New Jersey prepares for 2014

Last October, the New Jersey Grand Prix organizers had resolved to announce that they were not able to be on the 2013 F1 calendar as the construction work was not advanced enough to hold the event in June.

At the time, Leo Hindery Jr., the promoter of the event, had stated: « We are going to have a race at Port Imperial. Unfortunately, it will not be as soon as expected. We promised Governor Christie, the cities, the sport, and the international fans that they would have the best possible experience, and unfortunately, we need more time to ensure that this takes place. We remain 100% committed to the Grand Prix of America at Port Imperial and the race could not have a better friend and partner than Formula One CEO, Bernie Ecclestone. »

Today, the same leaders express their confidence regarding the event being held in 2014 since the different building permits have been granted. Leo Hindery Jr. therefore discusses the progress of the work in the columns of Sports Business Daily: « We were on schedule, I think, for June 2013. But, to be honest, we couldn’t obtain all the necessary permits, especially around the river itself. Here in the United States, riverbanks are under the jurisdiction of several authorities. We now have all the permits. »

Even though it’s an urban circuit, the Port Imperial circuit plans to construct permanent buildings, particularly for the paddock. Another major component of the work involves building new pontoons on the river to enable ferry access to the site, which will consequently reduce car traffic between New York and the circuit. There are still two civil engineering pieces that require attention. One of them is obviously the circuit itself. It must be perfectly flat, and Charlie Whiting and his associates demand an asphalt quality that is very, very high-end. We will set up floating pontoons where ferries can dock. We have 39 ferries that are part of our public transport plan. We will work during the summer to make this ferry arrival area a bit wider and to include stands directly by the riverbank.

If the main construction work for the project now appears to be well underway, the organization will need to tackle the commercial aspect of the project. However, since last August, the structure has been without a president because Tom Cotter resigned to focus on his teaching and entrepreneurial activities.

With the participation of www.Racingbusiness.fr