DJ Kennington takes Mosport NCTS Vortex 200

The course was hard on both drivers and their stock cars as there was quite a few yellows. DJ Kennington, pictured above with the cup and checkered flag, only led JR Fitzpatrick by just over half a second coming into the checkered flag (crossing the finish line, below). In third place in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Vortex 200 race held Saturday, June 26, 2011 was Robin Buck.

Twenty six drivers took part in the Vortex brake pads sponsored race at Mosport International Raceway. Yesterdays scheduled qualifying session was cancelled due to weather and the race position was determined by series point scores. Scott Steckly (finished fifth) started in the pole position. The race was preceded by a driver autograph session where you could get up close with all the drivers - including Isabelle Tremblay from Quebec, below.

I wandered the street track at Mosport and have to admit it provides some outstanding views. The street course lap is 2.5 miles and the race had 51 laps and had 10 corners and I usually hang at number 5 known as Moss Corner. Today we wandered the track taking advantage of many of the great photography spots. You could even camp at this racetrack.

DJ Kennington takes a victory lap with the checkered flag.

Keystone Light Girls

See more race action after the jump.

Honda Indy Toronto grandstand locations

The fence and the grandstands are starting to really take shape now at the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto. New fences and concrete barriers form the outline of the track. Pictured above are the pit lane suites looking east towards Princes' Gates and below just before race weekend.

The pit lane concrete barriers are in place running parallel to the stands - the left side towards the stands is the crew area, across the barrier is the hot part of the track. Here is the Honda Indy Toronto map of the site.

The sponsor posters are going up - but still no start/finish line painted yet.

panorama of pit lane

Starting on pit lane.... Pit Lane Suites

pit lane suites looking towards the entrance to the pits and BMO Field

Gold Stands

gold stands under construction in pit lane

See more stands after the jump.

G20 Anniversary Rally

The front lawn of Queen's Park filled with peaceful protesters marking the anniversary of the G20 Summit blowing into town. Music and posters filled the air in front of the Provincial Legislature building before speeches started and chants joined the items filling the air.

As a bonus there were free protest t-shirts which said G20 REDUX Fundamental Freedoms Festival June 25, 2011 on the back and 'I went to the G20 and all I got was... Arrested, Kettled, Clubbed, Politicized and a fill in the blank' option.

The police presence was a lot friendlier this time around. And there were a lot of leaflets being passed around. I even saw the Communist Party banner, although I think that is a weird choice because they would proably stifle democratic free speech and peaceful protests.

Sid Ryan, President of the Ontario Federation of Labour, talks to the protesters

Listening to the radio the rally turned into a march that wound around City streets heading ultimately towards the Metropolitan Police Department Headquarters on College Street.

See lots more photos of the rally after the jump.

Chicks Ahoy 2011 Toronto Roller Derby Champions

The magic of the Gore-Gore Rollergirls was slammed down to the track by the domineering Chicks Ahoy. The 2011 Toronto Roller Derby (TORD) Championship game 'Battle for the Boot' was won by Chicks Ahoy 111 to 46 and the hits were fast and furious on the Saturday, June 25th game at the Hangar. The cats came out to play but they ended up swimming with the fishes.

Death Track Dolls Land Shark and Speedin Hawking before the fireworks begin.

These two teams have met in the final championship game many times in the past and this win brings the Chicks closer to the Gore-Gores record. The girls in green led from the early rounds of the game and never looked back. They found Bambi's number and  while she was more than capable of moving around the opposition, it was hard to do when she was on the ground.

There were a couple of medical attention incidents including a bloody nose on Chronic.

There is more action after the jump.

Conrad Black back to the pokey

Reuters is reporting that Conrad Black was sentenced to return to prison for 13 months. The whole story was fascinating and I would have loved to have met him in his prime, Babs by his side, as he sued everyone who spoke out against him. The building above is Conrad's old headquarters, the very place where he spirited away boxes of files while on camera in the alley to the right.

Reuters says "St. Eve said she would grant Black up to two months before he must surrender to finish out his sentence, noting that unlike U.S. citizens convicted of financial crimes, he was not eligible for a low-security prison "camp." He also is ineligible for a halfway house before release.As a British citizen convicted of a felony, Black will be forced to leave the United States on release, but he may be allowed to return to Canada. "I have always tried to take success like a gentleman and disappointment like a man," Black said."

