Hey, Sabre, do you suppose we're just too o-l-d?

Nah, it was just crappy sound (doesn't rise to the level of music). Engines would have been great. And I once watched a short SCCA movie back in the 70's, set to Classical Gas and it was perfect! So, it can be done with the right music. This wasn't it.

 

Like a fine wine, age can only make it better...

You know, even in my younger days I still would have said that the soundtrack (music?) they used is just sooo lousy!

 

I am not surprised in the least...

F1 Has Already Banked Bahrain Race Fee!

Mar.2 (GMM) Bernie Ecclestone will keep the 2012 race fee even if he is forced to cancel the Bahrain grand prix at the last minute.

The F1 chief executive made the revelation to fend off speculation he is only supporting the Kingdom's controversial return to the calendar for financial reasons.

Britain's Telegraph newspaper said the Bahrain government pays $40 million per race, but last year Ecclestone did not collect the fee after civil unrest forced the cancellation of the event.

"They (Bahrain) will pay if there is no race," Ecclestone revealed.

"The money is in the bank already. So we're not going because we're going to get paid. That has nothing to do with it.

"We have a contract with them and we're respecting the contract. And I don't believe the people there would take a risk if they thought there was a risk."

 

Wow--$40,000,000 for a race! Hey racers--I'll do it for half price!

 

I'm still a little sad that Petrov is now with Lotus/Caterham now. I liked the Kovalainen and Trulli team. I'll still pull for the underdog Caterham team with Heikki, and Di Resta and of course Kimi.

If you havn't already, check out his other two books also. One talks about the ('94?) championship season, and the other talks about his 10 or so years as a mechanic. Matchett is by far my favorite commentator on SPEED.

"GO-AAHN SUN! POOSH IT!"

- Gary

 

And the soap opera which is the USGP (Austin, TX) just keeps on a rolling...

Tavo Hellmund sues investors of Austin Grand Prix
Motorsport.com / Berthold Bouman, F1 correspondent / March 5, 2012

Another twist in the ongoing saga of the Austin Grand Prix, which is scheduled for November 18. Tavo Hellmund and his Full Throttle Productions company, once the promoters of the race, have filed a lawsuit against their two investment partners Bobby Epstein and Red McCombs according to reports in the Austin American Statesman.
Apparently Hellmund wants to sue his partners for an ‘improper and unlawful takeover’. Last year it emerged Hellmund did not have a contract with Formula One’s commercial rights holders FOM (Formula One Management led by Bernie Ecclestone) and capital investor CVC to organize the race, reason for Epstein and McCombs to close a deal with Ecclestone themselves to secure the Austin Grand Prix.
Hellmund claims this deal was unlawful and he sues his partners for a $18 million buyout that was not ‘fulfilled’, while Hellmund also claims he would have received $500,000 per year for the next 10 years as the chairman of the Grand Prix.
In a reaction the Circuit of the Americas stated, “This is just a latest step in a pattern of behavior. Mr. Hellmund uses negative press to try and create an advantage for himself at every turn. The fact is, he has been found to be in breach of contract by Formula 1 and he has not fulfilled his agreements.”
It is now feared this latest development could jeopardize the Austin Grand Prix, as it could deter potential future investors, and according to some sources it is even feared the State of Texas -- who subsidizes the project and pays $25 million annually for the race fees -- could also withdraw from the project.
The project has already been delayed and workers now work around the clock to get the circuit finished in time, recently people who live near the construction site have complained about the late night construction activities. Last Tuesday a construction worker was critically injured, he was airlifted to University Medical Center Brackenridge where he still remains.
Spokesman of the COTA Jeff Hahn said to the Statesman, “This is our first incident here at the site. We take safety very seriously. ... Our thoughts are with him.”

 

Texas is paying $25,000,000 annually for this race?

Sorry, I love F1, and I understand stimulating business and all, but this is ridiculous. I haven't seen much success in F1 paying for itself (or even breaking even), and I don't think my state taxes are well spent with Bernie. I'd much rather stop the school bleeding (my youngest kid is 34), or all the other public servant layoffs. My opinion, of course, YMMV.

 

I lived north of Montreal for 25 years and often took in the races, both on Isle Notre Dame and the old Curcuit Mt.Tremblant. I believe the money is well spent on a number of fronts. The biggest is the international exposure that the tv broadcast sends literally to every corner of the planet.

Try and find a hotel room in Montreal for the first weekend in June! Ain't going to happen unless you're willing to drop $400 a night. Its only early March and the bookings are already stacked! The race is a single day event but the race organizers/local businesses can turn this event into a "Grand Spectacle" showing off the locale and developing spin-off opportunities. The opportunities go well beyond Grand Prix week-end.

