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Formula 1
COOPER: Austin An Interesting Choice For US GP
Compelling storylines abound as Formula One prepares for the Turkish Grand Prix...
News of the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas was leaked on the website of Formula One chief executive Bernie Ecclestone. (Photo: LAT Photographic)
After the mad rush from Spain to Monaco and the excitement of having two Grands Prix in eight days it’s been good to have a week or so chilling out at home.
Having said that, the fallout from Monaco continued to spread for a few days after the race, a bit like that pesky Icelandic ash cloud. There’s been plenty to gossip about, what with the whole Schumacher last lap saga, the future of Mark Webber, and the loose drain that tripped up Rubens Barrichello.
And then out of the blue came Tuesday's announcement that the US GP will go to Austin, Texas for 2012.
Of course we’ve heard a lot about US GP projects in recent times, and only this week it seemed that the upmarket Monticello venue in New York State was on pole position to get the race.
But talk is cheap, and the fact that the Austin news came out on Bernie Ecclestone’s website, with an official quote from him, is evidence that this is the real deal. Indeed I have a feeling that the timing may well have been prompted by Monticello.
This week someone leaked not only a letter from their boss to the club members, but one from Bernie to them. That may well have gone down like a lead balloon chez Ecclestone. If Monticello was still in the frame, it wasn’t for long...
While I have travelled to most corners of the United States, I must confess I have never been to Texas other than brief stops to change planes. Thus, I can’t make a judgement on what Austin has to offer. Having said that, it doesn’t take much research to find out that the city has a lot going for it, and it figures high on various polls of this and that.
Clearly, its civic leaders are keen to push the place both domestically and internationally. Austin is "only" the fourth largest city in Texas, and sometimes that sort of position encourages people to work that much harder to get noticed.
It is also the largest city in the USA without a major pro sports franchise. You guys will know better than I how important sports teams are to a major American city, so perhaps importing a global event such as F1 – even if it happens just once a year – is one way of attracting attention.
But is Austin the right home for the US GP? After parting with Indianapolis, it seemed certain that Ecclestone was going to take the race to somewhere people would want to go with or without a race - in other words the likes of California or Florida, Las Vegas or New York.
Having said that, the fallout from Monaco continued to spread for a few days after the race, a bit like that pesky Icelandic ash cloud. There’s been plenty to gossip about, what with the whole Schumacher last lap saga, the future of Mark Webber, and the loose drain that tripped up Rubens Barrichello.
And then out of the blue came Tuesday's announcement that the US GP will go to Austin, Texas for 2012.
Of course we’ve heard a lot about US GP projects in recent times, and only this week it seemed that the upmarket Monticello venue in New York State was on pole position to get the race.
But talk is cheap, and the fact that the Austin news came out on Bernie Ecclestone’s website, with an official quote from him, is evidence that this is the real deal. Indeed I have a feeling that the timing may well have been prompted by Monticello.
This week someone leaked not only a letter from their boss to the club members, but one from Bernie to them. That may well have gone down like a lead balloon chez Ecclestone. If Monticello was still in the frame, it wasn’t for long...
While I have travelled to most corners of the United States, I must confess I have never been to Texas other than brief stops to change planes. Thus, I can’t make a judgement on what Austin has to offer. Having said that, it doesn’t take much research to find out that the city has a lot going for it, and it figures high on various polls of this and that.
Clearly, its civic leaders are keen to push the place both domestically and internationally. Austin is "only" the fourth largest city in Texas, and sometimes that sort of position encourages people to work that much harder to get noticed.
It is also the largest city in the USA without a major pro sports franchise. You guys will know better than I how important sports teams are to a major American city, so perhaps importing a global event such as F1 – even if it happens just once a year – is one way of attracting attention.
But is Austin the right home for the US GP? After parting with Indianapolis, it seemed certain that Ecclestone was going to take the race to somewhere people would want to go with or without a race - in other words the likes of California or Florida, Las Vegas or New York.
Grand Prix of Bahrain
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