2022 Honda Indy Toronto burns rubber this weekend

Racing through the streets of Toronto begins Friday, July 15 and continues through the weekend as the headlining NTT IndyCar Series gets the green flag on Sunday, July 17. In between, the Honda Indy Toronto race festival is filled with practice, qualifying and a full schedule of ten races over the weekend. Updated with photos from July 13th and 17th, 2022.

Princes' Gates and Turn 1

Painting the Start/Finish Line

Turn 11 and Pit Lane

The NTT IndyCar race on Sunday is an 85 lap, 244 kilometre which will be broadcast from 3-6pm on Sportsnet's World, Now Standard and 360 in Canada. Taking place on the 11 turn street course winding through Exhibition Place and onto Lake Shore Boulevard West. Action happens fast with speeds of around 370km/h and primo passing spots being the start/finish stretch leading into Turn 1 and along Lake Shore Boulevard. 

This year's participating race series includes two open-wheel development ladder series from the Road to Indy presented by Cooper Tires, NASCAR Pinty's Series stock cars, Porsche Carrera Cup North America and Sports Car Championship Canada. The Indy Lights series did not make an appearance in Toronto for 2022 but they will join back with IndyCar in Iowa next week.

IndyCar driver Christian Lundgaard of the No. 30 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda shows the car's new livery for the Honda Indy Toronto 2022 race. Hub International is now the primary sponsor of the #30 car. July 13, 2022

The setup in Exhibition Place is very similar to the 2019 race with IndyCar and the Road to Indy Paddock in the Enercare Centre. NASCAR Pinty's Series garage remained outdoors to the east of Thunder Alley. Some changes included the Team Hospitality Centre moved to the north edge of Thunder Alley and the Honda World area reduced to allow for the Truck Stop food and beverage area as well as improved and expanded General Admission viewing spots. The Pinty's outdoor Pub & Grill beside the Princes' Gates was not there for 2022.

Honda Indy Toronto 2022 on track schedule

Fan Friday: Free general admission with a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish Canada (matched by the Honda Canada Foundation), sponsored by the Ontario Honda Dealers Association. There will be practices, qualifications and Friday's headline race by NASCAR Pinty's Series starting at 4pm. Off track you can find autograph sessions and other activities and entertainment.

Free Fan Friday, July 15
GATE HOURS 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM USF2000 Practice 1
8:45 AM - 9:10 AM Indy Pro 2000 Practice 1
9:25 AM - 10:00 AM Porsche Carrera Cup Practice 1
10:15 AM - 11:35 AM NASCAR Pinty's Series Practice 1 & Qualifying
11:50 AM - 12:20 PM Sports Car Championship Canada Practice 1
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Autograph Session
12:35 PM - 12:55 PM USF2000 Qualifying 1
1:10 PM - 1:40 PM Porsche Carrera Cup Practice 2
1:55 PM - 2:15 PM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying 1
2:30 PM - 3:45 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1
4:00 PM - 5:20 PM NASCAR Pinty's Series Race (GRAND PRIX OF TORONTO)

Saturday, July 16
GATE HOURS 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 8:20 AM USF2000 Qualifying 2
8:35 AM - 8:55 AM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying 2
9:10 AM - 9:40 AM Porsche Carrera Cup Qualifying 1
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Sports Car Championship Canada Qualifying
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM USF2000 Race 1
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 1
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM Porsche Carrera Cup Race 1
4:30 PM - 5:10 PM Sports Car Championship Canada Race 1

2022 IndyCar Streets of Toronto race

Sunday, July 17
GATE HOURS 8:45 AM - 5:00 PM
9:45 AM - 10:25 AM USF2000 Race 2
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm-Up
11:40 AM - 12:20 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 2
12:35 PM - 1:15 PM Sports Car Championship Canada Race 2
1:30 PM - 2:15 PM Porsche Carrera Cup Race 2
2:40 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Driver Introductions
3:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Honda Indy Toronto

As of now the top 3 NTT IndyCar drivers are Marcus Ericsson, Will Power and Josef Newgarden. Marcus is a former F1 driver and won the Indy 500 in 2022. Will has won three races in Toronto; 2007, 2010 and 2016. Josef has already won three of the nine 2022 races and has won in Toronto twice - once in 2015 and then in 2017. Will and Josef are my top picks for the 2022 Toronto race.

