F1 Austin track ... drag strip coming soon too? (2 Viewers)

[Toejam]

If you guys aren't watching F1 this year, you need to be. There have been 5 races so far this season, 5 different winners from 5 different teams. Every race is more exciting than the last. Monaco is next.

I have no concerns for the COTA to be completed on time ... Korea a couple of years ago only paved the racing surface 2 weeks before the race, and the race went off without a hitch.

I used to watch F1 when Senna, Schumacher, Hill, and Mansel competed! Doesn't seem the same anymore!

 

[Toejam]

John Paul lives here in Austin, he's one of the investors in the track, and a few million is not a big investment for that guy. I guess the biggest question is, does it make financial sense with Baytown and Ennis each just 200 miles from Austin? I would love to see it happen.

I doubt NHRA would allow a 3rd Natl. event in one state!

 

[Toejam]

Did you spend your $100 to get on the waiting list for F1 tickets

How many seats they selling?

 

[MM]

I doubt NHRA would allow a 3rd Natl. event in one state!

They have 3 in California.

 

[SundayNiagara]

They have 3 in California.

They need to put an event back in National Trail. Ohio can definitely support 2.

 

[Toejam]

They have 3 in California.

2 at Pomona NHRA's Home market really doesn't count, if anyone thinks Austin is gonna be on NHRA schedule in the future your nuts!

 

[vegasnitro]

I used to watch F1 when Senna, Schumacher, Hill, and Mansel competed! Doesn't seem the same anymore!

Michael Schumacher still competes for the factory Mercedes team. Senna's nephew, Bruno Senna, drives for Williams. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

 

[vegasnitro]

I doubt NHRA would allow a 3rd Natl. event in one state!

If they can sell the tickets, they will have a race anywhere. It is a long haul between Austin and Houston and Dallas ... and a lot of people. IHRA has no problem packing them in San Antonio.

 

[Paul]

I doubt NHRA would allow a 3rd Natl. event in one state!

Granted, it didn't last long, but didn't the NHRA have 4 National events in Texas at one point in the late 90's 2 in Houston and Dallas.

 

[Joker]

Granted, it didn't last long, but didn't the NHRA have 4 National events in Texas at one point in the late 90's 2 in Houston and Dallas.

You beat me to Mr. Miller. Thats exactly what I was fixing to post. 2 in Houston, 2 in Ennis.

 

[Mike]

How many seats they selling?

Joe, thats just to get on the waiting list. They havent sold any tickets yet.

 

[Toejam]

Joe, thats just to get on the waiting list. They havent sold any tickets yet.

Well they never came close to selling out the Indianapolis Motor speedway is why I'm curious...

 

[Toejam]

Granted, it didn't last long, but didn't the NHRA have 4 National events in Texas at one point in the late 90's 2 in Houston and Dallas.

If 2 Natl. events in Texas' largest markets didn't work, how will adding a 3rd work better?

 

[Rajunz]

If 2 Natl. events in Texas' largest markets didn't work, how will adding a 3rd work better?

Austin's Metro area is 1.7 million people, San Antonio is only an hour away with 2.1 million people. A lot of those race fans don't make the 4 hour trip to Dallas or Houston for a National Meet, but would possibly make an hour trip to Austin. The IHRA meet there always sells out, there are a lot of Drag Racing fans in Texas.

 

[Jeff]

I always thought it would be real interesting to see the zip codes of the people who bought tickets to national events ... what is each event's demographic reach? Ennis and Baytown are both 30 miles outside of Dallas/Houston, I'm sure it impacts the draw some (e.g. from my home Ennis is only 90 mins farther away than Baytown).

Google'ing the 50 largest cites in the US by population we get: Houston-4, San Antonio-7, Dallas-9 (they only include the whole metroplex when they want too), Austin-14, Fort Worth-16, and Albuquerque-32 ... so San Antonio and Austin look better than DFW.

Since we are clearly not race promoters on this site ... I don't think any race will draw without promotion, but I can definitely see some incremental appeal to Austin ... particularly if the venue was a Bruton like place to watch racing.

Additionally, approximately every other weekend in the fall about 100k of my T sip friends make it in and out of the city for a 4 hour event without overwhelming complaints about Austin's obviously less than stellar traffic.

Agree it very likely won't happen, but it's nice to see a place or two heading the correct direction.

Finally, I think they are trying to sell approximately 25,000 COTA PSL's. I think the PSL's season ticket bills get sent in July. Individual seat sales will trail that timeframe substantially.

 

[Toejam]

Austin's Metro area is 1.7 million people, San Antonio is only an hour away with 2.1 million people. A lot of those race fans don't make the 4 hour trip to Dallas or Houston for a National Meet, but would possibly make an hour trip to Austin. The IHRA meet there always sells out, there are a lot of Drag Racing fans in Texas.

Well you can bet your Ass that both Seth Angel and Billy Meyer would pitch a fit if a Natl. event was even considered for Austin!

 

[mick]

found this, best rendering of facility i've seen yet (image 19 of 19)

Formula 1 breaks ground: A sneak peek at Circuit of the Americas - 2011-Nov-03- CultureMap Austin

 

[vegasnitro]

Well they never came close to selling out the Indianapolis Motor speedway is why I'm curious...

Even though they never came close to selling out the Brickyard for F1, it is important to remember one thing, for all 8 years of the USGP at Indy, it was the #1 attended F1 race on the calendar, both for 3 day attendance and race day attendance. Even though it was the highest attended F1 race, IMS could not make money on the event. That should tell you how high the sanctioning fees are for F1, and how greedy F1 is with revenue sharing.

Without a title sponsor, and without taxpayer money (remember, the state of Texas pledged 25 million per year for the event organizers, but that is now held up in court and will likely be killed without a dime ever going to the event), F1 will be a money loser in Austin too (unless Bernie lowers the sanctioning fee). Won't stop me from going though

 

[Nitrohelper]

..... should tell you how high the sanctioning fees are for F1.....

During 1998-99 I was working for the country of Egypt to bring a F1 race to a new automotive city near the Cairo airport...
The sanction fee back then was 15 Million per year ,with five years paid in advance of the first race being scheduled after the track was built and approved...

 

[Rajunz]

Even though they never came close to selling out the Brickyard for F1, it is important to remember one thing, for all 8 years of the USGP at Indy, it was the #1 attended F1 race on the calendar, both for 3 day attendance and race day attendance. Even though it was the highest attended F1 race, IMS could not make money on the event. That should tell you how high the sanctioning fees are for F1, and how greedy F1 is with revenue sharing.

Without a title sponsor, and without taxpayer money (remember, the state of Texas pledged 25 million per year for the event organizers, but that is now held up in court and will likely be killed without a dime ever going to the event), F1 will be a money loser in Austin too (unless Bernie lowers the sanctioning fee). Won't stop me from going though

The F1 sanctioning fee for the Austin race is $25 mil. per year. Sounds crazy, huh. The state fund is there to draw large events, Superbowl in Dallas got $32 mil
, the state made way more return on motel taxes, tourism etc. to replinish that fund. Comptroller has now said that the funds will be paid after the event once revenues are calculated.