Template loop detected: Template:Infobox motor race
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 Template:Convert/ street circuit, and is located at Exhibition Place. It is now IndyCar's second-longest running street race, only behind the Grand Prix of Long Beach.[1]
The Toronto Indy is one of seven Canadian circuits to have held an Indy/Champ Car race, the others being Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Mont-Tremblant, Sanair, Montreal, Vancouver, and Edmonton.
History[]
In 1967 the first Indy race held in Canada was the Telegram Trophy 200, held at Mosport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario as part of the USAC Championship Car season. The race was won by Bobby Unser for his first career Indy victory. The Telegram Trophy 200 was again held in 1968 at Mosport, this time won by Dan Gurney.
Time trials for the 2013 race.
After a nine year absence, Indycars returned to the Toronto area for the Molson Diamond Indy at Mosport Park won by A.J. Foyt in 1977 and Danny Ongais in 1978.
In the spring of 1985 Molson Breweries in-house promotional division, Molstar Sports & Entertainment proposed to run a CART sanctioned IndyCar race at Exhibition Place in Toronto. Toronto City Council approved the race by two votes in July 1985 for the race to be held the following year. [2]
The first Molson Indy Toronto was won by Bobby Rahal on July 20, 1986. The event quickly became Canada's second largest annual sporting event, eclipsed only by the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, with three-day attendance figures routinely around 170,000 people.[3]
In the 1996 race, American driver Jeff Krosnoff was killed in a crash with 4 laps remaining. 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. Adrián Fernández won the race.
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 Molstar 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, renaming 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.
Looking towards the Direct Energy Centre during the 2013 race. Team Penske pits are at the bottom of the image.
On May 15, 2008, Andretti Green Racing (co-owned by Michael Andretti) purchased the assets of the former Grand Prix of Toronto.[4] On July 30, 2008, it was confirmed that the race would return to Toronto on July 12, 2009.[5] 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, henceforth named from 2009 onward as the Honda Indy Toronto.[6]
Michael Andretti is the all-time race win leader with seven victories.
Past Winners[]
USAC (Mosport)[]
| Season | Date | Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | July 1 |  Bobby Unser
|
Leader Cards Racing | Eagle | Ford |
| 1968 | June 15 | Dan Gurney
|
Oscar Olson | Eagle | Weslake-Ford |
| 1969–1976: Not held | |||||
| 1977 | July 3 | A.J. Foyt
|
A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Coyote | Foyt |
| 1978 | June 11 | Danny Ongais
|
Interscope Racing | Parnelli | Cosworth |
CART/Champ Car/IndyCar (Exhibition Place)[]
| Season | Date | Driver | Team | Chassis | Engine | Race Distance | Race Time | Average Speed (mph) |
Report | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laps | Miles (km) | ||||||||||
| CART IndyCar/Champ Car | |||||||||||
| 1986 | July 20 | Bobby Rahal
|
Truesports | March | Cosworth | 103 | 183.34 (295.057) | 2:05:50 | 87.414 | Report | |
| 1987 | July 19 |  Emerson Fittipaldi
|
Patrick Racing | March | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 103 | 183.34 (295.057) | 1:54:35 | 95.991 | Report | |
| 1988 | July 17 | Al Unser Jr.
|
Galles Racing | March | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 103 | 183.34 (295.057) | 1:59:34 | 91.994 | Report | |
| 1989 | July 23 | Michael Andretti
|
Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 103 | 183.34 (295.057) | 2:01:00 | 90.9 | Report | |
| 1990 | July 22 | Al Unser Jr.
