Without Belle Isle, Grand Prix will have to leave metro Detroit

Jamie L. LaReau | Detroit Free Press

If the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix doesn't get a new contract to race at Belle Isle, the event likely won't be held in Michigan, the event chairman said Thursday.

Grand Prix leaders will present a detailed proposal Friday to the Belle Isle Advisory Committee at its regular monthly meeting requesting that the annual IndyCar race continue on the island, located east of downtown in the Detroit River.

The contract for the race, which took place June 1-3, expired this year. If it is not renewed, Grand Prix Chairman Bud Denker said in an interview Thursday, there's no alternative site in metro Detroit.

The race has been subject to controversy. Some residents have been angry over the noise, environmental impact and disruption to the island the event creates.

Denker said that Grand Prix has worked to mitigate disruptions and work with residents.

“Through listening and hearing the public, we’ve compromised and instituted a lot of change," Denker said, noting, too, that the race generates money and good publicity for the city.

The Grand Prix is a nonprofit organization, so he added, "We don’t make money on this event. It’s a giveback … to make Detroit a better place.”

No 'Plan B'

The Grand Prix's proposal to be unveiled Friday will outline the exact terms and conditions for the event, the number of years for a contract, the fees the Grand Prix will pay for use of the island, as well as the number of days the Grand Prix will use the park, Denker said.

Denker said the Grand Prix has paid $200,000 a year to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, which manages the island. The proposal offers to increase that fee, but Denker declined to say by how much ahead of presenting the proposal. The Grand Prix seeks a "multiyear agreement" to hold the race on the island, but again Denker declined to offer details.

The proposal also aims to decrease the number of days it takes to prepare and dismantle the event, thereby reducing the disruption to residents, he said. In 2015 it took about 95 days to "load in and load out," Denker said. This year, it took 65 and, "Our proposal tomorrow will be to decrease it even further," he said.

The DNR should make a decision on the Grand Prix's proposal in the next few weeks, Denker said. If it rejects the request to keep the event on Belle Isle, the Grand Prix will likely have to leave the state, Denker said.

“We have no plan B for this," Denker told the Free Press. "We’ve looked at the fairgrounds, which aren’t large enough and would need to be redeveloped. We've looked at City Airport ... there are similar problems. If it doesn’t occur on Belle Isle, it won’t happen in our area.”

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The Grand Prix has a long history in Detroit, having begun in 1982 as a Formula One race on the city's streets. It switched to IndyCars and moved to Belle Isle, running there from 1992-2001, said Merrill Cain, director of public and community relations for the Grand Prix.

Penske Corp. Chairman Roger Penske leads the current group that hosts the event with the Downtown Detroit Partnership. That group brought the race back to Belle Isle in 2007 and 2008, then the recession shuttered it, Cain said. The race resumed on the island in 2012 with Chevrolet as the title sponsor. It has been hosted there every year since.

If the DNR accepts the proposal, Cain said, next year would mark the 30th Grand Prix event in Detroit’s history.

Problems and solutions

The race has experienced recent protests by residents upset about the environmental impact the event has on Belle Isle. They also complain of the numerous disruptions to the park in the weeks surrounding the race.

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Denker said the Grand Prix has made many concessions to address citizen concerns over the years, including:

The Grand Prix delayed by three weeks the timing to put up the barrier walls along the waterfront to allow longer unimpeded access to the water.

The main road on the island is Central Avenue. In previous years, it was closed the weekend before Memorial Day, but this year the Grand Prix delayed construction on Central Avenue until after the holiday weekend.

Grand Prix delayed other construction until after the Daffodils4Detroit's annual festival ended near the end of April. The Grand Prix also donated 5,000 daffodil bulbs to be planted on the island.

“We've listened, we’ve made some compromises and changes," said Denker. "The benefits are what it provides to the economics of the city, the region. The event has made more than $13 million in improvements on the island since 2007."

Denker said the Grand Premiere charity event held the Friday night before the race raised about $1 million for the Belle Isle Conservancy. "That money goes to improve the infrastructure and for the aquarium to remain open free of charge to the public," he said.

The event also helps the local economy, with the most recent independent study done in 2017 showing that the Grand Prix generated more than $58 million in total spending locally, he said. Denker added that the race showcases the beauty of the island and the waterfronts of Detroit and Windsor to a world audience.

“What kind of value can you put on the exposure it gives our city to the national and international audience that watches the race?" said Denker. "I can’t put a figure on that,"

Contact Jamie L. LaReau: jlareau@freepress.com or 313-222-2149.