Rounds 7 and 8. Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, June 11-13

[bjohnsonsmith]

Rounds 7 and 8. Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix, June 11-13

After being cancelled last year because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the double header at Detroit is back on the calendar.

Detroit was originally the venue for the F1 Detroit Grand Prix, held from 1982-1988. It was dropped from the F1 calendar after 1988, when F1's governing body FISA declared the temporary pit area sub standard and because of the drivers dislike of the event due to track disintegration, which was particularly bad that year.

It had been planned to move the F1 Grand Prix to Belle Isle in 1989 but no agreement was finalised, so F1 went to Phoenix from 1989-1991 and Detroit became a CART event, with the race held on a slightly modified version of the F1 track.

In 1992, the event finally moved to Belle Isle, where it became a fixture on the CART calendar being held up to and including 2001, with the track extended from 2.1 mi (3.4 km), to 2.36 mi (3.80 km) in 1998.

The race was revived from 2007-2008 and held as a double-header, as part of the IRL's IndyCar Series, using the original CART layout, with Turn 8 tightened. However, it was cancelled from 2009-2011, due to the downturn in Detroit's automotive industry and the city's economic problems.

The race was revived again in 2012 and since 2013, the track has reverted to the 1998-2001 CART layout, with changes to Turn 3 and 7 and The Strand.

Some Trivia:
Hélio Castroneves got his first CART win at Detroit in 2000, driving a Reynard 2Ki-Honda HR-0 V8t, for Marlboro Team Penske

Driver with the most wins, 3
Hélio Castroneves 2000, 200, 2014.
Scott Dixon 2012, 2018, 2019

The team with the most wins, 10.
Team Penske: 1991, 1994, 2000, 2001, 2014 Race 1 and 2, 2016, 2018, 2019


1982-1988 F1 track layout:



1992-1997 Original CART track layout:



1998-2001 CART track layout:



Current track layout:



Length: 2.35 Mile (3.78 km)
Turns: 14

Lap record:
Takuma Sato, 4 Jun 2017. 1:13.6732, 114.831 mph (184.802 kmh).
Andretti Autosport,
Dallara DW12-Honda HI17TT Indy V6,
Verizon IndyCar Series.


Previous races.
Race 1
https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/n...Bvalue%5D=2243

Pole:
Alexander Rossi, 1:14.1989, 114.018 Mph (183.494 km/h).
Andretti Autosport.
Dallara IR18-Honda HI19R Indy-V-6.

Winner:
Josef Newgarden,
Team Penske
Dallara IR18-Chevy IndyCar V6.

Laps: 43
Distance: 101.05 Miles (162.624 km)
Race Time: 1:15:30.5932
Average Speed: 99.285 mph (159.783 kmh)
Fastest lap: Josef Newgarden, Team Penske, lap 43. 76.5266 sec, 110.550 mph (177.912 km/h)

Caution periods: 4
Laps 14: 2-4, 18-21, 24-27, 30-32.


Race 2
https://www.motorsport.com/indycar/n...Bvalue%5D=2243

Pole:
Josef Newgarden, 1:14.8607, 113.01 mph (181.871 km/h)
Andretti Autosport,
Dallara IR18-Chevy IndyCar V6

Winner:
Scott Dixon,
Chip Gannasi Racing.
Dallara IR18-Honda HI19R Indy-V-6

Laps: 70
Distance: 164.5 Miles (264.737 km)
Race Time: 1:52:18.9365
Average Speed: 87.877 mph (141.424 km/h)
Fastest lap: Simon Pagenaud, Team Penske, lap 41. 75.1096 sec, 112.635 mph (181.268 km/h)

Caution periods: 5
Laps 23: 1-6, 15-19, 33-38, 55-58, 65-66.


Race broadcast:
NBC.
Race 1 June 12, 2:00pm ET, 7:00pm BST, 6:00pm UTC
Sky Sports F1, 7:00pm BST

Race 2 June 13, 12:00pm ET, 5:00pm BST, 4:00pm UTC
Sky Sports F1, 6:00pm BST

[gomick]

F1 Circuit had a tunnel didnt it? Indy Car through a tunnel would be pretty cool.

Hoping Scott McLaughlin qualifies up front and runs well...

[mstets]

McLaughlin was going well early in practice before he drove the right front into the tire barrier and broke the A-arms. Power did his usual trick of turning the fastest lap of the session in the last minute or so. Nice to see Bourdais near the top of the time sheet. Not sure these screen shots will be readable even though they look fine on my screen.