The Toronto race was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to Covid-19 precautions. Since then the IndyCars have added the aeroscreen safety device otherwise they continue to use the 2.2 litre V6, twin-turbocharged Honda or Chevy engines (will change in 2024 to a 2.4 litre engine) along with the Dallara IR-12 chassis.

Canadian stock car racing by NASCAR Pinty's Series will take place on the Friday during the 2022 Grand Prix of Toronto. Current driver top 3 standings have Marc-Antoine Camirand, Kevin Lacroix and Gary Klutt in the lead. Kevin has won the Toronto race once in 2017. Top contenders for the 2022 race favour Andrew Ranger and Alex Tagliani. 

Distillery District film festival and art statues

Comfortable black or white sofas line the main road in the district looking towards a movie screen is part of the Lavazza IncluCity Festival which continues until July 16. The outdoor cinema has films from over 20 countries featuring international movies celebrating multiculturalism.

From the Distillery District's website: "Featuring films from over 20 countries, the Lavazza IncluCity Film Festival will offer a cinematic experience full of special guest appearances, stellar red carpets, and unique cocktail experiences all under the stars in the arts and cultural hub of Toronto."

There are also a line of quirky, colourful statues along Gristmill Lane which is an art exhibit called 6IX Art Outdoors. The 13 figures are over 7 feet tall and painted by multicultural artists.

Toronto Caribbean Carnival 2022 launch

Summer is back and the heat is coming as the Toronto Caribbean Carnival festival weekend is on from July 28 to 31. This is North America's largest Caribbean carnival and visitors from around the world will arrive to take in the 55th annual celebrations.

The event is led by the July 7 launch down at City Hall's Nathan Phillips Square starting at noon and will show off the amazing mas costumes and music that are a giant part of the festival which was founded to celebrate freedom and emancipation from slavery.

Mayor John Tory in green

Carnival will culminate with the Grand Parade Day in Saturday, July 30 in Exhibition Place and along the lake shore.

See more of the launch after the jump.

HMCS Glace Bay visits Toronto

Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Glace Bay visited Toronto during the Canada Day holiday weekend, part of the Canadian Armed Forces Naval 2022 Great Lakes Deployment. The Royal Canadian Navy Kingston-class warship and crew met with the public while holding ship board tours from 10am to 4pm.

The visit included several displays at 339 Queens Quay West by Canada's military as they combined the tours with opportunities to provide information on joining the Forces.

1000 FACES art installation at Ontario Place

A mass of mirrors hang up high along the path on the East Island of Ontario Place, a big part of the 1000 FACES by +AMOR dedicated to Indigenous children found in unmarked graves across Canada. Glistening in the sun, the ball of silvery mirrors certainly draws attention as it seeks to provide awareness and reconciliation.

"NEVER FORGOTTEN"

From the Ontario Place website: "1000 FACES is a multi-sensorial kinetic experience created by a team of artists led by Alejandro Figueroa, aka +AMOR. Inspired by nature, in the dances of flocks of birds, its thousands of mirror fragments not only reflect each individual but also the surrounding environment, creating a sense of togetherness represented in its spherical shape. The fragments dance in tandem to the rhythm of nature: the wind, sun, and moon influence and determine their behavior. We are living in times of emancipation and wonder, but also of division and sorrow. 1000 FACES invites visitors to pause and reflect, encouraging communion, dialogue, reconciliation and relaxation. Cree composer Nigel Irwin’s original score, inspired by nature and ancestral chants, will allow the audience to reconnect with pachamama and feel the souls of the past."

Bastedo Avenue mass floaty celebration

This was a fun idea - putting hundreds of giant pool floaties on the front yards of homes along Bastedo Avenue in Toronto. Residents teamed up with Canadian Tire to celebrate Canada's auto retailers 100th birthday by creating the street wide art installation.

Lawns were used on Bastedo from Danforth to Hanson from June 30th to July 3rd - today is your last day to take in the free temporary art installation on display! Plus they were also giving out free ice cream.

