Formula One Grand Prix Watch Parties in Austin, Texas

Our friends at Zinger Hardware are continuing their Formula One Grand Prix watch parties and would like you to join them at Cool River Cafe!  See the schedule and details below.  We've attended a few of their watch parties and can confirm Cool River Cafe is a great venue to enjoy the races and meet Formula One fans in Austin. 

Austin's Formula 1 Grand Prix Watch Parties

Hosted by

Zinger Hardware  -  John Eagle European  -  Ferrari of Austin  - F1 Mode

"Thank you all for providing the support to make Austin's F1 Grand Prix watch parties a success.  Our new venue, Cool River Café, proves to be an excellent choice for superb sound, video and quality food.  

Please keep your 'PIT PASS' handy for the following:

AUSTIN'S F1 GRAND PRIX WATCH PARTY SCHEDULE FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE SEASON

12 Sep @ 1:30 PM  FORMULA 1 GRAN PREMIO SANTANDER D'ITALIA 2010 (Monza)

26 Sep @ 1:30 PM  FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX (Singapore)

10 Oct  @ 1:30 PM  FORMULA 1 JAPANESE GRAND PRIX (Suzuka)

24 Oct  @ 1:30 PM  FORMULA 1 KOREAN GRAND PRIX (Yeongam)

07 Nov @ 1:30 PM  FORMULA 1 GRANDE PREMIO DO BRASIL 2010 (Sao Paulo)

14 Nov @ 1:30 PM  FORMULA 1 ETIHAD AIRWAYS ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX

RSVP to ZingerHardware@gmail.com or by telephone 512-203-0396.  -Michael Ferweda"

Note the new menu items below.  Cool River has added these entrées to an already fantastic food selection.  These new items are exclusive for the upcoming events.  (You can still order from the already fantastic Cool River Restaurant menu.)

FORMULA ONE - Chef Features

KobeSmash Burger

Fresh ground Kobe Beef

Mixed with Bleu Cheese & Caramelized Onions

Topped with Shredded Lettuce & Tomato

Choice of Side Item

Venison Horseshoe

Tenderized Venison, breaded & deep fried.

Set open faced on Ciabatta bread

Topped with French Fries, then smothered in Cream Gravy

Choice of Side Item

Spicy Chicken Salad

Field Greens, Black Bean Salsa, Mixed Cheese, and Tortilla Strips Tossed in Southwest Buttermilk Garlic Dressing

Topped with Smoked Chicken Breast

CoolRiver Crab Cake Sandwich

Texas Blue Crab Cakes on a Hoagie Roll with Remoulade Sauce

Topped with Shredded Lettuce, Tomato & Red Onion

Choice of Side Item

Prime Rib Sandwich

10 oz. Roasted Prime Rib Steak served on Ciabatta Bread

Side of Au Jus & Creamy Horseradish

Choice of Side Item

Half Price on all bottles of wine listed under $100

Happy Hour pricing on all beer, liquor, wine

Free Billiards (with purchase)

Austin American Statesman Shows Track Layout

by Tilke Engineering (via The Austin American Statesman)

The Austin American Statesman met today with Tavo Hellmund of Full Throttle Productions L.P. and discussed the track layout for the new Grand Prix in Austin!

The track layout looks really good, we are very pleased with it and proud that we are going to see some difficult turns in the race, making our track unique and fun for the drivers.

Please check out the article by our buddies over at the Austin American Statesman for more information about the meeting and their discussion with Tavo.

Kevin

Tavo Hellmund on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain

Tavo's recent interview on Wind Tunnel with Dave Despain, a SpeedTV show on sunday nights, was a great chance for us to hear more about Tavo and his plans for the USGP.  Check out the video and see for yourself, and tell us what you think about the interview!

