Canadian IndyCar News

Paul Tracy pictured above finds a ride with Jay Penske's Dragon Racing Team. His contract allows for five races including the Edmonton and Toronto Indy runs. On April 2nd Paul tweets "All the hard word has paid off , I have a 5 race deal with jay penske dragon racing" Paul joins Montreal driver Alex Tagliani at the 2010 Honda Indy Toronto Street Party, below. Alex will be in the 2011 race.

Alex Tagliani and Paul Tracy.

Firestone Indy Lights Winners at 2009 Toronto's Honda Indy (James at right)

And Indy Lights Championship Runner-up and Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe will drive with the IRL, racing in North America which includes our own Honda Indy Toronto race.

In the pits during practice.

And remember it's not all open wheel cars and bud girls.

Honda Indy Toronto - the fun begins

The weekend of on track excitement has started and I attended a press conference with Danica Patrick. She wanted to try something different and because she had the opportunity she jumped into stockcars with Nascar.

Danica will race about 15 Nascar races in addition to the IRL series. It takes some getting used to and she said an old coach told her that it doesn't have to be pretty - it just has to be fast. NASCAR has more passing so she says it is more fun than IRL.

When asked about the impact of being a celebrity she says she stays true to herself without causing too much drama.

At 9:55 am the drivers got out onto the track for one of the IZOD IndyCar Practices. One driver ended up against the wall and busted off his rear wing. It was Takuma Sato. Here is Marco Andretti relaxing after a morning practice run and later during the race.

The earlier rain stopped before the practice and the fans are taking advantage of the Friday free admission. The Firestone Indy Lights teams are on the track right now and at 12:30pm the Nascar Canadian Tire series begin their practice.

See more photos of Saturday's practice runs after the jump.

Paul Tracy in Toronto for Honda Indy Toronto Race

Paul Tracy is at Yonge-Dundas Square signing autographs and meeting fans as part of the Honda Indy Toronto off track events. His race suit will be on site around 1:00pm today – for a donation to the Make A Wish Foundation you can sign the suit he will use in the IRL race in the streets of Toronto this weekend. UPDATE: Paul ended up finishing in 13th place.

Paul also went on the Pit Stop Challenge stage with host Erik Tomas of Raceline Radio. Members of the media are battling it out for the champion tire changer and Toronto Sun sports columnist Dean McNulty took part in the event.

There are numerous sponsors on site promoting the race and you can go in the Schick Hydro submarine to get a free Hydro 5 razor, Dr Pepper was on hand offering free drink samples and the Blue Jays had some people handing out towels and they also had a baseball throwing booth.

Later tonite the NASCAR drivers will show up for an autograph session which starts at 5:00pm.

Honda Indy Toronto in Yonge-Dundas Square

The first major Honda Indy Toronto off track event starts today (Tuesday, July 13) at 12:00pm in the Yonge-Dundas Square. Work crews started setup early in the morning and even NASCAR Canadian Tire Series star J.R. Fitzpatrick is there with his #84 Schick Hydro stock car, seen here pushing his car into position for the event.

The IndyCar used for the Pit Stop Challenge is still waiting to be assembled for the Media Tire Change Challenge.

Here is a schedule of today's events.

12:00pm-8:00pm Yonge-Dundas Square Honda Indy Toronto Kick-off Party
12:00pm-8:00pm Sponsors, Indy Racing League, and Honda Indy Toronto activities
12:00pm-2:00pm Honda Media Tire Change Challenge
5:00pm-6:00pm NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Autograph session

Honda Indy Toronto - this is the week!

The sights, sounds and smells of the Honda Indy Toronto will come to life starting this Friday at the CNE grounds. The high pitched whine of the Honda V-8 high performance engines and the smell of burning rubber and ethanol fuel will remind everyone that the Honda Indy Toronto is in town. The sights include the beautiful women that make the weekend complete, including the Hooter's girls (Hooters' tent near turn 10) and the bevy of Bud girls. The final Bud Pit Crew Girl search pageant is Saturday at 3:45pm in the Budweiser Winners' Circle (near turn 9 and you can see the finalists here). General Admission for the weekend costs only $52 while grandstands range from $106 to $423. I will be there all weekend blogging and posting photos of the action so don't forget to check back often.

