Austin is accustomed to inconveniences when our fair city hosts its major events over the course of the year. During SXSW, it’s impossible to eat, drink or stay downtown without dealing with the masses. During ACL Fest, Zilker Park is closed for a week and MoPac is a parking lot. And now, during Formula 1 U.S. Grand Prix races starting the weekend of Nov. 16-18, we’ll be dealing with hundreds of helicopters flying overhead.
Surely I’m not the only one who doesn’t really get F1. I imagine it as a cross between NASCAR and the Kentucky Derby. Folks are simply watching a car go around a track a gazillion times, like in NASCAR (although are they still waiting for crashes?), but they’re doing it in their expensive suits and fancy hats with a cocktail in hand, like at the Derby. That’s what I imagine at least … monocles galore.
Sure, the tickets are fairly reasonably priced – if you want standing room only at $159 per three-day race pass. For a reserved seat in the stands, prices range from $269 to $499 per person, and that’s just for the ticket. The median household income in Austin in 2011 was about $57,000. I’m guessing ticket prices like these aren’t banking on locals filling the stands.
If you’re driving to the race, you’re looking at $200 on-site parking, sold through Ticketmaster. Those coming from out of town are shelling out up to $500 a night just to stay in a Super 8, the Statesman reported earlier this year (Before moving to Austin, I stayed in that same Super 8 for $60).
It seems, like so many other events Austin hosts, that F1 weekends will be a boon to the City’s economy, with area businesses raising prices not only to meet the demand for accommodation, transportation and entertainment but also to take advantage of the deep-pocketed fans for which the sport is known.
The latest news is that local helicopter charter services will be giving race fans a lift to and from the track. Charlie Bravo Aviation will be transporting customers to areas near the racetrack Friday, Saturday and Sunday, with a total of 700 flights planned, 400 of which are scheduled for Sunday, said CEO Rene Banglesdorf. Guests, who will pay between $545 and $645 for the round trip, will be greeted by “calendar girls” (one of the company’s marketing techniques is employing vintage pin-up girls as models) at the helistops. Sure, it’s cute, but isn’t it also a bit decadent?
Some South Austin residents are up in arms about the planned helicopter charters, which are planned for takeoffs and landings on the roofs of tall buildings and parking garages, pending City approval, and who can blame them. It’s one thing to have to avoid traffic on MoPac for a weekend. It’s another thing to spend a weekend at your own home, listening to overheard chopper traffic every five to 10 minutes (Word on the street is that one helipad could be at South Congress and Barton Springs Road, with another at Mopac just south of the river).
I don’t personally know anyone who will be attending the race, watching the race or caring about the race. One out-of-town friend told me he thought about coming for a split second but looked into accommodations and realized that was a pipe dream. F1 is an interesting beast ... with regard to my initial question, “Is it a cross between NASCAR and Derby?”, I guess we’ll wait and see.
It’s a culture and sport with which most Americans aren’t familiar (and, judging by what we’re seeing, can’t afford). Although most Americans can’t afford to own a NASCAR car or a race horse, those are cultural experiences that bring us together. I’ve attended Derby parties in Louisville, and I’ve attended Derby parties in Boston. NASCAR is shown on TVs around the country and isn’t particular to one segment of the population – my educated man-friend, who grew up in a family that bred and showed horses, watches NASCAR.
Whether F1 will turn into a cultural experience that folks from all backgrounds can enjoy, whether or not they can afford to be there, remains to be seen. For now though, it feels like F1 is just turning Austin into a rich guy’s playground.
