Late in 2011, under a clear sky and within a stone's throw of the mighty Hudson River, New Jersey's governor plus the mayors of West New York and Weehawken announced that there would be a Formula 1 Grand Prix race held right there, along the roads that parallel the river in June 2013.
Wow!
For the uninitiated, Formula 1 is the premier open-wheel (meaning, no fenders) racing series in the world. Think Indy 500-like cars, only hundreds of pounds lighter and hundreds of thousands of dollars, pounds and Euros more expensive. And unlike IndyCars, these cars turn both left AND right. Oh My Goodness! How, well, European...
By the way, anyone with a good memory will remember that back in the 1990's, CART - AKA Champ Cars - ran a few races in the Meadowlands using parking lots and service roads. There were many reasons why the adventure only lasted three years but the unfriendly site, poor advertising, high ticket prices and seating that made it difficult to see the action all seem to have dealt it a death blow. There was even talk of running a similar style race around the World Trade Center (I know, I went to the press conference and still have the press releases) but soon after, it all just became that, talk.
Anyway, Formula 1 is one of the most popular racing series in the world with events in South America, Canada, many countries in Europe, the Middle East, China, Korea, Japan and even India. The only jewel missing in the F1 crown was a race in the good old USofA. Yes, yes, I know, back in the day, there were F1 races in Texas, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Detroit and Long Beach and real fans remember that there were some great races held in upstate NY at Watkins Glen (yup, today it's a NASCAR track!) And yes, there were even a few races held at the cathedral of speed -Indianapolis Motor Speedway. But these Indy races were run on what many considered to be a cobbled together circuit that didn't allow close racing (meaning passing) and then there was the Michelin tire fiasco that caused most of the field to park their cars after the formation lap for fear that the tires would blow at one of the high speed corners. That put a stain on Indy's image, killed future ticket sales and soon after, the race never came back.
But the man who owns Formula 1 - Bernie Ecclestone - has always wanted a F1 race in the USA but more accurately, he has wanted one in New York City. And now, it seems, that he has finally got what he wants. OK, Weehawken and West New York are not the Big Apple but the iconic images of flashy fast cars flying past a backdrop of the beautiful skyline appears to be good enough for him. And honestly, good enough for me too!
So, expect to see a lot of advertising and hype coming your way for what will be the biggest automotive happening in the area in decades - maybe ever.
The start finish line will be right in front of the current Port Imperial ferry terminal. It will climb up the ramp to Blvd. East. It will head north and then make a sharp right down the hill at 60th street. At the bottom of the hill, it will turn right again and parallel the mighty Hudson, hitting speeds of, gulp, 200 MPH.
Another piece of good news is that this will be a "green" race - meaning all spectators will come to the event via public transportation. With light rail, several ferry lines and dozens of bus lines crossing all points of the local compass, access should be easy and, in-fact, kind of green.
I spoke to the President of the entire event this week and he says that not only will this race happen, it's going to be a happening!
I for one will be there along with 110,000 of my closest friends!
I can't wait for June, 2013
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