Detroit Grand Prix 2012

First Time for Everything

Fast cars on Belle Isle

I've been racing around the last few days, (sorry couldn't help myself with the pun) and I'm just now posting the footage I shot from my first visit to the Detroit Grand Prix. The Grand Prix returned to Belle Isle after a four year absence, and it was a welcomed return. I was lucky enough to be offered a free ticket to the event, (thanks guys!) and really wasn't sure what to expect. I will be honest, I'm not much of a race fan, but I do like to experience new things, so off to the races I went.

Reaction
My impression of the race was in a word: cool. I know that word gets tossed about quite a bit, but it really was something to hear and see these cars live! The weather was windy, but comfortable, and the crowd was a pleasant mix of hard core race fans, young, old and families. And as these cars flew around the turn it was awesome. There were also two giant TV screens set up so you could see the cars race on the parts of the track that were out of your view.

The Track
Yes, there was a track malfunction. Portions of the asphalt wouldn't stay put, and after causing two crashes the officials stopped the race after lap 45 to investigate. The track was repaired in numerous spots, and after a delay (reports said an hour and forty-five minutes, but I say it was an hour and a half, but hey what's fifteen minutes in the big picture) the race got going again. In the video that follows this post you'll see that as the cars pull out of the pit to start racing again, not all made it out. The race was also shortened to 60 laps instead of the original 90.

The Winner
Scott Dixon won the race, and in a crazy day of racing he maintained a lead throughout the entire race. On a side note once the race got back underway, there was a 20 second rain shower that only lasted long enough for one to think, "what the heck, now it's going to rain after an hour and a half delay?" :) However, rain wasn't in the cards, and it stopped. After the race finished we were leaving the island and the rain started back up again. This time it came pouring down for a few minutes and resulted in a double rainbow across the sky. Oh, and did I mention that it was a full moon? There's a count down timer to next year's race on the Detroit Grand Prix website, and DVD is already looking forward to the 2013 race!

Did you go to the Grand Prix? What did you think? Leave a comment and let me know.