USGP AUSTIN - 2014

[J.Clark]

I realize we are still two weeks away from the US GP at COTA, but as I will be a bit busy between now and then, I will go ahead with this while I have the time.

What began with an announcement in 2010 that the project was going forward, end up as what could perhaps be one of the better Tilke circuits, with the first USGP there in 2012.  Construction took nearly two years and watching the progress through photos and announcements, I was amazed at what all went into the construction.  I'm sure some of those photos are still available, but I am not going to dig through things for them.
The actual construction was amazing to watch.  For example, the depths to which they graded below the racing surface, the layers of plastic, gravel, different dirts and so on before any asphalt was layed was incredible to watch.  I can only guess, but I doubt there will be any issues with wash-boards, or other such problems as a circuit ages.

The design is actually rather remarkable.  There was consideration given to what drivers wanted and how those desires may impact the fans and racing.  Turn one was created to be similar to Spa's climb from Eau Rouge, the esses of Suzuka follow that and the hairpin at turn 11 is a true hairpin such as Canada's turn 10.  I will say that from my experience, having gone to this race twice, it did provide some excitement for the fans.

COTA learned a bit from the first race and made some changes, some of which were already in the works, but time ran out on them as the first GP date rolled up.  The facilities were much improved by the 2013 race weekend, so the fan experience got better.  Since I will be going one more time this year, I imagine more improvements will have been made in that regard.

The circuit:
133' climb to turn 1, with an off-camber, hard left at the top and a down hill run thru turn 2 and into the esses to start the lap.  A few turns later, following another uphill run to turn 10 and then it is down hill to turn 11 where there has been a fair amount of over-taking, but that leads into one of the longest straights on the calendar (roughly 3/4 mile) to a 2nd gear left-hander that has had race changing passes in every race so far.  Then the complex of turns through 15 (where my seat will be this year) followed by a sweeping series or right-handers to the left at turn 19, where more than one driver has gotten it wrong with some cost. Then a simple left onto the start-finish straight.  There will be two DRS zones.

A lap is nearly 3 1/2 miles long with 20 turns.
The record was set by Vettel's Red Bull in 2012 at 1:39.347.
Previous winners list is very short.  Hamilton won the inaugural event in  2012 and Vettel won it last year.
Hamilton is a likely choice for becoming a two-time winner, with only three drivers in position to challenge that and two of those are only barely in the category.  Rosberg, could of course beat Lewis since they have been dueling the whole season and will be in the same car.  Bottas and Massa (if his car doesn't fail him yet again), who ran very well in the here before when in a Ferrari - was in fact told by the team to slow down and not challenge Fernando, as he was closing in and would have caught him with several laps to chance an overtaking.
 - so the track favors him to some degree.

The circuit should once again favor the Mercedes powered cars - no surprise there.  I can only imagine, but have to believe that Ferrari will out perform Red Bull, in spite of the Red Bulls having made some ground, as shown in Suzuka.

The city of Austin is awesome.
If you like steaks, go to the Texas Land & Cattle on Mo Pac.
If you like Thai, there is an excellent place on 620 (west side out of downtown area).
There is a famous B-B-Q place downtown Austin too, but I'm told by a local that people pay people to stand in line for them, because the wait can be up 2 hours, or more.  It is Franklin's on 11th, not too far from where the downtown F1 party central is located - walking distance for sure.

[cosworth151]

Q: How are F1 races like manned spaceflight programs?

A: Russia's is terrible, but it's still better than America's.

Herman Tilke did what was previously thought to be impossible - he managed to build a circuit that was even worse than the Las Vegas Car Park Course. (Don't loose heart, Nevada. I hear Herr Tilke has been spotted prowling The Strip)

It's the most over rated track in the history of motorsport. The Fools In Authority have decided that it can replace two of the world's greatest racing venues, Indy & Sebring. Not even close! The track is in a cow pasture out in the middle of nowhere. It is almost impossible to drive to.

This is most appropriate, since Austin is famous for it's terrible traffic. It is one of the very few major American cities without an outer belt freeway. I've sat for hours on I-35 trying to drive a few miles through downtown. And those times were in the middle of a normal afternoon, not even rush hour.

