F1's provisional schedule for the '12 season calls for the Austin Grand Prix to take place Nov. 18, which "could set up one of the biggest, wildest weeks in Austin's sporting history," according to John Maher of the AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN. The World Motor Sport Council, which is "expected to finalize F1's 2012 calendar in the fall," had "last month penciled in June 17, 2012, as the date of the first Austin race." Circuit of the Americas Media & Community Relations Manager Ali Putnam said, "Until such time as we receive an official announcement regarding changes to the schedule, we are proceeding as planned toward the June 17, 2012 date." But Maher noted a November date "would have more pleasant temperatures for fans and teams than a June date." Due to "logistics, it has been assumed the Austin race would be paired with Montreal, the only other Grand Prix in North America." However, "another possibility was a coupling with Brazil, which hosts the sole F1 race in South America," and the provisional calendar "has Austin preceding Brazil by a week, as the next-to-last race on the calendar." The race "could attract as many as 120,000 fans on a Sunday, followed a few days later by a Thanksgiving Day Texas-Texas A&M football game." Maher noted "whether by coincidence or design," Texas is scheduled to play at Kansas State on the weekend of the race (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 7/30).
