Belle Isle Grand Prix Draws Highest Attendance Since ’07

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DETROIT — With the final numbers in, the 25th Grand Prix event in Detroit may go down as the most successful in the history of the race.

Weekend attendance numbers for the 2014 Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix were estimated at 110,000 fans over the course of the three-day event. The estimates included approximately 25,000 fans on Friday for Comerica Bank Free Prix Day, just under 40,000 in attendance on Saturday and a little over 45,000 people on Sunday. The total represents the highest attendance since the Grand Prix returned to Detroit in 2007.

National television rating numbers also revealed a strong weekend. The ABC-TV broadcasts of the Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit presented by Quicken Loans Verizon IndyCar Series races each drew solid overnight ratings. Saturday and Sunda races represented the highest rated Verizon IndyCar Series races this season outside of the Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the Indianapolis 500.

Chevrolet and Team Penske swept both ends of the Verizon IndyCar Series doubleheader with Will Power winning the first Chevrolet Indy Dual in Detroit on Saturday and Helio Castroneves earned his third career Detroit victory in Dual II on Sunday.

In the TUDOR United SportsCar Championship on Saturday, Jordan and Ricky Taylor took the victory in the Chevrolet Sports Car Classic driving the Konica Minolta Corvette DP.  Richard Westbrook and Michael Valiante finished second in the Spirit of Daytona, VisitFlorida.com Corvette DP.  The race was decided on the final lap.

Cadillac Racing’s Johnny O’Connell continued his dominance on the Raceway at Belle Isle Park as he claimed victory in both Pirelli World Challenge Series races in the Cadillac V-Series Challenge. O’Connell has now won five of the past six series races on Belle Isle. His Cadillac Racing teammate Andy Pilgrim finished in second in the second race to give Cadillac a 1-2 finish to end the weekend.

With a multi-year extension previously announced by title sponsor Chevrolet, the Grand Prix is ready to build on this year’s record-breaking event for the future. After the event, officials confirmed that the majority of the 2.3-mile race circuit will be repaved later this summer, ensuring that Belle Isle will become one of the top street circuits in motorsports and that visitors to the island park will benefit from the improvements year round.

For more information on the Grand Prix throughout the year, visit detroitgp.com.