The ticket prices for the track are beyond astronomical. The same can be said for accommodations in the Austin area.

Austin does has an excellent live music scene. Something to do while waiting for COTA to follow Texas World Speedway into oblivion.

[J.Clark]

I agree on the ticket price issue, but take exception to most of the rest.

Traffic - We stayed at camp-ground west of town.  We drove in virtually no traffic to breakfast on the way to the circuit, and from there straight to the parking almost not even stopping for a traffic light.  Same was true leaving (except for it taking a little time to get out of the massive parking lot).

I have been to Indy (several times) and nobody handles traffic like they do = awesome.
I have also been to a few European circuits and found most of your complaints to be about the same for all, some just a little worse or better than others.  It is what happens when you put a hundred thousand or so fans in a venue.

[Scott]

I can only speak about 2 European circuits (Monza and Barcelona), but I think most of them are run the same way.  There is rarely a traffic problem because there is nowhere to park.  With the exception of a few small parking lots for organized tour groups (buses) and VIP's, everyone takes trains or shuttle buses to the track which are usually quite well organized and very frequent.  A bit of a wait to get out of Monza because the trains can't take everyone at once, but at Catalunya people were pretty relaxed and generally wandered slowly through the town just outside the track (or stopped for a drink along the way) and then caught the trains back to the city, which for me, an hour or so after the race, wasn't even full.

Ticket prices have skyrocketed everywhere.  A decent seat at Monza is now in the 500-600Euro price, which is just insane for the numbered bench you get.

As for the track, I'm still on the fence.  But I'll never understand why Bernie pulled it from Indy other than spite.  They did a great job aside from the Michelin problem.  I was always hoping to go watch an F1 race there one day.

[lkjohnson1950]

Ok, one more time. Bernie did not pull the race from Indy. Tony George was unable to find a title sponsor for the race, and since he could not sell enough tickets to break even, he refused to renew the contract unless Bernie reduced the fee. Fat Chance!! Possibly the only sound decision TG ever made. The road course wasn't very interesting, and the current one is little better. It's the Speedway that made it interesting. You can feel the history of the place as soon as you enter. The oval is HUGE. You do not get a feel for the size on TV. The banking is steeper than it appears on TV as well. The museum is fascinating and the photo archive is amazing. Nothing like it anywhere.

[John S]

I'd quite forgotten the USGP means the annual Cos v Lonny head to head is back on.     

So nice of you gents to keep us entertained in the long break before the actual race.     

 

[Scott]

Oh, I guess I stand corrected...I always thought Bernie wanted a much higher fee in his contract renewal because TG had actually found a way to make an F1 race profitable without government money, and that was where the dispute was.

[cosworth151]

Can anybody actually dispute that, if Bernie had wanted a race at Indy, there would be a race at Indy? Remember, The Evil Troll would fly back and forth from Chicago every day because, according to him, there were no hotels worthy of him in Indianapolis.

Your welcome, John. Don't expect anything else entertaining from the Cow Pasture Grand Prix.

[Jericoke]

Can anybody actually dispute that, if Bernie had wanted a race at Indy, there would be a race at Indy? Remember, The Evil Troll would fly back and forth from Chicago every day because, according to him, there were no hotels worthy of him in Indianapolis.

Your welcome, John. Don't expect anything else entertaining from the Cow Pasture Grand Prix.

I always lament the lack of American participation in F1, and generally stand up for Bernie in terms of being the man responsible for putting (and keeping) F1 at the top of the motorsports world.

But I do believe that Bernie is the obstacle to F1 being relevant in the USA.  I don't think he understands how different Americans are from the rest of the world.  Everyone knows how important Indy is, except Bernie.

Indy doesn't need F1.  Watkins Glen doesn't need F1.  Sebring, Las Vegas, Long Beach, Detroit... they all do just fine without F1.

