Earlier this year I rekindled my American motorsport adventure with a trip to the Detroit Grand Prix. I’d been to four Indycar races previously, the Indianapolis 500 twice and a double header at Detroit in 2019. Long Beach was booked in 2020 but covid put pay to that.
Now the most common question I get asked (normally from inquisitive border patrol officers) about these trips is “isn’t that a long way to go for a car race”? It is! London to Detroit is a 7.5 hour flight, not to mention the time taken to queue at Heathrow. So why is the trip worth it?
Well for one, travelling 7.5 hours isn’t that far. Think about it, if I went to Le Mans, it would take the best part of seven hours to drive, not to mention the time taken in the Euro tunnel. If I went to a BTCC race at Knockhill in Scotland, it would take me at least eight hours to drive there.
So why go to America then and not Le Mans or Knockhill? This is a simple answer, there is nothing quite like US motorsport. First of all there’s the fan experience.
We arrived at the circuit at 8am on the Friday morning and were greeted with no queues whatsoever. As a reminder this was an Indycar and IMSA double header, two of the premier racing series in the world. Within a minute we were greeted with a sea of smiling faces from the security, a quick bag check and a “good to go, have a great day.”
We pass by the merchandise stands and whereas an Alpha Tauri F1 team hat from the British Grand Prix will set you back £90 (yes, you read that right), I get three Indycar team hats for the same price. They even throw in a free IMSA mug!
Whereas the paddocks in F1 are not accessible at all to us mere mortals, the Indycar paddock is absolutely free for everyone to access. As I walk through I look to the right and spot Pato O’Ward posing for photographs, there’s Chip Ganassi on the left fist bumping his crew, Roger Penske zips past on a pit bike, Romain Grosjean pops out of his trailer, all smiles and charm.
I move on and hear an engine, the McLaren mechanics are warming up Felix Rosenqvist’s car, I’m close enough to smell the sweet fumes (it really does smell sweet), whilst Scott McLaughlin and Josef Newgarden shoot the breeze outside the Penske motor home. The fans see them and stand a respectable distance before getting up the courage to say hello. Contrast that to the near hysterical scenes in the Mexico City F1 paddock recently where drivers were pulled here, there and everywhere by eager fans wanting to get their piece of them.
We take a wander over to the masters historic paddock and to my amazement see an Audi R8. No, not the road car, but the all dominant LMP1 car from 20 years ago. I hadn’t seen one since the ELMS round at Donington Park in 2001. It was being worked on under a closed off awning. Seeing me standing there open mouthed was a mechanic who beckoned me over with a “come on in and take a look”.
The IMSA practice was about to start, so we headed to the grandstand. On the way we see all of the cars lined up ready to go to the grid. Renger van der Zande is sat with the door open on the Cadillac DPi. I’m close enough to see the intricacies of the steering wheel, before he flicks a switch and the V8 barks into life, startling a lady passing by.
As the cars roll past into the pit lane, you get the impression you are at the centre of a very exclusive club, but the club is simply general admission. This level of access isn’t available in any other category outside of the US, at least that I have experienced.
We continue our journey to the grandstand and on the way check out the food options. Chicken tenders, hot dogs, corn dogs, double-decker burgers, chocolate coated nuts (despite nuts being bad luck in Indycar) plus, what looked like a flat donut-like pancake coated with sugar. No veggie options. Miller lite, Coors lite, Gatorade and Coke are the order of the day on the beverage front, although my friend did manage to acquire a milk shake style coffee. It was mainly froth, but gave a good kick, as did the Jack Daniels and Coke from the next trailer.
Arriving in the grandstand I sit next to a couple in their 50’s. The lady soon asks have I come far, to which I replied “well yes actually”. Luckily she didn’t ask the usual question, but instead said she didn’t think anyone in the UK was interested in US racing. It turns out she had been to over 30 Indy 500’s and we soon got into an in depth discussion about the 1992 race. Whilst debating which engine pole sitter Roberto Guerro used (it was a Buick V6) we were interrupted by a rather large chap shouting “whoop race day”, followed by a few cheers and high fives. This sort of thing happens quite a lot.
Before the IMSA race we were ushered into the pit lane where all the cars were lined up. Have a poke around the pole sitting Cadillac? Sure! Get interviewed by the IMSA version of Martin Brundle? Sure! Watch a practice pit stop from 5 feet away? You get the idea.
At the end of the race we head over to the fountain where the podium is situated. Not only was I able to hear what the drivers were saying to each other, but I also got sprayed with the champagne. Sebastien Bourdais gave me a soaking and I’m ok with that.
From the fans perspective, the US scene does something no other nation manages at this level. It makes you feel part of it. Attending an F1 race makes you feel like you are on the outside looking in.
The cars are on another level, particularly the IMSA cars. Thanks to covid (and possibly Brexit) top level sportscars haven’t been seen in the UK since 2019. The IMSA cars are arguably quicker than the current hypercars. They’re hairy chested, loud, fast cars. As it’s a street circuit you’re able to stand mere feet from the cars on circuit. You feel it in your chest as they pass. We stood on the outside of turn eight, the leading prototypes gunning the throttle as soon as the car is straight. A GT Porsche then came through and held the gear, bouncing off the limiter through turn nine. The sound reverberating off the walls. Every lap a different sound.
Another benefit of being close to the track is the elevated view from the grandstands. Through the quick turn one and two section you can see the Indy lights drivers fighting with the wheel and opposite locking over the bump that the Indycars don’t even notice. The brilliantly named Sting Ray Robb was particularly flamboyant, but Linus Lundqvist was on another level.
On the Saturday night we head downtown to get some more wings and beer at a sports bar. On the way we spot Santino Ferrucci and his team on their way to a function and then a suited and booted Arie Lyundyk chatting outside a Chevrolet event. We then wander over to the Old Shillelagh, sit outside and watch the world go by down Monroe Street. When I say world I mean hot rods, low riders, cars with massive chrome wheels (not sure what they are called), all sorts. Detroit lived up to its Motown moniker.
The Indycar race was a cracker and is probably the first I’ve seen without a caution. The pace was relentless and it showed with some drivers. Santino Ferrucci for example was visibly slower through turns one and two towards the end of the race. He admitted afterwards that his strength had depleted, these cars don’t have power steering and the ferocity of the bumpy circuit had taken its toll.
What I really noticed was the aggression that Indycars have to be driven. You can really see the drivers ‘drive’ the cars, particularly the change of direction between turns one and two. Those that get it right get the yaw of the car spot on (Will Power and Alexander Rossi were particularly impressive), whilst Pato O’Ward was quick, but a little more flamboyant, those quick hands were saving him.
One large contrast I did see was in the pit exit. Most of the front runners would light it up on pit exit, you could hear them on the rev limiter scrabbling for grip whilst negotiating the left turn. Compare that to Jimmie Johnson, who had previously spun out of turn two in practice, and he was short shifting on pit exit after every lap. These cars can bite, particularly on cold tyres.
I came away from the event happy and sad. I’d seen a great race and was glad Will Power won after the agony of 2021. I had met some great people and once again was immersed in US motorsport. It was a shame it was Belle Isle’s final event though. For 2023 the race is moving downtown. I hope the circuit lives up to expectations. For me, it’s now all about planning for 2023. Maybe I’ll do that Long Beach trip after all, or maybe Indy again, or Nashville. Either way I’ll be prepared for the usual question, “isn’t this a long way to come for a car race”?
motorsportmuse 