in November 2009. Since the start of the partnership, over 1,200 city employees have registered. In the first six months of the pilot program, a total of more than 3,000 pilot members joined car2go. There were more than 20,500 total rentals, with a current average of 2,000 fully automated rental transactions each week. The pilot program has also given car2go the chance to identify and resolve technical challenges to ensure that the program will run smoothly and efficiently for the Austin public.

[is not]

Originally Posted by angelmb 

Fear the

Tilke to design new Austin circuit

The new Austin Formula 1 track, which will host the American Grand Prix from 2012, is to be designed by Hermann Tilke, race organisers have announced.

Shortly after revealing its 10-year deal to hold the US event, Austin race promoters Full Throttle Productions have now earmarked a site for the circuit and confirmed that Tilke will be involved.

The exact location of the venue has not been disclosed, but Tavo Hellmund, managing partner of Full Throttle Productions, was quoted as saying by the Associated Press that its was 'more than 700 acres.'

Hellmund also ended speculation about who would design the track by confirming that F1 regular Tilke, the man behind track designs at Istanbul, Abu Dhabi, Bahrain, Shanghai, and Sepang, will be involved.

Race promoters said the track would be "one of the finest permanent road course facilities in the world. Fans should expect the craftsmanship Tilke is famous for, with a priority placed on green building and a track similar to the great grand prix tracks of previous generations."

[angelmb]

Originally Posted by is not 

Tilke to design new Austin circuit

( boing )

Fans should expect the craftsmanship Tilke is famous for, with a priority placed on green building and a track similar to the great grand prix tracks of previous generations."

So, to read between the lines: the packaging passes muster but the content sucks big time. Might we except it to be dubbed US Marlboro Grand Prix?

All kidding aside, Tinkle can't fail this time as this one is dead easy and simply takes just a little research; the Austin track needs to be truly great and truly American, both at once. Well, a shameless copy of the Belgium Spa track would do it:

reason for it being great: Spa is beyond awesome
reason for it being American: Spa mimics the silhouette of a bald eagle





Great and American, both at once. Darn easy way to kill two birds with one stone (for lack of a better description).

[is not]

Nice!

[stevesnj]

I don't think that the Austin realizes that it costs $20+ million for licensing fees per race weekend. No way ticket sales will make up that difference. That was the problem at Indy. Other countries use government and local subsidies to help. The US government wont spend a dime on F1.

[Andy8]

Originally Posted by stevesnj 

I don't think that the Austin realizes that it costs $20+ million for licensing fees per race weekend. No way ticket sales will make up that difference. That was the problem at Indy. Other countries use government and local subsidies to help. The US government wont spend a dime on F1.

Exactly.

Upgrade an existing circuit or use a street circuit, but even then it will be a tall order to be viable in the USA.

[macaddict0001]

Cool, I want to see a section of track that is upside down, why not? The cars make enough downforce at higher speeds. All kidding aside Is someone's contract ending or will we have a 20 race season?

[ghporter]

I think that it's a bad idea to underestimate Austin. No, it's not a huge metropolis, but there's a LOT of money there, and Tavo Helmund, the managing partner of promoter Full Throttle Productions says

This is a case of the right timing in the right place. As many Americans know, Austin has earned a reputation as one of the ‘it’ cities in the United States. Austin features that rare combination of ideal geographic location and beauty. Its fine dining, world-renowned hospitality and excellent transportation infrastructure make Austin ideally suited to host and manage an event of this magnitude. Few cities if any in America could rival the connectivity of all the key elements needed for hosting a Formula 1 event as well as Austin. Now, many people around the world will have the opportunity to experience a world-class event, facility and city.

While no specific venue has been announced, I've read that it will be "within 10 miles of the airport." That puts it east of town, and in some "interesting" topography. It should be a very cool course, if it's anywhere even vaguely near the airport.