(we will post our reaction to the interview later on this evening)

Kevin Olsen

 

USGP Press Conference Recap...via Twitter

While Kevin was at ground zero last week reporting on the Press Conference in Austin, I was watching along with the Austin-American Statesman’s live feed on Ustream.  A great feature of using Twitter is that a viewer can watch a webinar, Ustream, or live web chat and interact with other viewers by using a hashtag.  A hashtag is simply this sign # followed by a term.  Hashtags allow users to search for tweets that have a common topic.  For example, this past week I watched Lois Martin’s #F1chat (it’s every Monday if you are interested in watching or chiming in on Twitter, although this week it got hit by a spammer).  During the press conference, lots of people were tweeting quotes from Tavo and Red using hashtags such as #F1 or #USGP. 

Here are my tweets from that hour+ surrounding the press conference.  I started out complaining to the Statesman because we couldn't hear a thing! And it worked; they listened to our disgruntled tweets and fixed the audio.  Then I tweeted quotes from Tavo and Red as they spoke (which is typical of tweeters attending a live conference, so they can share the info with those not in attendance).  Disregard the misspellings, I was trying to get our tweets out ASAP:

  • TAVO! TAVO! (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) 10:03 AM Jul 27th via Ustream
  • sound is very low - hard to hear (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) 10:08 AM Jul 27th via Ustream
  • "there's been speculation that there was foreign money involved..." but tavo worked tokeep it local #USGP #Formula1 10:09 AM Jul 27th via HootSuite
  • Red McCombs involved, interesting #USGP #FOrmula1 10:10 AM Jul 27th via HootSuite
  • "Judge a man by the success of his relationships with his family & friends" not his wallet - Tavo #Formula1 #USGP 10:11 AM Jul 27th via HootSuite
  • TURN IT UP ALREADY (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) 10:12 AM Jul 27th via Ustream
  • THANK YOU! My ear is next to my speaker! @statesmanf1 turn it up please! RT @liamthenry: @austingrandprix God damn this is stupidly quiet! Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:16:39 AM via HootSuite
  • can anyone of the 808 viewers hear this? bc a lot of us can't #formula1 (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:17:25 AM via Ustream
  • much better - thanks! #formula1 (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:19:10 AM via Ustream
  • Red McCombs thanks Susan Comptroller for her work in bringing #formula1 to Austin, you can follow her here http://twitter.com/txcomptroller Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:21:13 AM via HootSuite
  • Del Valle! #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:21:47 AM via HootSuite
  • More about McCombs Partners: http://www.mccombspartners.com/ #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:22:19 AM via HootSuite
  • @StatesmanF1 It's much better, thanks! :) cc @liamthenry @tojohn123 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:24:04 AM via HootSuite
  • Is this a #UT press conference or a #Formula1 Press Conference? #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:24:21 AM via HootSuite
  • @tojohn123 LOL still waiting for him to tie it all together Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:26:31 AM via HootSuite in reply to tojohn123
  • Texas has a reputation for getting things done - Red McCombs #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:27:06 AM via HootSuite
  • "We're more than a state capitol and a university - this is a vision for Austin" -Red McCombs #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:27:51 AM via HootSuite
  • If you're excited ab #Formula1 coming to Austin, show your support! www.comeandraceit.com (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:29:20 AM via Ustream
  • Tavo is doing a great job being patient while Red rambles #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:30:32 AM via HootSuite
  • The Official Formula 1 United States site: http://www.formula1unitedstates.com/ #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:31:35 AM via HootSuite
  • Thanks Red! We're excited to hear you're behind it #Formula1 #USGP (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:34:31 AM via Ustream
  • Official Formula1 United States Twitter: @f1unitedstates #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:35:24 AM via HootSuite
  • "Permanent facility" - Tavo's key point on success of #USGP #Formula1 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:35:55 AM via HootSuite
  • Austin - perfect access to Canada, Mexico, South America _Tavo #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:36:46 AM via HootSuite