However, if it becomes a political tiddly-wink then you're correct, the narrow minded will win and the investment could be better spent.

 

Texas is broke. Period. In spite of what Ricky boy would have you believe, the only way the budget has been balanced has been through the use of "Stimulus" funds, and by cutting back on education. That's not what the former were intended to do, and a poor use of the latter, IMO. I don't think Texas, even in a city as progressive as Austin, is a good venue for F1, no matter how convenient it would be for me personally. In fact, I'll bet there won't be a 3rd race in Texas. If I'm right, that means that at least $50,000,000 of my taxes will be for naught. Again, my opinion, but it's based on observing F1 (and Bernie) for many years, AND living about 150 miles from the track. This is NASCRAP country, not F1 turf. If you doubt me, come on down and count pickup trucks.

 

But $135 million for UT stadium expansion in '06 is ok?

Maybe, but there's those pesky foreigners (people other than Texans) that will pay money to fly into NASCRAP country, rent a truck, stay in a hotel, and watch the races.

A friend went to the Indy F1 race a few years back. Said there were some people behind him who he couldn't understand except BlahblahblahblahMONTOYA!!! blahblahblah

I remember a few years ago when TMS was talked about being built. Apparently Houston had a chance at that deal but didn't want to spend the money, that a NASCAR track in the Central / South wouldn't take off. Let's see who's raking in the money on that one.

- Gary

 

Well, time will tell. I'll still hold to my bet (unless there's a contract that requires them to hold the race).

And no, I don't want to pay for other sports venues, either. I've never purchased tickets for football, baseball, or any of the other sports in Houston. I do remember attending a couple of those games on free tickets, but it's not a good use for taxpaper funds--making rich men richer.

Sorry, but that's just the way I feel.

 

Bernie is well.......Bernie! A friend of mine was selling t-shirts, low key, low production, pic of a Ferrari with SALUT GILLES on the front at a Montreal race a couple years after Villeneuve's death. Sure enough registered mail arrived, a personal note from Bernie's legions. The t-shirt in good shape is now a collectors item.
That being said, Montreal lost its race a couple years' back. Tried to hard ball Bernie. Montreal fought to get the race back because it infuses approx. 70 - 80 million into the local economy annually. It is what it is, an investment with a vision. Then again I owned a Beta VCR!!!!! And a Pontiac Fiero GT

 

This has been an interesting series of posts and if I may, I'd like to throw in my .02... These are just my opinions and I truly hope they don't offend anyone and no offense is intended, only an opinion...

That is truly a staggering sum of $$$$$...

It is always interesting to note how politicians and those with vested interests are able to agree to pony up such money during these difficult financial times with most states bleeding red as they are unable to meet prior agreements (e.g. state pensions, education expenses, infrastructure upkeep/improvement, etc.)

Well Eggburp, what I question is the temendous cost... Do you really believe that a GP weekend will garner a host city $25,000,000 worth of returned income. As you stated, the GP brings opportunity not guaranteed income.

So all the lodging in the area is booked for that weekend but that is only one weekend out of 52... hard to concieve that such a huge investment can be recouped by the influx of F1 fans for one GP weekend.

I'd be willing to bet that a short time after the race, most people (not die-hard fans) around the world who watch on TV will probably not readily recall the virtues of the host city/area and what it offers. They will maybe recall the race/winner, and the rest will fade into obscurity into a corner of their mind. Opportunity gone...

I agree Deb, if a state government is up to its ears in debt (we face the same issue here in Illinois ) then the idea of the state helping to establishing a racetrack in the hopes of garnering tourist dollars is a frivolous concept and fiscally irresponsible. A burden of that magnitude should not fall upon the shoulders of the taxpayer. Who is really gaining an advantage from this venue? IMHO, I agree with Deb in that those who are garnering the benefits are people like Bernie and the wealthy, not the good people of the state of Texas.

I don't recall Deb stating anything like that in her post Gary... and no, again IMO spending money you don't have is irresponsible wether it is for COTA or the UT stadium or whatever (fill in the blank with whatever vested interest someone may have).

It will take some time to make inroads on the local mentality concerning Formula One in Austin/Texas... Deb is correct... that's NASCAR country and the "Wine & Cheese" set that is F1, is looked down upon by the Bubba's that follow NASCAR (just ask JPM how it was when he decided to join the roundy-rounders)... As for those pesky foriegners... well they better start spending alot of $$$$ to make up for the huge sum that is being invested in COTA and the GP. For the track to become a viable investment they will have to stage other events (not just F1) and since it is a road course that means bringing other series to COTA (e.g. ALMS, Grand-Am, SCCA, et. al.) and there is the rub... The "NASCAR Nation" and road racing is a tenuous mix a best... One wonders if the "Beer & Pretzel" set will warm up to their race cars turning something other than left. No fans coming in to watch the races means no $$$$ and eventually no circuit.



