This writer make a good argument that it's unlikely that the track will be ready for June and that the race will actually take place in November 2012, as many have already speculated. So why did Bernie set a June date? So he could get his hands on the Texas taxpayer's money sooner, of course! November makes sense from a weather standpoint, but I think the race will find it hard to compete in November with pro and college football (assuming we have an NFL season) for fan and media attention. Will anyone want to watch an F1 race on a peak football weekend in November? Yes, some hardcore fans, but not the casual fans they hope to attract to the sport. Look for very low US TV ratings for a November race.
THINK NOVEMBER 2012 INSTEAD
Austin's Formula One plan revs forward with a fake race date? Track expert questions the plan
By Jacob Dirr
07.11.11 | 10:03 am
But a quiet fact has floated off the radar screen: They have to build the damn track in less than a year in order to make a race date of June 17, 2012 — as announced and reported without a shred of journalistic skepticism by Austin’s local media.
Here is one fact staring Austin's F1 builders in the face: Only three of the seven Formula One tracks built since 1998 were completed in under 18 months...
The truth is Formula One pushers still don't have permission to start construction on any of the actual buildings needed to house a spectacle such as F1, all they can do is start pouring the track, build a couple of tunnels and keep pushing dirt around. They only received permission to start actual track construction, by the way, at the end of June, despite claiming construction was "under way" long before that.
The Achilles' heel, Waters said, will be building and testing the myriad of support facilities that go around the track. The grandstands alone take six to seven months to build — considering design, steel delivery and construction, he said.
Why would race promoters aim for a date they probably know they cannot meet?
...By setting a June 2012 date, F1 also legally cleared the way for local lobbyists to trigger the flow of funds from the state. Money from the Texas Major Events Trust Fund cannot be applied for earlier than one year ahead of the race date. It was that faux deadline that sparked the big Austin City Council hearings last month.