Honda Indy Toronto 2018 Track Build

Friday, June 22, 2018

Honda Indy Toronto 2018 Track Build

Update July 12, 2018: The race officially opens tomorrow and the fun begins. IndyCar drivers meet the media on Thursday.
Update July 10, 2018: Grandstands and 90% of blocks/fencing is up. The start line is being painted and some asphalt is being placed around the track and the tire barriers are being placed. The IndyCar paddocks in the Enercare Centre are still empty. Road closures start at midnite tonite to put in the finishing barriers on Lake Shore Boulevard West.

Pit out

Princes' Blvd

Painting start line

Tire barriers at Princes' Gates

Back to the original post: Putting together the Streets of Toronto track while minimizing the impact to traffic is no easy feat, yet the construction crews do it year after year. Most of the track on Lake Shore Boulevard is setup, Turn 3 grandstand is up (photo at top), within Exhibition Place the blocks are over 50% are in place - just needing fencing to be installed and the pit lane stands are under construction with grandstand 10 complete.

Festival Map

Turn 6 near the Princess Margaret Fountain is half built

Turn 3: 360 degree photo. For these photos hold your mouse over the picture, left click and you will be able to scroll around the photo in all directions.

Pit Lane and grandstand 10

The Trackside Suite on the inside of Turn 11 under construction

Kilometers of fence and concrete block are placed as Honda Indy Toronto grandstands take shape along the route. They have to be ready by race weekend which is mid July. And they have made steady progress from their mid June start.

"Track construction of the 2.89 km (1.786 miles), 11-turn temporary street circuit has begun inside the Exhibition Place grounds for next month’s Honda Indy Toronto. The final racing layout will once again feature four left and seven right turns running clockwise direction.

Lake Shore Boulevard

Turn 5 near BMO Field

Turn 5: 360 degree photo

Coming into Turn 8 near the GO Station

Turn 8: 360 degree photo

Turn 9 between BMO Field and the Horse Palace

Led by Jim Tario, Director of Track Operations, who has built the Toronto circuit for 30 years, approximately 200 expert crew members will assist in completing the project with much of the work happening at night.

“Each year the crew gets more efficient with the construction and tear down process. The logistics of night construction comes at a greater cost to us, but the time savings is significant in completing the track build,” said Jeff Atkinson, president of Honda Indy Toronto. “We transform the streets into a world-class race track while showcasing the beauty of our city to a worldwide TV. In total over 2,050 blocks made using more than 10 million pounds of concrete will be positioned. Fencing spanning 14,000 feet made from 410,000 pounds of steel will be erected, and over 1,600 feet of tire wall barriers will line the course.

Track tear down will begin immediately upon conclusion of racing activity. Crews also work at night on this process to avoid daytime traffic."