|
Galles/KRACO Racing | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 94* | 167.32 (269.275) | 2:13:26 | 75.997 | Report | |
| 1991 | July 21 | Michael Andretti
|
Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 103 | 183.34 (295.057) | 1:50:57 | 99.143 | Report | |
| 1992 | July 19 | Michael Andretti
|
Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 103 | 183.34 (295.057) | 1:52:21 | 97.898 | Report | |
| 1993 | July 18 |  Paul Tracy
|
Penske Racing | Penske | Chevrolet-Ilmor | 103 | 183.34 (295.057) | 1:53:58 | 96.51 | Report | |
| 1994 | July 17 | Michael Andretti
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | Reynard | Ford-Cosworth | 98 | 174.44 (280.733) | 1:48:15 | 96.673 | Report | |
| 1995 | July 16 | Michael Andretti
|
Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 98 | 174.44 (280.733) | 1:50:25 | 94.787 | Report | |
| 1996 | July 14 |  Adrian Fernandez
|
Tasman Motorsports | Lola | Honda | 93* | 165.912 (267.009) | 1:41:59 | 97.548 | Report | |
| 1997 | July 20 |  Mark Blundell
|
PacWest Racing | Reynard | Mercedes-Benz | 95 | 163.495 (263.119) | 1:45:43 | 92.779 | Report | |
| 1998 | July 19 |  Alex Zanardi
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | Reynard | Honda | 95 | 163.495 (263.119) | 1:52:24 | 87.274 | Report | |
| 1999 | July 18 | Dario Franchitti
|
Team Green | Reynard | Honda | 95 | 166.725 (268.317) | 1:56:27 | 85.897 | Report | |
| 2000 | July 16 | Michael Andretti
|
Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 112 | 196.56 (316.332) | 2:00:02 | 98.248 | Report | |
| 2001 | July 15 | Michael Andretti
|
Team Green | Reynard | Honda | 95 | 166.725 (268.317) | 1:59:58 | 83.375 | Report | |
| 2002 | July 7 | Cristiano da Matta
|
Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Toyota | 112 | 196.56 (316.332) | 2:06:19 | 93.361 | Report | |
| 2003 | July 13 | Paul Tracy
|
Forsythe Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 112 | 196.56 (316.332) | 2:02:36 | 96.189 | Report | |
| 2004 | July 11 |  Sébastien Bourdais
|
Newman/Haas Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 84 | 147.42 (237.249) | 1:45:36 | 83.749 | Report | |
| 2005 | July 10 | Justin Wilson
|
RuSPORT | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 86 | 150.93 (242.898) | 1:46:10 | 85.296 | Report | |
| 2006 | July 9 | A. J. Allmendinger
|
Forsythe Racing | Lola | Ford-Cosworth | 86 | 150.93 (242.898) | 1:38:01 | 92.386 | Report | |
| 2007 | July 8 |  Will Power
|
Walker Racing | Panoz | Cosworth | 73 | 128.115 (206.181) | 1:45:58 | 72.534 | Report | |
| 2008 | No race in 2008 following Reunification. | ||||||||||
| Izod IndyCar Series | |||||||||||
| 2009 | July 12 | Dario Franchitti
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 149.175 (240.073) | 1:43:47 | 86.24 | Report | |
| 2010 | July 18 | Will Power
|
Penske Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 149.175 (240.073) | 1:47:15 | 83.451 | Report | |
| 2011 | July 10 | Dario Franchitti
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 149.175 (240.073) | 1:56:32 | 76.805 | Report | |
| 2012 | July 8 | Ryan Hunter-Reay
|
Andretti Autosport | Dallara | Chevrolet | 85 | 149.175 (240.073) | 1:33:27 | 95.787 | Report | |
| 2013 | July 13 |  Scott Dixon
|
Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 149.175 (240.073) | 1:41:17 | 88.37 | Report | |
| July 14 | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 149.175 (240.073) | 1:35:02 | 94.177 | ||||
- 1990: Race shortened due to rain.
- 1996: Race ended with 1 1/2 laps remaining (93 of 95 laps completed) because of fatal crash on Lake Shore Boulevard. Driver Jeff Krosnoff and a track marshal were killed and the race was stopped near the impact point a lap later.
