Korean circuit an 'enormous construction site'
#1
10-20-2010, 11:30 AM
Korean circuit an 'enormous construction site'
Ought to be interesting this weekend...
From ESPNF1.com
Formula One's travelling circus is arriving in South Korea, and the first reports are mixed.
BBC television anchor Jake Humphrey summed up the Yeongam venue as satisfactory but "far from finished".
"Things look pretty ready to go," said Virgin driver Lucas di Grassi, "with some beauty work still to be finished but the main structure is ready."
Others talked about their long journeys from the huge Seoul airport to Mokpo, the closest city to Yeongam, in the impressive high-speed KTX train with free wi-fi.
Photographer Darren Heath was less impressed with the journey, tackled by many in buses. "F1 in Seoul? Nah, let's have it in the middle of nowhere 100s of miles from anywhere," he wrote on Twitter.
Veteran Swiss correspondent Roger Benoit, writing in Blick newspaper, said the F1 track itself is an "enormous construction site", and his hotel room one of the ones usually rented by the hour. "No joke," he said.
Reportedly so unimpressed was Williams with the local accommodation on offer that the British team has committed to a three-hour round trip every day in order to stay in a nicer hotel. "Dominating the venue are the excavators, debris and waste," wrote Benoit, who said a bridge over the front straight is still littered with scaffolding and hard-hatted workers.
Sauber's team manager Beat Zehnder complained about the cost of the team buildings, with the rent costing $40,000. "Whoever wants to use the upper floor must pay another $20,000," he said, "but everyone has decided to just use the ground floor! I'm already looking forward to the final races in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi!"
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said rolling machines are still working on the recently-laid top surface of asphalt, with the paint for the starting grid yet to be sprayed. "Only on Friday will we know whether the surface will withstand the stresses of formula one cars," read the report. "Everything on the sandy site is under construction. Next to the pitlane is a large pile of sand. Whoever didn't know that F1 is running here in a few days would think it's not happening until next year."
German Sky television pundit Marc Surer reports in Speed Week that the seating in some grandstands is not complete. "Much remains to be done, but as for the track itself, I am surprised that it is ready," he said. "Whether it can withstand hours of practice and racing, however, is another question."
From ESPNF1.com
Formula One's travelling circus is arriving in South Korea, and the first reports are mixed.
BBC television anchor Jake Humphrey summed up the Yeongam venue as satisfactory but "far from finished".
"Things look pretty ready to go," said Virgin driver Lucas di Grassi, "with some beauty work still to be finished but the main structure is ready."
Others talked about their long journeys from the huge Seoul airport to Mokpo, the closest city to Yeongam, in the impressive high-speed KTX train with free wi-fi.
Photographer Darren Heath was less impressed with the journey, tackled by many in buses. "F1 in Seoul? Nah, let's have it in the middle of nowhere 100s of miles from anywhere," he wrote on Twitter.
Veteran Swiss correspondent Roger Benoit, writing in Blick newspaper, said the F1 track itself is an "enormous construction site", and his hotel room one of the ones usually rented by the hour. "No joke," he said.
Reportedly so unimpressed was Williams with the local accommodation on offer that the British team has committed to a three-hour round trip every day in order to stay in a nicer hotel. "Dominating the venue are the excavators, debris and waste," wrote Benoit, who said a bridge over the front straight is still littered with scaffolding and hard-hatted workers.
Sauber's team manager Beat Zehnder complained about the cost of the team buildings, with the rent costing $40,000. "Whoever wants to use the upper floor must pay another $20,000," he said, "but everyone has decided to just use the ground floor! I'm already looking forward to the final races in Sao Paulo and Abu Dhabi!"
Germany's Auto Motor und Sport said rolling machines are still working on the recently-laid top surface of asphalt, with the paint for the starting grid yet to be sprayed. "Only on Friday will we know whether the surface will withstand the stresses of formula one cars," read the report. "Everything on the sandy site is under construction. Next to the pitlane is a large pile of sand. Whoever didn't know that F1 is running here in a few days would think it's not happening until next year."
