USA Grand Prix Austin (part deux)

[wolfhound]

What are the odds of any GP taking place in the USA within the next 5 years?

The cost of setting up a circuit and running a GP must be massive especially when Bernie wants millions for a race without giving it a chance to build a crowd.
Australia has been making noises in the past about lower sanctioning fees as well.

[mountainstar]

I care less about F1 and more about having a nice track in Texas for my own purposes and for V8 Supercars.

If all this goes in the toilet I have to say I'm pretty disappointed it turned out that way.

Hopefully the track itself can be rescued and the F1 farkles trimmed off the costs.

[Marbot]

The MotoGP race at Laguna Seca will be held there up until 2014.

The MotoGP race at the Indianapolis circuit has also just renewed its contract up until 2014.

As for V8 Supercars, possibly they would only make the effort if they were supporting an F1 GP? I'm not sure that it would bring in the required number of fans on its own.

Feel really sorry for Jeremy, right now.

[JeremySmith]

Thank you I appreciate that, but I am glad it's over to be honest..

Austin has been used as a pawn for Ecclestone to get what he really wanted which is a race on the East coast. I could blurt out loads of bad names but I am not going to do so, I feel very bad for all concerned who have spent Millions of $ so far to make this happen..

I knew after Mr Ecclestone made the statement in Adubi Dhabi that Bahrain would get a November date next year that we were toast..

At the same time I find it hard to believe that well educated people, Ecclestone not being one of them could be so gullible, it's quite something, because I have never heard one sentence that has come out of his mouth that sounded like English?

Susan Combs is not state controller of Texas because she is blond, or is thought of as an appliance..

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

because I have never heard one sentence that has come out of his mouth that sounded like English?

Susan Combs is not state controller of Texas because she is blond, or is thought of as an appliance..

It's not what he says that's important, it's what he does. Time and again he shows that he's not to be messed with because he always comes up smelling of roses.

Fortunately we got Donington Park back to being a fully functioning circuit again. Not that Bernie ever gave a damn about it in the first place.

[ujoint]

Ecclestone says he’s ready to cancel Austin’s F1 race.
source:http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...eady_to_c.html

Real egg laid here.

If you already got this info then can this post and accept my appologies. m. thanks.

[ujoint]

In and around Austin. News flash: Suspect accused of stealing Lakeway man’s goat, barbecuing it.
source: http://www.statesman.com/blogs/conte...ealing_la.html

[Oldtony]

A 245lb 7month old goat sounds like a Texas story.
Still I supose we have been getting a little fiction out of Austin for a while now.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Richard Casto

What a mess.

I suspect we will not have a successful and long lasting (more than a few years) F1 race in this country until after Bernie is gone. Maybe the NJ race will surprise me? Assuming it also doesn't crash and burn as well.

Richard

New Jersey will go ahead. This is Bernie's dream GP we're talking about. He's always wanted a race, with Manhatten as the backdrop and now he's finally got the location after being previously denied.

[expaddockrunner]

quote from the indepenant newspaper:
The United States Grand Prix will not take place as planned next year because of delays in the construction of the track, Bernie Ecclestone has confirmed. The decision brings to an end weeks of speculation over the future of the race, at the Circuit of the Americas in the Texan capital, Austin.

A deal to host the race was agreed by Ecclestone in May last year with promotion company, Full Throttle Productions. The Formula One Commission, the sport's decision-making body, put the race in the calendar for next year at a meeting earlier this month but now Ecclestone has conceded that the track will not be ready. He said: "The [new] contract we proposed to them is 10 years from 2013. We said we would wait for them."

Ecclestone claimed the circuit owners had missed the deadline to sign an agreement to stage the race next year. He added: "I can't solve it." Tavo Hellmund, a long-time associate of Ecclestone and the owner of Full Throttle Productions, said: "Mr Ecclestone has been incredibly patient with the challenges here in Austin. Full Throttle Productions has worked tirelessly to bring the Formula One United States Grand Prix to Austin. It is now the responsibility of the Circuit of the Americas to make this project happen before Mr Ecclestone's patience runs out."

However, on Tuesday, two shareholders in Circuit of the Americas, Red McCombs and Bobby Epstein, released a statement saying building work had stopped because the contract had not been received. The president of Circuit of the Americas, Steve Sexton, insisted: "Funding is secured and construction is on schedule. There is no question that if [Ecclestone] wants the US GP race to happen here in 2012, it will."

