Jersey City is situated on the Hudson River, just one mile from lower Manhattan. It offers spectacular views of New York City, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. It is connected to the New York transport network by Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train service, by ferry, car, bus, taxi and light rail links. The park is used to holding big events and will hold a Red Bull Air Race next month. Last year the PGA Golf Tournament visited Jersey City’s Liberty National Golf Course and the city has also played host to Cold Play, Jay‐Z, and Radiohead who took part in the All Points West Music Festival held in Liberty State Park.
The proposal points out that Formula 1 would provide “striking television footage” and would allow Jersey City to follow in Singapore’s footsteps by holding the race at night. The location of the circuit inside the park would mean that much of the impact of the event would be contained and there would be plenty of space for grandstands and other facilities to be erected. There would be the potential to have the largest crowd on record. The proposal calls for a “star-studded, invite only, celebrity kickoff event to be hosted at the Liberty Science Center” although such a programme would need to be underwritten by corporate sponsors. There would also be a “musical/entertainment extravaganza” held outdoors in Liberty State Park to kick off the return of Formula 1 to the United States. The plan would prominently feature the name “Jersey City”. Money from the race would be used to help to restore the Historic Rail Shed, through which nearly two‐thirds of the 12 million immigrants who entered the US through Ellis Island travelled. The track design would also be used for other things for the rest of the year with plans for walking, running, biking, and in‐line skating. The city would help F1 to secure permits and public safety services, provide security and would pay to fund the construction work. The Formula One group would be required to fund the rest of the project including all the trackside barriers and fencing, the necessary pit and paddock structures and would need to agree to offset the carbon footprint by planting and fully landscaping a section of the track that can be enjoyed by visitors in the off season. There would also need to be F1 shuttle buses providing direct access from local hotels, and
attraction to the event site.
The proposal does not mention the fees involved.
Joe,
How does a night race in the US square with Bernie’s desire to service the viewers in Europe? If the race is held at say 9pm EST, that would be 2am/3am in the UK/Europe, so if the race was on a Sunday those of us in Europe would have to get up very early on a Monday morning to watch. I wonder how many…
One other thing, having worked in Jersey City, the lights of the buildings in lower Manhattan are not kept on all night so although the view can be spectacular, it’s not as good at weekends as it is during the week, likewise late night relative to early evening.
GV fan,
I have no idea, I am just quoting from the proposal. Makes no sense to me either, except if F1 changes the focus and aims for the US television market. To be fair it sounds a good project and the park would definitely benefit from it. Check it out on Google Earth. It is not really a park, more of a wasteland…
I think that the proposal would be a great idea. We need a US based race, and one of the coasts is a much better idea than Indianapolis. I think somewhere in the Pacific Northwest would be better (think rain and more dedicated fans), but NYC skyline would make for a nice backdrop.
In the meantime, I am waiting for the real Micheal Schumacher to show up…
Quite a coup over NASCAR if F1 were to land a NYC race.
The stunning take away from Joe’s write-up is the bit about Formula One Group funding a huge proportion of the build out.
UNPRECEDENTED is the word to describe such a situation.
By my reckoning, never in the history of the sport has FOM agreed to fund any construction at any venue. Sure, they’ve let the fees slide at certain events, but to actually part with their own money to construct a venue? Never!
The fact that FOM is prepared to spend their own cash in order to land this deal speaks volumes as to how much pressure Bernie is under to have a US race. Even though the US has been the largest consumer market in the world for the past half century, Bernie has never appreciated the US market. This is most likely because the US market has never supported the ridiculous sanctioning fees Bernie demands.
Which leads us to the obvious question; how much of an annual sanctioning fee will Bernie be demanding of this new venue.
My guess, ZERO.
Random,
These are thoughts that I have been mulling over. Perhaps Bernie will promote the race himself. Perhaps he wants corporate dollars to fund the whole thing and a promoter to take the risk… We will see.
I don’t understand Bernie’s obsession with a race having the NYC skyline in the background. And Joe, you are right…it is a wasteland. I live in the NY-Metro area, and Jersey City is nothing to right home about…believe me. And not far off is the car-jacking capital of the world….Newark, New Jersey. Talk about ironies.
So if the proposal doesn’t make much sense, shouldn’t the question to ask be, who is Bernie trying to bully now?
all this money that is going to be reinvested in the park and ellis island and so on… it doesn’t add up! everyone knows that a race is very, very lucky indeed if they can break even when all is said and done, so there isn’t going to be tens of millions leftover when the circus goes home! and does anyone believe for a second that bernie will actually subsidize the race… puh-lease. pie in the sky.
I agree on the night race, doesn’t work for europe, unless they do it Sat night for early sunday in europe, but it is still too early for those diehard Europeans who won’t wake up in the middle of the night for F1…. unlike us North and South Americans.
Anyway I took your advice, checked it out on Google maps (the standalone app) and dropped it down to street level right on the GP course, clicked 3D models of buildings and saw a ton of NYC. I can see what he wants now, it works, there is a wow factor. Just like there was the first time I crossed into NYC from via the turnpike almost 20 years ago. My childhood eyes could not be ready for all that steel and stone shooting into the sky.
I support this GP, it would probably be good for the city and would allow them to have first class facilities at the corner of the park for a conference center amongst other things to give the region a bigger kick
Sounds like a reasonable plan to me-the Park is somewhat out of the way from population areas…could end up looking like Montreal. Stay in NYC and take the ferry over. Also room for a cruise ship to dock across the river at the NYC piers.
No need for a night race, tho. The insects living in that marshland are better left alone, believe me.
I have to hand it to old BE-this idea has merit.
All this non-green night-lighting when the sun does an excellent job for the other part of the 24 hours: how much energy is used to light up Singapore..any figures (or does F1/bernie not really care about the environment; the “non-financial” environment that is!)?
Does anyone care about the “No-Beer” concessions in Liberty Park?!
“It is not really a park, more of a wasteland…” And to think, Jersey City is one of the highlights of the area.
Why can’t they hold the race in Elizabeth and just rearrange the shipping containers to configure the track? The layout will change with the arrival and departure of ships, adding further challenge for the drivers.
But, to be serious for a moment… this isn’t the stupidest thing I’ve read today. It could actually work.
[...] La propuesta para completar el calendario de la Fórmula 1 de Bernie Ecclestone podría ser New Jers…. ¡Por Dios y por la Virgen Santa, que se jubile ya este hombre! nos quiere meter otro circuito tirando a urbano y cómo no, nocturno pa´gastar menos que estamos en plena fase de política verde… [...]
Back to “The Glen” baby!