The Red Bull Air Race is coming to Jersey City, possibly bringing thousands of dollars in revenue to area businesses.
The international series of air races, in which professional pilots navigate an obstacle course, will be held in the skies over Liberty State Park on June 19 and 20.
Bruce Bedell, event marketing manager for Red Bull North America, the energy drink company that created the event in 2003, gave a presentation to the City Council at their caucus on Monday.
The council was scheduled at their Wednesday meeting to approve a resolution to “promote and support” the race.
The races are usually flown over water near cities (the course for the Jersey City race will be over the Hudson River), but are also held at airfields or natural wonders. They are accompanied by a supporting program of show flights.
The Red Bull Air Race will be held over Liberty State Park in Jersey City in June.
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An international audience of millions
In 2009, the races were held in six cities around the world. Over 3.5 million spectators attended the races, and over 300 million followed on television broadcasts internationally.
Bedell said Jersey City will be one of the locations in the 2010 race schedule, which also includes the United Arab Emirates and Australia.
He also described how Red Bull will employ all kinds of safety precautions for the race, as required by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). These will include a 500-foot air buffer to protect any nearby structures from a crash. Bedell pointed out there have been 48 air race events held since 2004 without any major incidents.
Bedell said the race also brings economic benefits to the towns where they have been held. He said that in 2008, $37 million was generated in San Diego and over $50 million for Detroit.
Council members Bill Gaughan and David Donnelly both vouched for the event, having visited Windsor, Ontario last year to view the race when it was held there. Gaughan described the event as “amazing” due to the amount of preparation and management he observed. He compared the race to the Barclays golf tournament that occurred last summer.
“It’s a tremendous event for the city … and it’s a tremendous economic boost,” Gaughan said.
Donnelly said Windsor police officers told him the race was one of the “easiest to maintain.”
City Business Administrator Brian O’Reilly asked Bedell about Jersey City being mentioned in the banners for the air race. Bedell said that recognition is in the contract that Red Bull and the city were expected to sign shortly.
Ricardo Kaulessar can be reached at rkaulessar@hudsonreporter.com.