The key backer of the scheduled 2012 US grand prix insists he remains committed to the Circuit of the Americas project.

Construction in Austin, Texas, has continued amid raging local media speculation, as lawsuits are pending and questions are constantly asked about the viability of the project commenced by the now offside promoter Tavo Hellmund.

With 84-year-old billionaire Red McCombs now reportedly in the driving seat, he insisted it is “without question” he will continue to push the project forwards.

“Never has been any question,” McCombs is quoted by mysanantonio.com, after the authoritative Austin American Statesman newspaper had suggested he was on the verge of pulling out.

“I’m there for the full ticket,” McCombs insisted, although he admitted the row with Hellmund is proving a speed-bump.

“I will say we do expect to have some resolution to those issues in a timely fashion, but in dealing with the courts, I don’t know what a timely fashion is.”

He told reporters the circuit is now 60 per cent complete ahead of the inaugural November 18 race date.

Nineteen years of formula one did not prepare Rubens Barrichello for his first taste of driving an Indycar on a high speed oval.

The former Ferrari driver, who switched categories for the 2012 season after losing his Williams race seat, tested at the Texas Motor Speedway on Monday.

“It was bloody fast,” he is quoted by the Associated Press, “and very, very much different than anything I have ever tried.

“I’ve had places that in formula one that they say ‘Oh, it’s almost flat and it’s a big corner and it’s a big challenge’. But the walls were never so close,” the 39-year-old Brazilian enthused.

Barrichello’s teammate Tony Kanaan admitted it was “fun” and a rare sight to see his close friend “nervous” prior to getting into a racing car.

“It was quite exciting to see how excited he got, and how happy he got out of the car saying how awesome it is,” he said.

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.

A respected F1 correspondent is expecting F1′s 2012 calendar to shrink to eighteen races this year.

Livio Oricchio, who writes for Brazil’s O Estado de S.Paulo, thinks the sport is now on the verge of cancelling next weekend’s visit to Bahrain.

And he also thinks November’s US grand prix, scheduled to take place at the brand new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, is in doubt.

“The construction has fallen way behind,” said Oricchio, “and there are serious problems between the promoter and the Texas government.

“Each side is looking to the other on the obligation to pay the fee, estimated at $18 million, to FOM (Formula One Management).

“So the championship that should have 20 races will most likely have only 18,” he concluded.

At least publicly, however, the Circuit of the Americas is continuing to take shape.

This Thursday, a private ceremony is scheduled to take place as circuit contractor Austin Commercial celebrates the milestone of completing the full height of the main three-storey pit building.

The Austin Business Journal reports that “several business and civic leaders are scheduled to attend”.

AUSTIN, Texas — February 13, 2012— Circuit of The Americas is the newest member of the Green Sports Alliance, a non-profit organization made up of more than 40 professional and collegiate sports teams and nearly 90 sports venues with a mission to help sports teams, venues and leagues enhance their environmental performance. Circuit of The Americas will be the first Formula One™ racing facility to become a member of the Alliance.
“Circuit of The Americas and the City of Austin have taken a bold stand with their sustainability plan for the sports and entertainment complex,” said Martin Tull, executive director of the Green Sports Alliance. “We welcome Circuit of The Americas into the Alliance and look forward to working with them.”
The Green Sports Alliance is a unique coalition of sports teams and venues, professional sport leagues, the Natural Resources Defense Council, and the Bonneville Environmental Foundation, working with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and other environmental and green building experts.
“I applaud the Circuit’s commitment to setting a standard for sustainability in North American motorsports,” said Lucia Athens, chief sustainability officer for the City of Austin. “Joining forces with the Green Sports Alliance will increase their green horsepower and put Austin on the map yet again for its leadership and innovation. The Green Sports Alliance has been providing expert technical assistance to many of the sports leagues, and can now assist motorsports in achieving greener results.”
Members in the Green Sports Alliance share best practices to improve the environmental performance of their venues, saving millions of dollars through energy and water conservation, waste reduction, recycling and composting. By tracking environmental performance, sports facilities learn how they compare to their counterparts and how to maximize sustainability efforts. Alliance members have reported reductions as high as 30 percent in energy usage, 60 percent in natural gas use and more than 20 percent in water use.
“We are excited to be collaborating with the best minds in sustainable facility management,” said Edgar Farrera, sustainability director at Circuit of The Americas. “We look forward to developing new approaches to environmentally sustainable operations at our facility and sharing what we learn with organizations and companies around the world.”
About the Green Sports Alliance
The Green Sports Alliance is a non-profit organization with a mission to help sports teams, venues and leagues enhance their environmental performance. Less than a year since its public launch, the Alliance is made up of representatives from over 40 teams from 13 leagues and 90 sports venues, the Natural Resources Defense Council, Environmental Protection Agency, Bonneville Environmental Foundation and many other organizations.
Its second annual conference, the Green Sports Alliance Summit, will be held on Sept. 5-7, 2012 and will bring together hundreds of facility operators, team executives, league officials,
environmental experts and corporate partners to discuss innovations in environmental performance.
For more information about the Green Sports Alliance visit: www.greensportsalliance.org.
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 the 2012 FORMULA 1 UNITED STATES GRAND PRIX™ Nov. 16-18 and V8 SUPERCARS.
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 facility, 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.

