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CoTA sounds like it sucks

Updawg

By Updawg
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Deej
Deej

Maybe if they hadn't been so busy trying to shut down MLS moving to Austin, they would have caught that?

Hawndoh
Hawndoh

I'm pretty sure it's some kind of race track equivalent to the plot of "The Producers".  I almost expect them to stage Springtime for Hitler at the amphitheater. 

relapse98
relapse98

The pace car was the other thousand of people. This thing was well run, I was amazed. Their map had you come in 812 from 130, through Lot A, Tunnel1, through garages onto pit road and track and exi

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wood

wood 11763

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Posted (edited)
12 hours ago, Updawg said:

Will see about that. If they don't get a race this year are they done?

No way to know for sure, but that would definitely be a huge blow. And the longer the track, the concert venues, and the soccer/ruby 'stadium' sit empty, the worse it gets. The money stops coming in, but the bills don't.

Circuit of the Americas Closing Indefinitely, Staff Laid off
Event cancellations due to coronavirus fears put future of Austin, Texas, track in jeopardy.

https://www.autoweek.com/racing/more-racing/a31662103/circuit-of-the-americas-closing-indefinitely-staff-laid-off/#

 

 

And now it looks like Baku might be the next domino...

 

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wood 11763

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COTA is now objecting to reporters over the use of the phrase "closed indefinitely", citing that track rentals, kart racing, etc are going on as usual, and stressing that COTA is merely operating at a reduced staffing level until the crisis is over. But COTA operates at a minimum staffing level any time there isn't a race. Hell, there are races where there hardly staff up at all. For races & other big events, they staff up with independent contractors and temp staff, and then send them all home when they're done. Most of the time, they're running with a skeleton crew out there. We're asking around all over, and other than the soccer team's GM who was let go, we have heard of no real employees of COTA who have been let go. What it really sounds like is business as usual in terms of staffing, and that COTA is angling to make a case for disaster relief.

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wood

wood 11763

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Did COTA withdraw their PUD request?

https://austintexas.gov/cityclerk/boards_commissions/meetings/54_1.htm

TO: Zoning and Platting Commission Members

FROM: Sherri Sirwaitis - Planning and Zoning Department

DATE: February 25, 2020

RE: C814-2018-0122 (Circuit of the Americas Planned Unit Development) Postponement
Request

************************************************************************

The staff would like to request an indefinite postponement of the above mentioned case. The
staff is asking for this postponement to complete our review of this PUD rezoning request.

The postponement request was made in a timely manner and meets the Zoning and Platting
Commission’s policy.

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wood

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FYI, COTA is doing more resurfacing on some of the resurfacing they did just 3 months ago. What I've heard is that the paving guys are saying there are cracks again already at T1, 12, 16-18, and 19 ... and that they've repaved or are repaving portions of the recent January resurfacing of all of those turns. Not surprising, really, given what TK was saying about the track during the IndyCar test. We predicted this. Didn't think it would take less than 3 months though. I also heard just now that this is the second round of resurfacing they've done since the work they did in January. That round went under the radar. Maybe that's why I hear that there are armed guards at the gates now ... trying to keep it all under wraps.

95501517_3256520597716066_88196105494289

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utee94

utee94 16079

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I don't think paying armed guards to keep things under wraps is really their style.  

They've certainly struggled to keep up with the deterioration of the track, but I don't think they've bothered to cover that up.  And right now, with the entire world in pandemic turmoil, what would be the point, what would be their objective in doing so?

I love you wood, I really do.  You're like the brother I never had (although I do have a brother that also loves F1 ;) ). 

I think sometimes, you get a little OVERLY obsessed with what Epstein is, or isn't, doing.  If you're going to accuse him of being a complete cheapskate (which he is) then I'm not sure hiring some weird armed guards to hide something that will end up being obvious, is something he'd be willing to pay for.

I mean... you see the sort of craziness there... right?

And I say this with much love in these tough times. :)

Anyway, I hope all youse guys are staying safe and hanging in there.  Rumor has it we might get F1 and MotoGP in back-to-back weekends in November... now wouldn't that be something?  I'd probably just park the RV for the 10 days and "work from home" from out there!

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wood

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3 hours ago, utee94 said:

I don't think paying armed guards to keep things under wraps is really their style.  

They've certainly struggled to keep up with the deterioration of the track, but I don't think they've bothered to cover that up.  And right now, with the entire world in pandemic turmoil, what would be the point, what would be their objective in doing so?

I love you wood, I really do.  You're like the brother I never had (although I do have a brother that also loves F1 ;) ). 

I think sometimes, you get a little OVERLY obsessed with what Epstein is, or isn't, doing.  If you're going to accuse him of being a complete cheapskate (which he is) then I'm not sure hiring some weird armed guards to hide something that will end up being obvious, is something he'd be willing to pay for.