German Sky television pundit Marc Surer reports in Speed Week that the seating in some grandstands is not complete. "Much remains to be done, but as for the track itself, I am surprised that it is ready," he said. "Whether it can withstand hours of practice and racing, however, is another question."
#6
10-20-2010, 12:59 PM
From planetf1.com:
South Korea gears up for maiden GP
After three years of work, a 275 million dollar investment and frantic last-minute building work, Formula One comes to South Korea this weekend on what is touted as Asia's best circuit.
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has predicted the world will watch a "great race", on a 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) track featuring a mix of corners, long straights and good overtaking opportunities.
But ticket sales have been slow and big business groups have shunned the opportunity to sponsor the event, even though South Korea is the world's fifth largest automaker.
Organisers remain upbeat, saying they are looking to long-term returns after spending an estimated 340 billion won (275 million dollars) building the circuit on reclaimed land in Yeongam county, in South Jeolla province, 320 kilometres (200 miles) south of Seoul.
A floral tower with an F1 logo greets visitors to the track, which passed an inspection by world governing body the FIA just last week.
It will be the country's biggest sports facility capable of accommodating more than 120,000 spectators at a time.
But ticket sales have been slow and as of Monday organisers said only 60,000-70,000 had been sold.
Some attribute the sluggish sales and delayed construction to regional rivalries, which despite South Korea's relatively small size remain a potent force.
"I bet this event will boost regional development and our national image, but many people in other regions appear to be indifferent," complained Kim Song-Moon, a 51-year-old taxi driver.
"The track should have been built months ago," said Lee Phil-Soon, 45, a restaurant owner in the nearby city of Mokpo.
"We believe there has been no full government support because the race is being held in this region. If it were held in other regions such as Busan, the situation would have been different."
South Jeolla is a stronghold of the party currently in opposition and the province shouldered over half of the construction costs, plus enormous sums for approach roads and other infrastructure.
"Look at the track. Construction is still under way with only days to go before the race," Lee said.
"It's shameful, as foreigners think we are not prepared well."
The province has set aside some 38,000 hotel and motel rooms near the circuit, in a bid to attract 120,000 spectators including 25,000 foreigners.
Some 32,000 rooms have been booked, said Yoon Keun-Sang, director of the organising committee's public relations team, attributing the situation to poor domestic ticket sales and a lack of publicity.
"Frankly, we have not been prepared well for our F1 debut," he said.
Compared to the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 football World Cup, Yoon said the F1 circuit has larged failed to win public recognition.
"We can hardly expect to be perfect from the outset. The circuit has great potential in terms of revenue and will become a money-spinner in the long term," Yoon said.
Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO), a joint venture between the provincial government and a private company which is organising the three-day event, has so far failed to find a major sponsor, said its spokesman Kim Jae-Ho.
He said financial problems would be inevitable for at least a few years.
Among local firms, only electronics giant LG is a sponsor of F1 -- backing the Red Bull team and not KAVO itself.
"Everything has not been so good but we're not too worried. If we host this year's event successfully, the situation will be far different next year," spokesman Kim said.
Provincial officials are also optimistic.
"We don't expect early returns as this project needs long-term investment to turn this area into a regional leisure and tourism hub," said Kang Hyo-Seok, director of the province's F1 support headquarters.
The race is forecast to bring some 1.8 trillion won in "visible and invisible" economic benefits over seven years, he said.
The Korean Grand Prix, which starts on Friday, will be the 17th event of this year's 19-race season, to be followed by races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. KAVO will host the race for seven years with an option to extend for five more.
KAVO hopes to host several international events a year and up to 20 domestic events in an effort to increase revenue.
South Korea gears up for maiden GP
After three years of work, a 275 million dollar investment and frantic last-minute building work, Formula One comes to South Korea this weekend on what is touted as Asia's best circuit.
