Formula 1 (TM) and Circuit of The Americas (TM) Ready to Roll
10-Year Race Contract Brings F1 Back to the U.S. in 2012; Construction to Resume Immediately
AUSTIN, Texas – December 7, 2011 – Circuit of The Americas announced today that they have reached an agreement with Formula One Management that ensures the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix remains on the FIA Formula 1 World Championship race calendar.
Red McCombs, chairman of McCombs Enterprises and founding partner of Circuit of The Americas stated, “Mr. Ecclestone received his check today. We want to thank the fans supporting us, the local officials and businesses that have encouraged us, the State of Texas, Circuit of The Americas’ staff and Bernie himself. I want to thank and commend Bobby Epstein for getting us across the finish line. Bobby’s perseverance and leadership kept the project on track despite unfair and unfounded criticism.”
“Our investors have believed all along that this project has tremendous benefit for our region, and provides a strong economic engine for the future,” stated Epstein, founding partner of Circuit of The Americas. We remain committed to reaching our goal of being valuable community partners as we establish a platform for sports and entertainment. We’re glad that Tavo’s vision of bringing F1 to the people of Texas will become a reality.”
Engineering and construction teams working on the track will resume immediately, ensuring completion for the 2012 race date.
“We have a substantial number of fans who have expressed interest in buying tickets and hospitality, so today is a win for all of them as much as it is for Circuit of The Americas,” said Steve Sexton, president of Circuit of The Americas. “We encourage everyone to visit our website and register for information. Registered fans will receive the first communication regarding ticket sales plans. In a matter of weeks we will have more exciting news as we unveil our full calendar of world class events.”
Fans interested in receiving information about tickets for next year's United States Grand Prix can register their contact information at www.CircuitofTheAmericas.com. Ticket sales information will be communicated to those registered prior to general public notification.
About Circuit of The Americas
Circuit of The Americas will be a world-class destination for performance, education and business. It will be the first purpose-built Formula 1 Grand Prix facility in the United States designed for any and all classes of racing, from motor power to human power.
The master plan for Circuit of The Americas features a variety of permanent structures designed for business, education, entertainment and race use. Its signature element will be a 3.4-mile (5.5-km) circuit track. Other support buildings will include a medical facility, 14 executive meeting suites, a conference center, and a banquet hall, as well as an expansive outdoor live music space. Future proposed amenities include a driving/riding experience, a motorsports driving club, kart track, grand plaza event center and tower, and a trackside recreational vehicle park.
FIA FORMULA ONE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2012 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar is confirmed as follows:
|
Rd |
Date |
Race Title |
Grand Prix |
Circuit |
|
1 |
18-Mar-2012 |
Australian Grand Prix |
Australian GP |
Albert Park, Melbourne |
|
2 |
25-Mar-2012 |
Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix |
Malaysian GP |
Sepang International Circuit, Kuala Lumpur |
|
3 |
15-Apr-2012 |
Chinese Grand Prix |
Chinese GP |
Shanghai International Circuit, Shanghai |
|
4 |
22-Apr-2012 |
Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix |
Bahrain GP |
Bahrain International Circuit, Sakhir |
|
5 |
13-May-2012 |
Gran Premio de España |
Spanish GP |
Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona |
|
6 |
27-May-2012 |
Grand Prix de Monaco |
Monaco GP |
Circuit de Monaco, Monte Carlo |
|
7 |
10-Jun-2012 |
Grand Prix du Canada |
Canadian GP |
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Montreal |
|
8 |
24-Jun-2012 |
Grand Prix of Europe |
European GP |
Valencia Street Circuit, Valencia |
|
9 |
8-Jul-2012 |
Santander British Grand Prix |
British GP |
Silverstone Circuit, Silverstone |
|
10 |
22-Jul-2012 |
Großer Preis Santander von Deutschland |
German GP |
Hockenheimring, Hockenheim |
|
11 |
29-Jul-2012 |
Eni Magyar Nagydíj |
Hungarian GP |
Hungaroring, Budapest |
|
12 |
2-Sep-2012 |
Shell Belgian Grand Prix |
Belgian GP |
Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Spa |
|
13 |
9-Sep-2012 |
Gran Premio Santander d'Italia |
Italian GP |
