Honda Indy Toronto
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| Venue | Exhibition Place |
|---|---|
| Corporate sponsor | Honda Canada Inc. |
| First race | 1986 |
| First IndyCar race | 2009 |
| Distance | 1.755 miles (2.824 kilometres) |
| Number of laps | 85 |
| Previous names | Molson Indy Toronto (1986–2005) Molson Grand Prix of Toronto (2006) Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto (2007) |
The Honda Indy Toronto is an annual IndyCar Series race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was a Champ Car World Series race held annually from 1986 to 2007. The track has 11 turns, is a 1.755-mile (2.824 km) street circuit, and is located at Exhibition Place.
The Toronto Indy is one of six Canadian circuits to hold an Indy/Champ Car race, the others being Mont-Tremblant, Sanair, Montreal, Vancouver, and Edmonton.
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[edit] History
In 1977 and 1978, the race, then named the Molson Diamond Indy and sanctioned by USAC was held at Mosport International Raceway in nearby Bowmanville, Ontario. The first Indy race held in Canada was the 1967 Telegram Trophy 200 race at Mosport, which was won by Bobby Unser (his first career Indy victory).
In the 1996 race, American driver Jeff Krosnoff was killed in a crash. In that same crash, volunteer corner marshall Gary Avrin was killed, and marshall Barbara Johnston also received injuries in the crash; she was treated and released that evening.
The name of the race was changed in 2006 from the Molson Indy Toronto to the Molson Grand Prix of Toronto after it was purchased by the Champ Car World Series from Molson Sports and Entertainment. The name was also changed to distance Champ Car from the rival Indy Racing League (IRL), which had gained the exclusive right to use the "Indy" name after 2002. In 2007, after Molson dropped their title sponsorship to the race, Steelback Brewery signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal to become the event’s title sponsor, re-naming it the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto. This marked the first title sponsorship change since the event started in 1986.
The unification of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League was announced on February 22, 2008, and the Grand Prix of Toronto's future was left in doubt. After attempts were made to preserve the race for 2008, it was confirmed on March 5, 2008 that the race had been cancelled.
On May 15, 2008, Andretti Green Racing (co-owned by Michael Andretti) purchased the assets of the former Grand Prix of Toronto.[1] On July 30, 2008, it was confirmed that the race will return to Toronto on July 12, 2009.[2] On September 18, 2008, Andretti Green Racing announced that it had signed a multi-year agreement with Honda Canada Inc. for the title sponsorship of the race, thereby running from 2009 as the Honda Indy Toronto.[3]
Michael Andretti is the all-time race win leader with seven victories.
[edit] Past winners
[edit] USAC
| Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Telegram Trophy 200 (Mosport) | ||||
| 1967 |  Bobby Unser |
Eagle | Ford | |
| 1968 | Dan Gurney |
Eagle | Ford | |
| Molson Diamond Indy (Mosport) | ||||
| 1977 | A.J. Foyt |
Coyote | Foyt | A.J. Foyt Enterprises |
| 1978 | Danny Ongais |
Parnelli | Cosworth | Interscope Racing |
[edit] CART/Champ Car
[edit] IndyCar Series
| Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Honda Indy Toronto | |||||
| 2009 |  Dario Franchitti |
Dallara | Honda | Chip Ganassi Racing | Report |
[edit] Atlantic Championship
[edit] Indy Lights
| Season | Winning Driver |
|---|---|
| 1986 |  Fabrizio Barbazza |
| 1987 |  Tommy Byrne |
| 1988 | Calvin Fish |
| 1989 | Gary Rubio |
| 1990 |  Paul Tracy |
| 1991 | P.J. Jones |
| 1992 | Bryan Herta |
| 1993 | Bryan Herta |
| 1994 | Steve Robertson |
| 1995 | Greg Moore |
| 1996 |  Gualter Salles |
| 1997 | Helio Castroneves |
| 1998 | Guy Smith |
| 1999 | Geoff Boss |
| 2001 | Townsend Bell |
| 2002-2008: No races held | |
| 2009 |  Sebastian Saavedra |
[edit] Track layout
The Toronto Indy track layout uses local roads that wind through and around Exhibition Place.
The Start/Finish line is located on Princes' Boulevard, slightly west of Newfoundland Drive. From the Start/Finish line, drivers head East towards the Princes' Gates, turning right (south) onto Canada Boulevard before reaching the gate.
From Canada Boulevard, the track blends onto Lake Shore Boulevard (west) which comprises the longest straightaway on the circuit (this straightaway is sometimes incorrectly referred to as Shoreline Drive during race telecasts).
Driver's re-enter the Exhibition grounds at Ontario Drive, heading North towards Prince's Boulevard where they turn left (west).
The circuit continues on to Manitoba Drive and heads north-east then east until reaching Nova Scotia Avenue.
At Nova Scotia Avenue, drivers turn right (south) then navigate a left-right-left series of turns until rejoining Prince's Boulevard and heading east towards the Start/Finish line.
[edit] Race day attendance
| Year | Attendance |
|---|---|
| 1986 | 60,000 |
| 1991 | 60,000 |
| 1993 | 66,225 |
| 1994 | 66,503 |
| 2000 | 72,976 |
| 2001 | 73,628 |
| 2002 | 73,160 |
| 2003 | 73,255 |
| 2004 | 72,561 |
| 2005 | 73,155 |
[edit] Television Coverage History
[edit] References
[edit] External links
| Previous race: | Current IndyCar Series races |
Next race: |
Coordinates: 43°38′0″N 79°24′57″W / 43.633333°N 79.41583°W
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