Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix

For the Formula One event, see Detroit Grand Prix.
Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans
Location The Raceway on Belle Isle
Detroit, USA
42°20′10″N 82°59′44″W / 42.33611°N 82.99556°W / 42.33611; -82.99556Coordinates: 42°20′10″N 82°59′44″W / 42.33611°N 82.99556°W / 42.33611; -82.99556
Corporate sponsor Quicken Loans
Chevrolet
First race 1982
First race 2007
Distance 164.22 miles (264.286 km)
Laps 70
Previous names Detroit Grand Prix (1982–87)
EniChem Detroit Grand Prix (1988)
Valvoline Detroit Grand Prix (1989–1991)
ITT Automotive Detroit Grand Prix (1992–1998)
Tenneco Automotive Grand Prix of Detroit (1999–2001)
Detroit Indy Grand Prix Presented by Firestone (2007–2008)
Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix Presented by shopautoweek.com (2012)
Chevrolet Indy Dual In Detroit Presented by Quicken Loans (2013)
Most wins (driver) Hélio Castroneves (3)
Most wins (team) Penske Racing (7)
Most wins (manufacturer) Reynard (6)
Circuit information
Surface Asphalt/Concrete
Length 2.36 mi (3.80 km)
Turns 14
Lap record 1:10.3162 (Scott Dixon, Dallara DW12-Honda, 2012, IndyCar)

The Chevrolet Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans is a weekend of professional auto racing held at the Renaissance Center and later Belle Isle in Detroit, United States. It has been held from 1989–2001 and from 2007–08, restarting in 2012. It has headlined the CART open-wheel series in the first era and the IndyCar Series in the latter, supported by feeders such as the Indy Lights and Formula Atlantic and top-level sports car series such as the Trans-Am Series and the ALMS. It has been held in June, after the Milwaukee and before the Portland.

Open wheel racing in Detroit dates back to the 1920s–1950s, when AAA held the Detroit 100 at the Michigan State Fairgrounds Speedway. AAA also held one five-mile (8 km), non-championship race at Grosse Pointe in 1905.

Formula One

Main article: Detroit Grand Prix

The race dates back to 1982 when it was a Formula One World Championship event held on the Detroit street circuit encompassing the Renaissance Center. The original circuit was 2.493 miles (4.012 km) with seventeen corners and proved to be even slower than Monaco. The rough, demanding course included a railroad track crossing and mimicked Monaco, with a tunnel on the main straight. While officially the Detroit Grand Prix, it was referred to as the United States Grand Prix East because there were multiple Grand Prix races in the U.S. at the time. By the time of the 1988 race, FIA, the governing body of Formula One, had declared the street circuit's temporary pits were not up to the required standard and for 1989 the race was planned to be moved to Belle Isle,[1] a city park in the Detroit River. But an agreement could not be reached and in 1989 Formula One left Detroit permanently, with the U.S. Grand Prix moved to Phoenix.

It was in Detroit in 1983 that Italian driver Michele Alboreto drove his Tyrrell 011 to victory in the US Grand Prix East in what would prove to be the 155th and last ever F1 win by the Cosworth DFV V8 engine.

CART

For 1989, the race in Detroit was replaced by a CART event. Instead of moving the race, CART utilized a slightly modified version of the street circuit, eliminating the chicane on the main straight (something the F1 drivers had been calling for since the first race in 1982). The race was held on this 2.52-mile (4.06 km) layout for three years. Beginning in 1992, the race was moved to the previously planned temporary course on Belle Isle. The first layout measured 2.1 miles (3.4 km). After a subtle reconfiguration, and due to CART remeasuring all circuits in 1997, the track then measured 2.346 miles (3.776 km).

The event, along with the Michigan 500, provided two CART races in southern Michigan annually.

The 2000 event saw young Brazilian Hélio Castroneves score his first Champ Car victory for Marlboro Team Penske. After his victory lap, he stopped on the frontstretch and climbed the catch fencing in an apparent effort to share his joy with the spectators. Helio became known as "Spider-Man" because of this celebration, which has been repeated in his later victories.

