Fan Friday at Honda Indy Toronto 2023

Honda Indy Toronto starts today with the gates opening at 8am and cars on the track a half hour later. And the day is well known as Fan Friday as the Ontario Honda Dealers makes it possible for race fans to attend the event for free, but ask for a voluntary donation in support of Make-A-Wish Canada. Over 11 years almost one million dollars has been raised by fans and all donations will be matched by the Honda Canada Foundation (up to $100k). You can donate in person in the Enercare Centre or even online (https://makeawish.ca/honda-indy-donation). USF Pro 2000 teams wait off track for their 9:15am practice session one in the photo at top.

“We encourage our Honda Indy Toronto patrons to get involved by making a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish Canada as part of Your Ontario Honda Dealers Present Honda Fan Friday,” said Jeff Atkinson, president of Honda Indy Toronto. “We are extremely grateful for our partnership with Honda Canada and the Ontario Honda Dealers Association and the positive impact this collaboration is having. We encourage everyone to come out and take advantage of our great General Admission pricing, and kids 12 and under are admitted free.”

By the way if you have a Presto Card you can show it at the IndyCar paddock to gain free access on Friday only: From Go Transit's website "On Fan Friday, PRESTO card holders get even more racing fan fun because your PRESTO card becomes your Paddock Pass. Just show your PRESTO card and gain access to the Paddock (known as the locker room of motorsports)."

Safety team gather for a quick briefing 

In addition to racing you can always check out the various series paddocks, the vendors and entertainment on Thunder Alley, the Honda World display across the pedestrian bridge with a large Truck Stop food and beverage area nearby, a beer garden at the far end of Thunder Alley and the UNIBET Finish Line lounge along the Enercare Centre.

All the race series will be on the track today, but the day is also special as NASCAR Pinty's Series will headline Fan Friday as they undergo practice and qualifications from 11:15am to 12:35pm then at 5:10pm the 80 minute Tiffany Gate Grand Prix of Toronto race will be held. Certainly a tight schedule for the big stockcars but an exciting time for fans on the first day of race weekend. After the race head to Victory Circle and catch a glimpse of the victorious drivers splash champagne at each other.

Canada's national race series the NASCAR Pinty's teams provide a high level of excitement in their big muscle cars. They rip through the course, not afraid to mix it up and their cars take the punishment that leaves large circles from rubbing tires across the sides, or worse. There are 26 drivers scheduled to mix it up in Exhibition Place.

The current top five Pinty's drivers are as follows.

1 Treyten Lapcevich 139 

2 Kevin Lacroix 122 

3 L.P. Dumoulin 116 

4 Alex Guenette 114 

5 Marc-Antoine Camirand 112

Scott Steckly former driver and team owner taking care of business

The outdoor NASCAR Pinty's Series paddock

In today's NASCAR Pinty's Series field there are three previous winners of the Toronto Grand Prix; Alex Tagliani #18 car, Andrew Ranger #27 car and Kevin Lacroix #74 car. As well there are four Series Champions; D.J. Kensington #17 car, Andrew Ranger, LP Dumoulin #47 car and 2022 defending Champion Marc-Antoine Camirand #96 car. The field is loaded with talent and the drivers love being in front of Toronto's large base of race fans.

NASCAR qualications have the top five drivers as Alex Tagliani, Andrew Ranger, L.P. Dumoulin, Kevin Lacroix and Gary Klutt. These guys are ready to rock.

IndyCar practice one starts at 1:30pm.

IndyCar practice one

Friday, July 14 schedule
Time/Series/Session
8:00 AM GATES OPEN
8:30 AM - 9:00 AM USF2000 Practice 1
9:15 AM - 9:45 AM USF Pro 2000 Practice 1
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM Radicals Practice
11:00 AM - 11:30 AM USF2000 & USF Pro 2000 Autograph Session (Heritage Court in Enercare Centre)
11:15 AM - 12:35 PM NASCAR Pinty's Series Practice & Qualifying
12:30 PM - 1:30 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Autograph Session (Heritage Court in Enercare Centre)
12:50 PM - 1:20 PM Sports Car Championship Canada Practice & Qualifying
1:30 PM - 2:30 PM NASCAR Pinty's Series Autograph Session (Heritage Court in Enercare Centre)
1:35 PM - 1:55 PM USF2000 Qualifying 1
2:10 PM - 2:30 PM USF Pro 2000 Qualifying 1
3:00 PM - 4:15 PM NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1
4:30 PM - 4:55 PM Radicals Qualifying
5:10 PM - 6:30 PM NASCAR Pinty's Series Race

Great crowds for Fan Friday 

See more of the IndyTO after the jump.

