This weekend is the big race on Belle Isle. The Chevrolet Detroit Grand Prix presented by Lear roars into action for the last time on the island before shifting gears and heading to the streets of downtown Detroit next year.
Roman De Angelis, a driver from just across the Detroit River in Windsor, will be behind the wheel for the Heart of Racing team, and will be speeding around the track in an Aston Martin.
“Live In The D Host” Jason Carr got a chance to catch up with him before the big race.
De Angelis started his career by racing go-karts at 9 years old and moved on to racing cars at age 14.
Last year, De Angelis won the Belle Isle Grand Prix and described the race as “a street course, but it’s a very high-speed street course.” Since the track is temporary, it is lined with concrete barriers instead of grass, making the whole race higher risk. This also makes it more difficult to pass other drivers.
The easiest part of any race, according to De Angelis, is the straight runs. This allows them to relax a bit and check their equipment. The high-speed turns with their multiple G’s of downforce make the turns very exhilarating.
When asked if he is looking forward to the Grand Prix leaving the island, and coming to downtown Detroit next year, he says he is. As a Windsor native, he loves coming to Detroit about once a week to go out to dinner or see a sports game. He will, however, miss the nostalgia of being on the island, having watched and participated in many races there.
For the full interview, watch the video above.
Don’t forget to watch Friday at 10 AM when Live In The D goes live from the island to show you all the fun ahead of the big race.