Indy car racing could soon return to the state of Michigan and the city of Detroit.
Detroit city council approved plans for organizers of the Detroit Grand Prix to secure sponsors for the Detroit Grand Prix to once again run on Belle Isle. The last time the race was held on the island was back in 2008.
According to city council, the race would be held on the weekend of June 1-3 in 2012. This moves the race back to its traditional dates which follow the Indianapolis 500.
If and when the race returns to the city, race fans in the area will notice something very different about the Indy Cars themselves. That’s because the Indy Racing League (IRL) is slated to roll out a new chassis and engine developer in Chevrolet for 2012.
May 12, Edmunds’ Inside Line: The era of cookie-cutter Indycars will come to an end at this year’s closing race in Las Vegas. For 2012, teams will use the same Dallara chassis, but engines and aerokits will differ. Chevrolet, Lotus and current supplier Honda have all been announced as those providing the turbocharged four- or six-cylinder engines, but the body work has thus far been restricted to the imagination.
That changed somewhat yesterday, as Indycar revealed two possible aero packages that will be displayed at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway leading up to the 500-mile race. One is intended for a road course, while the other is for a high-speed oval, reflecting the Indycar season, which consists of an equal number of races on each course type.
The Detroit Grand Prix was first established as a Formula One race back in 1982 which ran through the streets of Detroit. In 1989 F1 was out as the CART series took over the race. Three years later in 1992 the race was moved from the streets of downtown to Belle Isle. The race on Belle Isle was halted in 2001 but later returned briefly in 2007 and 2008 as a IRL race but financial problems later shut down the race once again.
Re: Mlive.com, Edmunds Inside Line
