The confirmation comes only a few days after local campaigners Friends of Liberty State Park got their hands on the official plans for the aforementioned track.
“It is a marketing tool to bring people to Jersey City such as foot traffic and revenue to local businesses,” the spokeswoman is quoted as saying by hudsonreporter.com.
Although it would provide the city with some great economic exposure, the potential circuit is more likely to cause a major debate in the upcoming few months. Obviously, the Friends of Liberty State Park is totally against the idea, as they actually labelled the idea as being “obscene” in a letter to Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy.
“Once you have a track there, and especially with the state's finances, there would be such pressure on the state to have regular car racing there. You'd end up having the name changed from Liberty State Park to Liberty Race Track,” said Sam Pesin, head of the Friends' board of trustees, in an interview with the Jersey Journal.
Healy reacted quickly, trying to restore some peace before a decision will be made on the project.
“There have been a few, preliminary conversations and this is very much in the exploratory phase. However, this may not be something that is in the best interest of Jersey City or Liberty State Park,” suggested Healy.
According to the plans revealed by Friends of Liberty State, the 3.6-mile track layout would be entitled Grand Prix Auto Race Circuit, with the organizers seeking a 5-year deal with FOM's Bernie Ecclestone.
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