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]
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| 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) |
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 edit
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 edit
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 edit
- 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.
Support race winners edit
Road to Indy edit
SCCA Trans-Am Series edit
| Year | Winning driver | Car | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 |  Scott Sharp | Chevrolet Camaro | [24] |
| 1994 | Tommy Kendall | Ford Mustang | [25] |
| 2004 |  Jorge Diaz, Jr. | Jaguar XKR | [26] |
| 2005 | Paul Gentilozzi | Jaguar XKR | [27] |
| 2010 |  R. J. Lopez | Chevrolet Corvette | [28] |
Pirelli World Challenge – GT edit
| Season | Winning driver | Car |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Randy Pobst | Porsche 911 GT3 |
| 2010 | Randy Pobst (GT) Peter Cunningham (GTS) | Volvo S60 Acura TSX |
| 2013 | Johnny O'Connell (GT) Lawson Aschenbach (GTS) | Cadillac CTS-V Chevrolet Camaro |
| 2014 | Race 1 | |
 Nick Tandy (GT) Marcelo Hahn (GTA) Dean Martin (GTS) | Porsche 911 GT3 R Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 Ford Mustang Boss 302S | |
| Race 2 | ||
 Kuno Wittmer (GT) Michael Mills (GTA) Mark Wilkins (GTS) | Dodge Viper SRT GT3-R Porsche 911 GT3 R Kia Optima | |
Pirelli World Challenge – Touring Car edit
| Season | Winning driver | Car |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Peter Cunningham | Acura |
| 2010 | Nick Wittmer | Honda Civic Si |
| 2013 | 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 edit
| Year | Race name | Winner | Car | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Miller Lite 100 | Robin Buck | Pontiac | [29] |
| 2000 | Exide 99 | Kevin Dowler | Ford | [30] |
| 2001 | Robin Buck | Pontiac | [31] | |
| 2002 | CASCAR Toronto Indy, presented by NAPA | Kevin Dowler | Ford | [32] |
| 2003 | Avenue ACDelco 100 | Jeff Lapcevich | Chevrolet | [33] |
| 2004 | CASCAR Toronto Indy 100 | Jeff Lapcevich | Chevrolet | [34] |
| 2005 | ATTO 100 | Kerry Micks | Ford | [35] |
NASCAR Pinty's Series edit
The Indy Toronto circuit is based around Exhibition Place, but the heritage of NASCAR and Exhibition Place dates considerably earlier than the 2010 Canadian Tire Series round at Indy Toronto. In 1958, the 31st round of NASCAR's Grand National (now Cup Series) championship was held at the third Exhibition Stadium (located on the site of BMO Field). That race marked the Cup debut of Richard Petty.
| Year | Race name | Winner | Car | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Jumpstart 100 | Andrew Ranger | Dodge | [36] |
| 2011 | Streets of Toronto 100 | Andrew Ranger | Dodge | [37] |
| 2016 | Pinty's Grand Prix of Toronto | Alex Tagliani | Chevrolet | [38] |
| 2017 | Pinty's Grand Prix of Toronto | Kevin Lacroix | Dodge | [39] |
| 2018 | Pinty's Grand Prix of Toronto | Andrew Ranger | Dodge | [40] |
| 2019 | Pinty's Grand Prix of Toronto | Alex Tagliani | Chevrolet | [41] |
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |||
| 2021 | ||||
| 2022 | Grand Prix of Toronto | Kevin Lacroix | Dodge | [42] |
| 2023 | Tiffany Gate Grand Prix of Toronto | Alex Tagliani | Chevrolet | [43] |
Stadium Super Trucks edit
| Year | Winner | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Justin Lofton | [44] |
| Sheldon Creed | ||
| 2014 | Sheldon Creed | [45] |
| Sheldon Creed | ||
| 2015 | Scotty Steele | [46] |
| Keegan Kincaid | [47] | |
| 2016 |  Matthew Brabham | [48] |
| Sheldon Creed | ||
| 2019 | Cole Potts | [49] |
| Gavin Harlien | ||