From 1984–2001, the SCCA Trans-Am Series held a race in support of the Detroit Grand Prix. The Motor City 100 was often regarded as the most important event of the Trans Am schedule.

Demise

Even though the track was a temporary street course, it is known as The Raceway on Belle Isle. It was widely criticized for its narrowness, poor access, and its overall uncompetitive nature. Participants also disliked the facility because of its lack of paved areas for support activities. Paddock areas were often muddy and unable to accommodate the teams.

After 2001, CART chose to drop the race from the schedule.

IndyCar revival

In 2006, Roger Penske spearheaded talks to revive the race for 2007 as part of the ALMS and IndyCar Series schedules. Penske had recently experienced tremendous success as head of the Super Bowl XL Detroit Metro Host Committee. On September 29, 2006, it was announced that the Detroit Indy Grand Prix would return as the tenth race of the ALMS's 12-race season and penultimate race of the IndyCar Series' seventeen-race schedule.

To improve access to the track, a park-and-ride system, similar to what was used at Super Bowl XL, was implemented. Further paddock and track work was completed before the race. The 2007 event attracted a strong crowd, and was considered a success. It was held again in 2008.

On December 18, 2008, the scheduled race for 2009 was canceled. The ongoing automotive economic crisis, and its impact on the Detroit-area was the primary reason. Roger Penske did not rule out a return in the future.[2][3]

On September 20, 2011, race organizers gained approval from Detroit City Council to use the updated track and support area on Belle Isle.[4] On October 11, 2011, it was announced that the race would return starting in 2012.[5] The event returned to its 1998–2001 layout starting with the 2013 race.[6]

Beginning in 2013, the event was expanded to become a "doubleheader" with separate, full points-paying races on both Saturday and Sunday.

Past winners

Grosse Pointe (dirt oval)

Season Date Driver Chassis Engine Sanctioning
1905 August 8 United States Webb Jay White White steam engine AAA

Michigan State Fairgrounds (dirt oval)

Season Date Driver Chassis Engine Sanctioning
1928 June 10 United States Ray Keech Miller Miller AAA
1929 June 9 United States Cliff Woodbury Miller Miller AAA
1930 June 9 United States Wilbur Shaw Smith Miller AAA
1931 June 14 United States Louis Meyer Stevens Miller AAA
1932 June 9 United States Bob Carey Stevens Miller AAA
September 10 United States Mauri Rose Stevens Miller AAA
June 11 United States Bill Cummings Miller Miller AAA
1949 September 11 United States Tony Bettenhausen Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser AAA
1950 September 10 United States Henry Banks Moore Offenhauser AAA
1951 September 9 United States Paul Russo Russo/Nichels Offenhauser AAA
1952 August 30 United States Bill Vukovich Kuzma Offenhauser AAA
1953 July 4 United States Rodger Ward Kurtis Kraft Offenhauser AAA
1957 June 23 United States Jimmy Bryan Kuzma Offenhauser USAC