The race weekend excitement starts the morning of Friday, July 16 at 7:45am with a practice by the Canadian Tire Touring Cars and ends on Sunday, July 18 at 4:30pm with the finish of the Acura Sports Car Challenge Trans-Am Race. The 85 lap IRL main race is on Sunday from 12:45 to 3:00pm. Friday usually has the lowest attendance with many people attending only on the weekend and especially on the Sunday. This Friday should have more people due to the free entrance provided by the Honda Indy Toronto Dealers Association (seats are first come - first served).

The races include the IZOD IndyCar Series, the Firestone Indy Lights Series, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, the Acura Sports Car Challenge, the Castrol Canadian Touring Car Championship and the SCCA Pro-Racing Trans-Am Series.  It doesn't look like there will be any motorcycles races or demonstrations this year.

The current top 10 IndyCar drivers are 1. Will Power, 2. Dario Franchitti (last year's Toronto winner), 3. Scott Dixon, 4. Ryan Briscoe, 5. Helio Castroneves, 6. Ryan Hunter-Reay, 7. Tony Kanaan, 8. Justin Wilson, 9. Dan Wheldon and 10. Marco Andretti. There are 126 points seperating the first and tenth place drivers. Crowd favourite Danica Patrick is 11th, Canadians Alex Tagliani is 14th and Paul Tracy is 33rd. IRL intends to announce the design of future IndyCars on July 14 in Indianapolis

It is great that stock car racing is returning to this event - the old CASCAR series used to be included in the race weekend. CASCAR was purchased by NASCAR and became the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series and they have moved it's Quebec race into the Toronto Honda Indy. One of my favourite drivers is Andrew Ranger who is splitting his time between the Canadian Tire Series and the American K&N Pro Series East and will join other great drivers like DJ Kenington, JR Fitzpatrick and Scott Steckly.

I love a street course more than an oval so Toronto's 11 turns and 2.84km/1.755 miles circuit is just perfect for me - here is a link to the official track map. Thunder Alley along Lakeshore Boulevard will see the fastest speeds of around 300km/h and it takes about one minute to complete one lap of the course.

A lot of the fun happens off the track in the Direct Energy Centre and along Thunder Alley, across Gasoline Alley and the Pizza Pizza Family Zone with driver autographs, concerts and other entertainment. The Paddock has been moved west closer to BMO field. Speculation remains about who will be the Grand Marshal for this race - last year it was Gene Simmons of Kiss.

Entertainment and special event schedule from Wednesday, July 14, 2010.


WEDNESDAY 14th: 12:30-2:00pm Alex Tagliani unveils the #77 Hot Wheels Race Car at Yonge-Dundas Square.

THURSDAY 15th: 6:00-8:00pm Race to the Party - IndyCar drivers and hosts Jamie Little and Matte Babel present a street party at a location still to be announced. This will include the great Canadian Pit Stop Challenge Montreal (Alex Tagliani) and Toronto (Paul Tracy). LA based Rival Sons will perform.

From 8:30pm is the Race to the Party After Party at the Dolce Social Ballroom (647 King Street) hosted by Paul Tracy and Alex Tagliani and joined by many other IndyCar drivers. The red carpet starts at 8:30pm.

FRIDAY 16th: 6:00pm IndyCar Series Driver's Party at C Lounge (456 Wellington Street) where you can meet and greet the drivers. C Lounge will also host the Driver's After Party as well.

SATURDAY 17th: 3:45pm Bud Girl Pit Crew Pageant.

SUNDAY 18th:

Honda Indy Toronto 2010 Schedule

Update July 12: Check out my blog post for information on special events including the Driver's Party.

