HUDSON COUNTY — Formula One officials selected Tom Cotter, a 30-year motorsports veteran, as president for the Grand Prix race set to hit the streets of West New York and Weehawken in 2013. Former NJ Sports and Exposition Authority CEO and President Dennis Robinson was selected as chief operations officer.
Cotter served as director of public relations at Charlotte Motor Speedway for four years before he built The Cotter Group between 1989 and 2001. The company became one of the most successful motorsports marketing communications agencies in the world.
Robinson served as senior vice president of business and league operations for the National Basketball Association before he became president and CEO of the NJ Sports and Exposition Authority (NJSEA) in 1998. He also oversaw the Giants, Jets, Devils, Nets, and Metrostars and contributed to the campaign to bring the Superbowl to the Meadowlands in 2014.
Formula One Grand Prix of America has planned its first race in the area for June 2013. The race will receive no local or state government subsidies and is anticipated to bring millions to New York and New Jersey each year. It is also anticipated to generate many millions in economic development.
The 3.2-mile race will run on existing Weehawken and West New York streets, and over 100,000 people are expected to attend each race. The teams will practice on Friday, qualify on Saturday, and race on Sunday. Local streets will be closed only for the race and reopen before and after.
Formula One currently hosts 20 races annually in 19 countries, and the local Grand Prix of America headquarters will be shared between Weehawken’s Port Imperial and Manhattan.