If all goes according to plan, Formula One racing will come to the streets of Weehawken, New Jersey next spring. The inaugural Grand Prix of America is scheduled for June of 2013, but no one really knows if the street course will be ready in time. In fact, Formula One czar Bernie Ecclestone appears to have turned his back on the race, saying, saying it won’t happen in 2013, and may not happen in 2014 if a safe course can’t be built.
Red Bull Racing seems a bit more optimistic, and to promote the event it sent its Constructor’s Championship-winning RB7 F1 car on a goodwill tour of the New York and New Jersey area. Starting with a patriotic rendition of The Star Spangled Banner before the Statue of Liberty, Red Bull ambassador David Coulthard toured the New Jersey waterfront, ran some of the proposed street course and even snuck through the (closed) Lincoln Tunnel in an effort to drum up fan interest.
Will it work? We’ll know in nine months or so, but given the condition of roads in the area we’re not optimistic. The video features some great footage, filmed in high definition, so it’s the closest thing we have to racing in the shadow of the Manhattan skyline for the time being.
Kurt Ernst has been passionate about automobiles and driving nearly his entire life. His early years were shaped working in the family service station, though his real passion was auto racing. After graduating from the University of Colorado, Kurt spent a year club racing with the Sports Car Club of America, before focusing on a business career in marketing and project management. Later, his passion for writing and the automotive hobby found him freelancing for a variety of automotive news sites, including Automotive Addicts and Motor Authority, where his work was syndicated and appeared in several national publications. Recognized as an expert in the automotive field, Kurt joined Hemmings Motor News as an Associate Editor in 2013, and in the years since has progressed to Editor, Hemmings Daily; Managing Editor for Hemmings Motor News, Hemmings Classic Car, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and the Hemmings Daily; and now, Managing Editor, Hemmings Auctions. Kurt was instrumental in organizing the Hemmings Motor News Concours d’Elegance from 2013-2019, and has served as a judge at this event and The Vintage Racing Stable Concours d’Elegance. A Skip Barber Racing School graduate and prolific writer, Ernst is also skilled in copyediting, project management, brand development, and public relations.
