One of the most physically, mentally, and mechanically punishing tracks in F1 history, this downtown Detroit street circuit never failed to break less than half the cars in the grid. In 1984, on a dry track, only 6 of the 26 drivers on the grid finished the race, and of those six, one drove the last dozen or so laps with no second gear. With a rough, narrow, deteriorating asphalt surface between concrete walls with no runoff, Detroit was the great equalizer of the F1 calendar, where concentration, endurance, and reliability were more important than sheer speed.
F1: 1982-1988
CART: 1989-1991
Trans-Am: 1984-1991
My version of the track is a modern day recreation that differs in the main straight and first three corners. Detroit did a bit of urban renewal along the riverfront about 10 years ago and the main straight has been “beautified”. I kept it as true to the original as would be possible today by moving that part of the track a block inland. Elevation changes were pulled from Google Earth, so probably not real accurate but at least a reasonable facsimile. One arbitrary change is that I moved the start/finish line further back along the main straight to increase the effect of a car’s quarter mile performance and reduce the effect of a car’s speed through the chicane, because America.
In honor of the horrific track conditions back in the 80’s and Detroit’s generally crappy roads, the “sportiness” of the track is 5 everywhere. That means that you’ll need a car with high tameness to be fast here, and with so many slow corners and long straights you’ll also want plenty of power-to-weight. Muscle cars ought to do well here.
3.9 km, counter clockwise circuit, predominantly flat but with 6m of elevation change. Encloses General Motors corporate HQ.
Streets of Detroit.zip (1.7 MB)
Either way, this looks like a very good layout!