Autodromo Nazionale Monza, Monza |
|
14 |
23-Sep-2012 |
SingTel Singapore Grand Prix |
Singapore GP |
Marina Bay Street Circuit, Marina Bay |
|
15 |
7-Oct-2012 |
Japanese Grand Prix |
Japanese GP |
Suzuka Circuit, Suzuka |
|
16 |
14-Oct-2012 |
Korean Grand Prix |
Korean GP |
Korean International Circuit, Yeongam |
|
17 |
28-Oct-2012 |
Airtel Grand Prix of India |
Indian GP |
Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida |
|
18 |
4-Nov-2012 |
Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix |
Abu Dhabi GP |
Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi |
|
19 |
18-Nov-2012 |
United States Grand Prix |
United States GP |
Circuit of the Americas, Austin |
|
20 |
25-Nov-2012 |
Grande Prêmio do Brasil |
Brazilian GP |
Autódromo José Carlos Pace, São Paulo |
Ecclestone Statement Confirms United States Grand Prix™ in November
U.S. Race Date Among Numerous Schedule Adjustments
AUSTIN, Texas – August 10, 2011 – Formula One’s Bernie Ecclestone was quoted today in the media confirming earlier reports of a revised 2012 F1 schedule, placing the United States Grand Prix on November 18, 2012. The schedule, which contains numerous adjustments from the calendar issued in June by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile, is not considered official until the World Motor Sports Council ratifies it at its meeting later this year.
“I have been hoping for a late season race date since this project began and see this as a very positive sign from Formula One that it wants its U.S. event to be an over-the-top success,” said Tavo Hellmund, Chairman of the United States Grand Prix. “Mr. Ecclestone has dozens of competing issues to consider when it comes to the race calendar. He has to balance the interests of the teams with those of the promoters and even consider the unique situation of each host country. To put our race near the end of the schedule puts us in a prime spot to welcome the world next year – and I could not be more personally and professionally appreciative.”
In a statement released earlier today, Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell praised the new race date and Formula One Management for its sensitivity to the area’s environmental quality. The proposed date also allows for an opportunity to optimize the project’s construction staffing and scheduling. “The Mayor’s input regarding Central Texas’ air quality during the summer months was obviously important to Formula One management, and to their credit, they listened and have responded,” said, Steve Sexton, president of Circuit of The Americas.
Sexton also commented on the additional benefits a November date offers, “First and foremost, we want our fans to have a great experience when they come here. The prospect of milder weather makes that more likely. It also gives us time to better prepare our staff and the thousands of volunteers who will be supporting Formula One race week festivities.”
USGP TEXAS circuit gets a name, "Circuit of the Americas".
April 12, 2011
United States Grand Prix Group Brands World-Class Facility Circuit of the Americas™
Identity Conveys Multi-national Appeal, Multi-purpose Use
AUSTIN, Texas – April 12, 2011 – The United States Grand Prix group responsible for bringing Formula 1™ back to the United States in 2012, has officially named its Austin facility, Circuit of the Americas. The brand signifies that the center will be a premier destination in the western hemisphere where business leaders, entertainers and sports fans come to see world-class performances. The name draws on the history and tradition of motorsports racing globally and serves as an invitation to every fan seeking a premier entertainment experience.
"We are building a destination for entertainment and business, not simply a race track, and this brand reflects that entire idea," said Tavo Hellmund, Managing Partner of Full Throttle Productions L.P. and Chairman of Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™. "Racing days will account for a total of about 30 days a year, but great performances and winning ideas will be inspired by this brand every day."
The new logo mark consists of the logo-typed name ornamented with red and gray streamers to evoke feelings of performance, competition and victory.
"One of the most inviting aspects of the name is the word ‘Americas’," said Red McCombs, Founding Partner of the facility. "It reflects Austin’s ideal location at the crossroads of North America from north to south, east to west. Also, it speaks to our state as a center of commerce and cultural exchange in this hemisphere. I look forward to meeting many fans and visitors who will be coming from every country."
