The Lotus rode the bumpy street circuit far better than the competition allowing Senna to take care of his tyres and cruise to a 33-second victory over the Williams FW11B of Nelson Piquet with reigning world champion Alain Prost finishing third in his McLaren MP4/3.

Poleman Nigel Mansell, the only driver ever to lap the 4.023 km (2.5 mi) Detroit circuit in under 1:40 during qualifying, led the race until his stop for tyres, but soon after began to fall away with cramp in his right leg making it hard to push the brake pedal.

The win in Monaco three weeks before had proven that Lotus's new system worked, and on the bumpy Detroit circuit, it was even more of an advantage.

Superior tyre wear allowed Senna to run the entire race without stopping, and he came home over half a minute ahead of the Williams-Honda of eventual Driver's Champion Nelson Piquet.

In the final session, Senna briefly took the top spot, but Mansell took it back and ended up more than a second quicker for his fourth pole in five races on the season.

Suddenly, Senna felt his brake pedal go soft entering a turn and he narrowly avoided hitting the wall.

Primarily concerned about staying ahead of Alboreto, Senna got a break when the Ferrari F1/87's gearbox failed on lap 25, handing third place to Prost.

The Lotus crew emerged in the pit lane for a time as if preparing for a stop, but it became clear that the Brazilian was not in fact coming in.

It never became an issue, however, as the rain started to fall after the finish, with Senna crossing the line thirty-three seconds ahead.

Senna said that his tyres were able to last the entire distance for two reasons: the laps he slowed to cool the brakes, and the smooth ride given by the active suspension.