The Honda Indy Toronto has announced their 2010 schedule for the race weekend - remember that Friday is free entrance. The week leading up to the race is full of events off site. On Tues and Wed July 13 and 14 the events will be at Yonge-Dundas Square, Thurs July 15 is the Run, Walk 'n Wheelathon and later in the day there is an autograph session at Bay Eatons Centre. You know we are getting close when the Thunder Alley stands are in place and the barriers on Lakeshore are almost complete (above) and turn 9 needs a little streetlight removal (below).

The on and off track schedule, with gate times, is shown after the jump.

Prepping for the Honda Indy Toronto

Construction crews have started setting up the grandstands and will start on the road construction works getting ready for the 2010 Honda Indy Toronto. Soon the worn start/finish line will be repainted and ready for the summer's IRL race through the streets of Exhibition Place and onto Lakeshore Boulevard.

From the race website "The track build is sponsored by Mike, No Ordinary Phone, as part of its Built by Mike program for Honda Indy Toronto. The TELUS Mike Network will be providing wireless Motorola Push To Talk handsets for the duration of the track’s construction, and will hold a Built by Mike Fun Facts contest to win tickets to Honda Indy Toronto through its website: www.BuiltByMikeChallenge.com."

Honda Indy Toronto 2010 coming in July

Update July 12, 2010: For information on the Honda Indy Toronto special events including the Driver's Party check out my blog post here. You can also see my coverage of the 2010 race on my blog post here.

Let's get the party started - In about a month and a half the CNE will come alive with the sound, smell and action of the Honda Indy Toronto on Friday, July 16 to Sunday, July 18. The three days will be jam packed with cars, girls, beer and other activities so drop by their site and keep an eye out for the proposed schedule of events. We do know that the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be joining the IZOD Indycar Series and Firestone Indy Lights racing during the weekend. The Indy Racing League (IRL) race starts at 12:30pm on Sunday, July 18, 2010.

In 2009 the schedule had the gates opening at 8am and the days ending at 6pm Friday and Saturday and 8am to 5pm on the final day - Sunday.

Attendance at Indy races, like the Honda Indy Toronto, are a concern and they need to ramp up the marketing and advertising. It really is a good deal of entertainment for the buck so I do recommend coming out to the races. (UPDATE June 2: My friends at the Toronto Star have announced that Friday's admission will be on the Ontario Honda Dealers Association.)

Some of the events coming up ahead of the race include the following.

Annual Drivers’ Party.
Pit Crew Girl Search (Budweiser).

Media Pit Stop Challenge (Honda) - this was at Yonge-Dundas Square last year.
Autograph signing sessions (numerous sponsors).
Public celebration at Yonge and Dundas Square during race week.
Shoot For A Cure teams up with the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation for the second annual Honda Indy Toronto Walk Run ‘N Wheel-a-thon, to be held in downtown Toronto on Thursday, July 15, 2010 in support of spinal cure research.

I also noticed that David Letterman is one of the owners of the Graham Rahal car so maybe we will be lucky and see David in Toronto this year.

There are also a lot of sponsors on board with promotion plans such as.

Green Savoree Toronto, owners of the Honda Indy Toronto, Honda, Ontario Honda Dealers Association, Budweiser, Schick, Telus, Motorola, Dr Pepper, Mattel Canada, Pizza Pizza, Delta Chelsea Hotel, the Toronto Sun, the Ontario Government, Tourism Toronto, PHD, Grip and Torchia Communications. Honda, Budweiser and Dr Pepper are planning themed promotions.

The League has 11 more races in the season and Toronto is only 4 races away. The latest race was the May 30th Indianapolis 500 which was won by Dario Franchitti, winer of the 2009 Honda Toronto Indy (picture at top) as well as the 2009 Indycar Series Champion. The remaining schedule is as follows.

