Fittipaldi returns to Detroit
In a whirlwind day of media activities, Action Express Racing driver Christian Fittipaldi was back in Detroit on Tuesday as part of the promotional run-up to the Chevrolet GRAND-AM Detroit 200 and round five of the 2013 GRAND-AM Rolex Sports Car Series season on June 2.
Fittipaldi, who will look to add to the strong record of success with Action Express, which took a 1-2 finish in the 2012 GRAND-AM debut on the streets of Belle Isle, knows his way around the 2.3-mile circuit.
In fact, now that the track has been changed, he might even know it better than his competitors even though he didn’t race in the 2012 event. Track officials announced in the off season that the layout of the track will now be changed, growing a long back stretch with the goal of even better racing and passing in 2013.
For Fittipaldi, it is welcome news as the layout is the same one that saw him score two top-five finishes at the track in CART competition, including a run to second place in (1996).
The media day saw Fittipaldi visiting the Paul W. Smith radio show on WJR before an appearance on the FOX-2 Morning show. A stop at WDFN sports talk radio preceded a stop at the AutoWeek headquarters, where Fittipaldi met with writers and editors from the storied publication as well as filming a video feature that is set to air ahead of the June event.
Those visits set the stage for a press conference where Fittipaldi joined representatives from Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle, PNC Bank, the Detroit Public Schools and the Detroit Public Schools Foundation to announce the Grow Up Great and Fifth Gear programs that will be featured at the upcoming Grand Prix, May 31 – June 2.
“It was a good day and I think the Detroit race is going to be one that the fans will love," Fittipaldi said. “It’s going to be exciting with our Rolex Series race and of course the doubleheader for the IndyCars. I was impressed with the effort that the track is making to reach out to the young children with this program. I think that it is a good way to introduce these kids not only to racing, but also to talk about the math and science that goes into our sport."
Fittipaldi will be in race action this weekend with new co-driver Joao Barbosa for Action Express Racing in Saturday’s inaugural Visual Studio Ultimate Grand Prix of Atlanta at Road Atlanta./By SundayGroup