V is for ....

Well, a lot of good things, but in this case it is the shape of a V shaped sculpture, with a ball in the middle. I am not kidding. This is a sculpture located at Leader Lane and Front Street at Vagabondo. The work is titled U.V. Ceti by Andrew Posa.

It's the weekend - head to the lake

Toronto is like one big cottage by the lake with tons of family over for the weekend. The walk to the beach can be a bummer though, so drop by the booze store and pick up some libations for later. In the meantime, hook up your waterskiis to the Island Ferry, grab a dingy or sailboat and get your groove on. Forget about up north, it's time for the down south, and thongs, don't forget your thongs.

More Fitness, Figure and Bikini Models

Continuing with the fitness and bikini competitors at the 2011 Toronto Pro SuperShow - these ladies are in prime physical condition. Fit without the more muscled women body builder figures, judges look for symmetry and healthy muscle tone.

See more photos after the jump.

Kittens and the man on the wall

Kitten on a pole for box of kittens on a boat. A poster of a man peels gently on the brick supports of a park covered picnic area down in Coronation Park.

The Hershey's Drops car

Seen on Front Street in front of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre was a vw beetle dressed up in Hershey's Drops. The car and trailer was a little bit more understated than the Hershey chocolate spill pickup truck.

More Muscle: Female Body Builders

The IFBB Women Body Builders search for physical perfection full of muscles. Their journey takes them through hard work at the gym and into tiny bikinis to better show off their sculptured forms. These ladies were competing at the 2011 Toronto Pro SuperShow and they were posing to win - their bodies are works of art.

See more really hard bodies after the jump.

Bikember - Bike Month continues

Don't put away the bikes until after Bike Month in Toronto. After that, I think the City's bylaw requires you to throw your bike in the garbage. I wonder if the EcoCabs pictured above do that Cash Cab thing?

BIXI bike docking at Union Station

WNBR 2011

I think the rear tire needs a little air!

Dan Aykroyd: Grand Marshall Honda Indy Toronto 2011

Canadian actor and comic Dan Aykroyd will be the 2011 Grand Marshal at the Honda Indy Toronto - pictured here during the driver introductions on Sunday, July 10, 2011. I also found out that not only does he make fantastic wines, he is produces Crystal Head vodka.

From the Honda Indy Toronto “The multi-talented Aykroyd is a comedian, actor, screenwriter, musician and winemaker. He has had an extensive career that includes his role as an original cast member on Saturday Night Live, creator of The Blues Brothers and Ghostbusters. An Ottawa native, Aykroyd was made a member of the Order of Canada and has been inducted into Canada’s Walk of Fame, honouring him for his contributions to the entertainment industry.  

“I’m delighted to be a part of an event with so much history,” said Aykroyd. “I’m a long-time race fan and very proud to be Canadian. It’ll be nice to come home and take in a spectacular day of racing.”

The famous actor will be the 2011 ambassador for the IndyCar race and will shout out the “drivers, start your engines” announcement that gets the race started. Last year Greg Kinnear, in town for filming of the Kennedy’s mini-series, was Grand Marshall and the year before that was Gene Simmons of Kiss fame.

Tickets to the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto, which takes place July 8-10, are available now online at www.hondaindytoronto.com/tickets or by phone at 1-877-503-6869. IndyCar driver Alex Tagliani with a pair of Sunshine Girls at the 2010 Honda Indy Toronto Street Party pictured above.

Aboriginal History Month

June is National Aboriginal History Month and June 21 is National Aboriginal Day and to celebrate there was an event at Yonge-Dundas Square and also at Bell Trinity Park.

There were vendors, songs, throat singing, dances, story telling, fashion shows, native martial arts demo and drumming.

See more pictures after the jump.

Special Olympics Canada Athens 2011

The Mounties were out providing an honour escort to Canada's athletes last Friday as they started to parade through Toronto from Metro Hall to the Ballroom to begin the journey to the 2011 Special Olympics in Athens, Greece. These Olympics run from June 25 to July 4 so if you need something to do, it's time to get packed and head out to the famous country along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea.

some of the althletes gather for photos