Detroit Grand Prix draws fans, families from far and wide

When the doors opened on a full People Mover car at the Millender Center station in downtown Detroit, the unmistakable whine of race cars enveloped the space like a thunderclap.
The passengers, some of whom had been looking down at their phones or talking amongst each other, stopped at the sound and looked toward the windows facing Jefferson Avenue.
After all, people love cars, said Stephanie Brinley, associate director of Auto Intelligence at S&P Global Mobility. While the race has undergone many changes since its first run in 1982, there is still a strong draw to the track – and the city – that inspires residents across the state, even if they wouldn't consider themselves car enthusiasts.
More: Detroit Grand Prix signs new contract through 2028
'Is this race important to Detroit? Yes, it is,' Brinley said. 'Because it keeps coming back. The city loves it.'
The Detroit Grand Prix roared across downtown streets on Sunday, June 1, with the featured NTT IndyCar race won by Kyle Kirkwood before the organizers announced the event would stay in Detroit through at least 2028. The Grand Prix draws more than 100,000 people each year to downtown Detroit, according to the organizers.
In the third year since making the switch from Belle Isle, the Detroit Grand Prix likely has more attendance than ticket sales can account for. Up in the corporate suites, Paul Waatti, director of industry analysis for AutoPacific, pointed out there were far more spectators watching the race from the parking structures than in the paid stands.
'Belle Isle is literally an island. The economic impact to Detroit may be negligible, but it is right downtown,' he said, of the move. 'You don't have to bypass the city to get to the race.'
Detroit resident Lauryn Barlow, a traveling bartender, rates the Christmas Tree Lighting as the most attended event she works, with the Grand Prix falling slightly behind the Detroit Auto Show. As for those she served this weekend, she said most spectators arrived from out of town.
'Everybody that I talk to is either from Ohio, Wisconsin," shes said, "and I was just like, "Well dang, where's everybody from Detroit?''
Families congregated on Woodward Avenue and in Hart Plaza to enjoy free events throughout the weekend and the cooler weather.
This is the third Grand Prix for Aaron Norton, who drove from Owosso with his son Evan, an incoming freshman of Michigan State University.
'It's something to do,' he said. 'I just drove an hour and forty minutes to get here. My other kids didn't want to come.'
The two walked through to Hart Plaza to admire GM's latest vehicles and ask questions of the product specialists on staff. During their stroll, they caught a bit of the race.
'I've learned a lot watching this, and Googling to see how fast they're going. I'm blown away with how much they're worth,' Norton said. 'The safety gear, the halo, is like $17,000 just to protect their head. The crazy prices of the motor. I never knew that.'
Sponsoring the race serves a dual purpose for automakers like Honda and General Motors. In addition to seeding goodwill at the community level and showcasing vehicles around the city in an open-air showroom, the race itself acts as a proving ground, S&P Global Mobility's Brinley said. Participating automakers calculate vehicle performance on the track, such as engine fatigue, steering, suspension, lift and driving dynamics, and apply what they learn to the vehicles they retail.
'Not every street car needs to drive like a race car, but lessons learned about performances and tolerances can be applied to street cars,' she said, adding that tire manufacturers also learn about tire wear and performance from extreme racing.
Sitting in the center of the track and host to many media events surrounding the Grand Prix is the Renaissance Center, the soon to be former headquarters of GM, which is relocating this year to the new Hudson's Detroit building on Woodward Avenue. While the RenCen's massive office and commercial retail space remains an icon of the city's skyline, it no longer serves its original purpose, Waatti said. Because of GM's broad footprint, with offices across the U.S. as well as other countries, maintaining such a large property no longer makes good business sense.
'The Detroit Grand Prix is a powerful showcase of GM's performance brands and a celebration of Detroit's comeback story. That's what makes GM's decision to leave the RenCen all the more bittersweet,' he said. 'While the race energizes the riverfront and spotlights GM's roots, the company itself is stepping back from the landmark that defines both.'
Detroit resident Travis Foster said he's 'heartbroken' that it would be GM's last time hosting the event from its RenCen headquarters.
'As a native Detroiter, I'm really hoping that at the last minute someone is either going to have a change of heart or there's some type of financial decision that will make them at least give that a second thought,' he said. 'This building is iconic when it comes to the city of Detroit. These buildings are supposed to be here, it's meant to be here, it deserves to be here, and we need it here.'
Foster, a federal employee, considers the Detroit Grand Prix a pivotal part of the city's summer event schedule. He pointed to the diversity in the crowd and said the race shows off the beauty of downtown and invite tourists and other Michigan residents into the fabric of the community.
Embracing change is necessary for GM's success and the city of Detroit, according to Anthony Abbott, a retired GM employee from Farmington Hills who has attended the Detroit Grand Prix 10 times.
'Belle Isle was a beautiful place to have a race, it almost seems like it was built to have a race. But I really enjoy it down here better,' he said. 'And you can watch the event from the garages and see so much.'
For Abbott, changes to the Renaissance Center could improve the riverfront landscape and open up more space for future Grand Prix events.
'Embrace change. GM moved down here, I forgot how many years ago, and rehabbed the towers, did a really great job with it. They're not leaving, they're just moving down the street. They're going to blow up a few towers and really open it up,' he said. 'It's iconic, it still will be – just with one or two less towers.'
Christian Romo contributed to this report.
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Detroit Grand Prix draws fans, families from far and wide

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