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  #661  
Old Posted Apr 19, 2012, 6:40 PM
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  #662  
Old Posted Apr 21, 2012, 9:00 PM
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LOL okay that was wierd.
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  #663  
Old Posted Apr 23, 2012, 12:35 AM
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I had a chance to tour the track on Friday and even drove on the course where I was allowed to. It was pretty epic:











I must say that the first turn, 130ft above the start is proving to be very intimidating for the drivers who will compete. Nothing like this exists in the US and no course has as dramatic changes in elevation as this one will. Austin really lucked out on this one.

Also, there is a 25,000 seat performance venue under construction. Apparently, 20 major shows have already been booked, and the Erwin center may fade into irrelevance if I am to believe what Red McCombs told us on site.
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  #664  
Old Posted Apr 23, 2012, 3:56 AM
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alright... i know about the f1 tracks and i've been hearing about it for a long time already and maybe i've not really pictured it in my head precisely but these pictures really are pretty impressive. i can't believe this is going on in austin. you're right that it's pretty freaking epic. and thanks for taking them and sharing it with us. next time i'm in austin to visit my folks i'll try to make my way over there and at least check it out from a distance.
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  #665  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2012, 2:01 AM
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I know 25,000 is a good sized music venue, but Austin lacks major stadium sized seating for concerts or even a large outdoor venues that can hold 50 to 70,000 plus people. Granted ACL does but that is only once a year and held in Zilker Park. I just hope we will get some sort of specific venue to have massive size concerts like ACL size or when the Rolling Stones came, which was also at Zilker Park.

Also Samwill, I am sure whatever Red McCombs told yall does not want you to tell but would love to know what it was LOL..
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  #666  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2012, 5:13 AM
Samwill89 Samwill89 is offline
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I know 25,000 is a good sized music venue, but Austin lacks major stadium sized seating for concerts or even a large outdoor venues that can hold 50 to 70,000 plus people. Granted ACL does but that is only once a year and held in Zilker Park. I just hope we will get some sort of specific venue to have massive size concerts like ACL size or when the Rolling Stones came, which was also at Zilker Park.

Also Samwill, I am sure whatever Red McCombs told yall does not want you to tell but would love to know what it was LOL..
The reason why I was invited to the track was because of efforts to reach out to locals and for us to help them spread awareness of the scope of the project. So I am certain McCombs wants me to share the following:

Looking at the venue under construction, it seems as if it could have the ability to expand as the market dictates. It is built into a hill side, so it almost has a Red Rocks quality. In my opinion, Austin does well with large events precisely because of the flexible nature of Zilker and Auditorium Shores. This venue will be mostly open air with some lawn seating.

Red McCombs wants this to be a venue that could be used 365 days a year, which is refreshing coming from a town (Houston) where we shut down theme parks over parking conflicts 3 days a year. I'm sure you know about the other races, music performances, and educational components of the COTA. However, there will be a major R&D component to this that could transform the industry in Austin, making it a global center for transportation technology. With expected breakthroughs in driverless cars, rapid transit, people movers, alternative fuels/energy, etc, this bodes very well for the region.

Also, we were told that we can expect $4 BILLION in additional investment over the next few years with plans for hotels, theme parks and a water park, hospitals and "urban" developments. And that is possibly only the beginning. Camping will also play a larger role than expected.

Other cool things I noticed during my 3 hours there was an extensive system of public and private tunnels and bridges connecting different parts of the site. It literally gives the area another dimension. They expect local artists to spruce it up a bit (if any of you are interested).

If I can remember anything else, I will update you. But all I can say is that I am pumped (if you couldn't tell), and so should all locals. We were constantly told that even though we know this is a major event, we cannot expect, nor prepare for the magnitude of what is about to hit Austin. If you live in Austin, now is the time to buy.

Last edited by Samwill89; Apr 24, 2012 at 5:33 AM.
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  #667  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2012, 4:28 PM
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Originally Posted by Samwill89 View Post
The reason why I was invited to the track was because of efforts to reach out to locals and for us to help them spread awareness of the scope of the project. So I am certain McCombs wants me to share the following:

Looking at the venue under construction, it seems as if it could have the ability to expand as the market dictates. It is built into a hill side, so it almost has a Red Rocks quality. In my opinion, Austin does well with large events precisely because of the flexible nature of Zilker and Auditorium Shores. This venue will be mostly open air with some lawn seating.

Red McCombs wants this to be a venue that could be used 365 days a year, which is refreshing coming from a town (Houston) where we shut down theme parks over parking conflicts 3 days a year. I'm sure you know about the other races, music performances, and educational components of the COTA. However, there will be a major R&D component to this that could transform the industry in Austin, making it a global center for transportation technology. With expected breakthroughs in driverless cars, rapid transit, people movers, alternative fuels/energy, etc, this bodes very well for the region.