I mean... you see the sort of craziness there... right?

And I say this with much love in these tough times. :)

Anyway, I hope all youse guys are staying safe and hanging in there.  Rumor has it we might get F1 and MotoGP in back-to-back weekends in November... now wouldn't that be something?  I'd probably just park the RV for the 10 days and "work from home" from out there!

Yeah it was just a bit of a joke to sign off with. They really have cut everything down to one entrance and are checking everyone in and out, checking where they're headed, etc, but that's more than likely related to COVID than anything else. It certainly isn't normal for COTA.

Why would F1 and Moto be back to back? Is that what you're hearing? They're currently scheduled 3 weeks apart. Frankly though, I'll be surprised if they both happen, maybe even if either of them happens, especially with crowds.

The rumor in the UK is that F1 is looking at only running GPs without crowds, and I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see them doing any flyaway races except maybe to the Middle East.

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5 hours ago, Paper_jam said:

Is that resurfacing going on right now?  They are having a food drive at COTA on Sunday and supposedly you can drive on the track** with a donation. 

** at 20 mph.

No idea if it's still going on. I know it was happening as late as Wednesday.

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utee94

utee94 16079

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1 hour ago, wood said:

Yeah it was just a bit of a joke to sign off with. They really have cut everything down to one entrance and are checking everyone in and out, checking where they're headed, etc, but that's more than likely related to COVID than anything else. It certainly isn't normal for COTA.

Why would F1 and Moto be back to back? Is that what you're hearing? They're currently scheduled 3 weeks apart. Frankly though, I'll be surprised if they both happen, maybe even if either of them happens, especially with crowds.

The rumor in the UK is that F1 is looking at only running GPs without crowds, and I hope I'm wrong, but I don't see them doing any flyaway races except maybe to the Middle East.

Just something I'm hearing, with the way they're trying to squeeze in as many F1 races as possible into the back half of the season, that our leg might get pushed back a couple of weeks which would run it right up against MotoGP's re-scheduled date.  I'm guessing F1 would go before rather than after, I'm not sure either one wants to get tangled up with Thanksgiving weekend.

And don't be too surprised if we have crowded events in the Fall.  Like I keep saying, I really believe people will be viewing things through a completely different lens four months from now.  So much will have happened, the virus will certainly have spread far further than it has now, and it's likely already further than a lot of folks believe.  

Even if not, people will be tired of letting the governments of the world tell healthy people to quarantine, a measure we've never seen before in all of human existence.  Perspectives will be far different in a few months from now, just as they're far different than a few months ago.

Hang in there, stay safe, stay healthy, be kind.  That's really all we can ask of one another right now.

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wood

wood 11763

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27 minutes ago, utee94 said:

...

And don't be too surprised if we have crowded events in the Fall.  Like I keep saying, I really believe people will be viewing things through a completely different lens four months from now.  So much will have happened, the virus will certainly have spread far further than it has now, and it's likely already further than a lot of folks believe.  

Even if not, people will be tired of letting the governments of the world tell healthy people to quarantine, a measure we've never seen before in all of human existence.  Perspectives will be far different in a few months from now, just as they're far different than a few months ago.

...

Hope so. We'll see.

The fact that they're trying to double on European races and talking to races not currently on the schedule like Hockenheim, Portimao, and Imola is very telling imho.

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So, thejudge13 say they have a leaked FIA document indicating the season starts July 5 in Austria - no journalists allowed on site. In lieu of journalists we'll get Will Buxton.

https://www.gpblog.com/en/news/59285/rumor-letter-from-fia-leaked-f1-season-starts-on-5-july-in-austria-.html?campname=highlighted-content&camplink=inarticle1

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relapse98

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Anyone else going today?

I told wife about it, she jumped on that thing. I have a cousin that works for Enterprise and her Friends & Family deal brought a mustang convertible down from $240/day to $45/day. So the plan is for me to drive a lap, then the wife, then if there is more time a few more each.

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wood

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13 minutes ago, relapse98 said:

Anyone else going today?

I told wife about it, she jumped on that thing. I have a cousin that works for Enterprise and her Friends & Family deal brought a mustang convertible down from $240/day to $45/day. So the plan is for me to drive a lap, then the wife, then if there is more time a few more each.

I gotta work, but I think my wife is gonna take my 16 yo out there so he can drive a lap.

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wood

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24 minutes ago, Paper_jam said:

I've been thinking about it... but 20 mph? I'm not sure that's worth it to me. How are they going to enforce or manage that? Will they be using a pace car of some sort?

Yeah ... I wasn't gonna go, having driven fast there a few times, but it'll be cool for my kid to drive it. I dunno how they're gonna control the speed, but I did hear they're very worried about the cars on the track and are manning race control for it + putting people in the tower to watch them.

