Molson Grand Prix of Toronto
NTT IndyCar Series | |
---|---|
Location | Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario, Canada 43°38′14″N 79°24′56″W / 43.63722°N 79.41556°W |
Corporate sponsor | Ontario Honda Dealers |
First race | 1986 |
First ICS race | 2009 |
Laps | 90 |
Previous names | Molson Indy Toronto (1986–2005) Molson Grand Prix of Toronto (2006) Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto (2007) Honda Indy Toronto (2009-2023) |
Most wins (driver) | Michael Andretti (7) |
Most wins (team) | Newman/Haas Racing (7) |
Most wins (manufacturer) | Chassis: Dallara (15) Engine: Chevrolet (13) |
Circuit information | |
Surface | Asphalt/Concrete |
Length | 2.874 km (1.786 mi) |
Turns | 11 |
Lap record | 0:58.806 ( Cristiano da Matta, Lola B02/00, 2002, CART) |
The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto is an annual Indy Car race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was part of the Champ Car World Series from 1986 to 2007. After a one-year hiatus, it has been part of the NTT IndyCar Series schedule since 2009. The race takes place on a 2.874 km (1.786 mi), 11 turn, temporary street circuit through Exhibition Place and on Lake Shore Boulevard. Toronto is classified as an FIA Grade Two circuit.[1]
It is IndyCar's second-longest running street race, only behind the Grand Prix of Long Beach[2] and is the third oldest race on the current schedule (tied with the Mid-Ohio 200) in terms of number of races run.[3] The Toronto Indy is one of seven Canadian circuits to have held an IndyCar race, the others being Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Mont-Tremblant, Sanair, Montreal, Vancouver, and Edmonton.
Origins
Motorsport and automobile demonstrations has a history at Exhibition Place going back over 100 years.[4][5] Automotive shows, displays, races and driving demonstrations have taken place on the grounds since the invention of the automobile, including the first appearance of an indy car, the 1916 Indianapolis 500 winning Peugeot during the 1918 Canadian National Exhibition.[6]
From 1952 until 1966 the grandstand hosted stock car racing on a paved quarter mile circuit on Friday nights and Sunday afternoons, hosting crowds upwards of 20,000 often broadcast live on CBC in Toronto.[7][8] In 1958 the venue hosted a NASCAR Cup Series race, the Jim Mideon 500. The race was the first of Richard Petty's 1,184 starts in NASCAR and was won by his father Lee Petty.
Following the 1977 Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, Labatt, the sponsor who held the rights to F1 racing in Canada at the time, as well as the owners of Mosport Park revived the proposal to move the race to Exhibition Place after the FIA deemed Mosport as an unsuitable host facility going forward.[9] Toronto city council turned down the proposal by a margin of two votes and within a few hours, Montreal mayor Jean Drapeau had negotiated with Labatt to move the race permanently to Montreal.[10][11][12]
In 1984, Molson Breweries in-house promotional division, Molstar Sports & Entertainment acquired the rights to CART sanctioned IndyCar races in Canada and ran the first Molson Indy at the Sanair Speedway outside Montreal. The tight tri-oval was unpopular with the CART teams in part due to a severe injury to Rick Mears during the first event.[13] In the spring of 1985, Molson revived the idea of a street circuit through Exhibition Place in Toronto for a third time. Toronto City Council approved the race by two votes in July 1985 for the race to be held the following year. [14]
Race history
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.[15]
In the 1996 race, American driver Jeff Krosnoff was killed in a crash with 4 laps remaining. In that same crash, volunteer corner marshal Gary Avrin was killed, and marshal 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, multimillion-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. On May 15, 2008, Andretti Green Racing (co-owned by Michael Andretti) purchased the assets of the former Grand Prix of Toronto.[16] On July 30, 2008, it was confirmed that the race would return to Toronto on July 12, 2009.[17] 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.[18]
In 2013, the race weekend was changed to a 2 race format with one race Saturday and one race Sunday. The Saturday race would feature a standing start while the Sunday race would be a rolling start. After an aborted standing start Saturday leading to a rolling start, teams and officials agreed to try the standing start again Sunday. The Sunday standing start was successful on its first attempt and was the first successful standing start in unified IndyCar series history (the Champ Car World Series had used standing starts late in its history shortly before unification). In 2014, weather forced both races to be run Sunday, exposing the difficulty in logistics of running two races in an already packed schedule. By 2015, both standing starts and the two race format were abandoned.