Also, we were told that we can expect $4 BILLION in additional investment over the next few years with plans for hotels, theme parks and a water park, hospitals and "urban" developments. And that is possibly only the beginning. Camping will also play a larger role than expected.

Other cool things I noticed during my 3 hours there was an extensive system of public and private tunnels and bridges connecting different parts of the site. It literally gives the area another dimension. They expect local artists to spruce it up a bit (if any of you are interested).

If I can remember anything else, I will update you. But all I can say is that I am pumped (if you couldn't tell), and so should all locals. We were constantly told that even though we know this is a major event, we cannot expect, nor prepare for the magnitude of what is about to hit Austin. If you live in Austin, now is the time to buy.
Hey Sawmill. Nice to see you. I'm new to posting on this thread, but definitely not new to the project. I help my buddy admin a popular Facebook page dedicated to this project. We've been showing the world photos of COTA & relevant stories since the very beginning.

The venue has a lot of promise and flexibility. Hellmund envisioned it as a year-round tourist, education, & business destination in its own right. Those ideas didn't start with McCombs. I believe the medical education component and the water park, among other things, are no longer on the agenda since Hellmund was forced aside. Hopefully they'll be able to land some more content besides the USGP and Aussie V8s.

BTW, there are no bridges built yet and I've heard the 4 pedestrian bridges over the track have been cut down to just one. That would be...not good. Did you see them in plans? Also, re: camping. COTA reps said recently in the meeting with Elroy residents that there would be only 76 RV spots and they couldn't confirm onsite camping.
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  #668  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2012, 4:34 PM
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Here are some new construction photos shot yesterday by my co-admin at Facebook.com/FoF1ATX:

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?f...type=1&theater

...and here's the Statesman story of how Tavo Hellmund & Kevin Schwantz designed Circuit of the Americas' track layout. Enjoy!

http://www.statesman.com/sports/form...inglePage=true
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  #669  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2012, 4:38 PM
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Also, check this out. Here's Tavo's 5 year old COTA layout sketch & planning notes. Very cool.

http://alt.coxnewsweb.com/statesman/pdf/04/042412F1.pdf

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  #670  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2012, 6:48 PM
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That sucks if the theme parks and water park were taken off that would be a big draw imo. I hope they reconsider those especially now that John Paul of Paul Mitchell hair products is an investor and from Austin. To me it seems like Red McCombs doesnt really want to be a part of it or thats what I got the impression from a bizjournals article that said he was going to make a decision soon about whether to pull out of the venture or stay in.
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  #671  
Old Posted Apr 24, 2012, 7:03 PM
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That sucks if the theme parks and water park were taken off that would be a big draw imo. I hope they reconsider those especially now that John Paul of Paul Mitchell hair products is an investor and from Austin. To me it seems like Red McCombs doesnt really want to be a part of it or thats what I got the impression from a bizjournals article that said he was going to make a decision soon about whether to pull out of the venture or stay in.
Picking up DeJoria was huge for COTA. For one he is from Austin, so that is great. Also he is a lot wealthier and has like 4 times as money as Red McCombs. But aside from him living in Austin and having such wealth, he is just what COTA needs to come off as the coolest of the cool and a top class facility and attractive to Europe and Latin American visitors. Other than starting John Paul Mitchell hair products he also started Patrón and many other liquor companies like that. And the House of Blues clubs, diamonds, boats, Harley dealerships, and all kinds of other cools stuff. The guy is just cool. His wife is AMAZING! You can't help but love them. With him on board COTA can't not be cool.

The Dos Equis commercials about the the Most Interesting Man In The World might as well be about him. =)
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  #672  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2012, 3:48 PM
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Here's a new 360 degree photo from Miro-Rivera architects, the designers of the Main GS.

http://photosynth.net/view.aspx?cid=...a-1dbba5e6ac69
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  #673  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2012, 4:51 PM
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I'm sure any criticism of this development won't fly well here... but here goes: I really hope they have a big budget to plant some trees or something. "cause that is one ugly site! That is just not appealing as it is. A rather chacterless area....with one litttle hill.! How the heck did they think that would be a great setting? Just cheapest possible?
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  #674  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2012, 6:30 PM
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There was only underbrush on the site so nothing worth saving. The land itself is nice and very hilly for east Austin. They went east side most likely due to cheap land + traffic concerns. No way this gets built on the west side. Most of the plans I saw called for planting trees, but landscaping won't happen until the end I imagine.
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  #675  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2012, 6:31 PM
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I'm sure any criticism of this development won't fly well here... but here goes: I really hope they have a big budget to plant some trees or something. "cause that is one ugly site! That is just not appealing as it is. A rather chacterless area....with one litttle hill.! How the heck did they think that would be a great setting? Just cheapest possible?
Well, some of the classic race courses have nice outdoor seating on the grass, it's a cool alternative to some who can't afford grandstand tickets or want to bring their families.

