Organisers of IndyCar’s Detroit Grand Prix are considering moving the event away from the Belle Isle circuit in favour of a return to a street race on a redesigned iteration of its former layout.
The Detroit GP initially began as Formula 1 event in 1982 but soon moved away in 1988 with IndyCar moving in to fill the void, though the event only lasted a further three years as the circuit quickly fell into disrepair.
IndyCar moved the event to the Belle Isle area in 1992 after taking on F1’s initial plans to move to the temporary facility and has been on the schedule intermittently ever since.
The proposed new layout is set to retain some of the former landmarks of the original layout, but with a drastically shortened distance from 2.5miles to 1.7miles.
Since 2012, The Detroit GP has been a double-header event but will move to hold just one event in 2022 in what could be the last for the temporary circuit.
The Detroit Grand Prix organisers released a statement on Wednesday that read: “The Detroit Grand Prix has built a great tradition in the Motor City and we are excited to add to the event’s legacy next year and beyond. The Grand Prix will return to Belle Isle on June 3-5, 2022.
“While we have the option of extending the current agreement with the State of Michigan to host the Grand Prix on Belle Isle through 2024, we are exploring the option of returning the event to a downtown street circuit beginning in 2023. The Grand Prix began as a downtown event, hosted on the streets of Detroit from 1982-1991, before making the transition to Belle Isle.
“An annual summertime racing festival on the streets of Detroit would represent a connection to the rich heritage of the Grand Prix, the opportunity to engage with broad audiences and provide an even greater boost to the local economy while adding to the energy and momentum that is building downtown and along our beautiful waterfront.
As plans continue to develop, we look forward to providing an update on the exciting future of the Detroit Grand Prix.”
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