By George B. Eichorn
The excitement of fast cars, festive streets and thousands of excited spectators should be a recipe of success for downtown Detroit, June 2-4, as the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear returns to this street course for the first time since 1991.
This is a 10-turn, 1.7 mile course that travels Atwater, Bates, Franklin, Jefferson, Rivard and St. Antoine, in the shadow of the Renaissance Center and other downtown landmark buildings.
NTT IndyCar Series championship drivers include Marcus Ericsson, 2022 Indy 500 champ; Team Penske 2023 winners Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden; 2022 Series champion Will Power and 2023 winners Alex Palou and Kyle Kirkwood. And drivers Conor Daly, Scott Dixon, Romain Grosjean, Colton Herta, Pato O’Ward, Graham Rahal, Felix Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi.
Three support races here are the sports cars of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, the rising stars competing in INDY NXT by Firestone and the muscle cars of the Trans Am Series presented by Pirelli. NBC/channel 4 has the live telecast on June 6 starting at 3 p.m.
Bringing live racing back downtown makes sense on many fronts. More fans can witness the event than those who did on Belle Isle, spectators have more food and refreshment choices on streets surrounding the course, and more fans will likely book more hotel rooms and frequent downtown’s wide array of restaurants.
Comerica Bank Free Prix Day returns Friday, June 2. This marks the tenth year of Comerica giving fans the chance to experience the races, activities and events for free. The very first Grand Prix event held on the streets of downtown Detroit was 1982. The course was much different than the new course but both challenge the teams and drivers. Formula One ran in Detroit the first go-round.
A community partnership initiative resulted in eight unique art murals that will be displayed trackside. Measuring 24 feet long and three feet high, each of the murals is placed on the safety walls surrounding the new circuit. The murals were created by students in the Boys and Girls Club of Southeastern Michigan’s Fashion Industry Club.
College for Creative Studies student Adrian Keeler, a junior, won the DGP official poster competition. It’s sure to become a collector’s item as many of the previous posters were as well.
“I was inspired by the art nouveau era, which features some structural line work with floral embellishments,” said Keeler. “This is such a great experience and I am so honored to have my design selected as the winning poster.
“As someone who isn’t really a big race fan, I think the Grand Prix is just a great event for everyone to come together and celebrate in the city. I really wanted my design to reflect how accessible the event is for everyone; not just people who love cars.”
Entertainment includes live music and free concerts highlighted by A-Trak, Big Boi, Z-Trip and Steve Aoki. They perform at Hart Plaza, inside the Meijer Fan Zone, at the Grand Prix.
Tickets are still available for June 3-4 (Saturday-Sunday) at the Grand Prix, visit www.DetroitGP.com or call 866-464-7749 (PRIX).Social media pages are: www.facebook.com/detroitgp, www.twitter.com/detroitgp and www.instagram.com/detroitgp.
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com or @Sandgsports99 on Twitter.
