The Detroit Grand Prix circuit is heading to iRacing this June.
This announcement also marks the first complete street course for the sim racer. Up until now gamers only had the chance at running a test version of the Long Beach course. Now, they’ll get to experience all the thrills temporary tracks provide.
The Detroit Grand Prix track is located on Belle Isle, which is in the middle of the Detroit River.
This tight course winds its way through the Michigan State park that encompasses the island. Over the course of 2.35 miles, the track features 14 turns and a lengthy straight down Central Ave.
Also, since it’s a street course, sim racers can expect all the bumps that go along with it.
Racing on the streets of Detroit is nothing new. In 1982, Formula 1 found its way to the Motor City. However, at that time the track circled through the downtown area. It was eventually supposed to make its way onto Belle Isle, but organizers ultimately moved the Grand Prix to Phoenix.
In 1992 the CART series moved its Detroit Grand Prix to the island.
Since then the track has enjoyed many racing series with lulls in 2002-2006 and 2009-2011. Also, for a brief time, this temporary track featured corner rumble strips year round. This allowed several amateur events to run the track.
Today, the track hosts a jam-packed weekend of racing during the first week of June. On both Saturday and Sunday, race-goers get a chance to see Indycar, IMSA Sports Car, Stadium SUPER Trucks, and classic Trans-Am Series racing.
Given the broad list of cars available in iRacing, chances are racers will find something that feels at home on the course.
Once the track makes it way into the game, you’ll also have something to shoot for. The current track record is 1:10.3162 set by Scott Dixon in 2012.
You can check out additional photos of the course below.
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