  • facility w/in 10 miles of airport, hotels, highways -Tavo #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:37:49 AM via HootSuite
  • Tavo talks ab Austin being sensitive to environmental concerns #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:38:47 AM via HootSuite
  • "This facility will be a world class multi-purpose facility" _tavo #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:39:56 AM via HootSuite
  • Tavo: "There will be a great connection...between the universities...a technology sector. something much more than US Grand Prix" #Formula1 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:41:35 AM via HootSuite
  • Tavo: People will say "That's that incredible research & development center which also holds the Formula 1 Grand Prix" #Formula1 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:42:26 AM via HootSuite
  • "This is more than just a race." _Tavo #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:43:12 AM via HootSuite
  • Yes, it's live Tavo! www.formula1unitedstates.com (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:43:47 AM via Ustream
  • Tavo just restated RT @austingrandprix: The Official Formula 1 United States site: http://www.formula1unitedstates.com/ #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:44:02 AM via HootSuite
  • 2 months ago our statement that we were ready to go WAS accurate -Tavo #Formula2 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:44:23 AM via HootSuite
  • Q&A about to start re Formula 1 returning to Austin Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:45:12 AM via HootSuite
  • "How do you move from being a Football fan to an F1 Fan?" LOL Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:45:57 AM via HootSuite
  • Competition is competition. Red parallels football with skill, speed to determine to win #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:47:13 AM via HootSuite
  • Tavo: It's the same. who finishes 2nd is the first loser. we didn't lose. we got the #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:48:26 AM via HootSuite
  • Tavo: access-Elroy Wandering Creek site, primary entrance off 812 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:49:16 AM via HootSuite
  • McCombs: what will the economic impact be for you? "Well i hope it will be immense." #Formula1 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:50:08 AM via HootSuite
  • McCombs: What will the economic impact be for you? "Well I hope it will be immense" #Formula1 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:50:31 AM via HootSuite
  • 1st contact: over 20 yrs ago; 2nd less than 1.5 yrs but more than a few months ago -Tavo Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:51:28 AM via HootSuite
  • We're bridging the gap vetween Austinites and #Formula1 fans worldwide 222.theaustingrandprix.com Thank (#acl live at http://ustre.am/1r6y ) Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:52:41 AM via Ustream
  • Thanks for the RT's and interacting with us today! More to come! #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:55:04 AM via HootSuite
  • RT @f1unitedstates: The official website of Formula 1 United States Grand Prix™ www.formula1unitedstates.com Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:59:09 AM via HootSuite
  • naturally! RT @beerandracing: LOL, Red McCombs ends @f1unitedstates #USGP announcement w/ 'Hook 'em Horns'! #F1 just got their first cowboy! Tuesday, July 27, 2010 10:59:43 AM via HootSuite
  • RT @beerandracing: "Red also owns McCombs Energy, & as already reported, there's a push 2use new track 2help develop alt fuels." #USGP #F1 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:02:31 AM via HootSuite
  • RT @StatesmanF1: Here's the story on Red McCombs joining the Austin #F1 project. http://bit.ly/bSok89 #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:03:17 AM via HootSuite
  • OFFICIAL SITE MAP for #USGP #Formula1 http://ow.ly/2hhNh Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:18:17 AM via HootSuite
  • On phone with Kevin, on location at AT&T Conference Center after #Formula1 #USGP press conf - MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS! Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:20:56 AM via HootSuite
  • Official #USGP #Formula1 Press Release (if you missed the press conf) http://ow.ly/2hi82 Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:27:03 AM via HootSuite
  • Read more about Tavo & Red: http://ow.ly/2himK #Formula1 #USGP Tuesday, July 27, 2010 11:33:01 AM via HootSuite

One of my favorite tweets was from a follower who was at the gym and couldn't get off the elliptical machine because he was reading our tweets to follow the press conference:

@dimitrypatent: "In the gym, can't get off eliptical until I hear the loc of f1 track in austin. Thx 4 the live updates @austingrandprix"

Now that's technology for ya!

