Formula 1 in the US

[Yelcamino]

In case anyone is interested in Formula 1, I got an email today saying there will be a F1 race in Austin in 2012...



For all Formula 1 fans and those who have supported the F1 Watch Parties be assured there will be a race in Austin in 2012.

The official word as of this morning:


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

December 7, 2011
Formula 1™ and Circuit of The Americas™ Ready to Roll
10-Year Race Contract
Brings F1™ Back to the U.S. in 2012; Construction to Resume
Immediately
AUSTIN, Texas – December 7, 2011 – Circuit of The Americas announced today they havereached an agreement with Formula One Management that ensures the Formula 1 UnitedStates Grand Prix remains on the FIA Formula 1 World Championship race calendar.Red McCombs, chairman of McCombs Enterprises and founding partner of Circuit of TheAmericas stated, “Mr. Ecclestone received his check today. We want to thank the fanssupporting us, the local officials and businesses that have encouraged us, the State of Texas,Circuit of The Americas’ staff and Bernie himself. I want to thank and commend Bobby Epsteinfor getting us across the finish line. Bobby’s perseverance and leadership kept the project ontrack despite unfair and unfounded criticism.”“Our investors have believed all along that this project has tremendous benefit for our region,and provides a strong economic engine for the future,” stated Epstein, founding partner ofCircuit of The Americas. We remain committed to reaching our goal of being valuablecommunity partners as we establish a platform for sports and entertainment. We’re glad thatTavo’s vision of bringing F1 to the people of Texas will become a reality.”
Engineering and construction teams working on the track will resume immediately, ensuringcompletion for the 2012 race date.
“We have a substantial number of fans who have expressed interest in buying tickets andhospitality, so today is a win for all of them as much as it is for Circuit of The Americas,” saidSteve Sexton, president of Circuit of The Americas. “We encourage everyone to visit ourwebsite and register for information. Registered fans will receive the first communicationregarding ticket sales plans. In a matter of weeks we will have more exciting news as we unveilour full calendar of world class events.”Fans interested in receiving information about tickets for next year’s Formula 1 United StatesGrand Prix can register their contact information at
www.circuitoftheamericas.com. Ticket sales
information will be communicated to those registered prior to general public notification.
About Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas will be a world-class destination for performance, education andbusiness. It will be the first purpose-built Formula 1 Grand Prix facility in the United Statesdesigned for any and all classes of racing, from motor power to human power.The master plan for Circuit of The Americas features a variety of permanent structures designedfor business, education, entertainment and race use. Its signature element will be a 3.4-mile(5.5-km) circuit track. Other support buildings will include a medical facility, 14 executivemeeting suites, a conference center, and a banquet hall, as well as an expansive outdoor livemusic space. Future proposed amenities include a driving/riding experience, a motorsportsdriving club, kart track, grand plaza event center and tower, and a trackside recreational vehiclepark.For more information and downloadable video, audio and photos, visit:www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com.Media Inquiries:
Jeff HahnRepresenting Circuit of The Americas
Office: 512-344-2017
[email protected]
Ali PutnamCircuit of The AmericasOffice: [email protected]

[Trevon]

Hope it's successful...always went to the USGP till the 2nd last year when only 6 cars were on the track. Would love to go to another sometime.

[TheJDMan]

Does this mean that construction on the circuit has resumed?

[CFster]

Still skeptical. Bernie always wanted a race in New York and now he's got it. He was just using Austin as leverage.

They won't get the place built in time for next year anyway.

[Chevrolaine]

Agreed^ Too many big egos to make that happen next year.

[Twentyover]

Circuit's not complete yet? In old days, F1 required at least 1 feeder race be fore they would run on a course.The first LBGP was Formula Atlantic when they were running 5000 engines. 6 months later they ran F1.

Bernie has turned F1 into a harlot

[SLO_Z28]

There is a WHOLE lot of drama over the Texas circuit. Keep in mind there is a New Jersey circuit in the works too!

[bimmen325]

As long as we get some thing other than the spec racing that dominates here in the USA. NASCAR is a joke every car is the same and all manufacturers do is supply the engine, I want the old days of cars looking like the street versions. F1 is my favorite, but it is also just becoming a spec racing series. They used to be the pinnacle fo racing and technology now is just glorified CART racing.

[Daves69Coupe]

52245
There is a WHOLE lot of drama over the Texas circuit. Keep in mind there is a New Jersey circuit in the works too!

heres the link to the Jersey track info. Its gonna be right on the waters edge with manhattan as the backdrop.

There is no track to be built, there racing on the streets like Monte Carlo. Just have to build seating and things like that when the race nears.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/formula1/story/2011-10-24/formula-one-comes-to-new-jersey/50897052/1

[CFster]

52245

heres the link to the Jersey track info. Its gonna be right on the waters edge with manhattan as the backdrop.

There is no track to be built, there racing on the streets like Monte Carlo. Just have to build seating and things like that when the race nears.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/motor/formula1/story/2011-10-24/formula-one-comes-to-new-jersey/50897052/1

There's a bit more to it than that. They have to build a state of the art garage facility and associated buildings (scoring/press etc) to meet FIA standards. There will be no parking at the circuit, so mass transit has to be devised. They also say that nobody who lives in the neighborhood will have their driveways blocked - don't know how they'll pull that one off.

From a logistical standpoint NJ might be more difficult than Austin.

[CFster]

BTW, this is what the blown exhausts sound like at the track. Some seriously high tech stuff going on there. Exhaust gases are used to contribute to downforce (has to do with the underside of the car). Somehow they've discovered a way to have the same exhaust velocity coming out of the pipes under deceleration as when they're accelerating. That's why they sound like they're about to blow up under braking. One of the engineers this year said, "we're just now beginning to understand exhaust. That's one area the teams are spending a lot of money on for that extra edge."


http://youtu.be/BmGgvHflXgc

[protour73]

Herb, I don't want to whizz in your parade. But, for some reason this news has barely made a splash in the Formula 1 World.

