Formula 1 race heading to New Jersey

WEEHAWKEN, New Jersey - An official with direct knowledge of the plan says Formula One is heading to New Jersey in June 2013 with a race on the Hudson River shoreline just minutes from New York City.

The person says the Grand Prix event will take place in Weehawken and West New York, with the Manhattan skyline as a backdrop. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity Monday because the race has yet to be announced. A press conference is scheduled in Weehawken on Tuesday, and will likely be attended by New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.

The United States hasn’t hosted a Formula One race since 2007 in Indianapolis, an event won by Lewis Hamilton. A race is scheduled for Austin, Texas, in 2012.

The race could mean a big boost to the economy in northern New Jersey, which typically benefits from national and international events at the Meadowlands Sports Complex, where the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets play. But although the Super Bowl is heading to MetLife Stadium there in 2014, the complex has sagged a bit economically with the loss of the NHL’s New Jersey Devils and NBA’s New Jersey Nets to the nearby Prudential Center in Newark.

The tentative name for the race is the Formula 1 Grand Prix of America.

The area is not foreign to motorsports, though it has been a while. The Meadowlands Grand Prix was a CART IndyCar race held in East Rutherford from 1984-91. It was the first major race in the New York City metropolitan area since 1937, and the course twisted and turned around the original Giants Stadium.

The Formula One race would likely stroll through River Road, which runs alongside the Hudson River, allowing for clear views of the New York City skyline. It would also offer fans and tourists easy accessibility to New York City lodging, restaurants and nightlife.

AP