Status Update on Austin Grand Prix Circuit

[FTHurley]

From the Austin Chronicle today:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A1115650

It really does look like this thing is happening.

[Jakester]

Due to the extraordinary physical and safety demands of F1 racing, only "grade 1" tracks are allowed to host a grand prix; despite their world-class reputations, even the Indi*an*a*polis Motor Speedway and Daytona International Speedway are "grade 2."

Methinks there's an oops there. Has Indy been downgraded since the USGP left?

[Sleepcheap]

Amazing. Only took me an hour of searching to find this list:

http://www.fpak.pt/homologacoes/2009...ADOS%20FIA.pdf

As of 03.04.09 Indy was still Grade 1. Daytona is, in fact, listed at Grade 2.

I read a lot of FIA gobbledygook trying to find out what separates the grades but appears to boil down to some combination of safety, runoff, facilities and/or track design.

[Indy kiwi]

"it will also have safety features that, hopefully, we won't have to do any upgrades for 30 years."

Do they really expect the local council to believe this? Sounds like the words of someone trying far too hard and losing credibility in the process.

[Rommey]

Amazing. Only took me an hour of searching to find this list:

http://www.fpak.pt/homologacoes/2009...ADOS%20FIA.pdf

As of 03.04.09 Indy was still Grade 1. Daytona is, in fact, listed at Grade 2.

I read a lot of FIA gobbledygook trying to find out what separates the grades but appears to boil down to some combination of safety, runoff, facilities and/or track design.

Yet, as of 30.04.10, Indy doesn't even appear. Long Beach isn't on the 2010 list either and it was on the 2009.
Looks like they just forgot to add them to the list (?)

http://www.fpak.pt/homologacoes/2010/CIRCUITOS%20HOMOLOGADOS%20FIA.pdf

[Indy-hp]

Perhaps Indy and Long Beach did not renew their FIA license in 2010?

[IowaBoyinIndy]

Perhaps Indy and Long Beach did not renew their FIA license in 2010?

well they flew the FIA flag all year on top of the Pagoda...IBiI

[fivehundred2go]

Almost sounded like someone trying very hard to sell it to themself. There are a lot of fun days to come for them. When one has to "bad mouth" another facility or facilities - I do a double take on what is being presented.

[WheelerDealer]

Let me know when they break ground.

[Frank Capua]

From the Austin Chronicle today:

http://www.austinchronicle.com/gyrobase/Issue/story?oid=oid%3A1115650

It really does look like this thing is happening.

"However, no track has ever turned a profit from a single race."

It's kind of hard to take them seriously when they don't seem to know much about the sport that they contend they are going to show everybody else how it's suppose to be done.

[Hardscrabble]

I should have worn my boots today what with all the horse manure in that article...

[porscheman]

I look forward to seeing this project come off right. It would be fantastic to see a proper home for the US Grand Prix. You could do a lot worse than modeling it after Silverstone ... IMS, just for an example. Oh boy, that's 'gonna get a 'lotta hate! IMS is the ideal spot for the "500", near useless for anything else IMO.

porscheman

[Turn13]

It really does look like this thing is happening.

I'm pretty confident it's going to happen. Adds an entirely new dimension to the host city, in my opinion. Long term, I think the key is if corporate America latches onto it, followed by a decent level of popularity

[R22]

I'm pretty confident it's giung to happen. Adds an entirely new diimension to the host city, in my opinion. Long term, I think the key is if corporate America latches onto it, followed by a decent level of popularity

there ya go with the popularity thing again.. my take is there are enough interested people in the area to make it work, then with the "outsiders" it could eventually make it on the scene...

the folks doing the marketing will have to play both sides of the populace around texas to be successful; all those leftist, limp wristed commie liberal austinites and those good ole boy rednecked hilljack country folks too. should be an interesting mix indeed.

probably won't even matter much what is happening much on the track. totally an event with some racing thrown in.. hmmmm sounds familiar..

[Turn13]

I'll be there