Floaties included some giant flamingos, clams and unicorns, joined by a large number of regular sized flamingos and a bunch of assorted lawn decorations. The decorations will be donated to the residents or repurposed after the Canada Day weekend.

See more floaties and lawn decorations after the jump.

Honda Indy Toronto 2022 Race Build

HIT map for 2022

It's interesting that the sport that has race cars traveling around Exhibition Place in speeds measured in hundreds of kilometres per hour has a course and associated infrastructure that takes about a month to construct. The work crews have been hard at work putting out the concrete block barriers and fencing along with the grandstands to make ready the Honda Indy Toronto for the 2022 street course race July 15 to 17, 2022. You can find links to my race weekend posts here.

Updated July 13, 2022 photos of the track build near completion.

Painting the Start/Finish Line

Turn 11 and the Pit Lane

And back to the original post....

Princes' Blvd looking toward Princes' Gates and Turn 1

The Start/Finish line has not been painted yet

Princes' Gates

From HIT's media release: "Nu-Era Logistics, a leader in the transportation industry, will provide equipment and help transport materials to the track construction site. In total over 2,050 steel-reinforced barriers made using more than 10 million pounds (4.5 million kilograms) of concrete will be positioned. Fencing spanning four kilometres made from approximately 410,000 pounds (185,000 kilograms) of steel will be erected, and nearly half a kilometre of tire wall barriers will line the course. Concrete barrier block placement has begun along Manitoba and Ontario Drives."

Lake Shore Blvd work remains for road closures starting July 8 

Looking towards Turn 3 grandstands from the Pedestrian Bridge to Ontario Place

It takes a bit of fencing to make this temporary course

Here is the posted schedule for the Race Festival weekend.

Friday, July 15 - Free entrance on Fan Friday sponsored by Ontario Honda Dealers Association
GATE HOURS 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 8:30 AM USF2000 Practice 1
8:45 AM - 9:10 AM Indy Pro 2000 Practice 1
9:25 AM - 10:00 AM Porsche Carrera Cup Practice 1
10:15 AM - 11:35 AM NASCAR Pinty's Series Practice 1 & Qualifying
11:50 AM - 12:20 PM Sports Car Championship Canada Practice 1
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Autograph Session
12:35 PM - 12:55 PM USF2000 Qualifying 1
1:10 PM - 1:40 PM Porsche Carrera Cup Practice 2
1:55 PM - 2:15 PM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying 1
2:30 PM - 3:45 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1
4:00 PM - 5:20 PM NASCAR Pinty's Series Race

Saturday, July 16
GATE HOURS 7:30 AM - 5:00 PM
8:00 AM - 8:20 AM USF2000 Qualifying 2
8:35 AM - 8:55 AM Indy Pro 2000 Qualifying 2
9:10 AM - 9:40 AM Porsche Carrera Cup Qualifying 1
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2
11:15 AM - 11:45 AM Sports Car Championship Canada Practice 2
12:00 PM - 12:45 PM USF2000 Race 1
1:00 PM - 1:45 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 1
2:00 PM - 3:15 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying
3:30 PM - 4:15 PM Porsche Carrera Cup Race 1
4:30 PM - 5:10 PM Sports Car Championship Canada Race 1

Sunday, July 17
GATE HOURS 8:45 AM - 5:00 PM
9:45 AM - 10:25 AM USF2000 Race 2
11:05 AM - 11:35 AM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Warm-Up
11:40 AM - 12:20 PM Indy Pro 2000 Race 2
12:35 PM - 1:15 PM Sports Car Championship Canada Race 2
1:30 PM - 2:15 PM Porsche Carrera Cup Race 2
2:40 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Driver Introductions
3:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Honda Indy Toronto

See more of the track build after the jump.

Canada Day Fireworks 2022

Another birthday rolls around as Canada Day brings fireworks and plenty of Canadian flags. In small town Acton the fireworks take place in Prospect Park by the Acton Fire Fighter Association. People donate to the show by placing money in the firefighter hats and make their way into the large park which is bordered by Fairy Lake. The fireworks were spectacular this year - starting at 10pm and finishing around 10:30pm.

See more of the show after the jump.