Honda Indy Toronto 2023 ready to roll

Crews, trailers and equipment are on site as the last of the teams trickle into Exhibition Place for the latest installment of Honda Indy Toronto taking place Friday to Sunday, July 14-16, 2023. The on track action for the 35th edition from the race promoters Kim Green and Kevin Savoree of Green Savoree begins tomorrow with Free Fan Friday courtesy of Ontario Honda Dealers (with voluntary donation) and the action will be fast and furious as practice, qualifications and a supporting series race at the end of the day from 5:10-6:30pm.

Around Turn 1, south of Princes' Gates

Radical race cars

You can find details of the month long prep that the Honda Indy Toronto has undertaken in the lead up to 2023's race weekend here and here.

2023 Honda Indy Toronto map

left to right: HIT President Jeff Atkinson, Tom Blomqvist, Devlin DeFrancesco, Romain Grosjean, Sting Ray Robb, Scott Dixon and IndyCar President Jay Frye. Interviewed by Todd Lewis.

On Thursday the unveiling of the William Ashley NTT IndyCar Series trophies will happen at the William Ashley downtown Toronto flagship location with driver Scott Dixon who was last year's Honda Indy Toronto winner. In addition the initial welcome press conference will be held with several IndyCar and supporting series drivers attending.

Some of the items discussed by the IndyCar and presidential panelists included the following.

• Simon Pagenaud remains out of play due to his July 1st crash in Mid-Ohio. His replacement in    Toronto is Tom Blomqvist who will make his debut in IndyCar in Toronto. Tom hopes to not        disappoint himself after race weekend is done and says he has a lot to learn in a very short amount of  time and his "first practice session will be wild".
• Scott Dixon, four time winner of the Toronto race, says he has made good gains this year but notes that competition in NTT IndyCar is through the roof. Scott noted that the makeup of the track in Toronto changes year after year including some new asphalt in Turns 9 through 11 along with a crosswalk in the braking section leading into Turn 1 which could be a little slippery.
• Both Honda Indy President Jeff Atkinson and IndyCar President Jay Frye talked about the changes to pit lane to fit in 27 cars with 35 foot pit boxes. They extended pit lane in both ends to squeeze in the cars and are still tweaking the arrangement heading into race weekend.
• Jeff Atkinson talked about the new pavement and track improvements including the change of one third of the concrete blocks lining the track. He talked about his focus on improving the General Admission experience and the success of the Truck Stop food and beverage area and of last years incredible crowd.

IndyCar will actually be on the track Thursday for 15 minutes starting at 3:30pm. Toronto's 2023 race will have no female drivers this year, three drivers that have won the Toronto race - all multiple race winners with Scott Dixon winning the most here, followed by Will Power and Joseph Newgarden.

Inside the IndyCar paddock

IndyCar teams are setting up their spots on pit row

Friday's feature race will be the NASCAR Pinty's Series with the new title of Tiffany Gate Grand Prix of Toronto. NASCAR is setting up their inspection trailer in their typical outdoor paddock behind the long grandstand in Turn 11.

NASCAR Pinty's Series technical inspection setup

The new UNIBET Finish Line Lounge

Gates open at 8am on Friday, then 7:45am for the rest of the weekend. Then the first on track action is a USF2000 practice beginning at 8:30am. Then the race day will end after the NASCAR Pinty's Series Race from 5:10pm to 6:30pm. 

IndyCar drivers will hold an autograph session from 12:30pm to 1:30pm in Heritage Court (see map below, this is the area adjacent to Coca Cola Coliseum.

Enercare Centre floor plan

On Friday in addition to the USF2000 practice and NASCAR there will be USF Pro 2000, Radicals, FEL/Sports Car Championship Canada (SCCC), IndyCar series out on the track - it will be a busy day in Exhibition Place.

See more photos after the jump.

#ICFF LAVAZZA IncluCity Film Festival

Hundreds of big, comfy couches are lined up in front of a number of screens spread throughout the historic Distillery District for the LAVAZZA IncluCity Film Festival (ICFF) 2023 - from June 27 to July 21.

