Here we go again: F1 in New Jersey in 2013?
10-25-2011, 04:04 PM
#46
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Sorry Phil, I'll have a chat with Arthur Imperatore for you.
But the thing that makes Montreal such a great GP is that you ride the subway to it, in 15 min you're downtown at a great city. Same here, but the ferry ride is only 6:30.
10-25-2011, 06:43 PM
#47
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I'm thinking a dedicated track will make for a lot better racing than roads in northern NJ. I guess the NJ organizer doesn't agree...
"Mr. Hindery also noted the cost savings of running a race on existing streets rather than a purpose-built course, like the one in Texas.
“There’s not a yard of dirt being moved,” he said. “We’re pennies on the dollar compared to Austin.”
The expense of mounting the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Austin could cripple any effort to reprise the race, let alone make it a fixture of the Formula One calendar, Mr. Hindery said.
“I wouldn’t bet on Austin making it,” he said."
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011...new-jersey/?hp
On the other hand, they'll have to do something with that new track in Austin. Like DEs and club races ;-)
"Mr. Hindery also noted the cost savings of running a race on existing streets rather than a purpose-built course, like the one in Texas.
“There’s not a yard of dirt being moved,” he said. “We’re pennies on the dollar compared to Austin.”
The expense of mounting the inaugural United States Grand Prix at Austin could cripple any effort to reprise the race, let alone make it a fixture of the Formula One calendar, Mr. Hindery said.
“I wouldn’t bet on Austin making it,” he said."
http://wheels.blogs.nytimes.com/2011...new-jersey/?hp
On the other hand, they'll have to do something with that new track in Austin. Like DEs and club races ;-)
10-25-2011, 09:53 PM
#50
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I watched the whole broadcast and I gotta say that I'm really impressed. It was cool having Steve Matchet there to express his unqualified enthusiasm as well. This circuit is very unique, quite possible the greatest street circuit ever. As much as I've never really liked street circuits, you have to admit that it has an enormous financial advantage over San Antonio. But, even as they're saying that the don't have to move any dirt at all, they're going to have to pave the whole thing, at least. This is, after all, New Jersey, and I've lost count of how many wheels I've bent on my BMW.
10-26-2011, 10:13 AM
#51
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Story from the Guardian
Double dose of F1 Americana thrills Bernie Ecclestone• New Jersey confirmed as grand prix host city from 2013
• Austin, Texas, already scheduled to hold race next year
Paul Weaver guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 October 2011 18.01 EDT
The New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, right, announces that New Jersey will play host to a Formula One grand prix from 2013. Photograph: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
The Formula One map is set for more change with the confirmation of plans to host a street-circuit race in the state of New Jersey, with the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop.
Bernie Ecclestone has been trying to break into the Big Apple since before his Beatles haircut turned white and now, with Austin, Texas, scheduled to host a race next year and New Jersey set to join the calendar in 2013, the ringmaster will have two footholds in the US.
"I'm pleased that New Jersey will play host to Formula One beginning 2013, bringing one of the world's most popular and exciting sports right to our backyard," the governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, said on Tuesday night.
"The race will be a 3.2-mile road race, run on existing roads through Port Imperial and at the top of the Palisades in Weehawken and West New York. Up to 100,000 people are expected to attend each race, starting with practice Friday, qualifying on Saturday and racing on Sunday."
Ecclestone, Formula One's commercial-rights holder, will be 81 on Monday and is not expected to be running affairs for too much longer, but changes to the calendar have been gathering pace. This week the inaugural Indian Grand Prix will take place on the outskirts of New Delhi, representing another conquering of a Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economy; Brazil and China have already been gathered in, while Russia waits in the wings for 2014.
But it is the US that still carries the most allure and the sport's stakeholders, the FIA, the teams and their sponsors, have been putting pressure on Ecclestone. When Austin was still in the planning stage, Ecclestone showed interest in bringing a grand prix to New Jersey should the Texas race fall through.
Nonetheless, there are already 20 grands prix on the calendar for next year, and there will be resistance to racing any more than that the following season, with 20 the unofficial maximum. The addition of New Jersey would take that to 21, which could have implications for other grands prix if the teams do not agree to an increase to the calendar.