I went to 5 top F1 websites, including Formula 1's Official site with no visible headline of this news. With all of the controversy that has engulfed this "future" track, it is no wonder it is being written off as a real contender. The COTA (Circuit of the Americas) investors put this together by the skin of their collective teeth. And......just one more world wide embarrassment for the United States' Formula 1 efforts, such as the loss of the outstanding USGP, USF1- a failed American attempt at a car and team, and now the Austin, TX effort to bring Formula 1 back to the U.S.

Now this may very well turn out to be a real Cinderella story, but I have never seen a new F1 track being built with this much drama. The USGP at Indianapolis was a great venue for me personally, as it was a short 3 hour drive from Chicago. I attended the inaugural race in 2000 and the next 5 consecutive years races including the 6 car debacle. Skipped last 2 races in 2006/2007 out of personal protest.

I am a huge F1 fan and have been since the early 80's, so I do follow this all very closely, and as an American it is a bit embarrassing for me. GO New Jersey!!!

[TheJDMan]

The promoter of the NJ F1 race was on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain last month and he was explaining the track and logistics. He indicated that all the parking would be at the Meadowlands complex and shuttles would run back and forth. They were also going to have ferries running back and forth to Manhattan. During the interview Dave also indicated that the Austin race was very much up in the air and they showed pictures of the track site and it looked a long long way from being even close to complete.

[DJW32]

I'll be at the Austin race. Well, as long as there is an actual race.

[DJW32]

Hope it's successful...always went to the USGP till the 2nd last year when only 6 cars were on the track. Would love to go to another sometime.

I was shocked that the wine and cheese crowd threw trash on the track as a protest to them not being happy. The situation was crap, but you should never act in the manner as those "fans" did.

[wicked68]

that exhaust sounds like a jake brake - you sure they are not doing turbo recirculation? that is my guess - it would allow them to keep the turbo on boost all the way through deceleration so they have immediate no lag power coming out of the stop

[CFster]

that exhaust sounds like a jake brake - you sure they are not doing turbo recirculation? that is my guess - it would allow them to keep the turbo on boost all the way through deceleration so they have immediate no lag power coming out of the stop

No turbos in those cars. The noise is a result of the blown exhaust (like I described earlier). How they achieve the blown exhaust is anybodys guess. You'd have more luck getting military secrets out of the Pentagon.

[LeighP]

Always a surprise this seems so hard for the US to host an F1 race......little old Australia has been hosting a street circuit F1 race for a number of years. It would seem that a US based race would have to be a more commmercial success than an Australian race (which is very popular).

[CFster]

It's because NASCRAP is #1 in this country, which isn't the case in the 18 other countries F1 goes to.

[Yelcamino]

BTW, this is what the blown exhausts sound like at the track. Some seriously high tech stuff going on there. Exhaust gases are used to contribute to downforce (has to do with the underside of the car). Somehow they've discovered a way to have the same exhaust velocity coming out of the pipes under deceleration as when they're accelerating. That's why they sound like they're about to blow up under braking. One of the engineers this year said, "we're just now beginning to understand exhaust. That's one area the teams are spending a lot of money on for that extra edge."


http://youtu.be/BmGgvHflXgc

That's awesome stuff! Thanks for posting!

[Trevon]

I was shocked that the wine and cheese crowd threw trash on the track as a protest to them not being happy. The situation was crap, but you should never act in the manner as those "fans" did.

Yea, it got pretty crazy. We just got up and left after a few laps. All could have been avoided if they put a chicane in the last corner...officials didn't want to change what they practiced though. There were some people there that spent thousands on travel and tickets to watch...they were really not happy.

[Yelcamino]

Herb, I don't want to whizz in your parade. But, for some reason this news has barely made a splash in the Formula 1 World.

I went to 5 top F1 websites, including Formula 1's Official site with no visible headline of this news. With all of the controversy that has engulfed this "future" track, it is no wonder it is being written off as a real contender. The COTA (Circuit of the Americas) investors put this together by the skin of their collective teeth. And......just one more world wide embarrassment for the United States' Formula 1 efforts, such as the loss of the outstanding USGP, USF1- a failed American attempt at a car and team, and now the Austin, TX effort to bring Formula 1 back to the U.S.

Now this may very well turn out to be a real Cinderella story, but I have never seen a new F1 track being built with this much drama. The USGP at Indianapolis was a great venue for me personally, as it was a short 3 hour drive from Chicago. I attended the inaugural race in 2000 and the next 5 consecutive years races including the 6 car debacle. Skipped last 2 races in 2006/2007 out of personal protest.

I am a huge F1 fan and have been since the early 80's, so I do follow this all very closely, and as an American it is a bit embarrassing for me. GO New Jersey!!!

Hey Scott, it's not my parade, just figured I'd share the email with F1 fans. If F1 returns to the US, great! If it doesn't, I'll continue to watch it on Speed.

[CFster]

Here is some more technical info on the blown exhaust/diffuser --> http://scarbsf1.wordpress.com/2011/05/19/fia-ban-on-aggressive-off-throttle-engine-maps/

A little dated from earlier in the season and the ban never took effect, but might for next year.

[DJW32]

that exhaust sounds like a jake brake - you sure they are not doing turbo recirculation? that is my guess - it would allow them to keep the turbo on boost all the way through deceleration so they have immediate no lag power coming out of the stop

Turbo V-6 engines will be coming in 2013 or 2014.