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relapse98

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7 hours ago, Paper_jam said:

I've been thinking about it... but 20 mph? I'm not sure that's worth it to me. How are they going to enforce or manage that? Will they be using a pace car of some sort?

The pace car was the other thousand of people. ;)
This thing was well run, I was amazed. Their map had you come in 812 from 130, through Lot A, Tunnel1, through garages onto pit road and track and exit at the last turn, behind the garages, out through Tunnel 2. I like to go 21 and in 812 and thankfully they let us in that way. They also let traffic on the Blvd coming in from the other way go into A. Once in A, you circled around a couple of times, then met up with the other line and went through the tunnel and then they directed people to lines for the garages. 1 car per garage to do contactless dropoff of canned goods/cash, if you wanted (my old fat ass wasn't getting out of the rental so I just gave online instead). Then they would direct the cars onto pit road and onto the track, 2 lines through to Turn 11.

Our first lap, it was pretty bumper to bumper to 11. Then we got some room and went single file and I could play with the gas. That was a f'in hoot.
 

Took a break at the gas station, came back and did lap 2. That time, it was empty all the way to 11, then double lined back from there to the end. So gas time on the first half and just a little on the second.

I got up to ~65 a couple of times. As much shit as I talk about COTA, this was so well run. They had plenty of people, they had thought out how to get people circulated around and onto the track. They had thought about getting you out of there afterwards. Whatever they did today, they need to keep doing. There was a TON of people there, so the slow lines on track were to be expected, plus they already told you 20mph ahead of time, but even with all those people we kept flowing fairly good.

Only "incident" we saw were two broken down cars about 2/3 up the hill. 1 was an late 60s muscle car being loaded onto the flatbed, other I think was a 240SX being looked at under the hood.

Oh, and so far they have raised $173,000 for Centra Texas Food Bank.
https://help-prepare-families.everydayhero.com/us/cota

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wood

wood 11763

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MotoGP Boss Ezpeleta says MotoGP will race behind closed doors and only in Europe from July thru November. Cannot hold flyaway races without crowds, & cannot confirm those before September: 
 
Dorna Boss Carmelo Ezpeleta’s Plan For MotoGP Restart
Quote

 

When will the final 2020 calendar be official?

 
Within the end of this week we should receive the approval from the Spanish government to start the championship on July 19 in Jerez. We are waiting, but I’m confident. This week we are also finalizing the sanitary protocol that we will present to the Spanish Sports Council and also the authorities of the different countries.
 
What does the 2020 calendar look like?
 
The idea is to compete behind closed doors in Europe, starting with Jerez, Spain, on July 19 and 26, then Brno, Czech Republic, on August 9, Austria on August 16 and 23, then Misano, Italy, on September 13. We plan to race in Europe from the end of July until November.
 
What about the overseas races?
 
We are speaking with the Circuit of the Americas in Texas, with the Sepang Circuit, Argentina or Thailand, but we will be able to confirm them only at the beginning of September. We don’t have so much margin of maneuvering because these rounds will have to take place between the middle of November and the middle of December.
 
It will be possible to organize an extra race only if spectators are allowed, because we need to cover the logistics and the shipping costs of personnel and material. The European rounds, on the contrary, will be behind closed doors so the promoter won’t pay the fee. In the worst case, if it’s not possible to travel outside of Europe, we’ll keep a championship of least 10 to 12 races between the end of July and the end of November. We agreed with the manufacturers that the championship must end by December 13, so that they can start preparing the 2021 season.

 


 

 

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wood

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Sorry, meant to say "from July until November". 

What Ezpeleta is saying MotoGP will do is pretty much what I've pretty much been expecting for F1, too. Since posting that, I've just heard from a friend that that is indeed pretty much what F1 is doing. According to my friend, there will be a new F1 calendar released in the next few days that will feature 10-14 European races and some flyaways, but that F1's emphasis will be on the European races - due to massive shipping costs as Ezpeleta also alluded to, and as a way to keep a good portion of their TV payments coming in. Apparently shipping costs have increased dramatically since the onset of the pandemic, like 2x or 3x what they were prior. Also, COTA isn't selling tickets and apparently Epstein has told F1 he has no interest in trying to promote a 2020 USGP, but has offered COTA for rent. The problem with that for F1 apparently goes back to the massive shipping costs, making it financially unattractive to try to present the race on their own.

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12 hours ago, Updawg said:

So do the taxpayers of Texas still give him $25 million this year.

They shouldn't if there's no crowd, and if it's a small crowd, the amount should be prorated ... but who knows what the Gov will do.

