[TheMightyM]

Originally Posted by macdaddy

Examining the earliest stages of a proposed layout for a downtown GP in Detroit...

And I don't like it. There's a tunnel under Cobo Hall which is being ignored. This would be fun for racing. The arena, ballpark, and football stadium are clustered together within walking distance from the proposed track. Including this revitalized part of the city on the TV coverage would do wonders for Detroit.

Racing along Woodward Ave would showcase the Fox Theatre and Comerica Park. The parking lots for the stadium would provide ample room for paddocks and seating. And right across the street from the ballpark is the football stadium...

"Ford Field". Maybe that explains it a little bit? They'd rather race past GM's headquarters than by Ford's stadium.

But I'm somewhat familiar with downtown Detroit and (IMO) this layout is terrible. I doesn't represent the city and, as far as racing goes, it doesn't seem like an interesting track.

Having said that, I realize that the layout they've proposed is in its very early stages. But it's way off base. I also realize that they can't shut down some major streets, and the international border crossing (Detroit/Windsor Tunnel) must remain open. Yet this layout is shorter than the previous F1 layout, and the city has made monumental changes to this district since then with the construction of three major sporting venues just steps away from the proposed layout. (Mike Illich, RIP and thank you).

Just my three cents' worth.

One thing that jumps out at me looking at a satellite map of the city was that the location of the pits. I completely understand why it is where it is — it’s going to be in a big surface parking lot, which would also have lots of space for transporter parking. There don’t look to be many alternatives in downtown Detroit, so I’d take that element of the design as pretty fixed.