Two articles today shed light on Bernie's recent comments casting the 2012 US grand Prix in Austin in doubt and raising the possibility that the Circuit of the Americas might end up as a Texas sized hole in the ground.
Essentially it boils down to FOM not getting paid agreed to fees yet and an intramural fight between Tavo Hellmund, the original promoter and signer of the 10 year contract with Formula 1 and the land owner and principal financial investor. Part of the deal was $25 million per year for the event fee to be paid by Texas state funds, these taxpayer monies have not moved yet and more worryingly, paperwork has not been filed.
It all comes to a head in early December when Formula 1 has to finalize the 2012 calendar.
Read more in detail on Steven Cole Smith on Autoweek and Pitpass
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Sounds like a real balls up. At least we have a back up now.
ReplyDeleteTexas my a$$, run the damned thing at Laguna Seca.
ReplyDeleteWhy not run the whole thing on a dirt track, like the red bull promo vid?
ReplyDeleteFirst, yeehaw GP anyone\?
Racing on dirt would be awesome but you wouldn't see the track with all of dust thrown up.
ReplyDeleteHow about an oily track? :)
I guess we'll see just how much these promoters wanted the race eh? In my mind it could be a good thing if they get this show off the ground without any government money - that way nobody from either political party could use it as a weapon in the continuous election cycle we've found ourselves in this last decade. Keep the damn politicians out of my racin, dammit!
ReplyDelete