| 2020 | Cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. | |
Lap Records edit
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 | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second Grand Prix Circuit: 2.824 km (1996–present)[50] | ||||
| CART | 0:58.806[51] | Cristiano da Matta | Lola B02/00 | 2002 Molson Indy Toronto |
| IndyCar | 0:59.7140[52] | Will Power | Dallara DW12 | 2018 Honda Indy Toronto |
| Indy Lights | 1:04.0124[53] | Esteban Guerrieri | Dallara IPS | 2011 Toronto 100 |
| Formula Atlantic | 1:05.487[54] | Graham Rahal | Swift 016.a | 2006 Toronto Formula Atlantic round |
| Indy Pro 2000 | 1:07.0213[55] | Rasmus Lindh | Tatuus PM-18 | 2019 Indy Pro 2000 Grand Prix of Toronto |
| US F2000 | 1:10.9853[56] | Rasmus Lindh | Tatuus USF-17 | 2018 US F2000 Grand Prix of Toronto |
| Porsche Carrera Cup | 1:11.501[57] | Trenton Estep | Porsche 911 (992) GT3 Cup | 2022 Toronto Porsche Carrera Cup North America round |
| Trans-Am | 1:12.149[58] | Paul Gentilozzi | Jaguar XKR | 2004 Toronto Trans-Am round |
| Radical Cup | 1:14.042[59] | Jon Field | Radical SR3 SRX | 2023 Toronto Radical Cup North America round |
| Super Touring | 1:15.599[60] | Randy Pobst | Honda Accord | 1996 Toronto NATCC round |
| GT4 | 1:16.730[61] | Charles Robin | Mercedes-AMG GT4 | 2022 Toronto Sports Car Championship Canada round |
| TCR Touring Car | 1:17.473[62] | Richard Boake | Audi RS 3 LMS TCR | 2023 Toronto Sports Car Championship Canada round |
| F1600 | 1:18.440[63] | Edouard Aube | EuroSwift SC92 | 1998 Toronto Canadian F1600 round |
| Mazda MX-5 Cup | 1:24.7092[64] | Matt Cresci | Mazda MX-5 (ND) | 2017 Toronto Mazda MX-5 Cup round |
| Original Grand Prix Circuit: 2.871 km (1986–1995)[50] | ||||
| CART | 0:58.830[65] | Bobby Rahal | Lola T95/00 | 1995 Molson Indy Toronto |
| Indy Lights | 1:03.799[66] | Robbie Buhl | Lola T93/20 | 1995 Toronto Indy Lights round |
| Trans-Am | 1:10.553[67] | Scott Pruett | Chevrolet Camaro | 1994 Toronto Trans-Am round |
Current series edit
- NTT IndyCar Series
- USF Pro 2000 Championship
- USF2000 Championship
- NASCAR Pinty's Series
- Sports Car Championship Canada
- Radical Canada Cup
- Blue Marble Radical Cup North America
Former series edit
Besides the main event, Honda Indy Toronto also holds races of lower levels before. These are known as support series. A variety of racing series have previously run as support series on the race weekend. These include:[68]
- Champ Car World Series
- Indy Lights
- Atlantic Championship
- Barber Dodge Pro Series
- CASCAR Super Series
- Trans-Am Series
- Ferrari Challenge
- North American Touring Car Championship
- Canadian Touring Car Championship
- Motorola Cup
- IMSA GT3 Cup Challenge Canada
- Porsche Carrera Cup North America
- SPEED Energy Stadium Super Trucks
- North American Fran Am 2000 Pro Championship
- Canadian Formula Ford Championship
- Pirelli World Challenge
- Player's Ltd./GM Motorsport series
- Honda Michelin Challenge Series
- F1600 Super Series
Charities edit
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.[69]
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.[70] The initiative has raised $820,000 as of 2019 for the organization dedicated to granting wishes for children with critical illnesses.[71][72]
Race day attendance edit
| 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[73] |
| 2004 | 72,561 |
| 2005 | 73,155 |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | Not held |
| 2009 | 15,000 est.[74] |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | 25,000 est[75] |
See also edit
References edit
External links edit
- 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 |