The Detroit Grand Prix is, in fact, returning to Belle Isle. That’s thanks to an agreement announced Friday between race organizers and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
The three year deal – with an option to be extended until 2023 – means $450,000 annually for the island. That’s more than a third of the state park’s operating budget for the entire year. $325 grand of that is an event fee, and a hundred and twenty five thousand is for specific Belle Isle projects.
The Grand Prix will also continue to host the Grand Prixmiere fundraising event over the course of the new agreement. That event has raised more than $4 million dollars for the Belle Isle Conservancy over the last five years.
Organizers under the deal also need to reduce their setup and take-down time to 60 days in 2019 and 59 days in 2020 and 2021. They say that’s 35 days less than in 2015.
The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear – I figured I should call it at least once by it’s official name – will return May 31 through June 2, 2019.
In 2020, it’s going to kick off a very busy June in the city for special events, as the Detroit auto show is also moving to that month.