3 more years in Detroit

The Detroit Grand Prix has been secured for three more years, after the organizers and the the Michigan Department of Natural Resources has agreed about three more years, with an option of two extended years.

The contract ended after the 2018 event, and intensive negotiations have gone on for the last two months with the two sides going forth and back.

The WeatherTech SportsCar Championship has already confirmed their 2019 race there – as long as the track was approved, which it is now – and the Verizon IndyCar Series is expected to join them once again. The two series have shared the track time since 2012, where Grand-Am and later on IMSA has partnered up on the Belle Isle Park circuit.

Next year will be the 30th edition of the Detroit Grand Prix, but there have been a few breaks over the years.

The first time for the current circuit to be used was in 1992, where CART drove from 92 until 2001. The tarmac got worse and worse, so the team no longer wanted to go to the track.

Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle Park 2018
Photo: Indycar.com / Chris Owens

The Indy Racing League returned in 2007, sharing the event with the American Le Mans Series. The event only lasted two years before another three year break.

Since 2013 we have had an IndyCar double header with both Saturday and Sunday race, while the sportscars has raced Saturday only. The last few years there have only been prototypes and GTD cars on the track, since the GTLM cars have already been shipped to the Le Mans test day, which always runs on the Sunday. So there are plenty of private jets going from Detroit to Paris and/or Le Mans from the track, so the prototype and GTD drivers also could join the action in France.

Formula 1 raced in Detroit from 1982 until 1988, but that was in the city centre, which has nothing to do with the current track.

The 2019 event will be run on 31 May until 2 June.

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