I dearly love F1 but a state's first priority is to its people not a special interest group or a select group of the wealthy. The funding and development of a venue such as Austin or TMS belongs in the hands of private investors. TMS may be making money but how long did it take to make the track a viable proposition? TMS is in NASCAR country, COTA is a stranger in a foriegn land... It will take time to make those turnstyles spin, especially with the scandalous amounts they are charging for admission to the GP... It is definitely not geared to bringing in the average person through the turnstyle... I believe that the only winner here is Bernie Ecclestone... he will get his "show" money and if things don't go well, well then, Bernie just pulls the plug and heads east to New Jersey/New York and bids a fond farewell to Texas... leaving the good citizens of that state holding the bag that is COTA.

^+1

 

I believe the agreement Texas has with the race promoters is that money will be paid only after the race has been held and the revenues have been counted, and enough has been generated by the event to warrant the state's payment.

It's a complicated arrangement and I don't know how it will settle out, but to me it's no different than Star bonds or any other tax deferrements designed to bring income in the form of jobs and later taxes to the state.

One thing's for sure, Texas hasn't paid a dime to this venture yet, and won't till after the race is held.

I think the racetrack is no different than any other business venture, it needs to stand on it's own merits. I like the idea of the track and associated businesses that will come with it and hope it succeeds, cause I want to drive on it someday!

In generel, I agree with the idea that governments should not be supporting sports ventures, like this and baseball, basketball, football franchises etc, as someone said, taxes supporting a few rich guys getting richer. However, if you take that stance to it's logical conclusion, it also means removing state support for college and even high school sports as well.

 

I don't know how the contract is structured, but if it's as you say, that just about guarantees the race will fail.

You know, I think that video that I posted a couple of months ago tells it all. Red Bull, at least, recognizes the...silliness...of the location. I know this track is supposed to be used by other venues, but I just can't see it working out long term for F1. Lots of people will come once, some will come twice, but thrice? Doubt it will be enough to keep up with Bernie's cost demands. California? Probably. Texas? Nope.

 

I don't think the $25 mil will have any impact on the race's success or failure, the event itself will.

I expect that the race will sell out for the first few years, even at the stupid prices that are being charged, the same way the stupor bowl does.

I also think the Texas location will be a solid choice as long as the infrastructure is put in to support it ie: roads wide enough to get traffic in and out, parking that's accessible and not in a swamp if it rains and so on. I think the spectators will come from Central and South America as well as the US, and I think a lot of people will come from Europe too.

The event will have to stand on it's own merits, in other words.

If the race is terrible, and the weather sucks completely, and the track is miserable to get in and out of, the food is horrendous and there are problems all around the event, it will be difficult to sustain it. But, if the race is exciting, the weather gorgeous, getting in and out is easy and overall it's a fun event,, it will grow and go on from there.

If it's successful, everyone wins - Texas, Austin, the track owners and promoters, and even the US itself gets a premier world event to host.

If not, well it won't be the first time.....

 

Sometimes things are beyond the scope of track development. You mentioned weather, for example--always a risk. Or how about the tire disaster in Indianapolis a few years back? Now there was an existing, successful, well known track, already world-famous for annually hosting a quarter of a million spectators at the Indy 500. They expanded--just expanded--to include an F1 track. In other words, nobody had to build entry roads, for example, or do anything other than upgrade facilities to Bernie's standards. Yet the second race failed, and the venue was taken off the F1 schedule, after the tires were pulled from the majority of the competitors. That particular problem isn't likely to recur, but something else might...

 

I agree with Dave for the most part, with the exception of the expected price of tickets.

http://www.formula1.com/tickets_and_travel/

I wouldn't say ~$120 (up to $600) is a scandalous amount for a GP ticket, assuming it'll be approx the same as the Canadian GP. I think my parents paid more than that for Cher tickets. I don't see it being much different prices than NFL games. Quick search says avg NFL tickets are $60-$250, depending on the team. Yes, there are some packages that sell close to or more than Superbowl tickets (which averaged $4000!!).

I also think some of you are underestimating the global interest in F1. A quick flip thru Google says there was a record 111.3 million people watching this years superbowl. F1 has 5 times that per race.

- Gary

 

Plenty of global interest, true. But do watchers pay Texas or do they pay Bernie?

