Formula 1 to return to the US in 2012... in TEXAS!?

deadwolfbones · 05-25-2010, 12:58 PM

Bernie Ecclestone's shock deal takes Formula One back to United States - Telegraph

Quote:

Bernie Ecclestone's shock deal takes Formula One back to United States
Formula One will return to the United States from 2012 after commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone confirmed on Tuesday night that a 10-year deal had been struck to stage a race at a new, purpose-built track in Austin, Texas.

After weeks of speculation about a return to America, which has not hosted a grand prix since Lewis Hamilton's triumph at Indianapolis in 2007, Ecclestone announced a surprise deal with promoter Full Throttle Productions.

"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," Ecclestone said. "It was 30 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.

"Since then, Formula One has been hosted by Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix all on temporary street circuits. Indianapolis joined the ranks of host cities in 2000 when they added a road course inside the famed oval. This however, will be the first time a facility is constructed from the ground up specifically for Formula One in the US."

Manufacturers involved in Formula One have been vocal about the need to return to such a key market for them, with events in New Jersey and upstate New York recently mooted. Ecclestone was also keen to see the now-defunct USF1 team make it to the grid this season. And although the Charlotte-based team ran out of both time and money, there is clearly still a will to get an American team on the track.

Tavo Hellmund, Managing Partner of Full Throttle Productions, said the deal had been years in the making and that Texas, the 11th largest economy in the world, would capitalise on that growing appetite to see F1 return to the States.

"This is a case of the right timing in the right place," he said. "As many Americans know, Austin has earned a reputation as one of the 'it' cities in the United States. Few cities if any in America could rival the connectivity of all the key elements needed for hosting a Formula 1 event as well as Austin. Now, many people around the world will have the opportunity to experience a world-class event, facility and city.

"We realize that over the last 30 years there have been one or two missing pieces from the previous editions of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.

We have a tremendous opportunity at hand to do it right - to feature Austin as the backdrop and produce the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix as one of the great sporting events in the world."

Really odd choice of venue, but Austin is indeed a great city and could be a nice venue. Some really pretty countryside around there and lots of room to build a great circuit.

Hope it works out as hoped, and I hope Tilke doesn't design the track. :ugh:

creampuff · 05-25-2010, 07:00 PM

Lucky for the folks in Austin. I guess it's because of the weather in relation to the race schedule had a part in it. Good that a new dedicated race track is gonna be built. A lot of spin-off business headed there.

fractal · 05-26-2010, 02:57 AM

So who exactly will the Americans cheer for?

lithos · 05-26-2010, 04:20 AM

Originally posted by fractal

So who exactly will the Americans cheer for?

Oh, snap!

Do they have any cars that can turn right as well as left?

fractal · 05-26-2010, 05:57 AM

Originally posted by lithos

Do they have any cars that can turn right as well as left?

Of course it's not about American cars at all. Successful Formula One cars are largely restricted to European nations. I'm just wondering, since there are no American F1 drivers, who will they cheer for?

To be quite honest, i'm quite ecstatic Mark Webber is leading in the drivers championship points.

deadwolfbones · 05-26-2010, 06:42 AM

Maybe Alexander Rossi (recent GP3 winner) will end up in F1 by then. Apparently the backers of the USF1 team are still working on a new American-backed entry as well.

fractal · 05-26-2010, 07:26 AM

Originally posted by deadwolfbones

Maybe Alexander Rossi (recent GP3 winner) will end up in F1 by then. Apparently the backers of the USF1 team are still working on a new American-backed entry as well.

By when?

johnmflores · 05-26-2010, 07:30 AM

If Valentino Rossi leaves MotoGP by then I'll be cheering for him. Otherwise, I'm impressed with Vettel. Heck, maybe JP Montoya will come back!

deadwolfbones · 05-26-2010, 07:39 AM

Originally posted by fractal

By when?

Which one?

Rossi could conceivably be in F1 by 2012 or 2013, though he'll have to work his ass off.