The future of some races is already in doubt. Turkey has dropped off next year's roster and serious doubts remain about the viability of racing in Bahrain and South Korea.
While Formula One has deserted many of its traditional homes, such as Portugal, France and South Africa, it has moved into areas where some believe it is more concerned with the advertising platform provided than the sporting landscape.
The US, though, could prove a great success, even if some fans there think IndyCar is better because the cars are faster. It is not as if Formula One has not been here before, of course. It has, but much of the experience has been airbrushed from the memory, especially since the 2005 event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when only six cars took part after a row about tyre safety.
Tony Jardine, the Sky Sports News F1 expert and someone with vast experience of the sport in the US, says: "It was often successful over there, in places like Long Beach and Detroit. But the tracks couldn't always meet the increasing budget demands.
"But I think New York could be very good for the sport. It has already got Texas on the way, which will take interest in F1 into Latin America. And now this move could really open up a lot of opportunities in North America.
"It's not as if people over there haven't heard of Ferrari and McLaren and Lewis Hamilton, because they have. Now I think they will really take to European chic."
US racing could be, should be, a great success. But the trouble with Formula One is that it too often squeezes every last penny from "clients", before asking for a little bit more each time they go back. If F1 and Ecclestone can curb that propensity then the move to the US – both in Austin and New York – should be a spectacular triumph.
The concerns about the Indian adventure have still not been entirely dispelled, with the race only four days away. As recently as two weeks ago, Ecclestone was pessimistic over the readiness of the track to host its inaugural grand prix. That is unlikely to be the case in New Jersey on a street circuit.
"It will provide a very challenging course," the West New York, New Jersey, attorney Joe DeMarco said on Tuesday. "They compare it to Spa in Belgium but it will have the feel of Monaco."
The West New York mayor, Felix Roque, said: "It's incredible. This is going to be an economic boom for this whole region. While political and public servants talk about creating jobs, the governor has put the pedal to the metal and delivered."
Roque and the mayor of Weehawken, Richard Turner, whose district is also involved in the race project, have stressed that no taxpayers' money will be spent to host the grand prix and it will instead be dependent on private investment. The Wall Street Journal reported that talks had taken place with a consortium of investors.
But before everyone starts whooping and hollering it should be remembered that previous F1 adventures in the US have not ended well.
• Austin, Texas, already scheduled to hold race next year
Paul Weaver guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 25 October 2011 18.01 EDT
The New Jersey governor, Chris Christie, right, announces that New Jersey will play host to a Formula One grand prix from 2013. Photograph: Timothy A. Clary/AFP/Getty Images
The Formula One map is set for more change with the confirmation of plans to host a street-circuit race in the state of New Jersey, with the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop.
Bernie Ecclestone has been trying to break into the Big Apple since before his Beatles haircut turned white and now, with Austin, Texas, scheduled to host a race next year and New Jersey set to join the calendar in 2013, the ringmaster will have two footholds in the US.
"I'm pleased that New Jersey will play host to Formula One beginning 2013, bringing one of the world's most popular and exciting sports right to our backyard," the governor of New Jersey, Chris Christie, said on Tuesday night.
"The race will be a 3.2-mile road race, run on existing roads through Port Imperial and at the top of the Palisades in Weehawken and West New York. Up to 100,000 people are expected to attend each race, starting with practice Friday, qualifying on Saturday and racing on Sunday."
Ecclestone, Formula One's commercial-rights holder, will be 81 on Monday and is not expected to be running affairs for too much longer, but changes to the calendar have been gathering pace. This week the inaugural Indian Grand Prix will take place on the outskirts of New Delhi, representing another conquering of a Bric (Brazil, Russia, India and China) economy; Brazil and China have already been gathered in, while Russia waits in the wings for 2014.
But it is the US that still carries the most allure and the sport's stakeholders, the FIA, the teams and their sponsors, have been putting pressure on Ecclestone. When Austin was still in the planning stage, Ecclestone showed interest in bringing a grand prix to New Jersey should the Texas race fall through.
Nonetheless, there are already 20 grands prix on the calendar for next year, and there will be resistance to racing any more than that the following season, with 20 the unofficial maximum. The addition of New Jersey would take that to 21, which could have implications for other grands prix if the teams do not agree to an increase to the calendar.