A £16m hosting fee for next year's race was due to have been paid to Ecclestone on 31 July, but has still not been received.

[Spritle]

While I can't verify the accuracy of the details in this story, it does explain things a bit making the whole mess a little easier to understand:

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/64620.html

[JeremySmith]

Sounds good...

[Sodemo]

I would much rather they ruin a yet to be built track, than destroy a classic race venue in the name of F1. What they did to Mt Fuji is nothing short of a utter disgrace. Thankfully Donington was just about spared that same fate. Brands Hatch was also spared although thankfully that F1 deal fell through well before the diggers arrived.

[JeremySmith]

$40 Million is a lot of money to have spent for nothing though. The article the spritle posted sounds more like the truth.

What the hell they are going to do with 1,000 acres of graded land? What an absolute disgrace..

[Richard C]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

New Jersey will go ahead. This is Bernie's dream GP we're talking about. He's always wanted a race, with Manhatten as the backdrop and now he's finally got the location after being previously denied.

I agree it will happen. I should have focused more on my comment about "long lasting". My concern is that Bernie may somewhat "get it out of his system" with respect to NY (NJ). That eventually the novelty will wear off for him and his true colors will reappear. The screws will be tightened, the locals will not put up with it and the race will disappear. As much as Bernie wants NY, they really don't want/need him. So in the long run this is most likely going to be another failed US based GP. I have no idea how long it will take before the knife appears in the back of the NJ promoters, but it will show up. The only thing that will change this scenario is when Bernie is no longer in the picture.

Richard

[AMP Marshal]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

$40 Million is a lot of money to have spent for nothing though. The article the spritle posted sounds more like the truth.

What the hell they are going to do with 1,000 acres of graded land? What an absolute disgrace..

It's another example of getting the royal " j**k around " by FOM. Disgraceful is a mild term. I was looking forward to going to Austin in 2012, now maybe that isn't on at all. Pity really.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by Spritle

While I can't verify the accuracy of the details in this story, it does explain things a bit making the whole mess a little easier to understand:

http://en.espnf1.com/f1/motorsport/story/64620.html

Thanks for the link. That's a very good article, with excellent background information. I'd really like to know what the difference in contracts is, maybe it will come out in the wash.

[JeremySmith]

I doubt we will know, but you would think that Bernie would have just transferred the details of the original contract into the new one..

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I doubt we will know, but you would think that Bernie would have just transferred the details of the original contract into the new one..

That's what I was thinking but no and he changed the year as well. That must have some significance otherwise why would he bother? Does the year change have some bearing on the NJ GP?

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I doubt we will know, but you would think that Bernie would have just transferred the details of the original contract into the new one..

It's hardly likely that Bernie will offer another promoter the same deal if the new promoter stands to gain more in the way of control than was originally intended. But not knowing the details of the new deal leaves us very much in the dark on that one.

What has become obvious is that even if the race does go ahead now, it won't take place until 2013.

[wolfhound]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

I doubt we will know, but you would think that Bernie would have just transferred the details of the original contract into the new one..

Tavo used to work for Bernie and he has tended to look after a lot of his former staff. I wonder does Bernie feel that that Tavo was shafted by his partners in the USA GP?

[gttouring]

no offense to texas.
but initial concerns were that this wasn't the top pick for a GP round anyway. I am not sure F1 wanted to be or needed it.
I wonder if the ploy was for NY/NJ-or NewEngland all along and Bernie doesn't care who spends money on a track that doesn't go anywhere.

[JeremySmith]

I do not believe that this is over yet.. What I do believe is that the facility would not be ready in time for a 2012 date even if all the business end of it was totally in order..

It seems to me that the prudent approach would be to work out the details between all parties concerned, continue with contruction and go for a Nov 2013 date..

[Marbot]

Originally Posted by JeremySmith

It seems to me that the prudent approach would be to work out the details between all parties concerned, continue with contruction and go for a Nov 2013 date..

This could still happen, but only if someone signs Bernie's contract. Don't expect him to budge one inch on that.

[expaddockrunner]

USA Today website reports!

Texas' F1 race gets next-week-or-else ultimatum http://usat.ly/uEO8VA