The Detroit Grand Prix makes a historic return to the downtown streets of the Motor City this weekend.
The first driver to ever win a Grand Prix in Detroit, 40 years ago, will lead festivities at the event.
In 1982, ex-Formula One racer John Watson drove his McLaren from the back of the field of cars to claim victory in the very first Detroit Grand Prix.
This time Watson is Grand Marshall of the Grand Prix, held again on downtown streets known to be hard to pass cars on -- even for his teammate back in 1982, the late three-time World Champion Niki Lauda.
Watson said, “Niki had been stuck behind two other cars lap after lap after lap. Silly old me comes up…passes Niki into Turn One…passes Eddie Cheever into Turn Six…passes Didier Pironi then in Turn Eight. And Niki goes ‘Oh! Oh! You CAN overtake!’ And then he went past them as well. But he sat behind them for goodness knows how many laps.”
Watson also drove for Detroit-based Roger Penske’s short-lived Formula One team in 1976…and earned the last win ever by an American team in the global racing series.