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Old 9 Aug 2011, 17:51 (Ref:2937716)   #1
BobHWS
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BobHWS should be qualifying in the top 5 on the gridBobHWS should be qualifying in the top 5 on the grid
USA Grand Prix Austin (part deux)

The previous thread on this topic was locked (don't know why) so, since there is still a lot of interest in the topic and with an OK from a moderator, I am starting a new discussion thread.

To get things started, here is a recent opinion piece about the race from Austin's hometown paper (I give the paper credit for allowing opposing views to be heard). I think it's a good summary of all the potential problems with awarding a race to a place like Austin. I especially agree with the writer's point that "...many first-year attendees will leave with a been-there-done-that attitude."

Some would argue that attracting fans from Texas is not important, but I disagree and I would point to the example of Montreal. While a majority of the fans at the Montreal race come from outside the Montreal area and the province of Quebec, fans from the Montreal area and beyond (between Ottawa and Quebec City) constitute a sizable proportion of each year's crowd. And they come back year after year. Why? Because they are hardcore F1 fans.

I know, there are some hardcore fans in Texas too, just as there are some where I live in North Carolina. But are there enough to provide an annual local base of support for an F1 event whose tickets cost $250-500 each? It remains to be seen.

Mauzy: Is F1 sending Austin racing toward disaster?
Stephen Mauzy, Special Contributor
statesman.com
Published: 11:35 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, 2011

So Austin is busting into the big time – set to become a "world-class" city, like other U.S. world-class cities: Watkins Glen, N.Y.; Detroit; Dallas; Phoenix; Las Vegas; Long Beach; and Indianapolis...

Formula One's high costs guarantees that many first-year attendees will leave with a been-there-done-that attitude. They won't be back...

And let's not overlook location: Austin, for all its splendor and charm, simply isn't a major destination city...

The overarching concern, though, is Bernie Ecclestone, whose thumb the Circuit of the Americas owners are now firmly under. Ecclestone is one of the world's shrewdest and least sentimental businessmen...

...If Ecclestone believes a more remunerative deal resides elsewhere, rumblings about a breach of contract will soon enough emanate from Europe.

So don't be surprised if a few years hence Austin finds itself in the same league as Watkins Glen, Detroit, Dallas, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Long Beach, and Indianapolis – a world-class city that has hosted Formula One races.
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