Less than 2 months until the roar of engines is heard on Belle Isle in Detroit.
The Detroit Grand Prix for the Indycar series is set for the weekend of June 2-4th.
The City of Windsor has renewed it's support of the event for an 8th year with a $50,000 partnership that includes naming rights and special access.
Detroit Grand Prix Windsor connection 2017 (photo by AM800's Peter Langille)
It also means there's a special price for Canadians attending the race, a one day ticket is $55, same as last year.
Grand Prix Chair Bud Denker says they're making improvements to the track and the overall facility, aiming for a smoother race.
Denker says there is clearly an economic benefit to both Windsor and Detroit: "that weekend will bring over $50-million to our region in economic spending, that's big. So all those things and the fact this beautiful riverfront is going to be on TV to millions of people around the world and it's a big by-product of why there's racing here"
He says they average 7-8% of the attendance coming from Canada with a lot of people coming from Toronto. But he would like to get the number to 10% or better.
Denker says the Grand Prix has invested around $13-million in Belle Isle since 2006 for a variety of upgrades along with the track.
He says the twin race in Detroit is a real kickoff to summer and comes one week after the Indy 500, which he says is the largest sporting event in the world.