Construction of the facilities for the 2013 New York grand prix is speeding ahead.

At the same time, there remain grave doubts about the Texas project, despite the permanent Circuit of the Americas venue being scheduled to host its inaugural US grand prix in November.

The Austin American Statesman newspaper has this week quoted county commissioner Sarah Eckhardt as saying: “It appears they (the organisers) don’t have the cash flow to prepare the site for the event.”

It is a very different story so far at Port Imperial, where the American grand prix will take place mid next year on the streets of West New York and Weehawken, amid the Manhattan skyline.

Wheels.ca published a photo depicting the advanced construction of the pit and garage building, which will reportedly house the F1 teams in June next year.

 2012 US grand prix founder Tavo Hellmund is suing the Austin event’s backers.
The latest speed-bump in the Circuit of the Americas project is Hellmund’s lawsuit against Bobby Epstein and Red McCombs, claiming he would have made $500,000 per year as chairman for the next decade.

Hellmund also wants “access to the … books” and “declaration that he cannot be removed as a manager”, the lawsuit claims according to the local Austin American Statesman.

Hellmund did not immediately comment, while Epstein said the former promoter no longer works on the project.

“This is just a latest step in a pattern of behaviour,” said the Circuit of the Americas in a statement.

“Mr Hellmund uses negative press to try and create an advantage for himself at every turn.”

 450 workers are pushing to enable Austin’s new Circuit of the Americas to be ready for the US grand prix later this year.
After the Texas project’s earlier hiccups, the rooves and walls of the paddock and medical buildings, media centre and main grandstand are now taking shape.

Another recent setback, however, was 2 inches of rain in the last ten days.

“We’ve got a lot of dry weather we know is going to be coming, and are hoping to be gaining some time,” said a contractor spokesman.

He revealed that the first layer of track asphalt will be poured around April “so we can get other elements, the tire barriers (and) the FIA fence going on”, he told the local Austin American Statesman.

The report said construction is scheduled to be essentially completed two months before the November 18 race.

A dark cloud of uncertainty has gathered above preparations for the 2012 US grand prix in Austin. Shortly after it emerged that the Texas comptroller is being sued by a group of taxpayers over the Circuit of the Americas’ state support, the Austin City Council met on Thursday to vote on the release of the funding. But local news outlets KXAN, KVUE, YNN and the American Statesman report that the vote has been postponed for a week, by which time a new council member who is opposed to the F1 project may be able to cast the deciding vote. “We felt we had support going into this meeting,” said the F1 circuit’s president Steve Sexton. “We thought we would get the necessary approval today to move forward, but any support is welcomed and encouraged. “For a $300 million economic project, we would hope to gain support certainly next Wednesday and move on,” he added. The F1 project’s lawyer Richard Suttle admitted he is also nervous. “I can’t say it any more emphatically that we are now nervous from a daily basis. If you push it, it gives us great trepidation on this thing pulling off,” he said. Suttle added during the meeting that a delay is “a major concern”, while Austin mayor Lee Leffingwell said it could “kill the project”.

New F1 circuits look unlikely to be able to emulate Korea, whose delayed Yeongam venue was given an eleventh-hour reprieve by the FIA.

Usually, the governing body inspects a new track 90 days before the inaugural race date, giving either a thumbs-up or down.

But in the case of Korea, with construction badly delayed, Charlie Whiting kept postponing the final inspection until mere days before this week’s event.

“Is that going to happen again? No,” said Nick Craw, FIA senate president.

He was speaking to the Austin American Statesman newspaper, after visiting the site of the 2012 United States grand prix and saying he was happy with the organisers’ plans.

American Craw said future races in India and Russia will also be subject to the 90-day rule, to almost certainly be reinforced by the FIA at its November meeting.

“That probably protects everybody’s interest a little better than running right up against the event and saying, ‘Golly gee, we’ve got it wrong’,” he explained.

However, the construction timetable for the Austin race is tight, and he revealed that he will lobby against the 90-day rule if race promoter Tavo Hellmund thinks it will be a problem.

And Hellmund confirmed: “We certainly don’t want the mandate of 90 days because the only track it would affect in the world would be this one.”

12 teams is enough for formula one, and 10 would also be a healthy number, according to Williams’ chairman Adam Parr.

The Jacques Villeneuve/Durango bid, as well as the Spanish Le Mans team Epsilon Euskadi, have been turned down by F1′s governing body after applying for the final 13th spot on the 2011 grid.