In 2016, the track layout was modified to accommodate the newly constructed Hotel X Toronto. Under the new layout, the pit lane was moved to the opposite side of the race course, starting at the outside of turn 9 and exiting just after turn 11. This, in turn, made turn 11 a sharper turn than it had been in the previous configuration.[19]
Michael Andretti is the all-time race win leader with seven victories.
The 2020 and 2021 editions of the event were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ontario, marking the second gap in the race's history. This came due to the restrictions that were in place barring non-essential travel at the Canada–United States border (as most IndyCar Series races are within the United States) and after Mayor John Tory announced that all mass public gatherings were banned throughout the summers of 2020 and 2021 respectively in response to the pandemic.[20][21]
Following the cancellation of the 2020 race, a new three-year agreement was reached in September 2020 between Exhibition Place and Green Savoree Toronto to host the event through 2023.[22]
On March 14, 2024 it was announced that the new title partner of the race would be the Ontario Honda Dealers, changing the name to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.[23]
Past winners
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 | Race cancelled following reunification of Champ Car and IRL. | ||||||||||
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 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 149.175 (240.073) | 1:35:02 | 94.177 | |||
2014 | July 20* | Sébastien Bourdais | KV Racing Technology | Dallara | Chevrolet | 65* | 114.075 (183.585) | 1:15:44 | 90.37 | Report | |
Mike Conway | Ed Carpenter Racing | Dallara | Chevrolet | 56* | 98.28 (158.166) | 1:20:36 | 73.168 | ||||
2015* | June 14 | Josef Newgarden | CFH Racing | Dallara | Chevrolet | 85 | 149.175 (240.073) | 1:39:00 | 90.41 | Report | |
2016 | July 17 | Will Power | Team Penske | Dallara | Chevrolet | 85 | 151.81 (244.314) | 1:42:39 | 88.739 | Report | |
2017 | July 16 | Josef Newgarden | Team Penske | Dallara | Chevrolet | 85 | 151.81 (244.314) | 1:35:05 | 95.79 | Report | |
2018 | July 15 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 151.81 (244.314) | 1:37:00 | 93.898 | Report | |
2019 | July 14 | Simon Pagenaud | Team Penske | Dallara | Chevrolet | 85 | 151.81 (244.314) | 1:30:16 | 100.9 | Report | |
2020 | July 12 | Race cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||||||||
2021 | July 11 | ||||||||||
2022 | July 17 | Scott Dixon | Chip Ganassi Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 151.81 (244.314) | 1:38:45 | 92.234 | Report | |
2023 | July 16 | Christian Lundgaard | Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing | Dallara | Honda | 85 | 151.81 (244.31) | 1:41:55 | 89.361 | Report |
- 1990: Race shortened due to rain.
- 1996: Race shortened due to fatal crash involving Jeff Krosnoff and a track marshal.
- 2014 I: Race postponed from Saturday to Sunday morning due to rain. Shortened to accommodate regularly scheduled Sunday race.
- 2014 II: Race shortened due to time limit.
Lap records
As of July 2023, the fastest official race lap records at the Grand Prix of Toronto (Exhibition Place) are listed as:
Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
---|---|---|---|---|
Second Grand Prix Circuit: 2.824 km (1996–present) | ||||
CART | 0:58.806[24] | Cristiano da Matta | Lola B02/00 | 2002 Molson Indy Toronto |
IndyCar | 0:59.7140 | Will Power | Dallara DW12 | 2018 Honda Indy Toronto |
Original Grand Prix Circuit: 2.871 km (1986–1995) | ||||
CART | 58.830[25] | Bobby Rahal | Lola T95/00 | 1995 Molson Indy Toronto |
Charities
During the tenure of Molson's original race ownership, the Molson Indy Festival Foundation hosted various fundraising events in the city in the week leading up to the race week. As of 2004 the foundation had donated $5.6 million towards community groups and charitable organizations.[26]
In 2010 the race introduced the annual Fan Fridays to the race weekend. In lieu of paid admission, attendees are encouraged to make a contribution to the Make-A-Wish Foundation upon entering the grounds.[27] The initiative has raised $820,000 as of 2019 for the organization dedicated to granting wishes for children with critical illnesses.[28][29]
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[30] |
2004 | 72,561 |
2005 | 73,155 |
2006 | |
2007 | |
2008 | Not held |
2009 | 15,000 est.[31] |
2010 | |
2011 | 25,000 est[32] |
See also
References
- ^ "List of FIA licensed circuits" (Press release). Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. December 14, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2019.