Multi-purpose Facilities
The Circuit of the Americas master plan features a variety of permanent structures designed for business, education, entertainment and race use. The paddock building on race weekends, for example, will also serve as a 500-person banquet hall for events such as private or corporate dinners and nonprofit fundraising galas.
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The main grandstand plan includes luxury suites that can be used for business entertaining; and with a capacity of nearly 750 people and a commercial kitchen and cafe, the media and conference center will host business conferences, seminars and receptions. During race weekends, it will convert into an international media center, accommodating the world’s traveling press.
The 5,400 square foot Medical Building is being built for year round use as a training facility for area emergency care professionals and medical school students. During races, it will serve as a trauma care location for driver-athletes who may be injured in competition.
Fourteen suites, each 3,600 square feet with elevators and kitchens, will be outfitted with the latest A/V gear and high-speed web connections to serve as business meeting suites for up to 75 people each. During race weekends, teams and sponsors will use the suites for meetings and hospitality.
Live music entertainment with world-class performers will be a staple at Circuit of the Americas during race and non-race weekends. The Grand Plaza is designed as an open stage area where performers can entertain thousands of people in a panoramic setting. Permanent concessions, restrooms and other amenities will make the experience comfortable and memorable.
About Circuit of the Americas
Circuit of the Americas will be a world-class destination for performance, education and business. It will be the first purpose-built Grand Prix facility in the United States designed for any and all classes of racing, from motor power to human power, and be the U.S. home to both the Formula 1 and MotoGP Grand Prix World Championships.
The Circuit of the Americas master plan features a variety of permanent structures designed for business, education, entertainment and race use. Its signature element will be a 3.4-mile circuit track with capacity for 120,000 fans. Other support buildings will include a medical trauma and care training facility, 14 executive meeting suites, a conference center, a banquet hall as well as an expansive outdoor live music space. Future proposed amenities include a driving/riding experience, a motorsports driving club, kart track, grand plaza event center and tower, and a trackside recreational vehicle park.
Master Plan for the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™
The conceptual master plan features the development of the United States’ first purpose-built F1 racetrack complemented by additional visitor attractions including a proposed Driving/Riding Experience and Seminar Building, Motorsports Driving Club, Kart Track and Welcome Center.
With a complete length of 3.4 miles, the track combines modern features with details reminiscent of traditional races from the 1960’s. The surrounding landscape will allow for a maximum elevation change of 133 feet, a feature that is sure to please drivers as well as fans. In addition, the circuit includes a strategic combination of over 20 turns, including variations of classic corners such as Istanbul Turn 8, Maggots–Becketts–Chapel and Hockenheimring’s Stadium Section.
The multifunctional facility is ideally situated on a 900–acre site in southeast Austin along the SH 130 corridor near FM 812. The proposed grandstands, semi–permanent stands and natural seating areas created by integrating natural grass berms and picnic areas for families will enable over 120,000 to attend the venue’s first event: the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ 2012. To address the traffic impact and provide a great guest experience during a specific event, leading domestic and international transportation and traffic-engineering experts, Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. and Graham Lake-Grange respectively, have been retained.
Kimley-Horn brings tremendous experience to the project having developed traffic management plans for Texas Motor Speedway, the new Cowboys Stadium, Lone Star Park and Houston’s Dynamo Park. Graham Lake–Grange, based in the UK, has developed successful traffic management plans for 13 F1 Grand Prix™ events at Silverstone as well as over 100 large-scale public events.
The multifunctional facility is being designed with year–round functionality and attractions. Proposed attractions within the development include:
* Driving/Riding Experience and Seminar Building: The facility and racetrack will provide the ideal location for manufacturers to test, launch and educate dealers as well as consumers. The facility will feature classroom settings, virtual driving experiences and will provide the opportunity for test-driving on the racetrack, streets and off-road courses.
* Motorsports Driving Club: The membership-only club will serve as a luxury destination featuring an array of hospitality services and amenities. The club will offer its members professional instruction, customized driving courses, premium car story and concierge level services.
