As news of the United States Grand Prix being hosted in Texas finally begins to sink in, it has been revealed that three sites are under consideration for the purpose built permanent road track.

While details of the three proposed locations have not been revealed - and fans hold their collective breath in the (vain?) hope that Herman Tilke isn't allowed anywhere near the project, reaction to the news is mixed, to say the least.

"I got 18,000 e-mails in three minutes," Tavo Hellmund, managing partner of Full Throttle Productions, the company which concluded the deal with Bernie Ecclestone, told the Austin American Statesman. "Austin is more of an F1 crowd than a NASCAR crowd. The geography, the tech money, the nightlife, the music. It all just fits with what Formula One is all about."

"This is bigger than national buzz. This is international buzz," said Bill Dollahite, president of Driveway Austin, a motorsports training and entertainment complex located in the heart of Austin. "We've now got a pin at the centre of the map that says we're the capital of Formula One racing in the U.S."

"This will be a game-changer for Austin," added Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell. "We expect every hotel from San Antonio to Temple will be full. This will solidify our standing as an international city. Hundreds of millions of people also see the broadcast, and those who don't know about Austin will."

While state Senator Kirk Watson was equally enthusiastic: "The economic impact is said to be almost as big as a Super Bowl, and that's every year," he said.

However, not everyone is enamoured with the idea of F1 in Austin, particularly some of the local taxpayers. A state tax-incentive program, known as the Texas Major Events Trust Fund, reimburses cities for the costs they bear in hosting such events.

"I can tell you this facility cost about $250 million," said Eddie Gossage, president of the Texas Motor Speedway, "an F1 track would exceed that."

However, a number of Pitpass readers were only too keen to share their thoughts. "Texas??? WTF???" wrote Mark J. Chavous. "If, and that is a big if, it ever comes off, it will be gone in two years," said George T Coller. "Austin may be a "hip" place to go for music, but it is still a small city in the middle of nowhere."

While Mike Dodson opines... "If "we" won the rights to have a GP in Austin for 10 years, then the second place prize would have been a 20 year agreement!"

Readers of the Austin American Statesman have their doubts also: "As far as I can tell, the most significant thing Full Throttle Productions has ever done are some USAC midget races at Thunder Hill Raceway," writes 'MovinBackAtLast'. "These are the guys that are going to come up with $300M or so to build a track in 2 years or less??"

"Awesome!!" adds 'w_roos'. "Austin is attracting a world class sporting event!!! I guess that means that Austin is now a world class city!!!! And, guess what, we the taxpayers get to foot the bill for a brand new race track!!! But, it's still sustainable cuz they'll use recycled asphalt, and plant trees in a forest owned by a paper company to offset the carbon emissions!!! I'm so psyched!!"