- ^ "Toronto could shake up title hunt". ESPN. July 11, 2013. Archived from the original on July 16, 2013. Retrieved July 18, 2013.
- ^ Genova, Victor. "10 Random Toronto Indy Facts". Honda Indy Toronto. Archived from the original on September 17, 2016. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
- ^ Wencer, David (August 17, 2013). "Historicist: The Thrills (and Inevitable Spills) of Auto Polo". Torontoist. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Rogers, Kaleigh (August 13, 2014). "Ferris-wheel highs and nauseating lows from 135 years of The Ex". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ McDonald, Norris (July 14, 2018). "One hundred years of Indy car history in Toronto". The Toronto Star. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Kenzie, Jim (April 23, 2010). "CNE stock cars planted racing seed in Kenzie". Wheels.ca. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ McDonald, Norris (October 11, 2019). "Farewell to a Canadian auto racing legend". The Toronto Star. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Brockington, Robert J. (2001). Aykroyd, Steve; Jones, Neal (eds.). Mosport 1961-2001: Four Decades of Racing. Mosport International Raceway. p. 61.
- ^ Walthert, Matthew (June 13, 2017). "Montreal's Legendary F1 Circuit Is Part of the Canadian Grand Prix Allure". Vice.com. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Charters, David A. (2007). The Chequered Past: Sports Car Racing & Rallying in Canada, 1951-1991. University of Toronto Press. pp. 235–236. ISBN 978-0-8020-9394-3.
- ^ McDonald, Norris (June 10, 2017). "The Canadian Grand Prix has its own, unique story". The Toronto Star. Retrieved June 2, 2020.
- ^ Charters, David A. (2007). The Chequered Past: Sports Car Racing & Rallying in Canada, 1951-1991. University of Toronto Press. p. 239. ISBN 978-0-8020-9394-3.
- ^ "Retro T.O.: The first Indy". The Grid TO. Archived from the original on July 3, 2014. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- ^ "Honda Indy Toronto gains momentum". ESPN. July 5, 2012. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- ^ "Andretti Green buys Toronto Champ Car race". Archived from the original on October 15, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- ^ "Toronto, Edmonton on 2009 IndyCar Schedule". Archived from the original on October 16, 2012. Retrieved December 6, 2017.
- ^ Honda Indy Toronto News Archived December 9, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Honda Indy Toronto track changes include new pit lane". Racer.com. Racer Media & Marketing, Inc. March 21, 2016. Archived from the original on July 28, 2017. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- ^ Westoll, Nick (May 15, 2020). "Coronavirus: City of Toronto summer camps, all major permitted events cancelled until Aug. 31". Global News. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
- ^ "CNE, Caribbean Carnival, Honda Indy among Toronto-led summer events cancelled for 2021 - Toronto | Globalnews.ca".
- ^ "Multi-year Agreement with Green Savoree Toronto (GST) ULC for Honda Indy at Exhibition Place" (PDF). City of Toronto. September 8, 2020. Retrieved October 5, 2020.
- ^ "Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto - Ontario Honda Dealers becomes title sponsor of iconic Indy Toronto event". hondaindy.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
- ^ "Toronto - Motorsport Magazine". Retrieved May 12, 2022.
- ^ "1995 Toronto Champ Cars". Retrieved May 13, 2022.
- ^ "Free Molson Canadian Pit Stop Street Party on John Street 500 Additional tickets to the Exclusive Molson Indy Drivers' Party". Auto123.com. June 27, 2005. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ McDonald, Norris (June 3, 2018). "Donations sought for Make-A-Wish now total $600,000". The Toronto Star. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Ten years of Honda Indy Toronto race fan and partner generosity totals more than $820,000". makeawish.ca. July 15, 2019. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ Sinclair, Adam (November 20, 2019). "Green flag drops on ticket sales for 2020 Honda Indy Toronto". speedwaydigest.com. Retrieved June 14, 2020.
- ^ "Tracy takes flag-to-flag hometown win in Toronto". Motorsport.com. July 15, 2003. Retrieved June 13, 2020.
- ^ "Toronto Indy organizers pleased despite low turnout". The Globe and Mail. Toronto. November 17, 2009. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ "Norris McDonald's Auto Racing Blog". Archived from the original on September 16, 2011. Retrieved July 16, 2011.
External links
- Official website
- Map and circuit history at RacingCircuits.info
- 2013 IndyCar Results Page
- Exhibition Place (Toronto) race results at Racing-Reference
Preceded by Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio |
IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Toronto |
Succeeded by Iowa 250 |