I'm serious, somewhere past that plastic lawn chair...
Austin's The Statesman reports:
Organizers of the proposed Austin Formula One auto race plan to build the track on about 900 acres near Elroy in southeastern Travis County, according to one of the major land owners involved....
...The location of the track has been a topic of intense speculation since May, when Formula One Group CEO Bernie Ecclestone announced plans for a race in Austin.
Wandering Creek has about 650 acres, and organizers have recently secured adjacent acreage, including land with more frontage on FM 812 and small parcels with additional access to Elroy Road, according to a source close to the event who could not be identified because he was not authorized to speak ahead of today's press conference.
Organizers kept the site secret, even from local officials, until the land was secured and private investors were lined up.
Cathy Olive, president of the Elroy Preservation Association, a neighborhood group, said she and other board members were scheduled to meet Monday night with a representative of the race organizers, presumably to provide a heads-up before this morning's conference.
She and some other local resident s opposed the original Wandering Creek plans, which called for 1,800 homes on small lots. She said she and "every single solitary person I have talked to" don't want the track in their area, but all feel it would be preferable to dense residential development.
"We all feel like it would be the lesser of two evils," Olive said. "Are we excited about it? No. But it's better than 2,000 teeny-tiny tract houses."...
...Hellmund faces a tight schedule to get the track built. Wandering Creek's owners already have submitted applications to extend water and wastewater treatment services to the land.
Austin and Travis County have set up a joint task force to handle permit requests, once the site is disclosed.
Promoters hope to have permits in place from the city and county to start grading work on the site in December and remain confident they can have a track open in time....
Read the Full article here
Additionally on of the major financial backers of the projects was named, it's Billy Joe "Red" McCombs (what a perfect name for a Texan promoter) of car dealership and Clear- Channel Entertainment wealth and a frustrated passion for grand entertainment venues.
Best of luck to all involved!
Track web site Formula1unitedstaes.com
end of post
I hope this works out better than the USGP team.
ReplyDeleteThe question is...is Axis on board? I'm desperate for a US GP since I'll never have the money to travel around the world, but that's just me. I CAN make a couple hundred mile drive to Austin so I'm in for this to happen.
ReplyDeleteAnyways, where else could a US GP really happen (without the complete remodeling of a facility/track)? C'mon, tracktards, what do you think? -gravit8
I think the answer is the same you will get from any enthusiast: Make it happen, don't let it turn into another USF1. Selfishly, I would have preferred the event be in NY but hey... I always did want to visit Austin anyway!
ReplyDeleteI've live in Texas; I've lived in California. The USGP should be in California. It's the only place in the US where I regularly see F1 apparel. It's got rolling hills, mountain views, and ocean views. Lot's of rich people. Lots of celebrities. It's the most populous state in the union. They don't hate foreigners. The list goes on and on.
ReplyDeleteI really hope this happens. I would love to roadtrip from Southern California with a few friends to see it. I was at Indy when Ralf Schumacher had his big crash and wasn't impressed with the track as an F1 venue. Go Texas, make a cool track with elevation changes.
ReplyDeleteMake it cool - but don't make it a narrow track with limited passing zones. That's been a big complaint for the more modern tracks in the Middle East/Asia - correct it and make a track that will provide interesting races. Don't make it another 2009 European Grand Prix or a light show like Singapore.
ReplyDelete