Street circuits

Season Date Driver Team Chassis Engine Race Distance Race Time Average Speed
(mph)
Report
Laps Miles (km)
CART Champ Car history (Renaissance Center)
1989 June 18 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Patrick Racing Penske Ilmor-Chevrolet 62 155 (249.448) 2:02:11 76.112 Report
1990 June 17 United States Michael Andretti Newman/Haas Racing Lola Ilmor-Chevrolet 62 155 (249.448) 1:49:32 84.902 Report
1991 June 16 Brazil Emerson Fittipaldi Penske Racing Penske Ilmor-Chevrolet 62 156.24 (251.443) 1:57:19 79.455 Report
CART Champ Car history (Belle Isle)
1992 June 7 United States Bobby Rahal Rahal/Hogan Racing Lola Ilmor-Chevrolet 77 161.7 (260.23) 1:58:20 81.989 Report
1993 June 13 United States Danny Sullivan Galles Racing Lola Ilmor-Chevrolet 77 161.7 (260.23) 1:56:43 83.116 Report
1994 June 12 Canada Paul Tracy Penske Racing Penske Ilmor 77 161.7 (260.23) 1:52:29 86.245 Report
1995 June 11 United States Robby Gordon Walker Racing Reynard Ford 77 161.7 (260.23) 1:56:11 83.499 Report
1996 June 9 United States Michael Andretti Newman/Haas Racing Lola Ford 72* 151.2 (243.332) 2:00:44 75.136 Report
1997 June 8 Canada Greg Moore Forsythe Racing Reynard Mercedes 77 161.7 (260.23) 1:52:45 86.047 Report
1998 June 7 Italy Alex Zanardi Chip Ganassi Racing Reynard Honda 72 168.912 (271.837) 1:41:17 100.052 Report
1999 August 8 United Kingdom Dario Franchitti Team Green Reynard Honda 71 166.566 (268.061) 2:02:24 81.643 Report
2000 June 18 Brazil Hélio Castroneves Penske Racing Reynard Honda 84 197.064 (317.143) 2:01:23 97.401 Report
2001 June 7 Brazil Hélio Castroneves Penske Racing Reynard Honda 72 168.912 (271.837) 1:53:51 89.008 Report
2002

2006
Not held
IndyCar Series history (Belle Isle)
2007 September 2 Brazil Tony Kanaan Andretti Green Racing Dallara Honda 89* 186.544 (300.213) 2:11:51 83.841 Report
2008 August 31 United Kingdom Justin Wilson Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Dallara Honda 87* 182.352 (293.467) 2:00:11 89.911 Report
2009

2011
Not held
2012 June 3 New Zealand Scott Dixon Chip Ganassi Racing Dallara Honda 60* 124.2 (199.88) 1:27:40 85.012 Report
2013 June 1 United Kingdom Mike Conway Dale Coyne Racing Dallara Honda 70 164.22 (264.286) 1:48:45 90.753 Report
June 2 France Simon Pagenaud Schmidt Peterson Hamilton HP Motorsports Dallara Honda 70 164.22 (264.286) 1:56:15 84.906
2014 May 31 Australia Will Power Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet 70 164.22 (264.286) 1:49:30 90.138 Report
June 1 Brazil Hélio Castroneves Team Penske Dallara Chevrolet 70 164.22 (264.286) 1:45:53 93.211
2015 May 30 Colombia Carlos Munoz Andretti Autosport Dallara Honda 47* 110.45 (177.752) 1:27:46 75.51 Report
May 31 France Sébastien Bourdais KV Racing Technology Dallara Chevrolet 68* 159.8 (257.173) 2:00:38 79.476

