great news for F1 fans in the US

[Tsakali]

Formula One World Championship Limited and Formula One Administration Limited (together, the F1 Commercial Rights Holder) and Full Throttle Productions, LP, promoter of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™, announce that a historic agreement has been reached for Austin, Texas to serve as the host city of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ for years 2012 through 2021....

....Bernie Ecclestone, President and CEO of the Formula One Group stated: “For the first time in the history of Formula One in the United States, a world-class facility will be purpose-built to host the event. It was thirty years ago that the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ was last held on a purpose-built permanent road course circuit in Watkins Glen, NY (1961-1980), which enjoyed great success.....

full article
http://www.formula1.com/news/headlines/ ... 10824.html


couldn't be happier, that it will be no more than 7 -8 hour drive from New Orleans...

at first they were trying to hit a deal in New Jersey but apparently the local community there didn't approve...which works out perfectly for me!

can't fucking wait!

[Don Carlos]

Quality

[losCHUNK]

sounds quality, was expecting another street circuit but a new track ?, cant wait

[+JuggerNaut+]

fucking awesome! not terribly far from me and Austin is a great town.

[Dark Metal]

Austin, Massachusetts?

[Don Carlos]

Austin, Healy

[+JuggerNaut+]

Mass of what?

[losCHUNK]

Massa, Felipe

[Eraser]

I never realised the Formula 1 didn't go to the US. They never raced on Laguna Seca or Indianapolis?

edit:
wait, I see on Wikipedia that the Formula 1 did attend Indianapolis from 2000 to 2007.

[losCHUNK]

Indianapolis was where the last bunch of races were held ?, then dropped after there was only 6 cars on the grid because bridgestone made crap tyres ?. Have always wanted to see it on Laguna Seca though

edit: nvm :]

[Doombrain]

another yawn fest but this time with guns and explosions

[Eraser]

The corkscrew on Laguna Seca is an awesome turn.
Check the difference of speed between these speed GT cars and a Toyota F1 car. The F1 driver's internal organs are probably coming out of his nose when taking that turn.

[losCHUNK]

nice !, I was arguing with some plank in the pub who claimed the reason why they couldnt use seca was because the F1 cars couldnt get round the corkscrew... that vids coming to the pub with me tonight ...

Im pretty sure I heard bernie say a while back that the tracks not up to F1 scratch ?, I might be wrong, but its all about politics otherwise it wouldve been there by now

[Tsakali]

monaco is been there for years, with virtually no changes .... kinda hard to believe a race track wouldn't fair better than that

[Eraser]

nice !, I was arguing with some plank in the pub who claimed the reason why they couldnt use seca was because the F1 cars couldnt get round the corkscrew... that vids coming to the pub with me tonight ...

Im pretty sure I heard bernie say a while back that the tracks not up to F1 scratch ?, I might be wrong, but its all about politics otherwise it wouldve been there by now

According to Wikipedia (there you go again...) the track is too small for an F1 event. It's visitor's capacity is insufficient and it's too remote. Apparently the track was considered in 1989, together with Phoenix but the race went to Phoenix for three years. That wasn't a big success so they stopped coming there as well.

[losCHUNK]

Makes sense, thats the impression i got, $$$.... tis a shame i only wanna see it once :]

[zewulf]

TBH, I would still prefer a temporary street circuit at a place like Manhattan (of course we all know that's never gonna happen), but this is unreal. Never in my wildest dream that my second hometown would host the USGP

They better not pull a USF1 though. I wonder where in Austin they'll be building the new track, and more importantly, where they'll get the money from. Nevertheless, Bernie never ceases to amaze me, but this time it's a nice surprise rather than the usual bad ones

BTW, I will be in Montreal in about two weeks time for the revived Canadian GP

[zewulf]

nice !, I was arguing with some plank in the pub who claimed the reason why they couldnt use seca was because the F1 cars couldnt get round the corkscrew... that vids coming to the pub with me tonight ...

Im pretty sure I heard bernie say a while back that the tracks not up to F1 scratch ?, I might be wrong, but its all about politics otherwise it wouldve been there by now

According to Wikipedia (there you go again...) the track is too small for an F1 event. It's visitor's capacity is insufficient and it's too remote. Apparently the track was considered in 1989, together with Phoenix but the race went to Phoenix for three years. That wasn't a big success so they stopped coming there as well.

I went to the last USGP at Indy back in 2007. The venue was good, but Indy was my least favorite of all F1 tracks. I've never been a fan of building a road course from an oval, so in a way I was glad it got canned.

Track-wise, I'm not a fan of Laguna Seca, either. The Corkscrew is very unique corner, but that alone should not determine whether or not it should host a GP. Also, in addition to the reasons you mentioned above, residents who live near the track frequently complain about noise, and because most of them are rich people who have a lot of influence in the area, it's not hard to understand why a GP at Laguna Seca is never gonna happen.

Of all existing tracks in the US, Road America in Wisconsin would be my pick, but what it comes down to in the end is that the US doesn't really have a modern, world-class road racing facility, and hopefully the new track they're gonna build in Austin will change that.

[Don Carlos]

The corkscrew on Laguna Seca is an awesome turn.
Check the difference of speed between these speed GT cars and a Toyota F1 car. The F1 driver's internal organs are probably coming out of his nose when taking that turn.

Nice

[werldhed]

I went to the last USGP at Indy back in 2007. The venue was good, but Indy was my least favorite of all F1 tracks. I've never been a fan of building a road course from an oval, so in a way I was glad it got canned.

Track-wise, I'm not a fan of Laguna Seca, either. The Corkscrew is very unique corner, but that alone should not determine whether or not it should host a GP. Also, in addition to the reasons you mentioned above, residents who live near the track frequently complain about noise, and because most of them are rich people who have a lot of influence in the area, it's not hard to understand why a GP at Laguna Seca is never gonna happen.

Of all existing tracks in the US, Road America in Wisconsin would be my pick, but what it comes down to in the end is that the US doesn't really have a modern, world-class road racing facility, and hopefully the new track they're gonna build in Austin will change that.

Brainerd International Raceway, yo!

[Nightshade]

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=43709

Fuck Texas.

[Don Carlos]

lol

NY would have been awesome...

[Don Carlos]

Fuck sake...Hermann Tilke is designing the circuit. There goes all hopes of a a good race

[Nightshade]

WTF are you smoking? Tilke designs awesome tracks, ones that are wide enough to allow some chance at passing. What about turn 8 at Istanbul? 4 apex, 4G corner? Tilke's the ubermensch of racetrack design, the fact that he's designing it is the only good thing about it.

P.S. Fuck Texas.

[Tsakali]

Austin is a Texas anomaly , you may even say, " it's like a whole other country"