~ by Chris Demaras ~
This past weekend was the annual open-wheel street race in downtown Toronto. Originally called the Molson Indy, it’s been called the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto then the Honda Indy Toronto and this year the incredibly clumsy name the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.
No matter what it’s called, the IndyCar race has been running at Exhibition Place since 1986, making it one of the oldest street circuits in North America, behind Long Beach. It’s an incredibly popular event with huge crowds of die-hard racing fans, and casual observers alike.
Admission on Free Friday (or Fan Friday) is free although visitors are asked to make a small charitable donation to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. For pocket change, anyone in Toronto has an opportunity to wander through the IndyCar teams’ paddock, seeing the cars, the crews and the drivers up close. Just don’t cross the velvet rope!
Each year, our family goes to the track all three days, and Fridays are certainly the most relaxed. There are practice sessions, which are exciting to watch, but none of the times really count towards the race on Sunday.
Considering that Friday was a workday, it was impressive how many people made it to Exhibition Place. The race isn’t as popular as it was in the heyday of CART racing, but times are different now. It’s still impressive to see the grandstands half-full on Friday morning.
Wandering around the track, there’s lots of angles to watch from. There used to be a grandstand at Turn 1, but now anybody who wants to can just watch the track from that spot (general admission) and the same goes for the run up to Turn 4, which is a great passing opportunity.
We were there to cheer on our family-favourite driver, Will Power driver of the No. 12 Verizon Team Penske car. We had a chance to meet him at his paddock area, chatted about racing, and wished him good luck. He was quick in practice, so things looked good.
Back again on Saturday for Qualifying sessions to set the grid for the race.