The group trying to reignite the US-based F1 team dream are saying 2011 is a possibility, but I seriously doubt it. That said, apparently Ferrari really wants to work with them, so who knows?

deadwolfbones · 05-26-2010, 07:55 AM

Well, this is interesting...

Former USF1 backer Parris Mullins, along with YouTube dude Chad Hurley, want to reignite the USF1 dream in a more feasible form (i.e., merging their funding with a more established infrastructure), but say it's possible that they could do it by 2011.

Meanwhile, Ferrari have said they'll do whatever they can to see such a thing happen.

At the same time, ART, who are closely linked with Ferrari, and who have an American driver in GP3, are looking to enter the series in 2011.

Wonder if we'll see an American Racing Team in F1?

**Sailor** · 05-26-2010, 07:58 AM

Originally posted by deadwolfbones

Bernie Ecclestone's shock deal takes Formula One back to United States - Telegraph

Really odd choice of venue, but Austin is indeed a great city and could be a nice venue. Some really pretty countryside around there and lots of room to build a great circuit.

Hope it works out as hoped, and I hope Tilke doesn't design the track. :ugh:

Hey, thanks for posting this - interesting. Austin is an easy jaunt from where we live - we could take the roadster, get inspired by the race, and then spend a couple of days cruising the great roads in the Hill Country.

Jer

Originally posted by fractal

So who exactly will the Americans cheer for?

Probably a more basic question is, "Will anyone show up to cheer at all?" I hope so; I've never seen an F1 race but think I'd find it interesting, so it would be nice to have an attractive venue close to home.

Jer

pcarfan · 05-26-2010, 11:24 AM

It's nice.

I am an avid F1 fan, but I doubt I'll ever make it to Texas, I'll make it to the Montreal GP before I head down to Texas. Neither the F1 nor the USA needs one another, and I think it wouldn't last long.

Who do we support? Well F1 fans don't need a driver from there country to support a team (it would be very very nice though). Only 9 out of the 33 drivers in the Indy 500 this year are Americans, check any road racing circuit and you'll hardly find many Americans. Why?, In the USA the money is in the ovals...if you have skills, either you can join the Oval crowd and make a living or choose road racing and starvation...the choice is clear.

I am glad Nascar TV (aka Speed) at least televises the practice, qulai, and the race live. I am content with that.

deadwolfbones · 05-26-2010, 12:05 PM

Originally posted by pcarfan

Neither the F1 nor the USA needs one another, and I think it wouldn't last long.

autosport.com - F1 News: F1 'must make most of new US chance'

Quote:

"It's a really important place for us to be. Our markets and our sponsors all want to operate there and Formula 1 has to do something about the package and the way in which we present it to make it acceptable to one of the world's largest markets.

"Without any expert knowledge on it - I'm not going to bluff my way through it - I'd say it is fantastic news if it turns out to be true and if we can make it happen."

...from the McLaren managing director.

**Just1MoreDave** · 05-26-2010, 04:41 PM

F1 in the US has always been plagued by bad business decisions. I googled Full Throttle Promotions, and I don't know, they don't quite sound like the kind of company that can get a $300-400 million facility up and ready to race by 2012. In photography terms, it sounds more like the couple planning a wedding hiring a friend to shoot it, because he has a Canon DSLR. I would have called Bruton Smith; he's built a few racetracks from scratch, and turned some others into successful businesses. They may be mostly NASCAR tracks but they've done better than the previous F1 attempts.

r0ckstarr · 05-26-2010, 04:59 PM

Originally posted by lithos

Oh, snap!

Do they have any cars that can turn right as well as left?

Not all people in the US are fans of NASCAR and Drag Racing.

That's like me asking if AUS has any cars built for a purpose other than doing big smokey burnouts?