Here are videos (six total) of the press conference in its entirety, from KXAN's YouTube channel (watch out, sound starts immediately upon clicking any YouTube links):

What are your thoughts and concerns after watching the press conference?  Were you satisfied with the information surrounding the track location?  I was relieved to see the track location on a map and content to visit the official website, but felt like the only other substantial "news" was the announcement of McCombs Partners and Prophet Capital Management Ltd. as investors.  Another interesting element was the attendance, support and identification of MotoGP World Champion Kevin Schwantz as an investor as well.  Tavo coined the Austin track as "world-class multi-purpose facility" so I bet we will also see motocross coming to "Speedcity" (Red's nickname for the new facility).  I'm still anxious to see a track design from Tilke or a site development plan.  Assuming ground breaking really does occur in December, we're guessing we'll see more detailed track information in October.  Your thoughts?

United States Grand Prix - Press Conference

Wow, what a day!

Yesterday I spoke with helpful representatives at Austin City Hall and discovered that the official United States Formula 1 press conference was being held this morning and organized by the Mayor's office.  I planned on stopping by City Hall this morning with hopes of running into anyone that would chat with me about the major announcement. But things took a slightly different turn after speaking with Matt from the Mayor's office, who told me the meeting was being held at the AT&T Executive Conference Center on UT campus.  We still had a solid ten minute chat and I got to hear more about their involvement with the Formula 1 United States Grand Prix.  It was awesome getting Matt's perspective and I'm grateful he took some time out to chat with me - thanks Matt!

I quickly made it back to the campus area and walked in and found the conference after it just completed and got a chance to rub shoulders with some of the key players in the event.  I spoke with some media and news people as well as the PR director for Full Throttle Productions, LP and even Tavo's Mother and Sister-in-law, wow, what a small world!

After talking and spreading the word about The Austin Grand Prix website and our fan base, I got a chance to get a photo with Susan Combs as she was leaving and gave her a COME AND RACE IT t-shirt.  (She absolutely loved it btw!)  We also got to chat for a few minutes about her recent trip overseas to attend Silverstone GP; she was still giddy with excitement from the race and I could tell she genuinely enjoyed the entire experience - she couldn't stop praising it!

Texas State Comptroller Susan Combs with Co-Founder Kevin Olsen

It did help a little bit to have the COME AND RACE IT shirt on, everyone wanted to know what it was all about and where to get one.  I gave two shirts (for Red and Tavo) to their PR director who promised to personally hand it to them, I was quite excited about that, thanks Ali!

I waited around until after they finished lunch and finally got a chance to chat with Tavo.  He spent some of his very limited and important time chatting about the track and the organization of the event.  He is a really, really cool guy and has a great vision for the event.  I feel very comfortable about how things are going to turn out now that I got a chance to chat with him. Furthemore, he wants to get connected with us to get more fans involved and work together in some way, so I am hopeful that this will continue to develop and give us a chance to meet and discuss things, hopefully soon.

F1 United States Founder Tavo Hellmund with Kevin Olsen

While being surrounded by the key players in this event, I got the impression that everyone has the right perspective and a level head about the event and it's importance to Austin.  I didn't feel unwelcome or out of place, it was quite the opposite in fact.  I was afraid that I would be shrugged off since I wasn't a prominent media icon, but I felt right at home with this group and enjoyed talking with everyone there.  I was expecting to have a hard time getting people to talk to me and felt that there would be some Big City or Deep Pockets arrogance, but this is Texas! Everyone I talked to, Tavo, Susan and many others, all were happy to take time to talk with me and answer my questions.

From my point of view, this is exactly the right team of people to make the US Grand Prix what we have been dreaming about.  I am very confident this is going to change Austin in the right way and continue to be a good thing for the city as well as the rest of the country.

Thanks to everyone I talked to for your time, I had an amazing day today!

See more photos in the Gallery

Kevin Olsen