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I'm very excited by the prospects for the Turn 9-10 combination.

On the other hand Turns 15-16 look a bit contrived - possibly there is going to be a big grandstand there and Tilke is obliged to give them something to look at (a la Hockenheim, Nurburgring?)
 
I am very impressed by that layout.It will provide a very challenging race not only for the drivers but also for the engineers to get the right set up.
It also appears to be promising in terms of high average lap speeds.
The elevation changes should provide a great spectacle and I am really looking forward to hearing more news in the near future.
 
Turn 9-10 looks a bit like a mini turn 8 from Turkey.
Edit: Now I've seen it on the 2D plan, perhaps not.

Turns 16, 17, 18 again look like turn 8 from Turkey but the other way.

The start into turn 1 which seems quite steep looks interesting.
I can see a few incidents there as the cars become "light" when cresting the top of the incline.
 
The only thing about Turn 1 is that the drivers will be able to brake later with it being uphill, making overtaking slightly more difficult.

On the other hand the other long straight seems to run downhill, so perhaps it won't matter too much.
 
As expected, opposition seems to be growing with regards to the proposed circuit at Austin.

Twelve hours.

That’s how long it would take fans on race days to get into, and then out of, the proposed Formula One track to be built southeast of Austin, according to a quick analysis of the site plan by county planners.

Planners working on the race track site plan reached that estimate after a field trip to Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, where it takes about three hours for fans to enter and exit the track, said Joe Gieselman, manager of Travis County’s Transportation and Natural Resources Department. He added that the F1 calculation was reached by plugging in the number of anticipated attendees at the Austin event.

The 12-hour figure emerged during a county commissioner’s court meeting Tuesday, during which Richard Suttle Jr., the attorney for promoter Full Throttle Productions, was peppered with questions from commissioners. Gieselman said the county’s delay-time estimate, as well as other pointed queries about who would pay for road improvements and how many jobs the project might create, served to highlight the county’s frustration over the paperwork submitted by Full Throttle — which is thus far so sketchy as to make planners’ jobs nearly impossible, he said.

While such a wait to get into, and then out of the track would be a logistical disaster, Gieselman said it illustrated the difficulty planners face in trying to make decisions about the project without enough information up front....more
Click to expand
 
Brogan said:
As expected, opposition seems to be growing with regards to the proposed circuit at Austin.
Click to expand

I refer me learned friend to my earlier statement "I'll believe it when I see it"
 
Brogan said:
As expected, opposition seems to be growing with regards to the proposed circuit at Austin.
Click to expand

I'm assuming they based there numbers on the 100,000+ spectators all arriving at the same time on race day. The majority of fans will be there for the weekend and will be arriving from thursday onwards or maybe earlier.
 
I'd imagine that would be the case Yorkshire.

I mean the roads aren't exactly great for Silverstone, especially heading north to the M1.
 
F1Yorkshire said:
Brogan said:
As expected, opposition seems to be growing with regards to the proposed circuit at Austin.
Click to expand

I'm assuming they based there numbers on the 100,000+ spectators all arriving at the same time on race day. The majority of fans will be there for the weekend and will be arriving from thursday onwards or maybe earlier.
Click to expand

Exactly that Yorkshire.If you look at the drawings there is a large parking area for RV vehicles and many fans will arrive in these and stay for the entire weekend.
I don't think that officials who produced these figures quite understand how a F1GP differs from most other race meetings.
Must admit that I was a little suprised at the comment that Full Throttle had only supplied sketchy details.
 
ATL11 said:
Do we know if this will be used by any other US series, Indy Car, NASCAR?
Click to expand

At the moment no one knows.However Kevin Shwantz is heavily involved which would indicate some AMA or Moto GP.
But almost certainly there will be ALMS series and Indycar racing.
There is also a great deal of other series showing interest.

"There hasn't been a Formula One Grand Prix race in the United States since 2007, when the sport finished its eight-year run in Indianapolis, but owners and drivers continue to race F1 cars in this country.