 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.

 The scene of America’s return to the formula one calendar this year is starting to take shape.
The local Austin American Statesman reports that construction of the Circuit of the Americas is “moving along quickly” following the recent uncertainty over the 2012 US grand prix contract.

“Buildings are starting to take shape,” wrote Dave Doolittle after a tour of the Texas site.

He said there are more than 360 workers at the site, including those working on the three-story main pit and paddock building where the outline of the podium “is already visible”.

Work on the media building and main grandstand has also begun, added the journalist.

“Officials said they expect to be finished on time for the inaugural race,” said Doolittle, referring to the provisional mid November calendar date.

“They’ve got a lot of work to do, but all of the activity shows that they’re working to meet that goal.”

 Construction of the 2012 US GP venue in Texas capital Austin is resuming.
Work at the Circuit of the Americas had been halted amid the dispute between event founder Tavo Hellmund, the track’s new management and financiers, and F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone.

That dispute was settled ahead of Wednesday’s deadline of the World Motor Sport Council in India, where the race’s inaugural November date was ratified by the FIA.

“We have an agreement,” confirmed circuit spokesman Jeff Hahn, according to local KVUE news.

And Ecclestone told the Austin American Statesman newspaper: “Yes, there will be a race. We hope it will be for 10 years.”

Founding partner Bobby Epstein suggested that while Wednesday’s news is good for the event, it was also a victory for Ecclestone.

“Mr Ecclestone is a masterful negotiator. He fights hard for his company’s best interests,” he said.

As the news broke, local reports revealed that heavy machinery was rolling back onto the circuit construction site.

But after the most recent delay, time is now tighter than ever to complete the project ahead of the inaugural race date next November.

“Our construction group said they can get it done,” insisted Epstein.

As the event’s final deadline winds down on Wednesday, there is a growing feeling that organisers of the US GP in Austin have managed to rescue their 2012 race.
With the World Motor Sport Council in India set to take place imminently, F1 chief executive Bernie Ecclestone had warned Circuit of the Americas bosses to stop dithering and sign a binding deal for 2012 and beyond.

A source close to the organisation has told the Austin Chronicle that the chances the race will go ahead next November are now “looking good”.

“I hope Austin goes ahead,” Red Bull driver Mark Webber, in Tasmania this week for his outdoor adventure event, told the Daily Mail newspaper.

“That track looks sensational. I’ve been shown the animations of the layout and it looks really, really special, so they’ve obviously done a good job there,” he added.

(pitpass) The future of the United States Grand Prix at the Texas venue took a further twist tonight when the organizers issued the following statement:

“Organizers of Circuit of The Americas, a premier motor sports racing and entertainment venue being developed in Austin, Texas, are suspending further construction of the project until a contract assuring the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix will be held at Circuit of The Americas in 2012 is complete. The race contract between Formula One and Circuit of The Americas has not been conveyed to Circuit of The Americas per a previously agreed upon timetable.

While construction at Circuit of The Americas has progressed as scheduled with over 300 workers at the construction site daily, all work will suspend immediately. The delivery of the Formula One Grand Prix race contract will allow construction operations to resume.

“We have spent tremendous resources preparing for the Formula One and MotoGP™ Championship races, but the failure to deliver race contracts gives us great concern,” said Bobby Epstein, founding partner of Circuit of The Americas. “We believe the United States is vital for the future of Formula One and its teams and sponsors. Given the purpose-built Tilke design, creating a unique fan experience and iconic challenge for drivers, we hope that Texas will not be left behind. More than 100,000 fans have expressed an interest in purchasing tickets for Formula One alone.”

