Rallycross flying cars ready to land on Belle Isle

Ken Block's car flies over a jump during a Red Bull Rallycross event in Daytona Beach, Fla., on June 19.(Photo: Larry Chen/Red Bull Content Pool)

Belle Isle will be jumping next weekend.

Cars will fly through the air and roar around the James Scott Memorial Fountain, kicking up dirt in some spots.

The fun and games on the island July 25-26 will be provided by the Red Bull Global Rallycross folks, who are finally coming to the Motor City to race. The races will be televised live on NBC.

Last year, the series was advertised to visit Detroit, but as the organization's chief operating officer Chip Pankow explained to me Thursday, "the timing was just not right — we thought we were in better shape than we were at that point of the season."

My info was that the Detroit City Council wasn't prepared to hand out building permits for the 2014 event, which I believe was scheduled for a parking lot near the RenCen.

But Pankow says he is delighted with the city and the Department of Natural Resources' response to the series coming to town next week.

"We've worked closely with the DNR to create a good track (at Belle Isle)," Pankow said Thursday. "We are keeping the access to the island open for people to still be able to drive around the perimeter roads, so they can go about their business.

"We will be racing around the paddock area and fountain. It is a .74-mile course that allows traffic access to the island to be unaffected. Our front straightaway will be pit road."

Earlier this summer, the Verizon IndyCar Series made its annual visit to Belle Isle for the Chevrolet Detroit Belle Isle Grand Prix. The weekend was wet and stormy, and some passenger cars got stuck in the mud on grass parking lots outside the race course.

It brought howls of protest from residents, who accused the Grand Prix of scarring the park's lawns, though race officials quickly repaired the damage.

Pankow said the Red Bull Global Rallycross doubleheader July 25-26 would not disrupt local traffic on the island or damage the environment.

"We expect a crowd of around 6,000 and we are parking everyone off the island," he explained. "We'll be shuttling them to Belle Isle. We want to be good neighbors and leave no negative footprints behind."

Red Bull will even support outside events like weddings and other happenings on the island, said Pankow, and offer 500 park passports free of charge to locals.

"We want to make considerable contributions to the park," Pankow said. "Not create problems."

So, what is Red Bull Global Rallycross?

It's a frenetic new race series on tarmac and dirt that includes jumps, a tight road course and side-by-side racing, delivered by incredibly powerful and nimble Ford Fiesta STs, VW Beetles, a Chevy Sonic and Subaru WRX STI entries.

Just four years old, RBGR "is fast-paced, dynamic, and definitely a contact sport," explained Pankow. "These cars accelerate quicker from zero to 60 than a Formula One car. The races are six-lap heats and 10-lap finals. The fans can get close to the action. There's a lot of bump-and-run."

The drivers — who are they?

"Rally greats like Ken Block, Tanner Frost and Pat Moro," Pankow said. "And former F1 drivers such as Nelson Piquet Jr. and Scott Speed, plus motocross pioneer Brian Deegan. I think the platform works well. It's pretty democratic."

Construction on the RBGR track will start Monday on Belle Isle. Teams will unload in the paddock area used by IndyCar on Thursday, with practice and qualifying set for Friday.

Over the weekend, gates to the track will open at 10 a.m., while racing in the form of heats, last-chance qualifiers and finals will run through early to late afternoon.

RBGR events also are held at Daytona International Speedway, Washington D.C., Los Angeles, Barbados and Las Vegas.

"We are a compact, very portable series," Pankow said. "We set up and break down relatively quickly."

So why Detroit?

"It's the Motor City," Pankow said. "It's an important market for our partners. We believe in Detroit and want to be part of its comeback."

Pankow and RBGR are targeting an 18-34 age audience.

"It's a younger demographic than most other motorsports," Pankow said. "When we started, it was mainly male. Now we are seeing more women at the races and young families. We think the racing fits their DNA. It's a bit different, quite extreme."

What should fans be watching for at Belle Isle next weekend?

"Our signature jump," Pankow said. "We call it the table-top jump. It will be set up between Turns 5 and 6 on the track. The cars will fly about 70 feet."

Contact Mike Brudenell: mbrudenell@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mikebrudenell.

Rally sport

What: Red Bull Global Rallycross (doubleheader).

When: July 25-26. Gates open at 10 a.m. each day. Races start at 12:15 p.m.

TV:NBC (Channel 4 in Detroit) — 2-3 p.m. July 25; 4:30-6 p.m. July 26.

Where: Belle Isle Park.

Who: Drivers include Tanner Foust, Ken Block, Nelson Piquet Jr., Pat Moro, Steve Arpin, Scott Speed, and Austin Dyne.

Cars: Ford Fiestas, VW Beetles, Chevy Sonics and Subaru in Supercar and GRC Lites classes.

Teams: Include Chip Ganassi Racing, Andretti Rallycross and Bryan Herta Motorsports.

Tickets: General admission $35 Saturday and Sunday ($60 if you buy both days); preferred seating $120 both Saturday and Sunday.

More info: redbullglobalrallycross.com.

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