Motor City gears up for Chevrolet Belle Isle Grand Prix

June 3, 2012; Detroit, MI, USA; Fans watch at turn one at the Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix at Belle Isle. Mandatory Credit: Tim Fuller-USA TODAY Sports

Over 100,000 spectators from all over the United States and Canada are expected to make their way to Belle Isle in the coming days for what is slated to be a great weekend of racing in the Motor City.

The event, which takes place May 30th through June 1st, will feature The Verizon IndyCar series, the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship, the Pirelli World Challenge Series and the trucks of the SPEED Energy Stadium SUPER Truck Series. Collectively, the event is referred to as the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix and it will feature the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans IndyCar doubleheader.

Preparation of the island itself has been underway for sometime now as fencing, concrete barriers, catch fencing, and grand stands are all up and ready to go.

As the week rolls on, the Belle Isle Grand Prix preparations will continue to pick up steam as race teams, entertainment providers, sponsors and vendors get ready for the event.

Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix chairman, Bud Denker said organizers hope to broaden the race’s appeal.

On top of great racing from all the series’, there will be some new additions to the event. A beer garden, monster truck rides, BMX biking, new truck racing, a family fun zone and three full days of entertainment, including rock band Lifehouse and reggae-pop artist, Shaggy.

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After helping to bring racing back to Detroit, Chevy also worked with Grand Prix officials to help make improvements to Belle Isle. More than $2.7 million worth of improvements have already been made to by the Grand Prix team since 2012.

Event organizers project investments related to the Grand Prix to total roughly $7.2 million through this year. The attendance goal was set at 110,000, a 13% increase over last year’s event.

The course on Belle Isle is also considered to be quite challenging amongst the drivers, which in return makes for a great show for the fans.

"“Detroit is one of the most interesting places we go because we are racing on an island and through a park. Physically it’s a challenging track. It’s fast and requires a lot of reaction time on the wheel. There’s so much that you need to do as a driver to prepare for one race, that back to back races just makes it even more difficult with hydration levels, sleep and preparation.”"

Mike Conway and Simon Pagenaud, who won the races last year, return to defend their titles.