Saturday, June 12 Texas Motor Speedway, oval
Sunday, June 20 Iowa Speedway, oval
Sunday, July 4 Watkins Glen International, road course
Sunday, July 18 Streets of Toronto, street course
Sunday, July 25 Edmonton City Centre Airport, airport course
Sunday, August 8 Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, road course
Sunday, August 22 Infineon Raceway, road course
Saturday, August 28 Chicagoland Speedway, oval
Labor Day Weekend Kentucky Speedway, oval
Saturday, September 18Twin Ring Motegi, oval
Saturday, October 2 Homestead-Miami Speedway, oval



The current standings show Will Power (above) in the lead followed by the rest of top five: Dario Franchitti,

Scott Dixon,

Helio Castroneves

and Ryan Hunter-Reay.

Ryan was involved in an accident with Mike Conway during the Indy 500 and the pictures of Mike's car flipping into the air and running along the fence are amazing. IRL says "Mike Conway will miss at least three months of the IZOD IndyCar Series season after having surgery the evening of May 30 to repair fractures to his lower left leg suffered in the white flag lap crash in the Indianapolis 500 earlier in the day.

Indy Racing League Director of Medical Services Dr. Michael Olinger said Conway, of England, also has a soft tissue injury to his lower left leg and he is expected to have another surgical procedure later this week. Additionally, Conway has a compression fracture of one of his thoracic vertebrae and is being fitted for a back brace, which he will wear for three months." Here is a picture of Mike.



Canadians Alex Tagliani is 11th in the standings while Paul Tracy (below) has no points at this time. It was announced that Paul will race in both the Honda Indy Toronto and the Edmonton Indy, sponsored by Honda and supporting the Make-a-Wish Foundation.



Danica Patrick sits at 12th place and has been taking a public beating after discussing her car and her dislike of street courses - I still can't wait to see her race. She started out in the 23rd position yesterday and ended up finishing the race in 6th place.

IZOD Indycar Action - Live Streaming

Sunday April 11 brings the Indycar series and it's third race of the season to Alabama (the land of Dixie).

Here is the remaining schedule for Alabama.

Qualifying Session
Sat, April 10th
10:20am - 11:50am ET
Warm Up
Sun, April 11th
9:40am - 10:10am ET

Indy Grand Prix of
Alabama presented by
Legacy Credit Union
Sun, April 11th
3:00pm ET

Don't forget to register (it's free) and sign in to the IZOD Indycar website Race Control and watch free live video streaming of the Indycar racing action during the season. The video is crisp, clean and colourful. I was just watching Dan Wheldon and his National Guard car spin off the track into the sand pit during qualifying.

IndyCar - Looking at new car designs

The IZOD IndyCar Series is looking at redesigning their racecars and are getting some public input into their proposals and because they valued my opinion (thanks guys) I got a chance to review some of the models. One of the new concept vehicles (pictured above) reminds me of an F22 Raptor - it would be interesting to see these cars screaming around the CNE in Toronto's annual Honda Indy races.

The following pictures are some of the race cars at the 2009 Toronto Honda Indy.




This is why they are thinking of changes "The Indy Racing League recently announced objectives for its next generation of the IZOD IndyCar Series chassis - safe, raceable, cost-effective, domestically-built, less mass/more efficient, relevant technology, modern look, and green. We believe these attributes define the sanctioning body's goals in developing the next iconic car as part of the bright future of our sport."

Canadian Motorsports Expo - Paul Tracy

The last time I saw Paul Tracy's car it was hoisted in the air being carried by a tow truck in the IRL Honda Indy Toronto event, bringing his latest run in the open wheel cars to a crashing halt. As I recall the crowd booed the driver that ran him into the track barriers.

Paul has always had a loyal following of fans and many were at the Canadian Motorsports Expo for his Q&A and autograph session at the Toronto International Centre.

First up for the day was a live interview onsite with Raceline Radio.



Then Paul was shown to a few of his cars which were being displayed in the show.