As far as F1 tracks go, since they are road courses, fans typically can only view a small section of the track from their position. The hill at CotA, while it's not huge (although it looks MUCH bigger in real life -- pics do not do justice), it does afford perhaps the best view of any track in F1 as far as being able to see as much of the race course as possible. Fans will appreciate that, provided they can afford to get in. Plus a big view of as much of the action as possible may be key to attracting US fans used to NASCAR, where you can see everything because it's just an oval...

Also, I think CoTA agreed to 800 trees on the facility when getting Austin's approval as a sponsor of the event. Don't know if they are still sticking to that now that they are not taking the METF money this year, but I'm pretty sure there will be a significant # of trees "installed". I'm not sure if the strategy will be to plant them at the last minute though, since Sept/Oct is a lot better for planting trees than spring or summer. If possible, you want to avoid making those trees survive the summer before getting established. But with enough water and care they can plant them anytime.
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  #676  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2012, 6:34 PM
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I'm sure any criticism of this development won't fly well here... but here goes: I really hope they have a big budget to plant some trees or something. "cause that is one ugly site! That is just not appealing as it is. A rather chacterless area....with one litttle hill.! How the heck did they think that would be a great setting? Just cheapest possible?
why does it even matter? there probably were never trees there before. i mean, sure trees would be nice to make it look pretty. don't know if any renders show it, but its still under construction so it certainly doesn't look pretty just yet and i don't see why they wouldn't put trees to make it more appealing. but its not an entirely big deal.... at least i don't think so.
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  #677  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2012, 7:18 PM
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Part of the deal with the city to allow them to build it was to plant like 800 native trees. I doubt there were 1/4 that many trees on the lot before they started construction. =). They plan on making it look nice and put in lots of trees and landscaping.

Wonder if they still have time to do the landscaping portion of it before the first race? The construction of the track still seems like they have a ways to go. Hopefully they get some of the landscaping done before Nov though.
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  #678  
Old Posted Apr 25, 2012, 8:45 PM
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So...Facebook Friends of Formula 1 Austin Texas went out to the Circuit both yesterday afternoon and Monday morning. Monday morning there was very little going on out on the back half of the track (T9 to the stadium section). Yesterday, activity picked up considerably out there. Work on the front straight structures seemed relatively light both days, with most work appearing to happen outside.

A helicopter passed by us when we were out by Turn 11 at Mr. Haywood's house getting some good pics. It would circle the track then land over by the construction trailers, then circle the track again, sometimes heading out toward Hwy 71 and then back around the track and to the trailers again. Did this about 7 or 8 times in less than 1 hour. We've heard that COTA is making a big push for more money, and we know investors have taken helo tours many times before, so....



I shot a few photos:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...7614878&type=1

Here are some highlights (There are a LOT more at the link with lots of different angles I like but don't shoot often because it's more work. I had a hard time choosing just ten to show here):







Paving in the parking lot:





The view from SH 130:



Turns 8 & 9 from SH 130:



Main straight & Turn 1 from SH 130:



Turn 12, from Mr. Haywood's hill:



Mr. Haywood has a hell of a view:

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  #679  
Old Posted Apr 26, 2012, 5:51 AM
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Those are some great pics. Thanks a lot.

Micheal, the land in that part of Travis County is nothing but scrub brush and mesquite. What native forests there were have long been cleared out for ranching so any growth in that area is secondary and mostly cedar and mesquite. If any part of Travis county needs help beautifying, its this area and F1 will do that, they have some very nice tree filled racetracks. Whatever the future holds for this part of Travis county do to the residual affect of COTA, it will be so much nicer than what is there now.
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  #680  
Old Posted Apr 26, 2012, 1:45 PM
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There was only underbrush on the site so nothing worth saving. The land itself is nice and very hilly for east Austin. They went east side most likely due to cheap land + traffic concerns. No way this gets built on the west side. Most of the plans I saw called for planting trees, but landscaping won't happen until the end I imagine.
Yep. It is quite hilly on the property, particularly where the track lies.

The main reasons this site was used are 1) FOM requires sites to be within 10 miles of an international airport, and 2) it's cheap.

I believe this site was Hellmund's second choice, having already put an option on Wildhorse Ranch out close to Manor, and right on SH130.

I'm sure everyone involved would prefer to use some beautiful site out 290 west of Austin, but there's no way to fit either criteria in doing so.

Quote:
Also, I think CoTA agreed to 800 trees on the facility when getting Austin's approval as a sponsor of the event. Don't know if they are still sticking to that now that they are not taking the METF money this year
That was indeed the deal. 800 trees. However, COTA isn't deferring on the METF funding for this event. They just can't have the advance payment for it after screwing that up. If they want the METF payment after this event, I'm fairly sure they'll need to satisfy the agreement they entered into with the City to gain its endorsement.
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