“It is in the best interest of all parties to reach a timely resolution,” said Red McCombs, chairman of McCombs Enterprises and founding partner of Circuit of The Americas. “Local businesses, fans and the State of Texas are counting on us.”

This week’s events have raised the possibility Turkey could return to the F1 calendar next year.
The race has been dropped from the 2012 calendar because the Istanbul organisers and Bernie Ecclestone could not agree to a revised sanctioning fee.

But we reported in September that, given renewed uncertainty about Bahrain’s return to the calendar next year, Turkey “is on standby” for 2012.

This week, it has emerged that the inaugural US grand prix in Texas, and the Korean event, are also in doubt for 2012.

Brazilian journalist Livio Oricchio wrote in O Estado de S.Paulo: “Turkey said it could not afford to pay $26 million to FOM and therefore lost the race.

“But now, so that F1 does not have to lose so many (2012) races, it (FOM) could accept the $13 million they (Turkey) paid before.”

The first US grand prix in Texas could be delayed a year until 2013, according to the latest rumours and reports.

It is believed the Austin venue, where permits for vertical construction have only just been issued, will be discussed during Thursday’s F1 Commission meeting in Geneva.

Bernie Ecclestone is reported to have said in India last weekend that he believes there are “issues” within the group that is organising the 2012 race.

KVUE News visited the site this week and reported “business as usual”.

But as for F1 chief executive Ecclestone, he has “left the door open”, according to F1 insider Don Batson of International Marketing Development.

“I think he (Ecclestone) is talking about the fact that there is some conflict in Austin, that there has been a construction slowdown that is kind of hard to explain other than there being some kind of a conflict internally,” agreed Autoweek’s Steven Cole.

The rumour now is that the inaugural 2012 race date could be pushed back to 2013.

“It (2012) is certainly doable for next year,” Batson insisted, “although they do have a lot to accomplish.”

Cole said he will be waiting for news to emerge from the F1 Commission on Thursday.

“(There) could be good news for Austin, could be bad news, I’m guessing there will probably be no news because as far as I know they still have time to make the November (2012) date,” he said.

The Circuit of the Americas organisation did not comment.

News that formula one is coming to New York is back in the headlines.
The Wall Street Journal is reporting on Saturday that the sport will announce next week that a street race in Weehawken and West New York, against the backdrop of the Manhattan skyline, will take place in June 2013.

The report cited “two people familiar with the matter”, adding that the press conference will take place in Weehawken, a New Jersey township, at the Hudson River waterside Port Imperial, on Tuesday.

If confirmed, it will mean the United States has two annual grands prix, with Texas set to join the schedule next year at a purpose-built circuit outside Austin.

In August, the Wall Street Journal said the mayors of Weehawken and West New York were in talks with private investors about a 2013 F1 street race.

Contrary to recent reports, vertical construction at the 2012 US grand prix venue in Texas is still yet to commence.
It was reported earlier this month that, just over a year before the Circuit of the Americas is due to host its inaugural race, work at the Austin site had finally recommenced after lengthy a delay.

But the local Austin American Statesman newspaper reports this week that permits to construct buildings and grandstands on top of foundations have not even been granted.

The news was confirmed by a Travis County official, who reportedly said the authorities have “been working with circuit organisers to issue the next round of permits”, which should be happen “soon”.

Circuit officials were unavailable for comment.

2012 US grand prix promoter Tavo Hellmund is being sued.
Autoweek reports that the lawsuit has been filed by Texas attorney Randolph Ewing, who claims 5 per cent of Hellmund’s stake in the US grand prix is owed to him for legal and business advice.

Hellmund has responded by insisting Ewing worked for free and never issued an invoice.

In other Hellmund news, he told the Austin American Statesman that his company Full Throttle Productions has done consulting work for proposed F1 races in Mexico, Argentina and South Africa.

But he insisted: “The US grand prix is the most important thing … the next thing is to promote the US grand prix.”

The newspaper said actual construction of the Circuit of the Americas’ infrastructure will begin “soon”.

And in other lawsuit news, the Munchner Merkur daily reports that F1′s former commercial owner Constantin Medien is claiming $171 million in damages from Bernie Ecclestone and jailed German banker Gerhard Gribkowsky.