Detroit Sports Car Classic

American Le Mans Series
Year LMP1 Winning Team LMP2 Winning Team GT1 Winning Team GT2 Winning Team Results
LMP1 Winning Drivers LMP2 Winning Drivers GT1 Winning Drivers GT2 Winning Drivers
2007 United States #2 Audi Sport North America United States #7 Penske Racing United States #3 Corvette Racing United States #62 Risi Competizione Results
Italy Emanuele Pirro
Germany Marco Werner
Germany Timo Bernhard
France Romain Dumas
United States Johnny O'Connell
Denmark Jan Magnussen
Finland Mika Salo
Brazil Jaime Melo
2008 United States #37 Intersport Racing United States #26 Andretti Green Racing United States #4 Corvette Racing United States #45 Flying Lizard Motorsports Results
United States John Field
United States Clint Field
United States Richard Berry
France Franck Montagny
United Kingdom James Rossiter
Monaco Olivier Beretta
United Kingdom Oliver Gavin
Germany Jörg Bergmeister
Germany Wolf Henzler
Rolex Sports Car Series
Year DP Winning Team GT Winning Team Results
DP Winning Drivers GT Winning Drivers
2012 United States #9 Action Express Racing United States #88 Autohaus Motorsports Results
Portugal João Barbosa
United States J. C. France
United States Darren Law
United States Paul Edwards
United States Jordan Taylor
Year DP Winning Team GT Winning Team GX Winning Team Results
DP Winning Drivers GT Winning Drivers GX Winning Drivers
2013 United States #10 Wayne Taylor Racing United States #57 Stevenson Motorsports United States #00 Speedsource Results
Italy Max Angelelli
United States Jordan Taylor
United States John Edwards
United Kingdom Robin Liddell
United States Joel Miller
United States Tristan Nunez
United SportsCar Championship
Year Prototype Winning Team GT Daytona Winning Team Results
Prototype Winning Drivers GT Daytona Winning Drivers
2014 United States #10 Wayne Taylor Racing United States #63 Scuderia Corsa Results
United States Jordan Taylor
United States Ricky Taylor
Italy Alessandro Balzan
United States Jeff Westphal
Year Prototype Winning Team Prototype Challenge Winning Team GT Daytona Winning Team Results
DP Winning Drivers Prototype Challenge Winning Drivers GT Daytona Winning Drivers
2015 United States #31 Action Express Racing United States #8 Starworks Motorsport United States #23 Team Seattle / Alex Job Racing Results
United States Dane Cameron
United States Eric Curran
Netherlands Renger van der Zande
Germany Mirco Schultis
United Kingdom Ian James
Germany Mario Farnbacher

Atlantics/Lights winners

Atlantic Championship
Season Date Winning Driver
1983 June 5 Mexico Josele Garza
Indy Lights
1989 June 18 United States Ted Prappas
1990 June 17 Republic of Ireland Tommy Byrne
1991 June 16 Belgium Éric Bachelart
1992 June 7 Mexico Adrián Fernández
1993 June 13 United Kingdom Steve Robertson
1994 June 12 United Kingdom Steve Robertson
1995 June 11 United States Robbie Buhl
1996 June 9 Brazil Tony Kanaan
1997 June 8 Brazil Tony Kanaan
1998 June 7 Brazil Airton Daré
1999 August 8 Republic of Ireland Derek Higgins
2000 June 18 United Kingdom Jonny Kane
2001–2011: Not held
2012 June 2 Colombia Gustavo Yacamán

Trans-Am Motor City 100 winners

Year Driver Car
1984 Tom Gloy Mercury Capri
1985 Elliott Forbes-RobinsonA Buick Regal
1986 Wally Dallenbach, Jr. Chevrolet Camaro
1987 Scott Pruett Merkur XR4Ti
1988 Hurley Haywood Audi Quattro
1989 Greg Pickett Chevrolet Camaro
1990 Scott Sharp
1991
1992 Tommy Archer Dodge Daytona
1993 Dorsey Schroeder Ford Mustang
1994 Bill Saunders
1995 Ron Fellows Chevrolet Camaro
1996 Dorsey Schroeder Ford Mustang
1997 Tommy Kendall
1998 Paul Gentilozzi Chevrolet Camaro
1999 Brian Simo Ford Mustang
2000 Paul Gentilozzi Jaguar XKR
2001

^A Winner Wally Dallenbach, Jr. was disqualified due to car being underweight.

Circuit maps

References

  1. Ayrton Senna: Racing in My Blood, Official Video Biography (Kultur Video, 1991)
  2. "Detroit IndyCar race no-go for 2009". indystar.com. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  3. "INDYCAR: Detroit Cancelled for 2009, Vision Racing Trims Staff". speedtv.com. 2008-12-18. Retrieved 2008-12-18.
  4. "City Council OKs Detroit Grand Prix request". espn.com. 2011-09-20. Retrieved 2011-09-20.
  5. Belle Isle will host 2012 Detroit Grand Prix
  6. Cavin, Curt (2012-06-04). "IndyCar Series | Indianapolis Star". indystar.com. Retrieved 2014-06-28.

External links

Preceded by
Indianapolis 500
Current
IndyCar Series races
Succeeded by
Firestone 600
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