05-25-2010, 12:58 PM	#1
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450	Formula 1 to return to the US in 2012... in TEXAS!? Bernie Ecclestone's shock deal takes Formula One back to United States - Telegraph Quote: Bernie Ecclestone's shock deal takes Formula One back to United States Formula One will return to the United States from 2012 after commercial rights holder Bernie Ecclestone confirmed on Tuesday night that a 10-year deal had been struck to stage a race at a new, purpose-built track in Austin, Texas. After weeks of speculation about a return to America, which has not hosted a grand prix since Lewis Hamilton's triumph at Indianapolis in 2007, Ecclestone announced a surprise deal with promoter Full Throttle Productions. "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," Ecclestone said. "It was 30 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. "Since then, Formula One has been hosted by Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix all on temporary street circuits. Indianapolis joined the ranks of host cities in 2000 when they added a road course inside the famed oval. This however, will be the first time a facility is constructed from the ground up specifically for Formula One in the US." Manufacturers involved in Formula One have been vocal about the need to return to such a key market for them, with events in New Jersey and upstate New York recently mooted. Ecclestone was also keen to see the now-defunct USF1 team make it to the grid this season. And although the Charlotte-based team ran out of both time and money, there is clearly still a will to get an American team on the track. Tavo Hellmund, Managing Partner of Full Throttle Productions, said the deal had been years in the making and that Texas, the 11th largest economy in the world, would capitalise on that growing appetite to see F1 return to the States. "This is a case of the right timing in the right place," he said. "As many Americans know, Austin has earned a reputation as one of the 'it' cities in the United States. Few cities if any in America could rival the connectivity of all the key elements needed for hosting a Formula 1 event as well as Austin. Now, many people around the world will have the opportunity to experience a world-class event, facility and city. "We realize that over the last 30 years there have been one or two missing pieces from the previous editions of the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix. We have a tremendous opportunity at hand to do it right - to feature Austin as the backdrop and produce the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix as one of the great sporting events in the world." Really odd choice of venue, but Austin is indeed a great city and could be a nice venue. Some really pretty countryside around there and lots of room to build a great circuit. Hope it works out as hoped, and I hope Tilke doesn't design the track. :ugh:

05-26-2010, 05:57 AM	#5
fractal Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,547	Originally posted by lithos Do they have any cars that can turn right as well as left? Of course it's not about American cars at all. Successful Formula One cars are largely restricted to European nations. I'm just wondering, since there are no American F1 drivers, who will they cheer for? To be quite honest, i'm quite ecstatic Mark Webber is leading in the drivers championship points. Last edited by fractal; 05-26-2010 at 06:03 AM.

05-26-2010, 07:55 AM	#10
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	Well, this is interesting... Former USF1 backer Parris Mullins, along with YouTube dude Chad Hurley, want to reignite the USF1 dream in a more feasible form (i.e., merging their funding with a more established infrastructure), but say it's possible that they could do it by 2011. Meanwhile, Ferrari have said they'll do whatever they can to see such a thing happen. At the same time, ART, who are closely linked with Ferrari, and who have an American driver in GP3, are looking to enter the series in 2011. Wonder if we'll see an American Racing Team in F1? Last edited by deadwolfbones; 05-26-2010 at 08:11 AM.

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05-25-2010, 07:00 PM	#2
creampuff Veteran Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Singapore Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,953	Lucky for the folks in Austin. I guess it's because of the weather in relation to the race schedule had a part in it. Good that a new dedicated race track is gonna be built. A lot of spin-off business headed there.

05-26-2010, 02:57 AM	#3
fractal Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,547	So who exactly will the Americans cheer for?

05-26-2010, 04:20 AM	#4
lithos Inactive Account Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: Brisbane, QLD, AUS Posts: 3,261	Originally posted by fractal So who exactly will the Americans cheer for? Oh, snap! Do they have any cars that can turn right as well as left?

05-26-2010, 06:42 AM	#6
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	Maybe Alexander Rossi (recent GP3 winner) will end up in F1 by then. Apparently the backers of the USF1 team are still working on a new American-backed entry as well.

05-26-2010, 07:26 AM	#7
fractal Inactive Account Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Melbourne Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,547	Originally posted by deadwolfbones Maybe Alexander Rossi (recent GP3 winner) will end up in F1 by then. Apparently the backers of the USF1 team are still working on a new American-backed entry as well. By when?