[joeb]

Originally Posted by mstets

McLaughlin was going well early in practice before he drove the right front into the tire barrier and broke the A-arms. Power did his usual trick of turning the fastest lap of the session in the last minute or so. Nice to see Bourdais near the top of the time sheet. Not sure these screen shots will be readable even though they look fine on my screen.

The images were readable just fine. Hoping there isnt too much carnage in the race.

[fieldodreams79]

Excellent opening post, bjs!

Enjoying q'ing for R1, atm. This place is so much fun to watch.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by fieldodreams79

Excellent opening post, bjs!

Enjoying q'ing for R1, atm. This place is so much fun to watch.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Qualifying result:


Pato O'Ward takes pole and though the result is unofficial, I've rarely seen the result for qualifying changed. Hope I haven't jinxed it.

The lap time for Pole in Race 1, 01:15.5776 with a speed of 111.938 Mph (180.146 m/h), is down on the previous Race 1, 1:14.1989, 114.018 Mph (183.494 km/h).

Good to see Ro Gro up there in third spot, showing consistency on the road and street courses.

[tux]

The track is ridiculously bumpy. Cant imagine how awful it must feel in a single seater. Still, not my problem.

[RWill2073]

I'm at the track, have grandstand seats at a race for the first time ever. Limited viewing thanks to crowd restrictions that were lifted a week or two too late. No access to turn 3-6. Still great to be at a race!

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

I'm at the track, have grandstand seats at a race for the first time ever. Limited viewing thanks to crowd restrictions that were lifted a week or two too late. No access to turn 3-6. Still great to be at a race!

.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

.

Thanks. Keep 'em coming.

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

Thanks. Keep 'em coming.

You asked for it, haha.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

You asked for it, haha.

[bjohnsonsmith]

A clean and uneventful start.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Great bit of driving by Newgarden, keeping his car under control as it turned into a tricycle and then bring it back to pitroad.

[bjohnsonsmith]

FCY. Rosenqvist up and over the tyre barrier at Turn 6. Looking at the replay he hit that hard.

[tux]

That’s an awful accident, tyres don’t look to have done much in the impact. Huge damage to the front of the car.

[fieldodreams79]

Stuck throttle. Scary looking crash & unfortunately going to take a red to fix the wall.

Hoping the best for Felix.

Edit - after watching the Denmark v Finland game earlier and now this, I'm having a hard time enjoying the sporting Saturday

[bjohnsonsmith]

Red flag.

[broadrun96]

Just caught up and WOW, that on board was scary. And the cockpit shots he looks like that hurt him from top to bottom

Man, the shots about 10 min back with the Jersey barriers broken free and over 2 or 3 in each direction is insane

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by bjohnsonsmith

A clean and uneventful start.

It did not look uneventful from here... but clean, which was surprising. It looks soooooo tight in person into to turn 1.

Ho hum.... dixon methodically worked his way up the field... what's new?

Lots of passing into turn 1, more than I expected.

[RWill2073]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

It did not look uneventful from here... but clean, which was surprising. It looks soooooo tight in person into to turn 1.

Ho hum.... dixon methodically worked his way up the field... what's new?

Lots of passing into turn 1, more than I expected.

Picture with half a car is closest I've ever been to the track anywhere. They're shoo-ing people away, as it's just a walkway to get around, but on the other side of fence is the outside wall. Awesome to get that close.

[bjohnsonsmith]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

It did not look uneventful from here... but clean, which was surprising. It looks soooooo tight in person into to turn 1.

Ho hum.... dixon methodically worked his way up the field... what's new?

Lots of passing into turn 1, more than I expected.

TV coverage never does justice to actually being there.

[tux]

Originally Posted by RWill2073

It did not look uneventful from here... but clean, which was surprising. It looks soooooo tight in person into to turn 1.

Ho hum.... dixon methodically worked his way up the field... what's new?

Lots of passing into turn 1, more than I expected.

I think Dixon is only at the front because he started on black tyres & everyone else on red. SC has screwed him because he’s lost the gap to the cars behind & still needs to run the reds which seem to last about 5 laps. Hope you’re enjoying yourself, looks like an amazing opportunity to get to see these cars on such a demanding circuit.

[bjohnsonsmith]

I see a family of ducks are taking advantage of the red flag.