“I don’t think we should have 13,” Parr is quoted by the Texas newspaper American Statesman.

“I think that 12 is a maximum and personally I think we should have a maximum of 10 teams,” he said.

Currently, the F1 grid is composed of 12 teams, but there are fears about the financial situations suffered by several of them.

“I think it’s a very real possibility that we could lose a couple of teams,” Parr admitted.

“Part of the evolution of formula one is that teams come in and they go. Since 1970 we’ve lost, I think, 55 teams. It’s sort of a brutal competition and not everyone makes it.

“If things fall out so that we have 10 teams competing next year, personally I think that would be just fine,” he added.

Officials of Hermann Tilke’s German company are beginning to arrive in Austin to begin work at the site of the 2012 United States grand prix.

The formula one circuit design company Tilke GmbH already has geologists testing he 900-acre plot of land and is about to open a local office for 20 staff, according to a report in the local American-Statesman.

“There is land, there is money, there is a formula one contract.  We are now ready to enter the final stage of the ambitious project,” said Tilke’s US executive Christian Epp.

He said the actual track layout is essentially complete, but that questions about the auxiliary buildings are still being answered.

“We have to figure how many buildings and access roads are needed, how in detail to manage the water supply, drainage and power,” said Epp.  “It’s like planning and building a complete new city.”

He said a Tilke delegation will be in Austin next week to continue working on the reportedly $200 million plans, with actual construction to begin in December.

“The engineers and the contractors tell me it can be built by summer 2012,” said the race organisers’ lawyer Richard Suttle Jr.

Organisers of a United States grand prix risk penalties if the race does not go ahead in 2012.

That is the warning of F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone, who more than a month ago announced a 10-year contract for a race in Austin, Texas.

The contract, with promoter Tavo Hellmund’s company, involves the construction of a purpose-built circuit.

But given a lack of details so far, and the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s failure to make the US GP a success, some pundits are sceptical about Austin’s bid.

For example, the source of the bulk of the funding is a mystery, with Ecclestone revealing only to the Austin daily American-Statesman that the backers are from the US.

It has also been suggested that 2012 is an overly optimistic race debut date, but Briton Ecclestone insists it will take place then.

“That’s what the contract says,” he said.  “It might turn out to be expensive for Tavo.  We’ve got some penalty clauses, although I wouldn’t want to use them.”

Ecclestone said he is confident Hellmund’s project will succeed.

“Until he doesn’t (succeed), we won’t know,” said the 79-year-old.  “You might say I couldn’t run the 100 metres in seven seconds, but until I try, you don’t know.”

(GMM)

The reaction has been mixed since F1 announced it is heading to Austin, Texas, for 10 consecutive United States grands prix beginning in 2012.

Britain’s Sun newspaper quoted Williams chief executive Adam Parr as saying: “We are a global sport and not having a race in America has been a big hole in the calendar. Our partners will be thrilled.”

But the announcement was short on detail, including where in the Texan capital the venue will be built, and why Austin can succeed where the likes of Donington failed.

McLaren’s managing director Jonathan Neale said in a teleconference on Wednesday: “I’d say it is fantastic news if it turns out to be true and if we can make it happen.”

One sceptic is Kevin Eason, correspondent for London’s The Times.

“This is one old formula one dog who was once bitten by Donington and is twice shy.”

And a blogger at former US GP host city Indianapolis’ Indy Star newspaper read: “I’ll believe it when I see it.”

The German news agency SID said the news had triggered “joy and doubt”.

Even the major Austin daily American-Statesman found the surprise news, which came hot on the heels of claims New York was closing on a deal, hard to swallow.

“Monte Carlo. Istanbul. Barcelona. Montreal. Austin? Maybe,” read a report.

The report added that “significant details” are yet to come, including the cost, the source of the funding, “and why would an Austin project succeed where others haven’t?”

The fabled Indianapolis Motor Speedway hosted F1 between 2000 and 2007, and spokesman Fred Nation said: “Some years we had the largest crowds of the year for formula one.

“From a spectator point of view, it was a success. At the end of the day, we could not make a business deal that made sense to us.”

The promoter of Austin’s F1 race is Tavo Hellmund, whose company Full Throttle Productions is largely unknown outside of Austin, and he admitted that land has not been bought but three sites are being considered.

A local race venue owner thinks Hellmund’s task is a huge one.

“I can tell you this facility cost about $250 million,” said Texas Motor Speedway president Eddie Gossage, referring to the venue used for NASCAR races.

“(An F1 track) would exceed that,” he added.