Next Paul went to the Canadian Tire podium where he fielded questions and then sat down to sign hats, shirts, cars and anything else people brought up to him. Paul was upfront with his major issue - he needs the sponsors to be able to get a seat at the racing table. He noted that the costs of open wheel racing is up and the exposure is down. Asked about possible NASCAR races he said his current focus is putting together an Indy program. Here he is on the podium in front of the large crowd.



Of course there was more than just Indy or NASCAR at the expo. A number of racetracks were represented such as Mosport and Delaware Speedway.



The different types of races in the show included motorcycles, speedboats, dirt racers and late model, NCTS, raleigh cars. Here are some lovely girls at one of the dirt track racing cars from Moose Racing.



And here are a few more pics of me taken by Joe Fresh.

IndyCar at Sonoma - Free live streaming

Enjoy free live streaming of the IndyCar race at Sonoma on Sunday August 23 starting at 4pm ET.

Honda Indy Toronto - events, attractions and race schedule

Update: For the 2010 Honda Indy Events check out my blog post here. For some great pictures of some of the drivers, including 2009 winner Dario Franchitti and Danica Patrick check out my blog post here.

The 2009 Honda Indy Toronto is a full weekend of supercharged fun from Friday, June 10th to Sunday, June 12th. It's time to pick out your vantage point to watch the race and get your tickets ordered. While we missed one race last year, it's time to get the momentum going again. Don't wait for next year; this is the return of open wheel racing to the streets of Toronto. Peak attendance is estimated at 75,000.

For as little as $60 you can get 3 days access to a full weekend of entertainment, where else can you get a deal like this?

In the days before the race you can take in these events:

Two Days of IndyCar Fun to Fill Yonge-Dundas Square.
Yonge-Dundas Square in downtown will be the centre of motorsports activity on Tuesday, July 7 and Wednesday, July 8 as organizers from the Honda Indy Toronto stage two days of interactive fan activities in advance of the debut of the IndyCar Series in Toronto. Planned events for Tuesday, July 7 include a media tire change challenge and an evening screening of the classic auto racing film Le Mans shown as part of the “City Cinema” series in downtown. Wednesday, July 8, brings the Honda Indy Toronto Kick-off Party with planned appearances by select drivers competing in this year's race.

Honda Indy Toronto has released their weekend schedule.

Friday, July 10
8:00 a.m. Gates Open
8:01 a.m. – 8:30 a.m. Acura Sports Car Challenge CTC Practice
8:50 a.m. – 9:50 a.m. Firestone Indy Lights Practice
10:10 a.m. – 11:55 p.m. IndyCar Series Practice
11:45 a.m. – 1:45 a.m. Live music on the OLG Stage
12:00 p.m. – 12:40 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights Practice
1:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. Vintage GT Practice
1:50 p.m. – 2:50 p.m. IndyCar Series Practice
3:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Live music on the OLG Stage
3:10 p.m. – 3:55 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights Qualifying
4:15 p.m. – 4:45 p.m. Acura Sports Car Challenge CTC Qualifying
4:45 p.m. – 5:15 p.m. Honda Motorcycle Demonstration
5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. VIP Pit Walk-Through

Saturday, July 11

8:00 a.m. Gates Open
8:01 a.m. -- 8:30 a.m. Vintage GT Qualifying
8:50 a.m. – 9:20 a.m. Firestone Indy Lights Practice
9:40 a.m. – 10:40 a.m. IndyCar Series Practice
11:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. Vintage GT Qualifying
11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. Live music on the OLG Stage
11:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Pace Car Rides
12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights Pre-Race
12:30 p.m. – 1:45 p.m. Firestone Indy Lights Race
2:05 p.m. - 3:35 p.m. IndyCar Series Qualifying
3:45 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Live music on the OLG Stage
3:50 p.m. – 4:20 p.m. Honda Motorcycle Demonstration
4:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m. IndyCar Series Driver Autograph Session
4:30 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Acura Sports Car Challenge CTC Race #1
5:15 p.m. – 6:00 p.m. VIP Pit Walk-Through


