Detroit Could be Run as Single-Day Event; GTLMs Possible

Photo: Rick Dole/IMSA

The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship round at Detroit’s Belle Isle could be run as a single-day event, with practice, qualifying and the race all provisionally scheduled to take place on Sat. June 5.

While typically scheduled as a two-day show with the NTT IndyCar Series, the 100-minute race was moved to a standalone weekend one week before the open-wheel series due to an initial clash with the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Sportscar365 understands that Detroit Grand Prix organizers have pushed to keep the overall event with only three days of on-track activity due to the Belle Isle’s nature as a state park.

The IndyCar double-header on June 12-13 will be held over two days for the first time this year.

An IMSA spokesperson told Sportscar365 that no decisions have been made yet regarding the Detroit schedule.

Despite Le Mans shifting to August, the standalone IMSA event is believed to still be moving ahead as planned.

A move on to to the IndyCar bill would create a clash with both SRO America’s event at Virginia International Raceway and the FIA World Endurance Championship, which has rescheduled its 8 Hours of Portimao event to the traditional Le Mans weekend.

It would impact a number of drivers competing in both championships including Pipo Derani, Olivier Pla, Filipe Albuquerque, Bill Auberlen, Robby Foley, Christina Nielsen, Matt McMurry and Madison Snow.

GTLM Rumored to Be Added to Event

Multiple sources have indicated to Sportscar365 that the GT Le Mans class could be added to the IMSA race due to the rescheduling of the French endurance classic.

Currently, DPi, LMP2 and GT Daytona class competitors are scheduled to take part.

Such a move would allow Corvette Racing to contest its home race for the first time since 2008 when the event was run as part of the American Le Mans Series.

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John