It's not like moving into a new country that builds a track just for F1.  The USA has more successful tracks than any other country.  To all but the most dedicated racing fans, F1 is a curiosity.  Americans don't see racing as an international circus of glamour that will put them on the map.  They see racing as a way to spend the afternoon with your friends and family.

NASCAR gets it.  IRL gets it.  Hundreds of local ovals get it.

By rejecting Indy, Bernie has shown Americans that he doesn't think that F1 is part of racing culture.  Americans agree.  American sponsors and companies are interested in race fans, and Bernie isn't providing that.

[lkjohnson1950]

It goes back to Bernie being in it for the money and not really caring about the actual sport.

[Jericoke]

It goes back to Bernie being in it for the money and not really caring about the actual sport.

Which is the problem.  The American market is virtually untapped.  It supports two very large racing series with buckets of sponsors and international recognition.

It should be simple to get IRL and NASCAR fans to follow F1 enough for American sponsors and manufacturers to invest in the sport, but F1, under Bernie's stewardship, continues to get it wrong. 

If it's about the money there are BILLIONS of dollars that could go to F1.  More than would ever come out of Russia, more than will come out of India or China in the next 50 years. 

[Dare]

One of the biggest problems of F1 in the US is foreign
drivers with names most Americans can'tpronounce or remember.

I think that hurt the Champ Series and is now hurting IRL.

[J.Clark]

I tend to disagree, having been a fan of F1 since sometime around 1960, before tv coverage.

There are two very big and very obvious differences between F1 and the more American series of NASCAR and IRL.  The first of which is the number of races, or perhaps the frequency.  I would never suggest that F1 race every weekend like them, but there are opportunities to add races and run more frequently.  There is little reason based upon logistics, that F1 could not run every weekend while in Europe.  Here is a link to an overlay of Europe on the US.  NASCAR and Indy cars run weekly and all over the US.  It is about exposure.  http://goeurope.about.com/od/europeanmaps/l/bl-country-size-comparison-map.htm

The second big difference is access.  In NASCAR and IRL, drivers and the garage area are virtually open to all - fans can walk about the garage area, drivers are brought out in mass for autograph sessions, in case they didn't get one in the garage area.  An example was a couple of years ago when I had a nice chat with Rubens after a practice session.  And former driver, now team owner Sarah Fisher during lunch.

[Dare]

IRL 's season ends in August.Even Mario says
that's way to soon for a racing series to end.

That along with the fenders on the cars and
lousy sounding engines drove me away from
Indy.Personally I like the foreign drivers competing
here...it gives it a exotic flair...but that's only me
I  reckon

[Jericoke]

I tend to disagree, having been a fan of F1 since sometime around 1960, before tv coverage.

There are two very big and very obvious differences between F1 and the more American series of NASCAR and IRL.  The first of which is the number of races, or perhaps the frequency.  I would never suggest that F1 race every weekend like them, but there are opportunities to add races and run more frequently.  There is little reason based upon logistics, that F1 could not run every weekend while in Europe.  Here is a link to an overlay of Europe on the US.  NASCAR and Indy cars run weekly and all over the US.  It is about exposure.  http://goeurope.about.com/od/europeanmaps/l/bl-country-size-comparison-map.htm

The second big difference is access.  In NASCAR and IRL, drivers and the garage area are virtually open to all - fans can walk about the garage area, drivers are brought out in mass for autograph sessions, in case they didn't get one in the garage area.  An example was a couple of years ago when I had a nice chat with Rubens after a practice session.  And former driver, now team owner Sarah Fisher during lunch.

That's what I mean though:  Americans aren't expecting to see drivers who are elevated to the status of untouchable gods like F1 does.  American fans want to see that drivers are just like 'us', and that maybe I could be an F1 racer if I'd stuck to karting.

If F1 is willing for forgo champagne in the mid east, remain silent for the Russian anthem, then why not let the drivers pal around with the fans?  It doesn't have to be a cookie cutter experience at every stop.

As for the American/foreign content, it's the proverbial chicken and egg.  American drivers/sponsors/suppliers won't be interested in F1 until Americans are interested in F1.  Americans won't be interested in F1 until there are American drivers/sponsors/suppliers.