IRL adds Detroit street race

The Detroit race is to take place on 2nd September next year.

"This is a great day for the city of Detroit as the Motor City welcomes back one of its exciting summertime events," said Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick.

"Detroit has a rich history of being one of the nation's best sports towns and excels at hosting large scale events like the Grand Prix."

The IRL's expansion onto road and street courses in recent years has proved highly successful, and there was disappointment amongst teams when no additional non-oval events were added to the 2006 schedule.

Detroit becomes the second street race on the IRL calendar, alongside the St. Petersburg round scheduled for April.

The Champ Car World Series raced on the tight Belle Isle track from 1990 to 2001, having previously held a one-off race on the downtown street track that hosted Formula One in the 1980s.

Championship winning team boss Roger Penske is chairman of the Downtown Detroit Partnership and a primemover in the Detroit race's revival.

"We saw with the Super Bowl earlier this year that large events can be the catalyst to move other projects forward in the city," said Penske.

"Unlike past race events in Detroit, money earned from the Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix events will go back into a fund earmarked for Belle Isle Park improvements and maintenance for residents to enjoy year round."