Detroit — Detroit Grand Prix president Michael Montri, buoyed by what he said appeared to be a successful three-day event that concluded with the IndyCar series Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix on Sunday, feels confident about the future of the race despite some uncertainty regarding the Renaissance Center.
The race has been part of Detroit since 1982, although it moved from the city streets in 1992 to Belle Isle before returning to the downtown streets in 2023.
At issue is the backdrop of the event, the cluster of buildings that make up the Renaissance Center complex since General Motors has moved its global headquarters to Hudson’s Detroit building on Woodward Avenue. Two RenCen towers will be demolished and Dan Gilbert’s Bedrock and General Motors Co. have announced the conceptual plan to redevelop the 27-acre site along the Detroit riverfront.
“It is an ingrained part of this community,” Montri said Sunday of the Detroit Grand Prix. “This is not an event that has been here for three years. This is an event that has been in this city since 1982. It is part of this community, and it will remain a part of this community. We have stakeholders that are right there with us in making sure that this happens well into the future.
“Bedrock is going to own the building whenever that takes place. General Motors, who currently or just recently sold the building — I don’t know where that is in the transaction process — but my point is, we are very close to General Motors, obviously, but we also have a great relationship with Bedrock.
“We have a seat at the table. We’ve had a number of discussions on what their plans are. We know that at least currently their plan publicly, and as far as I know, (is to) remove those two towers that are closest to the river right in front of Atwater. That is not going to happen until after our event in ‘27 we have had a number of discussions on what happens after that.”
Montri said the belief is whatever happens with the RenCen will not impact the race the next two years, including 2028.
“After that, we’ll see what we have to do to continue to make this race happen downtown,” Montri said. “But I can assure you, just like it has in the previous 36 runnings, it will happen. We might have to adjust some things. We might have to adjust where the paddock is, where the pit lane is, where the racetrack is, but I can assure you that this is a firm cornerstone of the events in this community, and it will continue.”
The Grand Prix will not have attendance for the three-day event available for a few days, but Monti said the grandstands sold out, and merchandise and concession sales were brisk.
“Just like the first three iterations of this race back downtown, it was clear throughout the entire weekend that this event has become in this city is a cornerstone of the kickoff to summer here, and the entire city embraces it,” Montri said.
“The turnout all weekend long was strong. We don’t have any real attendance numbers at this point, but, but it was clear just walking around here on Friday, Saturday, and then, of course, today, what a great turnout it was, and not only that, how much interest there was in the event, in the lead up. It’s a cornerstone of the city, and it’s fully embraced.”
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This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Detroit GP president: Race in place through 2028 but changes may come
Reporting by Angelique S. Chengelis, The Detroit News / The Detroit News
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