* Kart Track: The outdoor karting track will be designed to provide an experience for youth and adults of all ages. The track, open to the public, will specialize in orchestrating custom group events, team building programs, celebratory events, fund–raisers as well as individual experiences.
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New details on Austin Formula One race
Plans for 250 days of events, 1,500 construction jobs outlined in papers released after Statesman open records request
Drawings of a twisty track and low-slung grandstands, the promise of 1,200 temporary jobs during Austin Grand Prix race weekends and the expectation that a brand-new facility would be busy 250 days a year were among details about a proposed Formula One track released recently by City Hall.
The plans were contained in papers marked "confidential" but released in response to an American-Statesman open records request.
Most of the 20 or so pages are devoted to promoting an F1 race's economic impact on a host community. According to estimates produced by Full Throttle Productions, the Austin company that was awarded permission to host an Austin event beginning in 2012, a race weekend in Texas would pour $300 million into the area. The figure is based on attendance and spending at other F1 events.
The projections also calculate that building a track would employ 1,500-plus workers. Another 1,200 temporary workers would be hired over Formula One race weekends. About 40 employees would work year-round at the track, which would host additional races and other events.
The package appeared designed to generate support among city officials, whose endorsement of the race is crucial to qualify Full Throttle for $25 million a year for 10 years in state financial support through the Texas Major Events Trust Fund. Administered by the comptroller's office, the fund is generated by tax revenue attributable to a particular event.
A spokesman for Mayor Lee Leffingwell said the city viewed the figures included in the documents more as guidelines than hard numbers. "They gave us a frame of reference," said Matt Curtis, adding that the city planned to produce its own study.
The documents had originally been deemed off-limits to public view by city officials. Tavo Hellmund, Full Throttle's managing partner, also contended the papers contained trade secrets and thus did not have to be released. But a July 22 attorney general's decision ordered them turned over.
A spokesman for Full Throttle, Trey Salinas, wrote in an e-mail that the job projections were based on real-world comparisons of other recent F1 construction projects and "are pretty accurate based on our conversations with local contractors we have been having."
Craig Depken, an economics professor at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte who is critical of glowing economic impact projections for large sporting events, said such large job estimates can be misleading.
When it comes to construction jobs, for example, "the question is whether these people would be idle otherwise," Depken said. Temporary jobs during race weekends tend to be low-paying, he added.
The documents also detail the range of non-F1 activities Hellmund hopes to attract to the new facility when F1 is not in town. Among them: alternative-fuel automobile research, driving schools, police training facilities, concerts and "high-end auctions (i.e., Barrett-Jackson)." Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Barrett-Jackson Auction Co. specializes in car collections.
It is unclear how many of those activities would be attracted to an Austin track or are available. A spokeswoman for Barrett-Jackson said it holds auctions only four times a year, in set locations in Arizona, Florida, California and Las Vegas. "We're at capacity now," she said.
According to the papers, Hellmund anticipates hosting 400,000-plus fans at other, non-F1 racing events throughout the year, such as NASCAR, Grand Am and drag racing.
Together, racing and nonracing events will keep the facility booked 250 days out of the year, the projections say.
Keeping a track busy so many days is possible, said Eddie Gossage, president of the Texas Motor Speedway in Fort Worth, which he said has activity more than 300 days per year. But, he added, Hellmund "is going to have to work extremely hard," he said. "As a road course with no history, it's going to be tough sledding for them."
Also included in the documents are several depictions of the track to be built for an estimated $200 million near Austin-Berstrom International Airport. The drawings, by German racetrack design firm Tilke GmbH, include a view of a welcome center with rounded edges like a squashed ball and a partial view of what appears to be a multiturn track and grandstands.
The drawings and other materials are copyrighted to Full Throttle and cannot be reproduced without the company's permission. Salinas said the track depictions submitted to the city two months ago are now outdated and not appropriate for publication.
"We should have more information on that soon," he wrote.
The papers submitted to Austin officials emphasize the high prestige of hosting a Formula One event. With "global 'starpower' presence second only to the Oscars," the papers state, the Formula One race "would be the state and region's 'signature annual event.'\u2009"
By Eric Dexheimer
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