Support Race Winners[]
Indy Lights / Atlantic Championship[]
| ARS/Indy Lights | Atlantic Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Winning Driver | Season | Winning Driver | |
| 1986 | Fabrizio Barbazza
|
1986 | Not held | |
| 1987 |  Tommy Byrne
|
1987 | ||
| 1988 | Calvin Fish
|
1988 | ||
| 1989 | Gary Rubio
|
1989 | ||
| 1990 | Paul Tracy
|
1990 | Freddy Rhemrev
| |
| 1991 | P.J. Jones
|
1991 | Stuart Crow
| |
| 1992 | Bryan Herta
|
1992 | David Empringham
| |
| 1993 | Bryan Herta
|
1993 | Claude Bourbonnais
| |
| 1994 | Steve Robertson
|
1994 | Richie Hearn
| |
| 1995 | Greg Moore
|
1995 | Richie Hearn
| |
| 1996 | Gualter Salles
|
1996 | Patrick Carpentier
| |
| 1997 | Hélio Castro-Neves
|
1997 | Memo Gidley
| |
| 1998 | Guy Smith
|
1998 | Alex Tagliani
| |
| 1999 | Geoff Boss
|
1999 | Not held | |
| 2000 | Not held | 2000 | Andrew Bordin
| |
| 2001 | Townsend Bell
|
2001 | David Rutledge
| |
| 2002 | Not held | 2002 | Michael Valiante
| |
| 2003 | 2003 | A.J. Allmendinger
| ||
| 2004 | 2004 | Jon Fogarty
| ||
| 2005 | 2005 | Antoine Bessette
| ||
| 2006 | 2006 | Robbie Pecorari
| ||
| 2007 | 2007 | Franck Perera
| ||
| 2008 | 2008 | Not held | ||
| 2009 |  Sebastian Saavedra
|
2009 | ||
| 2010 | Jean-Karl Vernay
|
2010 | ||
| 2011 | Stefan Wilson
|
2011 | ||
| 2012 | Gustavo Yacamán
|
2012 | ||
| 2013 | Jack Hawksworth
|
2013 | ||
SCCA Trans-Am Series[]
| Year | Winning Driver | Car | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Scott Sharp
|
Chevrolet Camaro | [7] |
| 1994 | Tommy Kendall
|
Ford Mustang | [8] |
| 2004 |  Jorge Diaz, Jr.
|
Jaguar XKR | [9] |
| 2005 | Paul Gentilozzi
|
Jaguar XKR | [10] |
| 2010 |  R. J. Lopez
|
Chevrolet Corvette | [11] |
Pirelli World Challenge[]
| Season | GT | Touring Car | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Randy Pobst
|
Porsche 911 GT3 | Peter Cunningham
|
Acura |
| 2010 | Randy Pobst (GT)Peter Cunningham (GTS)
|
Volvo S60 Acura TSX |
Nick Wittmer
|
Honda Civic Si |
| 2013 | Johnny O'Connell (GT)Lawson Aschenbach (GTS)
|
Cadillac CTS-V Chevrolet Camaro | ||
| Race 1 | ||||
| Michael Cooper (TC)Joel Lipperini (TCB)
|
Mazdaspeed 3 Honda Fit | |||
| Race 2 | ||||
| Michael Cooper (TC)Ernie Francis Jr. (TCB)
|
Mazdaspeed 3 Mazda 2 | |||
CASCAR Super Series[]
| Year | Race Name | Winner | Car | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Miller Lite 100 | Robin Buck
|
Pontiac | [12] |
| 2000 | Exide 99 | Kevin Dowler
|
Ford | [13] |
| 2001 | Robin Buck
|
Pontiac | [14] | |
| 2002 | CASCAR Toronto Indy, presented by NAPA | Kevin Dowler
|
Ford | [15] |
| 2003 | Avenue ACDelco 100 | Jeff Lapcevich
|
Chevrolet | [16] |
| 2004 | CASCAR Toronto Indy 100 | Jeff Lapcevich
|
Chevrolet | [17] |
| 2005 | ATTO 100 | Kerry Micks
|
Ford | [18] |
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series[]
Ron Beauchamp, Jr. practicing for the 2010 Jumpstart 100
| Year | Race Name | Winner | Car | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Jumpstart 100 | Andrew Ranger
|
Dodge | [19] |
| 2011 | Streets of Toronto 100 | Andrew Ranger
|
Dodge | [20] |
Current Series[]
- IZOD IndyCar Series
- Firestone Indy Lights
- U.S. F2000 National Championship
- Pirelli World Challenge
- SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks[21]
- IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada
- F1600 Super Series
Former Series[]
Template:Context
- Champ Car World Series
- Atlantic Championship
- Barber Dodge Pro Series
- Pro Mazda Championship
- NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
- CASCAR Super Series
- Trans-Am Series
- Ferrari Challenge
- North American Touring Car Championship
- Motorola Cup
- North American Fran Am 2000 Pro Championship
- Canadian Touring Car Championship
- Canadian Formula Ford Championship
- Player's Ltd./GM Motorsport series
- Honda Michelin Challenge Series
Race day attendance[]
| Year | Attendance |
|---|---|
| 1986 | 60,000 |
| 1987 | 64,000 |
| 1988 | 59,155 |
| 1989 | 61,156 |
| 1990 | 64,245 |
| 1991 | 61,264 |
| 1992 | 65,094 |
| 1993 | 66,225 |
| 1994 | 66,503 |
| 1995 | 68,238 |
| 2000 | 72,976 |
| 2001 | 73,628 |
| 2002 | 73,160 |
| 2003 | 73,255 |
| 2004 | 72,561 |
| 2005 | 73,155 |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | Not held |
| 2009 | 15,000 est.[23] |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | 25,000 est[24] |
References[]
- ↑ "Toronto could shake up title hunt". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/9470813/indycar-toronto-doubleheader-shake-title-hunt. Retrieved 18 July 2013.
