Payne: These small victories made the Detroit Grand Prix’s downtown return memorable

Posted by Talbot Payne on June 9, 2023

Detroit — The Detroit Grand Prix returned downtown with a bang as IndyCar superstars Alex Palou and Will Power put on a show for the TV cameras. The series champions from the last two years (Palou 2021, Power 2022) going wheel-to-wheel for the win. Representing IndyCar’s two powerhouse teams (Palou from Ganassi Racing, Power with Team Penske). Spaniard versus Aussie. Honda power versus Chevrolet power.

All with the Made-for-TV backdrop of General Motors Co.’s global headquarters in perfect, 80-degree Michigan summer weather. There were also small victories that made the weekend memorable.

Reuss redeemed

The GP’s return downtown was sweet redemption for Mark Reuss. The GM president’s 2018 pace-car crash in a Corvette ZR1 was one of the Belle Isle era’s most infamous moments. And it was especially cruel given Reuss’s reputation as one of the industry’s most accomplished executive drivers. He is a licensed race driver with countless hours at GM’s Milford test facility as well as Germany’s formidable Nürburgring. Mistakes happen (especially on cold tires).

So you knew Reuss relished the chance to get the monkey off his back and Sunday’s race was his time. A red, mid-engine Chevrolet Corvette Z06 convertible — at 670-horses, the most-powerful, normally-aspirated V8-powered supercar ever made — was a prominent presence at the Grand Prix all weekend. But it was a mystery who the IndyCar pace driver would be.

Reuss redeemed. After his 2018 pace car incident on Belle Isle, GM President Mark Reuss returned to lead the IndyCar field to green in 2023.Reuss redeemed. After his 2018 pace car incident on Belle Isle, GM President Mark Reuss returned to lead the IndyCar field to green in 2023.

As the ‘Vette led the 27-car IndyCar field on its pace laps, onlookers noted how strongly it came onto the pit straight. Reuss confirmed afterwards he had jumped back in the saddle.

“My favorite part of the track was coming off Turn 4 facing the Detroit River,” said Reuss, “then going down the back straight next to the RenCen towards the pits.”

Go-karting

Belle Isle Turn 2 where Reuss went into the wall was the track’s signature turn. An off-camber, high speed S-turn, it claimed many victims over the years. There was nothing like it on the new downtown course since the 1.7-mile track had to follow the city grid of 90-degree turns.

“I was a big fan of Belle Isle, it had more fast corners,” said McLaren driver Pato O’Ward after Friday’s practice session. “You don’t have a lot of space to work with (downtown). It’s very challenging.”

“I was a big fan of Belle Isle, it had more fast corners,” said McLaren driver Pato O’Ward (middle) after Friday’s practice session. “You don’t have a lot of space to work with (downtown). It’s very challenging.” </div>His McLaren teammate, Felix Rosenqvist (left), said the track reminded him of go-kart racing. “It’s a very mechanical grip track. The wings don’t have a chance to work because you’re in first gear for all the corners.”“I was a big fan of Belle Isle, it had more fast corners,” said McLaren driver Pato O’Ward (middle) after Friday’s practice session. “You don’t have a lot of space to work with (downtown). It’s very challenging.” His McLaren teammate, Felix Rosenqvist (left), said the track reminded him of go-kart racing. “It’s a very mechanical grip track. The wings don’t have a chance to work because you’re in first gear for all the corners.”

His McLaren teammate, Felix Rosenqvist, said the track reminded him of go-kart racing. “It’s a very mechanical grip track. The wings don’t have a chance to work because you’re in first gear for all the corners.”

Early concerns were that the course would be too tight to pass, producing a parade. It was anything but. As Sunday unfolded, the race got wild, like, well, go-karting.

Rosenqvist and Alexander Rossi had an epic battle, banging wheels in the Turn 4-5 complex.

“I think the track really came alive during the race,” said Rosenqvist. “Even on full tanks, we were doing, like, qualifying lap times. Bouncing between the walls, it’s insane how much effort goes into it mentally to do a hundred laps out there, especially when you have to race other guys around you.”

Palou and Power swapped and re-swapped first place, the latter giving an outside fake at the end of the 190-mph Jefferson Avenue straightaway, then diving inside for the pass. Contact was the rule, not the exception.

Even Palou, an early skeptic of the track, came around to its race-ability.

Workers secure a manhole cover in Turn 3 after Friday's practice.Workers secure a manhole cover in Turn 3 after Friday's practice.

“The track kept evolving with our sessions and with other series. It was a lot better than I expected. Hopefully we can tweak some stuff and make it even better for next year. I cannot wait (to return).”

Tweaks? Expect the Jefferson straight to be smoothed to make drafting easier. And a redesigned Turn 1 entry to better accommodate cars exiting the pits.

Racin’ in the streets

Part of the track’s challenge was its small size because Penske Entertainment Corp. organizers wanted to make it easy for spectators to get back and forth between downtown restaurants, Cadillac Square business activations, Hart Plaza and the RenCen. Sitting in the Turn 3 hairpin grandstands Friday night after practice, I watched a construction crew check that manhole covers (185 of them on Jefferson alone) were secured with blowtorches. Then I strolled three blocks to Woodward with my wife to a choice of restaurants including Shake Shack, Townhouse and BESA.

Improbably, the track and city functioned in parallel. Literally, in the case of Jefferson Avenue, where Windsor Tunnel traffic from Canada went east on Jefferson to I-375 at 25 mph – while IndyCars zipped by at 190 mph down the west-bound lanes. Improbably, the track and city functioned in parallel. Literally, in the case of Jefferson Avenue, where Windsor Tunnel traffic from Canada went east on Jefferson to I-375 at 25 mph – while IndyCars zipped by at 190 mph down the west-bound lanes.

Then there was the logistical headache of keeping a major international border functioning in the middle of an IndyCar race.

Improbably, the track and city functioned in parallel. Literally, in the case of Jefferson Avenue, where Windsor Tunnel traffic from Canada went east on Jefferson to I-375 at 25 mph — while IndyCars zipped by at 190 mph down the westbound lanes.

Legally, of course.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.

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