#AustinTexas

A record 92-car field will be competing in the Pirelli World Challenge at The Circuit of the Americas on May 17-19, 2013.

The highly anticipated Formula One United States Grand Prix will take place at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas on November 16-18, 2012.

Next year’s U.S. Grand Prix could be in jeopardy if organizers of the Austin, Texas race do not agree on a contract and pay fees by the end of next week. Formula One’s head honcho Bernie Ecclestone’s patience is clearly wearing thin with negotiations and does not want to wait beyond the season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix race in San Paulo on November 27th for a decision to be made.

The long-awaited rumors are true: Australia’s breathlessly-exciting V8 Supercars series is coming to America. But that’s not, the series has signed a five-year deal with Texas’s Circuit of The Americas, signaling a serious investment in the U.S. market.

Over the last decade, this Aussie racing series has expanded beyond its island home, having staged races in China, New Zealand and the Middle-East. Now it is looking at the United States to stage a race, and it will probably be at the new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas. This circuit is being built especially to host Formula-One races in the coming years, and since the Australian V8 Supercars are an FIA sanctioned race series, it makes sense to race at this new circuit.

The FIA has just posted its 2012 Formula 1 schedule, and good news to race fans and Americans in general: in the world of international motorsports, our fair nation is once again significant!

There’s a reason they call Formula 1 “The Circus.” Not only are race days a dramatic spectacle that draw thousands of fans from thousands of miles away, but also they can pretty much demand anything they want from cities for the right to host races. These “sanctioning fees” are anywhere from $25 million to $50 million per year, just for the right to have a race.

The “Live Music Capital” of America is set to become the new home of the United States Grand Prix, as a surprise announcement broke today, naming Austin, Texas as the site of Formula 1’s return to America.

The deal would see the Grand Prix remain in Austin from 2012 to 2021. Most interesting is that the race will apparently be run on an all-new track rather than just a temporary street circuit. In a press release on the official Formula 1 website, Bernie Ecclestone mentioned that the track would be built from “the group up” rather than a street course like previous U.S. Grands Prix.

“For the first time in the history of Formula One in the United States, a world-class facility will be purpose-built to host the event.’ Ecclestone said.  “It was thirty years ago that the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix was last held on a purpose-built permanent road course circuit in Watkins Glen, NY (1961-1980), which enjoyed great success. Since then, Formula One has been hosted by Long Beach, Las Vegas, Detroit, Dallas and Phoenix all on temporary street circuits. Indianapolis joined the ranks of host cities in 2000 when they added a road course inside the famed oval. Lewis Hamilton won the last Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ in 2007, signalling the end to eight years at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. This however, will be the first time a facility is constructed from the ground up specifically for Formula One in the US.”

[Source: Formula 1]