The future of some races is already in doubt. Turkey has dropped off next year's roster and serious doubts remain about the viability of racing in Bahrain and South Korea.
While Formula One has deserted many of its traditional homes, such as Portugal, France and South Africa, it has moved into areas where some believe it is more concerned with the advertising platform provided than the sporting landscape.
The US, though, could prove a great success, even if some fans there think IndyCar is better because the cars are faster. It is not as if Formula One has not been here before, of course. It has, but much of the experience has been airbrushed from the memory, especially since the 2005 event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, when only six cars took part after a row about tyre safety.
Tony Jardine, the Sky Sports News F1 expert and someone with vast experience of the sport in the US, says: "It was often successful over there, in places like Long Beach and Detroit. But the tracks couldn't always meet the increasing budget demands.
"But I think New York could be very good for the sport. It has already got Texas on the way, which will take interest in F1 into Latin America. And now this move could really open up a lot of opportunities in North America.
"It's not as if people over there haven't heard of Ferrari and McLaren and Lewis Hamilton, because they have. Now I think they will really take to European chic."
US racing could be, should be, a great success. But the trouble with Formula One is that it too often squeezes every last penny from "clients", before asking for a little bit more each time they go back. If F1 and Ecclestone can curb that propensity then the move to the US – both in Austin and New York – should be a spectacular triumph.
The concerns about the Indian adventure have still not been entirely dispelled, with the race only four days away. As recently as two weeks ago, Ecclestone was pessimistic over the readiness of the track to host its inaugural grand prix. That is unlikely to be the case in New Jersey on a street circuit.
"It will provide a very challenging course," the West New York, New Jersey, attorney Joe DeMarco said on Tuesday. "They compare it to Spa in Belgium but it will have the feel of Monaco."
The West New York mayor, Felix Roque, said: "It's incredible. This is going to be an economic boom for this whole region. While political and public servants talk about creating jobs, the governor has put the pedal to the metal and delivered."
Roque and the mayor of Weehawken, Richard Turner, whose district is also involved in the race project, have stressed that no taxpayers' money will be spent to host the grand prix and it will instead be dependent on private investment. The Wall Street Journal reported that talks had taken place with a consortium of investors.
But before everyone starts whooping and hollering it should be remembered that previous F1 adventures in the US have not ended well.
10-26-2011, 11:10 AM
#53
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Still a few permit hurdles to clear but looks well-planned and the ability to pull it off without any public financing should smooth the path. Course reminds me of Montreal with elevation change. Can't wait.
10-26-2011, 11:15 AM
#54
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They made a point of stressing that there are no domiciles or residences at all on the infield, so no one at all gets trapped inside during the race weekend. This is because the entire infield is virtually a cliff, which is what also makes for the interesting elevation character of the track.
10-26-2011, 01:47 PM
#56
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Autoweek is saying that this could pose a problem for San Antonio, there will need to be a ruling over whether their $25 mil gov't subsidy is contingent on exclusivity.
10-26-2011, 01:52 PM
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Is there a tentative date? What's the verdict on staying in the city vs staying near the track in NJ? Any hotels with a view of the track?
Map from www.njtransit.com
Map from www.njtransit.com
10-26-2011, 02:00 PM
#58
Agent Orange
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They are talking the week after Montreal. So it will be mid-June. No hotels with view of the track that I know of in that area. And you'll need quite a telescope looking at it from a Manhattan dig. I think Manhattan will offer a lot more to do especially at night, if you stayed there. At Manhattan prices of course. NJ accommodations will be less expensive for sure but I'm sure they'll jack up the prices as well. There are decent hotels in Fort Lee, not sure about West New York and Weehawken.
10-26-2011, 02:05 PM
#59
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You'd be best off to stay in Manhattan, I am sure. Take a free bus to the ferry and you're in the paddock. Don't even need to bring or rent a car, no traffic hassles.
10-26-2011, 02:22 PM
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I'm thinking we take the train in from Philly, puts us at Penn Station, looks like a short ferry ride from near there to Port Imperial... I still can't believe this is happening 
fingers crossed!
fingers crossed!