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MotoGP News: Japanese GP cancelled as overseas races on hold until mid-November. COTA round unlikely. 

https://sports.yahoo.com/motogp-news-japanese-gp-cancelled-072023945.html?soc_src=social-sh&soc_trk=tw

Quote

 

... until mid-November, MotoGP will remain in Europe to do as many European MotoGP events as we are able to.

"Therefore, overseas events, if at all possible, should be scheduled after mid-November - which would be too late in the year for the Motul Grand Prix of Japan to be held.
...
Should MotoGP be able to take in any overseas races this season, they will be in any of Malaysia, America, Argentina and Thailand as the remaining flyaway events not cut from the 2020 schedule.

However, doubts over the US Formula 1 GP in Texas make a visit to the Circuit of the Americas for MotoGP unlikely this year.

 


...and that italic bit at the end is kinda interesting. 

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wood

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13-round European 2020 MotoGP calendar revealed, mostly double-headers, plus 4 provisional flyaway races still yet to be confirmed https://www.visordown.com/news/racing/motogp/13-round-european-2020-motogp-calendar-revealed-mostly-double-headers

November 15 in Valencia. That was COTA's rescheduled date.

2020 MotoGP World Championship calendar
Rd DATE MotoGP Race Venue
1 19 July Spain Circuit de Jerez
2 26 July Andalucia Circuit de Jerez
3 09 August Czech Republic Automotodrom Brno
4 16 August Austria Red Bull Ring
5 23 August Styria Red Bull Ring
6 13 September San Martino Misano World Circuit
7 20 September Emilia Romagna Misano World Circuit
8 27 September Catalunya Barcelona-Catalunya
9 11 October France Le Mans
10 18 October Aragon Motorland Aragon
11 25 October Teruel Motorland Aragon
12 08 November Europe Comunitat Valenciana
13 15 November Valencia Comunitat Valenciana
14 TBC Americas Circuit of The Americas
15 TBC Argentina Termas de Rio Hondo
16 TBC Thailand Chang International Circuit
17 TBC Malaysia Sepang International Circuit

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wood

wood 11763

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Just heard that when people call COTA about refunds for MotoGP 2020, COTA is trying to keep their money by telling them that they are 'locked in' for 2021. LOL. As if anything is 'locked in' in the current environment. MotoGP 2021 at COTA is just 9 months away. It's anything but a given that it will happen.

And wtf do they even mean by 'locked in'? Hell, as far as that goes, I'm 'locked in', too. No Moto GP race at COTA has ever come even REMOTELY close to a sellout. "Locked in". LOLOLOL.

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... and now COTA has removed all phone numbers from their 'Contact Us' page and have moved to email-only communications re: refunds for cancellations and postponements. If you want to talk to a real person about your MotoGP, IndyCar, or Rolling Stones refund, you're outta luck.

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Wally Pryor

Wally Pryor 5407

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On 7/15/2020 at 12:06 PM, wood said:

... and now COTA has removed all phone numbers from their 'Contact Us' page and have moved to email-only communications re: refunds for cancellations and postponements. If you want to talk to a real person about your MotoGP, IndyCar, or Rolling Stones refund, you're outta luck.

Holy shit.  

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wood

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After the USGP cancellation, Epstein claimed USGP ticket sales had been up 250% before COVID hit. The weird thing is that we knew tickets had never gone on sale, so how could they have been selling so well?

Last night on a local radio show he backtracked and admitted that tickets never went on sale.

But then he also claimed they had spent millions on temporary grandstand rentals for MotoGP. The problem with that is that for MotoGP they have always used the base grandstand layout with no extra grandstands being brought in, and they've never filled them even in that configuration. He also claimed that they employ 250 people full time. People inside COTA, however, say it's closer to 20-25 people, and that they had around 90 full time employees at the peak.
 

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utee94

utee94 16079

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46 minutes ago, wood said:

After the USGP cancellation, Epstein claimed USGP ticket sales had been up 250% before COVID hit. The weird thing is that we knew tickets had never gone on sale, so how could they have been selling so well?

Last night on a local radio show he backtracked and admitted that tickets never went on sale.

But then he also claimed they had spent millions on temporary grandstand rentals for MotoGP. The problem with that is that for MotoGP they have always used the base grandstand layout with no extra grandstands being brought in, and they've never filled them even in that configuration. He also claimed that they employ 250 people full time. People inside COTA, however, say it's closer to 20-25 people, and that they had around 90 full time employees at the peak.
 

Yeah, none of that sounds even close to right.

Even so, I continue to hope the track remains viable and can host further F1 and other racing events.  I'll be sad if/when it folds.

 

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wood

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Looks like COTA's request will be approved - for a zoning change to Residential and Retail. That + the exit rumor about Epstein = very interesting. Take from that what you will.

Seems to me like they're trying to make the property as valuable & attractive as possible for sale, then gtfo.

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