David Cubbedge: 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988
The Detroit GP was an interesting episode in F1 history. The venue certainly had an identity all its own with the RenCen towering above all. I saw a bit of a qualifying session from a room about 20 floors up once, that was neat. The track had a character that either drivers liked (if they won) or detested (if they hit the concrete). The years at Detroit were marked with a run of winners who weren't necessarily the ones who were winning elsewhere, at least until Senna came along. Of course, he loved the track, scoring a hat-trick of marvelous wins for Lotus and McLaren. Accessibility was always excellent with the drivers more than available for autographs and photos. This was enhanced by the pit lane walkabout that cost a minimal amount and brought you right up next to Ferraris and the like. I took a picture there of a smiling Alex Caffi with his arm around my very pregnant (ex) wife! Blackmail! It was something that could never happen in Europe as the drivers are treated like gods there and must protect themselves from the media and fans. Things were so relaxed that I own a race program from 1988, the final year, with autographs from all of the drivers except a few. All the big ones, for sure; Prost, Piquet, Senna, Mansell, Berger (twice), Arnoux, Capelli, Streiff, Ghinzani, etc. Also other race luminaries like Jackie Stewart (who patiently answered every question I could ask as we walked together from the Westin to the track!), Denis Jenkinson, Patrick Tambay, Chris Economaki...I'll bet that program will be worth mucho dollars someday!
We would meet at the Cobo Arena bar after qualifying on Saturday every year to have a few drinks and then go walk through the F1 garage, which came with our grandstand seats. There we could watch pretty much inhibited from obstacles the whole process of F1 car rebuilding. All except McLaren, who set up shop in a tall partitioned area and carried out their work in partial secrecy. Drivers were usually there at that time, some even in their civvies already, and it was here that the best souvenirs were purchased. Some teams offered T-shirts and I even remember the Lotus team selling JPS jackets for a couple hundred dollars.
The best race was in 1985 where Keke Rosberg won after hurling a wrench left in the cockpit at his pit crew during a frantic pit stop. The Ferraris were 2nd and 3rd, which greatly pleased the gentleman seated next to me in the stand. His name was Giuseppe Pezzotti, a college teacher in culinary arts at Cornell, and we struck up a friendship during the 1984 event that saw us always buy tickets together and enjoy the race weekend in true Grand Prix international splendor. Giuseppe and I also attended the 1986 Canadian race together and it allowed me to spend some time at his home in Ithaca to sample some of his cooking! Magnifico!
Mike Johansson: 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986
I attended my first GP, Detroit 1982, at the age of 14. Until that point, I had never really gotten into GP racing, but knew all about Indy. My parents took me down for the free day on Friday, and from the moment I heard the cars screaming engines echo off of the buildings, I was hooked. I attended in '83 and '84, but '85 was the big one, I went all 3 days by myself. I was in heaven. A 3-day grandstand ticket, garage pass and probably 6 months' worth of grocery store bag-boy money in my pocket. I got my copy of Autocourse signed by almost all of the drivers, they had to walk about 100 yards through the general admission area from the paddock to the pits, so they were "fair game". Following the race on Sunday, I bought a front wing endplate from the Minardi mechanics for $10.00 that I still have to this day. It's hanging on the wall next to other F1 collectables whose prices make me long for the good old "cheap" days. I did not attend another GP, due to my dad getting transferred to Atlanta for 12 years.
The first Grand Prix I ever attended was Detroit in 1986. My cousins and I were supposed to get special passes to take us anywhere around the track, but since I was only 15, I was not old enough to get the pass. However, my cousins were very good at getting me to the places I needed to go.
For the first practice session, I stood on an overpass near Cobo Hall. I heard this rumbling in the distance. Thinking it was thunder, I looked into the sky, but when I noticed the sky was clear, I realised it was the cars coming! Just then, Nigel Mansell and Nelson Piquet appeared from underneath the overpass in an earth-shaking roar!
I could not believe the noise. My teeth rattled and my toenails shook! Along with the noise, two other things struck me — how colourful the cars were and how fast they went! Television does not do justice to any of these three sensations!
The entire weekend was brilliant! With my cousin's passes, I was able to get into the pits. I had my picture taken with Jackie Stewart and got his autograph. I stood near Senna, Piquet, Prost, Mansell, Johansson, but I was too scared to say anything to any of them! It was a real thrill.
For 1987, we returned to Detroit. With suitable ID saying I was 18, I was able to get the great passes that allowed me pit access and track access "between the fences." The remarkable thing about that race was watching my early hero, Nelson Piquet. Piquet had a puncture early in the race which left him dead last. At the end of the race he had climbed to 2nd, one of the most remarkable performances I have ever seen!
