Thursday, June 11, 2015

Ready to Race @HondaIndy Toronto 2015

The weekend IndyCar race is all safely tucked into bed, ready for tomorrows start of the motorsport June 12-14 festival. The grandstands and suites are setup, the paddocks are full of big rigs and IndyCar teams, tents are hung around the chimney with care, in the hopes that Molson Coors will be there.
On the final day before the big event Charlie Johnstone of the Honda Indy Toronto and IndyCar driver Graham Rahal appear before the media for the initial press conference. Among the announcements was the news that Canadian Driver James Hinchcliffe, injured in the recent Indy 500 race, will be Toronto's Grand Marshal.
Pit row is now full of tires and team equipment
Graham Rahal and Charlie Johnstone at the opening press conference

Charlie talked about the challenge of the expansion of BMO Field, the extensive construction required for the Pan Am Beach Volleyball fields and the hotel construction which impacted the layout of the Honda Indy. As well as moving the race from its traditional spot in July to the mid-June date, the upcoming Pan Am Games require the race course to be dismantled and off site in a very short period - a task which will require three crews and a lot of coordination. Also mentioned was the change from the double header IndyCar race to the single IndyCar race on Sunday. Graham acknowledged that the double header was a fan favourite but tough on the teams as they have been going straight out for several weeks already, he said Detroit was brutal.
Panorama from the Dr Pepper Grandstand

Graham Rahal has finished on the podium in three out of the last four races and hopes to continue his success in Toronto - a track that allows for a zero margin of error. He was taken out of last years race after contact with Will Power and in 2012 he took himself out after making a mistake. However, that is what makes it fun and challenging in Toronto - "one of the best places to race".
Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing team co-owned by Bobby Rahal, David Letterman and Mike Lanigan. Hopefully we will catch a glimpse of David Letterman this weekend.
Drivers and their teams traveled around the 2.84 km, 11-turn temporary street course through Exhibition Stadium and along Lake Shore Boulevard on foot and in golf carts or tuggers, inspecting the surfaces and imperfections that will prove challenging at high speeds. The half hour Track Walk was the final on-track event for the day, except for Scott Dixon's unveiling of his Jurassic World paint scheme for his number 9 car.
Scott Dixon shows off his Jurassic World #9 car

On track events for today included event car rides, SST Media Rides and the Track Walk. Tomorrow (June 12 - free Fan Friday) is full of practices and the official drivers party, while the major qualifications and some of the series races starting on Saturday. The main event pre-race starts at 2:35pm on Sunday, June 14 with the green flag dropping at 3:30pm.

The drivers have this weekend to race before getting a break in their 10 weeks of back to back racing. Teams and support load ins start on Tuesday and continue for two days. One of the first to arrive is the IndyCar Sanctioning Body, followed by the IndyCar Manufacturer crews. Thursday has many of the event car rides, including the famous two seat IndyCar, along with SST Media Rides.

Indy Lights Cooper Tires Grand Pris of Toronto Powered by Mazda has 11 drivers scheduled to race over the weekend. The track record for the fastest race lap to date is 98.700 mph with a time of 1:04.0124 on July 10, 2011 by Esteban Guerrieri.

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