Why does IndyCar's Detroit GP circuit have an unusual double-sided pit lane?

The Detroit street circuit, which hosts the Detroit GP in the IndyCar series, has one of the most unusual features of any track on the current calendar: a double-sided pit lane. But why does the street course have such a unique pit lane design, where half the cars pit on the right side, while the other half pit on the left?

The Detroit GP has been a regular feature on the IndyCar calendar ever since 1989, but it has not always been held in downtown Detroit. In 1992, the venue for the race was shifted to Belle Isle Park, where it remained until 2022.

The event returned to the Renaissance Center in 2023, but rebuilding a track in the middle of a city came with its challenges, one of which was the pit lane. Due to space constraints, the organizers had to design a compact paddock and pit lane area.

This included the double-sided pit lane, which came about because there simply wasn't enough space to build a 1,000-foot pit lane in the middle of the city. Speaking in 2023, the Detroit GP's chairman, Bud Decker, explained the reasoning behind the decision to have a double-sided pit lane.

"The problem was there wasn’t 1,000 feet of pit lane, we have 500 feet. So what do we do? For the first time ever, the fans are going to see a dual pit lane where cars will come in and some will pit to the right and some will pit to the left," said Decker [via Detroit Grand Prix on YouTube].

“At the end of pit lane they’ll all come together in a single file and find their way back to the race track," he added [0:13 onwards].

The organizers of the event have turned a car park into a wider-than-usual pit lane, with a narrow central road, and teams stationed on both the left and right, depending on their team’s allocated box.

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Who won the 2024 Detroit GP?

Scott Dixon after winning the 2024 Detroit GP - Source: Imagn

Scott Dixon claimed victory at the previous edition of the Detroit GP in 2024, as he held out Marcus Ericsson to claim his 58th career win. The 6x IndyCar series champion won amid a race of numerous incidents, crashes, and caution laps, highlighting the gruesome nature of the Detroit street track.

The 2024 Detroit GP was a start-and-stop affair, with 47 of the first 73 laps coming under the caution. This was down to multiple crashes due to the bumpy, narrow, and tight nature of the track, as well as a spell of rain.

Dixon even shared the struggles of racing at the Detroit street course after the race, saying:

"You are on confined streets, it is really tough if you make any kind of mistake." [via Detroit Free Press]

A similar race could well be expected this time around in Detroit, due to the nature of the track, as well as the unconventional pit lane, which has also been a constant source of confusion for the drivers, who are used to a long and one-sided pit lane in usual circumstances.