Newman in talks to bring GP race to NY
He proposed turning Floyd Bennett Field, a disused aerodrome in Brooklyn, New York, into a race track and mounting a "Festival of Speed" every September to raise funds to set up a home for children with terminal illnesses. But his idea of attracting 65,000 motor racing fans to watch him burn round New York's first municipal airfield has been vetoed by armies of twitchers, who say the noise would frighten away rare grassland birds.
Floyd Bennett Field, named after the first man to fly over the North Pole, has long been overtaken by JFK and LaGuardia airports, but as New York's first airport it welcomed many of America's aviation pioneers, among them Amelia Earhart and Howard Hughes, who took off and landed there for his record-breaking flight around the world in 1938.
Pete McCarthy, the North Shore District Ranger who patrols the park, said that soccer, baseball, canoeing, fishing and other sporting events are held on the 1,200 acres of airstrip and 16,000 acres of surrounding parkland, and a $40m sports centre has just opened. "But there is a strict limit of 1,500 people allowed in the park in the summer months and 10,000 in the winter," he said.
However, it was concern from local birdwatchers that led the superintendent of the Gateway National Recreation Area, Barry Sullivan, to tell Newman his grand prix fundraiser would have to find another venue.
"This is such a very special habitat," said E J McAdams, executive director of environmental organization, the New York Audubon Society. "We wrote a letter to the superintendent saying he should think very carefully before allowing such a thing. There are many rare birds that might be driven away, including the savannah sparrow, the upland sandpiper and the short-eared owl."
Mr. Sullivan told the star that his plans were "not compatible with the purposes for which the park was established", but said he would be happy to discuss adapting the disused naval barracks for Newman's Hole in the Wall Gang Camp, which hosts children dying of cancer. The Independent
04/30/06 This NY Daily News article will give you some idea of the in-fighting going on between Brooklyn Democrats over the proposed Champ Car track at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn , NY. One supports the race, the other does not. Meanwhile the land sits largely unused – run down and an eyesore, just waiting for a race to be the catalyst for redevelopment into an attractive recreation area.
04/25/06 
To the right is the layout of the proposed 3.49-mile airport course published by the NY Daily News. The location is good in that Manhattan would be a backdrop on TV, but there is nothing for fans to do adjacent to the track like, say Long Beach, and there are no nice nearby hotels. People would have to go into Manhattan or stay around JFK airport. The track should be racy, however, some of the turns/chicanes need to be removed.
04/25/06 Champ Car team Owner Paul Newman met with N.Y. officials last Friday to discuss a plan to turn Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn into a 3.49-mile Grand Prix race course, according to Hays & Saltonstall of the N.Y. DAILY NEWS. The proposal envisions a Champ Car race weekend as early as September ’07, with proceeds going 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." However, Floyd Bennett Field is part of the Gateway National Recreational Area, and federal rules limit attendance at any one event to 10,000, “far fewer than the 65,000 people per day organizers want." Also, traffic congestion “is a big concern" among officials. Hays & Saltonstall write the “most vocal opposition" is from U.S. Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY), whose district includes the airfield. Weiner said a race is “simply an inappropriate use of a national park. In fact, it is illegal."