DETROIT (WWJ) – Racers fired up their engines one final time on Belle Isle on Sunday and Will Power was this year's big winner.
With the Detroit Grand Prix set to move to the streets of downtown Detroit in 2023, Sunday’s race will wrap up a 30-year run on the island.
There was plenty of history on Belle Isle over those three decades, including IndyCar legend Helio Castroneves spontaneously making his first climb up a fence -- a move that would become his signature.
Detroit Grand Prix President Michael Montri, speaking live on WWJ Sunday morning, reminisced on the race's run on the island, but he also says the move will benefit local businesses and provide plenty of new excitement for the fans.
“All of those businesses and all those restaurants and hotels and shops can all benefit from being within walking distance to the circuit,” Montri said. “That’s something that we just can’t obviously do here on Belle Isle.”
Related
The 2023 race will feature a 1.7-mile street circuit and give fans “unprecedented access,” as more than half of the race’s footprint along Jefferson Avenue and the Detroit Riverfront will be open free of charge to the public.
Michelle Hodges, President of the Belle Isle Conservancy, tells WWJ the race “needs a refresh” and moving ot off the island is the right move.
“It very much belongs on the city’s streets,” she said, noting the move will give the public park “several weeks of more programming opportunities and allows us to really protect the park as a very important green space.”
Hodges says the partnership with the Grand Prix has been important to make sure the aquarium stays open and other programs for students can continue.
Related
