http://www.cyclenews.com/61/21390/Ra...In-Austin.aspx
Sounds like they, and the FIM, are being assholios.....
http://www.cyclenews.com/61/21390/Ra...In-Austin.aspx
Sounds like they, and the FIM, are being assholios.....
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"...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
-Theodore Roosevelt 1907
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Blu/Wht '01 Gixxer 1K, '91 KX500
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Tokin' SortaTalian
(Pronounced: Kind-A-Dago)
Schwantz is a baby. From what I know of the situation, he wasn't big enough to play business at this level. And for him to keep bragging about how he was the only person to bring MotoGP to Austin. Poor class. It confirms COTA's decision to move forward without him.
Impossible to know the details and politics unless you're a part of it.
Schwantz and Hellmund got the same treatment that all of Epstein's "partners" eventually get, thrown out in the the trash when he has used up all he needs from you. This is pretty much how all of the development projects that I have known of his have gone. Lawsuits just follow the guy and are a cost of doing business to him.
The only reason why Hellmund and Schwantz got involved with him was because he was sitting on the largest contiguous piece of land on the east side of Austin. He acquired that land to build a 5,000 house residential development on until the mortgage crisis in 2008 stalled that. After that happened he had debt on the land to service and along comes Tavo with an alternate use for the land and the rest is history.
One of the big problems was that most of the original management team came from Churchill Downs, not a motorsports person in the management team and I think it has shown in how they have run and priced the facility. They have been adding some people with motorsports track experience since the first of the year so that is a positive. Epstein was just in over his head with a development project that was so different than anything he had ever done before (residential/commercial buildings). The best days for the track are ahead, I look forward to the day when he cashes out to do his next development project...because that's what developers do, very few want to hold onto their work when they could use the cash to go onto their next "fix".
The way he has treated Schwantz and Tavo is just his normal way of doing business. Those that I knew who worked with him on projects think that he is below pond scum. So pretty much nothing that has come out of the COTA mouth piece has surprised me.
COTA is doing it ALL right. The operations down here are amazing. We rode around with the Director of Marketing and the relationship that COTA along with FIM have, and are developing with the motorcycling community, will last well beyond crybaby Schwantz temper tantrum.
"Its all about the motorbikes, always has been and always will be.". ~~ Ewan McGregor 2007
"It's hard to play the blues when nuthin's really wrong."~~ ---- Joe Walsh 2012
I.B.A. # 14748 124@X - YRMV
I am sure they are putting on a great show for the customer (spectator) but everything I have read about Epstein is along the lines of what bluedogok posted. He uses people up and throws them away, we can just hope that when he sells and moves on that the new owners will provide a great experience.
Some of their recent hires are motorsports people that they should have hired a couple of years ago instead of having nothing but horse racing people in there until after the inaugural F1 race. They are slowly going to get a good team in there because it is too good of a facility to not have the right type of people running the place.Originally Posted by Nick_Ninja
COTA is doing it ALL right. The operations down here are amazing. We rode around with the Director of Marketing and the relationship that COTA along with FIM have, and are developing with the motorcycling community, will last well beyond crybaby Schwantz temper tantrum.
I have also heard from some people that Epstein is not as involved in the day to day operations as he was during construction, that can only be a good thing in my opinion. He is good at putting deals together and getting things done and making money but as with most developers management after completion of construction isn't what they are in it for.
I met Schwantz on a couple occasions, he was a totally cool guy, far from a crybaby, and seemed to be an emminently honest guy. Knowing the business world, and what I've read, I'd say COTA and their people, are being assholes.
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"...There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language...and we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
-Theodore Roosevelt 1907
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Blu/Wht '01 Gixxer 1K, '91 KX500
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Tokin' SortaTalian
(Pronounced: Kind-A-Dago)
i had numerous problems with their ticketing site/sales team...but thats water under the bridge....the one thing i didnt like is they dont let you bring your own beer in so I hate COTA also....and ill be a cry baby about it........ BUT i view it like a smoking hot chick thats super dumb....ill put up with it long enough to ride it...but thats it....
oh and when leaving the track on sunday after everything was over they made a guy throw away his Gatorade before exiting the track....now that just made me laugh....a Gatorade.....beer i can understand...but a Gatorade?!
When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left that I could say, "I used everything that you gave me."
RIDES:
2011 GSXR 750(track)
2007 GSXR 600(street)stolen
2005 GSXR 600(track)
2005 Honda 600rr(track)
I love watching a Texas on Texas lawsuit.
DORNA and FIM will kick Schwantz ass and then laugh all the way to the bank.
....... over what I am told was a delicious Four Seasons’ breakfast, Carmelo Ezpeleta was served .......
"Its all about the motorbikes, always has been and always will be.". ~~ Ewan McGregor 2007
"It's hard to play the blues when nuthin's really wrong."~~ ---- Joe Walsh 2012
I.B.A. # 14748 124@X - YRMV
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