Sunday, July 12

8:00 a.m. Gates Open
9:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. IndyCar Series Warm-Up
10:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m. Acura Sports Car Challenge CTC Race #2
10:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. VIP Pit Walk-Through
11:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Live music on the OLG Stage
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Pace Car Rides
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. Honda Motorcycle Demonstration
12:00 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. IndyCar Series Pre-Race
1:00 p.m. – 3:15 p.m. Honda Indy Toronto IndyCar Series Race
3:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. IndyCar Series Post-Race Ceremonies
4:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m. Vintage GT Race
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Live music on the OLG Stage

There will also be tons of fun away from the asphalt track. I will try to track and list these events here as I find out about them.

1. Budweiser is organizing the Bud Pit Crew Girl search on Facebook and will have the Bud Winners Circle VIP Party.
2. Hooters will have the Owl's Nest trackside. Hooters says they will have "your favourite things; chicken wings, cold beer, Hooters girls and fast cars."
3. Pizza Pizza Family Zone.
4. The Auto Expo.
5. Live music on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Stage.

Honda Indy Toronto 2009

Racing excitement in the heart of downtown Toronto will return July 10-12, 2009 as Andretti Green Toronto (AGT) has a sponsorship deal with Honda Canada. The Honda Toronto Indy sponsorship will last several years and the 2009 race season will see 18 races including the Toronto location. Check my earlier blog entry here for pictures of a previous race in Toronto.

I am hoping that with a major sponsor like Honda the excitement can be brought back to open wheel racing in Ontario's capital city. For fast paced race action you can also check out the NASCAR Canadian Tires Series - here is a video I made showing a day at the Cayuga Race Track in 2008.

2009 race back in Toronto

Indycar will start it's engines on July 12, 2009 as the cars return to the City of Toronto - welcome back!

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Indy Racing League’s IndyCar schedule for 2009:

April 5 — Streets of St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg, Fla.
April 19 — Streets of Long Beach, Long Beach, Calif.
April 26 — Kansas Speedway, Kansas City, Kan.
May 24 — Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Indianapolis.
May 31 — The Milwaukee Mile, West Allis, Wis.
June 6 — Texas Motor Speedway, Fort Worth, Texas
June 21 — Iowa Speedway, Newton, Iowa
June 27 — Richmond International Raceway, Richmond, Va.
July 5 — Watkins Glen International, Watkins Glen, N.Y.
July 12 — Streets of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
July 26 — Edmonton City Centre Airport, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Aug. 1 — Kentucky Speedway, Sparta, Ky.
Aug. 9 — Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Lexington, Ohio
Aug. 23 — Infineon Raceway, Sonoma, Calif.
Aug. 29 — Chicagoland Speedway, Joliet, Ill.
Sept. 6 — The Raceway at Belle Isle Park, Detroit.
Sept. 19 — Twin Ring Motegi, Motegi, Japan
Oct. 11 — Homestead-Miami Speedway, Homestead, Fla.

Toronto Grand Prix in the dumps

The long anticipated merger of the CHAMP and IRL racing factions have put up the white flag and will become one - once again. Many think that the open wheel racing is destined to remain second fiddle to NASCAR but the spectacle of racing in the streets of a major city is truly an amazing event that outshines the race around an oval track. With CHAMP out of business fans can now concentrate on a single series.

Our race in Toronto has been shot down for 2008 and now one can only hope that it returns in 2009. I also hope that if and when they return to the big smoke that I will also return with a media pass.

Indy and Champ working together

It looks like the Indy Racing League (IRL) could be joining in with the CHAMP group as they work towards becoming one again. With the differences in bodies and engines this will present quite a challenge but one they hope will increase interest and revenues for both parties. The CHAMP cars will even return to the Indianapolis 500 next year.

I know many people cannot keep track of the various races, racing series and teams and hopefully this will help the public's understanding of racing.

Note: this could have been only a false rumour! More updates later.