2021 Detroit GP to feature IMSA and IndyCar on consecutive weekends
Fans in the Motor City will have two weekend options next summer to experience the fun and excitement of the Detroit Grand Prix as Belle Isle Park will host world-class races during the first two weekends in June of 2021. The consecutive weekend celebration will bring additional national exposure to the region while visitors to Belle Isle in the spring and early summer will enjoy the same access as they have in previous years.
It will mark the first time in the history of the Detroit Grand Prix that the event will be hosted over the course of two weekends creating more opportunities for the event and its partners, as well as more options for fans. The revised format for 2021 will also have a positive effect on Belle Isle Park. The open schedule provides the flexibility to relocate fan engagement areas like car corrals and interactive displays in order to minimize the impact on grassy areas of the island. Downtown Detroit businesses will benefit from the additional weekend of racing, while the region will enjoy the enhanced worldwide television and media coverage generated by the revised 2021 Grand Prix format. Event organizers will maintain the same amount of reduced time on Belle Isle from previous years – less than 60 days from set up to take down of the premier race venue.
The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship will return to compete at Belle Isle, racing Friday-Saturday, June 4-5. The following weekend, the NTT INDYCAR SERIES will host its annual doubleheader race weekend on Belle Isle with the Dual in Detroit taking place Saturday-Sunday, June 12-13. Both NTT INDYCAR SERIES races will be televised live on NBC.
“It was unfortunate that we were not able to host the Detroit Grand Prix in 2020 due to COVID-19, but we are so excited to welcome fans back to Belle Isle in 2021 with not one, but two great weekends of racing and family entertainment,” said Grand Prix Chairman Bud Denker. “The first weekend in June will be a sports car celebration with the exotic cars of IMSA. We will continue the tradition of the Dual in Detroit INDYCAR doubleheader the following weekend as we showcase Belle Isle, along with Detroit and Windsor, to a national audience through back-to-back days of network television coverage. While the schedule will expand for next year’s Grand Prix, it’s important to note that residents who visit Belle Isle Park frequently will have the same access as they have in the past and the event preparation time spent on Belle Isle will remain the same.”
Tickets for the unique two-weekend festival – the 31st Grand Prix event hosted in Detroit – are expected to go on sale in early 2021. Fans will have a wide variety of viewing options under the new format, including single-day or multi-day tickets for either or both race weekends. Ticket packages and pricing will be announced before the end of 2020. Fans that chose to defer their 2020 Grand Prix tickets to 2021 after this year’s event was postponed will be able to select their viewing options for next summer’s races during a priority seat selection period before tickets go on sale. Fans can register for an early pre-sale opportunity for 2021 Grand Prix tickets now by signing up at www.DetroitGP.com.
Additional on-track activities, as well as off-track attractions for fans on Belle Isle during both Grand Prix weekends, will be announced in the coming months along with a more detailed event schedule.