From the Distillery's website "The Most Awaited International Films Land in The Distillery District! The Distillery District Transformed Into a Cinema Village. The 2023 Lavazza IncluCity Festival, organized by ICFF, will take place at The Distillery Historic District. An outdoor cinema village will line the iconic cobblestone streets in a celebration of multiculturalism and the best in international cinema. 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."

Toronto Caribbean Carnival launch 2023

Nathan Phillips Square is the venue for the 2023 launch of the Caribbean Carnival on Tuesday, July 10 beginning at 11am when dozens of mas dancers and band members will come out in full regalia to build excitement for the upcoming carnival season.

As festival season kicks off at City Hall with the official launch it's time to get excited about the massive party that is headed to Toronto with the Grande Parade taking place Saturday, August 5 at Exhibition Place and Lake Shore Boulevard.

From the Carnival website "There is an array of performances by popular Caribbean music artists. It is a cultural showcase and celebration of the creative spirit of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival. The Band Leaders for the parade showcase their elaborate costumes that will be presented in the Parade. As well, you will be able to taste some of the Caribbean's traditional and favourite foods that will be available at many of the Festival events."

See more mas costumes after the jump.

Salsa on St Clair 2023

A sea of humanity was drawn to the Latin flavoured street festival held on St. Clair West from Winona to Christie in Toronto from July 8-9, 2023. The bold and tasty fiesta brought out fans of dancing, drinking and fun. Some times it was difficult to make it through the crowds listening to live entertainment or getting salsa lessons in the middle of the street.

This annual free festival is Canada's largest salsa party with international and local artists which started in 2005 and brings hundreds of thousands to St. Clair West.

From Salsa's website "TD Salsa on St. Clair is the only festival where people do more than just eat and watch entertainment – they take part in non-stop dancing in the streets! The street festival is Canada’s hottest salsa party featuring an international caliber of Latin music, authentic cuisine, and a fiesta for lovers of all Latino culture."

Taste of Lawrence 2023

We are smack dab in the middle of festival season in Toronto and this past weekend was a busy one. Taste of Lawrence took place July 7-9 on Lawrence Avenue between Warden and Birchmount within the Wexford Heights BIA.

The weekend shindig known as Scarborough's largest street festival had a lot of choices for eating and as a bonus also included music, entertainment and midway rides. I even ran into Ontario Premier Doug Ford meeting residents and posing for photos.

Premier Doug Ford

Have some good ol' octopus feet

EVENT TIMINGS:
Friday July 7th: 6pm - 11pm
Saturday July 8th: 11am - 11pm
Sunday July 9th: 11am - 7pm

Art in Toronto Bentway Park under the Gardiner

Making a park under the Gardiner Expressway was a great idea and the site has been an incubator of creativity and home to many festivals, events and art installations. Plus it's like being under a giant pergola or umbrella if it rains or is too sunny. There are a couple of pieces of artwork right now under the elevated expressway - such as Atmospheres and the massive installation Balete Bulate Bituka.

Balete Bulate Bituka

From the Bentway's website "An otherworldly creature germinates at The Bentway, its parasitic tentacles emerging from the history of waste materials used as landfill to create the solid ground where the Gardiner now sits. Woven together with bamboo, living plants, and hundreds of locally-sourced plastics, Leeroy New’s first North American commission (co-presented with Fort York) presents nature reasserting itself amidst our concrete infrastructure. /baˈlete/ : (botany) any of several Philippine figs with aerial roots; believed to be a favourite abode of supernatural beings, /buˈlate/ : [noun] worm; earthworm and /biˈtuka/ : (anatomy) intestine; bowel; entrail.

Combining science-fiction and ancient Philippine mythologies with organic and human-made materials, Leeroy New’s first North American commission Balete Bulate Bituka explores the tangled relationship between nature and our waste. With its parasitic tentacles wrapping around the architecture of the Gardiner, New’s woven bamboo structure mimics the vampiric growth patterns of the Balete, a tree considered to be mystical and otherworldly in South East Asian culture. The installation, clad in hundreds of discarded plastics from Toronto and intertwined with living plants, presents nature reasserting itself amidst our concrete infrastructure."

Bentempus Gardinus

See more of the art installations after the jump.