05-26-2010, 07:30 AM	#8
johnmflores Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Somerville, NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 5,361	If Valentino Rossi leaves MotoGP by then I'll be cheering for him. Otherwise, I'm impressed with Vettel. Heck, maybe JP Montoya will come back!

05-26-2010, 07:39 AM	#9
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	Originally posted by fractal By when? Which one? Rossi could conceivably be in F1 by 2012 or 2013, though he'll have to work his ass off. The group trying to reignite the US-based F1 team dream are saying 2011 is a possibility, but I seriously doubt it. That said, apparently Ferrari really wants to work with them, so who knows?

05-26-2010, 07:58 AM	#11
Sailor Loyal Site Supporter Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Coastal Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 26,205	Originally posted by deadwolfbones Bernie Ecclestone's shock deal takes Formula One back to United States - Telegraph Really odd choice of venue, but Austin is indeed a great city and could be a nice venue. Some really pretty countryside around there and lots of room to build a great circuit. Hope it works out as hoped, and I hope Tilke doesn't design the track. :ugh: Hey, thanks for posting this - interesting. Austin is an easy jaunt from where we live - we could take the roadster, get inspired by the race, and then spend a couple of days cruising the great roads in the Hill Country. Jer Originally posted by fractal So who exactly will the Americans cheer for? Probably a more basic question is, "Will anyone show up to cheer at all?" I hope so; I've never seen an F1 race but think I'd find it interesting, so it would be nice to have an attractive venue close to home. Jer

05-26-2010, 11:24 AM	#12
pcarfan Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Dayton, Ohio Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 2,978	It's nice. I am an avid F1 fan, but I doubt I'll ever make it to Texas, I'll make it to the Montreal GP before I head down to Texas. Neither the F1 nor the USA needs one another, and I think it wouldn't last long. Who do we support? Well F1 fans don't need a driver from there country to support a team (it would be very very nice though). Only 9 out of the 33 drivers in the Indy 500 this year are Americans, check any road racing circuit and you'll hardly find many Americans. Why?, In the USA the money is in the ovals...if you have skills, either you can join the Oval crowd and make a living or choose road racing and starvation...the choice is clear. I am glad Nascar TV (aka Speed) at least televises the practice, qulai, and the race live. I am content with that.

05-26-2010, 12:05 PM	#13
deadwolfbones Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: La Crescenta, CA Posts: 7,450 Original Poster	Originally posted by pcarfan Neither the F1 nor the USA needs one another, and I think it wouldn't last long. autosport.com - F1 News: F1 'must make most of new US chance' Quote: "It's a really important place for us to be. Our markets and our sponsors all want to operate there and Formula 1 has to do something about the package and the way in which we present it to make it acceptable to one of the world's largest markets. "Without any expert knowledge on it - I'm not going to bluff my way through it - I'd say it is fantastic news if it turns out to be true and if we can make it happen." ...from the McLaren managing director.

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05-26-2010, 04:41 PM	#14
Just1MoreDave Site Supporter Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Aurora, CO Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 6,340	F1 in the US has always been plagued by bad business decisions. I googled Full Throttle Promotions, and I don't know, they don't quite sound like the kind of company that can get a $300-400 million facility up and ready to race by 2012. In photography terms, it sounds more like the couple planning a wedding hiring a friend to shoot it, because he has a Canon DSLR. I would have called Bruton Smith; he's built a few racetracks from scratch, and turned some others into successful businesses. They may be mostly NASCAR tracks but they've done better than the previous F1 attempts.

05-26-2010, 04:59 PM	#15
r0ckstarr Veteran Member Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Texas Photos: Gallery Posts: 3,507	Originally posted by lithos Oh, snap! Do they have any cars that can turn right as well as left? Not all people in the US are fans of NASCAR and Drag Racing. That's like me asking if AUS has any cars built for a purpose other than doing big smokey burnouts?