F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone has predicted the world will watch a "great race", on a 5.6-kilometre (3.5-mile) track featuring a mix of corners, long straights and good overtaking opportunities.
But ticket sales have been slow and big business groups have shunned the opportunity to sponsor the event, even though South Korea is the world's fifth largest automaker.
Organisers remain upbeat, saying they are looking to long-term returns after spending an estimated 340 billion won (275 million dollars) building the circuit on reclaimed land in Yeongam county, in South Jeolla province, 320 kilometres (200 miles) south of Seoul.
A floral tower with an F1 logo greets visitors to the track, which passed an inspection by world governing body the FIA just last week.
It will be the country's biggest sports facility capable of accommodating more than 120,000 spectators at a time.
But ticket sales have been slow and as of Monday organisers said only 60,000-70,000 had been sold.
Some attribute the sluggish sales and delayed construction to regional rivalries, which despite South Korea's relatively small size remain a potent force.
"I bet this event will boost regional development and our national image, but many people in other regions appear to be indifferent," complained Kim Song-Moon, a 51-year-old taxi driver.
"The track should have been built months ago," said Lee Phil-Soon, 45, a restaurant owner in the nearby city of Mokpo.
"We believe there has been no full government support because the race is being held in this region. If it were held in other regions such as Busan, the situation would have been different."
South Jeolla is a stronghold of the party currently in opposition and the province shouldered over half of the construction costs, plus enormous sums for approach roads and other infrastructure.
"Look at the track. Construction is still under way with only days to go before the race," Lee said.
"It's shameful, as foreigners think we are not prepared well."
The province has set aside some 38,000 hotel and motel rooms near the circuit, in a bid to attract 120,000 spectators including 25,000 foreigners.
Some 32,000 rooms have been booked, said Yoon Keun-Sang, director of the organising committee's public relations team, attributing the situation to poor domestic ticket sales and a lack of publicity.
"Frankly, we have not been prepared well for our F1 debut," he said.
Compared to the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2002 football World Cup, Yoon said the F1 circuit has larged failed to win public recognition.
"We can hardly expect to be perfect from the outset. The circuit has great potential in terms of revenue and will become a money-spinner in the long term," Yoon said.
Korea Auto Valley Operation (KAVO), a joint venture between the provincial government and a private company which is organising the three-day event, has so far failed to find a major sponsor, said its spokesman Kim Jae-Ho.
He said financial problems would be inevitable for at least a few years.
Among local firms, only electronics giant LG is a sponsor of F1 -- backing the Red Bull team and not KAVO itself.
"Everything has not been so good but we're not too worried. If we host this year's event successfully, the situation will be far different next year," spokesman Kim said.
Provincial officials are also optimistic.
"We don't expect early returns as this project needs long-term investment to turn this area into a regional leisure and tourism hub," said Kang Hyo-Seok, director of the province's F1 support headquarters.
The race is forecast to bring some 1.8 trillion won in "visible and invisible" economic benefits over seven years, he said.
The Korean Grand Prix, which starts on Friday, will be the 17th event of this year's 19-race season, to be followed by races in Brazil and Abu Dhabi. KAVO will host the race for seven years with an option to extend for five more.
KAVO hopes to host several international events a year and up to 20 domestic events in an effort to increase revenue.
#7
10-20-2010, 01:03 PM
I know Barrister had been planning to go to this but last I heard, tickets hadn't even gone on sale when he was looking a month ago!
I'm hoping for the best this weekend but I have a feeling that this will be one of the biggest blunders if F1 history.
I'm hoping for the best this weekend but I have a feeling that this will be one of the biggest blunders if F1 history.
#9
10-20-2010, 01:47 PM
(can you tell I'm getting worried about the Austin track situation?)
#10
10-20-2010, 08:03 PM
The race is this weekend and they haven't even finished building the grand stands yet!