- ↑ "Retro T.O.: The first Indy". The Grid TO. http://www.thegridto.com/city/sports/retro-t-o-the-first-indy/. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ↑ "Honda Indy Toronto gains momentum". ESPN. http://espn.go.com/racing/indycar/story/_/id/8132398/indycar-honda-indy-toronto-comeback-trail/. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ↑ Andretti Green buys Toronto Champ Car race.
- ↑ Toronto, Edmonton on 2009 IndyCar Schedule.
- ↑ Honda Indy Toronto News
- ↑ "1993 Trans-Am Box Scores". SCCA Archives. http://cms.scca.com/documents/Pro%20Racing/Archives/Trans-Am/1993.pdf. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
- ↑ "1994 Trans-Am Box Scores". SCCA Archives. http://cms.scca.com/documents/Pro%20Racing/Archives/Trans-Am/1994.pdf. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
- ↑ "2004 Trans-Am Box Scores". SCCA Archives. http://cms.scca.com/documents/Pro%20Racing/Archives/Trans-Am/2004.pdf. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
- ↑ "2005 Trans-Am Box Scores". SCCA Archives. http://cms.scca.com/documents/Pro%20Racing/Archives/Trans-Am/2005.pdf. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
- ↑ "SCCA Trans-Am Series - 2010 Season". RolfsRacing.com. http://rolfsracingexperiences.com/transam_2010.php. Retrieved 2013-04-23.
- ↑ "CASCAR drivers shine at Molson Indy Toronto... Buck and Jefferson win". The Auto Channel. http://www.theautochannel.com/news/press/date/19990719/press026882.html. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "Dowler wins at Toronto Indy". Motorsport.com. http://www.motorsport.com/nascar-cdn/news/dowler-wins-at-toronto-indy/. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "2001 Molson Indy Toronto". Racing-Reference.info. http://racing-reference.info/race/2001_Molson_Indy_Toronto/CS. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "CASCAR - Toronto Indy Results and Summary". The Auto Channel. http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2002/07/06/143312.html. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "CASCAR - Toronto Indy Summary & Results". The Auto Channel. http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2003/07/12/164740.html. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "CASCAR: Lapcevich wins Toronto event". TSN.ca. http://www.tsn.ca/story/print/?id=90988. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "CASCAR: Micks takes Toronto win". TSN.ca. http://www.tsn.ca/story/print/?id=130225. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "Ranger wins Jumpstart 100". The Toronto Sun. http://www.torontosun.com/sports/autos/2010/07/17/14747076.html. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "Quebec’s Ranger grabs win in Toronto NASCAR race". The Toronto Star. http://www.thestar.com/sports/2011/07/09/quebecs_ranger_grabs_win_in_toronto_nascar_race.html. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ "Schedule". Stadium Super Trucks. http://stadiumsupertrucks.com/ssts/tour/. Retrieved 18 Octobner 2013.
- ↑ "Exhibition Place". Ultimate Racing History. http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist3.php?trackid=636. Retrieved 26 March 2013.
- ↑ http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/toronto-indy-organizers-pleased-despite-low-turnout/article1215925/
- ↑ http://web.archive.org/web/20110916120432/http://thestar.blogs.com/autoracing/2011/07/heres-how-many-people-watched-the-honda-indy-toronto.html
External links[]
Template:Sequence Template:Parades and Festivals in Toronto Template:Indy Racing League Seasons Template:IndyCar Series races Template:Pirelli World Challenge circuits Template:Champ Car Series Nav Box Template:Champ Car tracks Template:Atlantic Championship circuits Template:NASCAR Canadian Tire Series racetracks