The chair of the Detroit Grand Prix hopes the race stays at Belle Isle for a long time to come.
Bud Denker was in Windsor Wednesday morning to announce the 9th partnership with the city and took the time to respond to concerns the annual race is damaging the eco-sensitive island on the Detroit River.
Denker says the race has invested millions of dollars in protecting and improving Belle Isle over the years.
"$13-million of improvements from 2006 forward and our goal is to have it there. It's a great venue. There has to be a balance between the parties and ourselves, and we think we have a good balance now," he says.
He says Belle Isle is simply the best location for the race in the Detroit area.
"We looked at alternatives as well like Detroit City Airport and others, but they wouldn't work, and there's no Plan B," he says. "We plan to stay in Belle Isle."
The contract for Belle Isle is up this year, but Denker hopes negotiations continue to extend it in the long-term.
"We'll be talking after the race about the extension of that and what it means. I just have so much work to do now to get the race up and going. It's only a couple of weeks away. We'll talk with them after, and we hope we are here for many years to come," he says.
The races are June 1 to June 3.
Denker says 10%, or 10,000 attendees each year are from Canada.
There is more information about travel packages and the race on the City of Windsor website.
