It’s known worldwide as a haven for hipsters, but Brooklyn is about to boast another claim to fame — the first city borough to host a high-speed championship car race.
Officials plan to announce Wednesday that the 15-acre Brooklyn Cruise Terminal in Red Hook will be the site of the FIA Formula E Championship racing series on July 29 and 30, 2017.
In keeping with Brooklyn’s sensibilities, all the cars are electric.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said a source briefed on the plan. “Turning a cruise terminal into a temporary racetrack doesn’t happen every day, and Brooklyn’s the perfect choice because most of its residents are environmentally conscious and will love learning there won’t be any gas-guzzling vehicles polluting the air.”
Information about the route and size of the temporary racetrack will be among the details revealed during a press conference scheduled with city officials.
The 10-year-old cruise terminal, which is owned by the city’s Economic Development Corp., offers views of the Manhattan skyline, Statue of Liberty and Governors Island.
Formula E, which begins its third season next month, is an offshoot of FIA’s world-famous, gasoline-fueled Formula One series that also uses single-seat vehicles.
Formula E consists of nine teams with two drivers each from Europe, Asia and the United States.
There are 10 races per season that normally run along the streets of large cities.
Previous host cities include London, Mexico City and Buenos Aires.
When discussing Formula E during its infancy in 2012, CEO Alejandro Agag said his top choices for racing in New York were Central Park and Governors Island.