Three weeks ago, they roared around Infineon Raceway about three hours before the start of the Indy Grand Prix of Sonoma in California. The week before, they competed in the final race at the Monterey Motorsports Reunion at the Mazda/Laguna Seca Raceway. What's more, the Historic Grand Prix is eyeing Austin, site of the planned 2012 U.S. Grand Prix.

"We would absolutely be interested in coming," said James King, co-director of Historic Grand Prix. "We'd have 30 cars at least."
http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula ... 07149.html
And this.
"On Wednesday, Parr met with local government officials, including Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell, business leaders and educators.

"One of the reasons I'm here is that I'd like Williams, as a team, to be at the forefront of bringing Formula One successfully to the U.S.," Parr said."

http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula ... 05007.html
 
Would be nice to see Indycar run the track, I know it would be a long shot and not sure if it would be supportive.

But what about a double race weekend, with F1 in the afternoon slot followed by a Indy Race that same evening, same track, something where they promoted each other, or is that just plain swearing?

Just if they want F1 in the good old US of A.......
 
ATL11 said:
Would be nice to see Indycar run the track, I know it would be a long shot and not sure if it would be supportive.

But what about a double race weekend, with F1 in the afternoon slot followed by a Indy Race that same evening, same track, something where they promoted each other, or is that just plain swearing?

Just if they want F1 in the good old US of A.......
Click to expand

I don't think they need to do that.US F1 GP's attract crowds of around 200000 at tracks like Indianapolis that is the number quoted for 2007 the last year it was run.

By comparison Silverstone attracts around 110000 so it would appear that there is no lack of interest in F1 in US.
As far as I can remember it was only dropped due to I think it was Tony George the owner of Indianapolis telling Bernie to stuff his fee where the sun don't shine.
I stand to be corrected on that one however.
 
ATL11 said:
But what about a double race weekend, with F1 in the afternoon slot followed by a Indy Race that same evening, same track, something where they promoted each other, or is that just plain swearing
Click to expand
Space restrictions and garages, etc. would rule that out.

Typically the F1 circus arrives on Wednesday/Thursday and doesn't finish packing up until very late Sunday night, very early Monday morning.

The IndyCar guys would be the same.
 
It is common to run ALMS and Indy Car on the same weekend. But they combine their races to share the costs and to entice more overall attendence. I don't think that will be necessary with F1, I think they will get their crowds anyway, especially in the early years.

Secondly, it would be in their financial interests to have Indy Car as a different event. That way they can control the entire budget and populate the track on more dates. That's the way Red McCombs thinks. ALMS on another date, AMA on another date, Moto GP on another date, etc.

That would also make the most sense to other businessmen who operate hotels, restaurants, bars, etc.

The traffic issues are being studied and a group has been formed to draw up a specific mass transportation plan. The positives are that the city is very close, and hotels outside the city are plentiful in every compass direction. I am confident they will come up with a workable plan. Indy put 300,000 at that circuit on their best days. The mass transit plan there works very well.
 
This is looking more and more exciting IMHO.

'Only' space for 120 000 spectators though? Indy attracted 200k did it not? I wonder if this will be expanded if demand is such in the years that follow. On the plan it certainly looks like there would be room for further grand stands.

Also, doesn't the section between say T3 and T9 look like one fantastic piece of race track! and one fantastic place to watch!
 
It is a great looking track.The elevation changes and the way that Tilke has incorporated those into the design will I think provide a great spectacle.

One further piece of news.This relates to the traffic issues.Forgetting the lurid headlines this is what Joe Gieselman actually said.
So whilst fully acknowledging that road improvements are required Travis County will be quite happy for the first race to go ahead with an intensive traffic management system.

"Consequently, for the first Grand Prix races, "we're looking at minor improvements to the existing system" and "intensive traffic management," said Joe Gieselman, manager of Travis County's Transportation and Natural Resources Department"
http://www.statesman.com/sports/formula ... 30349.html
 

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