Dave Bing, Mayor of Detroit, praised the success of the Tigers, Lions and even the start of the Red Wing’s season and he made a small joke regarding the labor delay of NBA Basketball. He then said with enthusiasm, “We are thrilled to be able to bring the Detroit Grand Prix back to Belle Isle. Thanks to the support of IndyCar, Penske Corporation and Chevrolet we will once again host one of the world’s most prestigious motorsports events.” The IndyCar races will be June 1-3, 2012. Friday, a qualifying day will be a free event for viewers.
By Raymond Rolak
The announcement came with statements from Roger Penske and GM President of North America, Mark Reuss. The media event coincided with an international journalist junket hosted by General Motors in celebration of the 100 Year Centennial of Chevrolet.
“Chevrolet has a long, storied history in Indy car racing,” said Reuss. He added, “This year we celebrated the shared centennial of Chevrolet and the Indianapolis 500. We\'re excited to see that history continue with the help of Penske Corporation and IndyCar bringing back open-wheel racing to Detroit in 2012. This city is a natural for racing — it put the world on wheels and the roar of engines is something that simply belongs here.”
There was talk of improvements and the protection of infrastructure on Belle Isle. As in past races spectators would have to be shuttled onto the island. The last race on Belle Isle was in the summer of 2008.
Penske added, “Chevrolet has been instrumental in bringing motorsports back to Detroit. The Grand Prix will draw international attention and visitors to Belle Isle – which is one of the most-scenic race venues in the United States. We believe the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix will be one of the most-popular races in the IZOD IndyCar Series and will play a major role in continuing the renaissance of Detroit.”
As part of today’s announcement, Chevrolet unveiled its new IndyCar Series car. The announcement regarding the return of Chevrolet showed off a twin turbo V6-powered Dallara/Chevy. IndyCar drivers Helio Castroneves and Will Power were on hand to talk about the power of the 2012 Team Penske Chevrolet’s. Power recently tested the car on a road course at Mid-Ohio Raceway. He raved about it, especially the duel-turbine engine.
Castroneves has won the Indianapolis-500 three times, 2001, 2002 and 2009. He has been also been center stage along with dance partner Julianne Hough for winning the fifth season of ABC-TV’s “Dancing With the Stars.”
Penske mentioned about the past improvements made to the Belle Isle roadway and possibility of increasing passing opportunities for the drivers. “I’m proud and honored to carry the Chevy badge on our car in 2012. The city and region are on their way back to national leadership. I thank the city and Chevrolet for their commitment,” added Penske.
IndyCar CEO, Randy Bernard said that there may be from 24-28 teams eligible for races next season and one race on the circuit will have to be dropped because of the addition of the Detroit date.
Chevrolet will be the title sponsor of the Detroit event with Crain Communications a supporting sponsor of the race. The actual name of the IZOD IndyCar Series race will be the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix presented by shopautoweek.com
There will be four distinct race classes with the IndyCar race being the main event. The three support races included for the weekend are the Grand-Am Rolex Series, the Indy Lights and Pirelli World Challenge. ABC-Television is expected to broadcast the event live.
Bing added smiling, “This is a great day for Detroit. The last two weeks we’ve been on a whirlwind winning streak (with the Tigers and Lions). To bring back the race to Detroit as the city digs out of a hole… this is the best two weeks I’ve been in office.”
KATALOG FIRM W INTERNECIE