 

It was more or less to point out ticket sales will not solely depend on converting "NASCAR fans" to buy tickets to an F1 race.

 

fun fun

 

Hang in their race fans... 9 hours, 21 minutes to go before the start of the 2012 F1 season!

The season brings 6 WDC drivers to the grid and that alone will make for some spirited driving...

Can't wait to see how the grid will shape up... it could be really interesting!

F1 Ready for the start in Australia
GMM Newswire / 15 March 2012

The Formula One world may be set for an unusual start to the season, after two years in which Red Bull domination of the opening races could be taken for granted. That’s the view of several teams, and tyre supplier Pirelli, whose rubber will be even softer this year and thus will demand an even smoother style from the drivers to avoid pushing it too far, too soon.

Many engineers admit that they are still finding their way with the tyre wear. Pirelli have brought their medium and soft compounds to Australia, and retained the four different coloured sidewalls - red (super soft), yellow (soft), white (medium) and silver (hard) - but modified the markings to ease differentiation between them. The colour bands and lettering are larger, and the silver on the hard tyres is darker to differentiate it from the medium.

The weather here in Melbourne may also create challenges of its own, with showers or even thunderstorms expected to remain a possibility throughout the weekend.

Throw in the belief in some quarters that Kimi Raikkonen and Lotus could be the dark horses, and that Mercedes have the race pace to match McLaren, and it’s not difficult to see that 2012 could be a lot less predictable - at least in its early stages.

“It’s going to be a freaky one!” Lotus chief Eric Boullier suggested. “Qualifying in Melbourne and the first races are going to be unpredictable. The tyres are going to make things very interesting. If you push too hard in qualifying then you are going to be screwed for the first part of the race - and if you pit too early it may mean you need to make an extra stop.

At Mercedes, team principal Ross Brawn said having six world champions on the grid for the first time can only add to the excitement. “It’s great for Formula One to have so many world champions. It’s the quality of the field and the fact that the cars look like they are going to be close this year. It’s going to be a really exciting season and it could be one of the best seasons we have seen for a number of years, so I am quite looking forward to a very challenging season. I am expecting the tightest start to a season that we have seen for a number of years."
Fernando Alonso has urged Ferrari to maintain an even strain after their testing difficulties.

"We have to stay cool and calm and take one step at a time, starting with the race in Melbourne where we will get an initial impression," the Spaniard said.

"We know in which direction we need to go in terms of car development and that's an important step. Sure, we will have to grit our teeth for the first few races, but first of all, we have to see exactly where we are in terms of being competitive and then give our all to bring home as many points as possible in this early stage of the championship.”

The midfield looks set to be even tighter than at the back end of 2011, with Force India, Sauber, Toro Rosso and Williams having all enjoyed encouraging pre-season tests. Melbourne should also tell us whether Caterham - now KERS-equipped - have taken a big enough step forward to latch on to that pack. For backmarkers HRT and Marussia, however, Albert Park will be largely a test run, after neither team managed to ready their 2012 cars in time for the pre-season sessions.

Anyone want to predict who will end up on the podium?

My crystal ball is all fogged up!

 

My crystal ball is all fogged up!

As it should be at this point in the season!

I think Mercedes and Lotus Renault are the dark horses this year, and I would not be surprised to see either of them on the podium at the first race.

That said, there are so many new variables this year that I think it's impossible to handicap the race at this point. Between the chassis changes, loss of downforce by eliminating the blown diffusers, exhaust channges, the new nose regs, the changes in the tires, the extra DRS zone.....who knows?

But, I think this year will be a banner one for F1 - I'm just sorry they had to revert to so many artificial means to close the competition up. At this rate, I half expect Bernie's sprinkler idea to become the rule next year!

 

After watching MS destroy the field for years between '00-'05, I never thought I'd want to see him win again - and I was a Ferrari fan! But I hope he does well......and Rosberg.

Glad to be seeing Vettel having to fight for it this year....

Should be a good race.

 

Well, looks like I called that one!

I can't wait for the race tomorrow, there are all sorts of scenarios that can play out, from the Big Macs just walking off and leaving everyone else (won't happen - I don't think) to the two Mac's taking each other out (team orders anyone?) to a real fight between several of the front runners, with the DRS zones causing passing and repassing....

At least the weather's supposed to be brilliant!

Hope the rookie Renault (nee Lotus) driver doesn't take anyone out on the first lap! Hope he and Schumi don't come together...

Wonder how Petrov feels seeing his former car on the Qually podium, and he's in like 19th or so?

Wonder how Kimi feels about his team only getting him one damn lap in Qually?

Should be fun tomorrow - well, tonight actually - I may stay up for it!