Tag: austin

Austin U.S. F1 track to officially be called Circuit of the Americas, also play host to MotoGP

Filed under: Motorsports

circuit of the americas

We’ve all known that Formula One racing is coming to Austin, Texas. Now we know what to call the track that will play host to the 2012 U.S. Grand Prix. Called the Circuit of the Americas, this 3.4-mile racetrack features 20 turns, 133 feet of elevation change and a 10-year F1 contract.

Circuit of the Americas won’t simply play host to four-wheeled machines, though. The two-wheeled action of MotoGP will also be coming to the Texas track. Beginning in 2013, CotA starts a 10-year contract with the motorcycle racing series.

[Source: Autoweek]

Austin U.S. F1 track to officially be called Circuit of the Americas, also play host to MotoGP originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 12 Apr 2011 18:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autoblog Podcast #215: With Mike Austin from Car and Driver

Filed under: Podcasts, Etc., Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, Subaru, Electric

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Click above for the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes, RSS or listen now!

Chris, Zach and Dan are joined by Car and Driver’s Mike Austin for Episode #215 of the Autoblog Podcast. We talk about the Nissan Leaf being named the European Car of the Year, the 2012 Ford Focus and Chrysler’s ‘S’ Branding. It’s an hour and thirty two minutes of sidebars, topics and your Q&A finishes it off. Thanks for listening!

Autoblog Podcast #215: With Mike Austin from Car and Driver

  • 2012 Ford Focus first drive
  • Chrysler S branding aimed at the youth market
  • Nissan Leaf wins ECOTY

In the Autoblog Garage:


2011 Nissan Leaf
2011 Mazdaspeed3
2011 Subaru WRX
2011 Subaru WRX STI
2011 Honda Pilot

  • Hosts: Dan Roth, Chris Shunk, Zach Bowman

Runtime: 01:32:56

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Autoblog Podcast #215: With Mike Austin from Car and Driver originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 01 Feb 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Construction gets underway on Austin F1 track

Filed under: Motorsports, Plants/Manufacturing, Videos

Start of construction at Austin's F1 track

Austin’s F1 track breaks ground – Click above to watch the video after the jump

How long does it take to lap the future site of the United States Grand Prix? 31 minutes, according to reports. But that’s before any pavement has been laid down.

Organizers of the upcoming F1 race in Texas planned on breaking ground on the site – currently little more than a bumpy plot of wilderness – by December 2010, and they’ve apparently just made the target, as construction equipment was spotted there before the end of the year. Contractors for the $250 million facility have already been assigned for the project that is slated to finish construction by summertime 2012.

The Austin-based American-Statesman met the construction crews on the site and have compiled a report you can view after the jump, along with a written report available at the link below. Thanks for the tips, all!

[Source: American-Statesman]

Continue reading Video: Construction gets underway on Austin F1 track

Video: Construction gets underway on Austin F1 track originally appeared on Autoblog on Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Austin GP lap rendered and run

Filed under: Motorsports, Videos

Click above to view the video after the jump

A sample lap has been rendered of the track in Austin, Texas that’s set to host the U.S. Grand Prix come 2012. Another Hermann Tilke-designed layout, the 3.4-mile circuit has 20 corners and plenty of elevation change; in fact, in some areas it looks more like a Disney ride than a venue for driving upwards of 200 mph. Since we’re going to lose some European races to make room for the USGP, we hope it’s good. Check it out for yourself after the jump.

[Source: YouTube]

Continue reading Video: Austin GP lap rendered and run

Video: Austin GP lap rendered and run originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 22 Sep 2010 18:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Austin’s F1 track gets laid out

Filed under: Motorsports

2012 Austin F1 Track – Click above for image gallery

Here it is. Race promoter Tavo Hellmund has pulled back the sheets on the Austin formula one track, and the course looks damn impressive at first glance. The 3.4-mile course packs in 20 turns, a total change in elevation to 133 feet and a back straight that’s a full three-quarters of a mile long. What’s more, the circuit is designed to promote passing for American fans with short attention spans thanks to plenty of long straights followed by tight, 45-degree turns. Hellmund said that the cars should be able to click off a 200 mph top speed, and will sail by the grand stands at 180 mph or more.

Interestingly enough, the course’s designers have borrowed heavily from other tracks from around the world. Turns 3-6 are nearly carbon copies of a series of apexes at Silverstone, while 12-15 pay homage to Hockenheim. One section that’s guaranteed to generate plenty of action is turns 16-18, a multi-apex monster cut from the same cloth as Istanbul’s turn 8.

The Austin F1 course is slated to bare its first race by 2012, and there’s some word that construction will get under way this December.

Gallery: Austin F1 Track

[Source: Formula 1, The Statesman]

Austin’s F1 track gets laid out originally appeared on Autoblog on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 13:57:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Austin F1 track location revealed

Filed under: Motorsports

Back in May, Formula One Group CEO Bernie Ecclestone announced that the racing organization had secured a deal with the city of Austin, Texas to bring the series to America for 10 years. All of that sounded great to American racing fans, but there have been lingering questions as to whether it was possible to get the city ready for F1 by 2012, which is when the contract is scheduled to go into effect.

At least one piece of the puzzle is now resolved as the location for the future track has been revealed at a press conference today in Austin. A total of 900 acres is said to be available at a site in southeastern Travis County, most of which had previously been set aside for a planned subdivision called Wandering Creek.

At this point, officials for the proposed track hope to have permits in hand and work beginning on the site in December. Says Bobby Epstein, an investor in Wandering Creek, “I’m elated and hope this all comes to fruition… I’m highly optimistic that all the moving parts will come together.”

According to News 8 in Austin, Red McCombs, founder of the McCombs Automotive Group and former owner of the San Antonio Spurs and Minnesota Vikings, is backing the project, which he is reportedly calling “Speed City.” Want to see the proposed site for yourself? Click here for a Google Map of the location, which coincidentally enough (or not) is fortuitously close to the Austin-Bergstrom International Airport.

[Source: Statesman, News 8]

Austin F1 track location revealed originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 15:29:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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