Grand Prix Racing at Floyd Bennett?

I thought Newman was a little more of a conservationist but I guess the vroom-vroom of a racing car trumps environmental concerns. This shot of a male American Kestrel in flight was taken at Floyd Bennett field. The airfield is not "dilapidated" as the article suggests, rather it is a vital and vibrant grassland sanctuary for all types of grassland birds. I suggest Newman give up auto racing and give birding a try.

You can write Paul at:

Office of Paul Newman
Paul Newman Foundation
Colonial Green
246 Post St. East
Westport, CT 06880

NY Daily News
April 25,2006
BIG TIME RACING COMING TO BROOKLYN
BY ELIZABETH HAYS and DAVID SALTONSTALL
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS

Get ready to start your engines, New York - screen legend Paul Newman is spearheading a push to bring big-time auto racing to Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.

The ambitious project, laid out by Newman himself in a meeting with city officials last Friday, proposes to transform the once-storied but now-dilapidated airfield into a winding 3.5-mile Grand Prix race course.

And it's for a good cause - proceeds from an annual New York Memorial Grand
Prix race would go to local charities and to create the first urban Hole in
the Wall Camp, the network of camps Newman started in 1988 to fulfill the
wishes of seriously and critically ill kids.

"Paul Newman has a dream to bring together his three passions - charity, New
York and motor sports," said Geoffrey Whaling, coordinator of North
American Motorsport Events, which is pitching the idea.

The proposal, which envisions a week of charity events leading up to three
days of racing as early as September 2007, faces some roadblocks.

For starters, because Floyd Bennett Field is part of the Gateway National
Recreation Area, federal guidelines limit attendance at any one event at the
park to 10,000 people - far fewer than the 65,000 people per day organizers
want.

Traffic congestion is a big concern among elected leaders, who left Friday's
meeting with as many questions as answers.

"It was far from a done deal," said one staffer.

But the idea of Grand Prix racing at Floyd Bennett Field - a 1,200-acre
parcel with 8 miles of concrete runways - is revving some Brooklyn engines.

The event's open-wheel Champ cars are capable of reaching speeds of 240 mph, and plans include celebrity races and other events.

"I'm happy to see that Paul Newman, like Robert Redford, recognizes that
Brooklyn is where it's at," said Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz,
referring to plans by Newman's former film sidekick to bring his Sundance Film Festival to the Brooklyn Academy of Music next month.

Proposed ticket prices for three days of racing would range from $40 for
general admission to $500 for luxury skyboxes - modular suites that would be
carted away.

The most vocal opposition is from Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-Queens, Brooklyn),
whose district includes the airfield.

"It is simply an inappropriate use of a national park. In fact, it is
illegal," Weiner said.

National Parks officials did not immediately return calls for comment.

Originally published on April 25, 2006