Where has everybody gone? Fan support dwindling for Toronto IndyCar race

TORONTO — It has been nearly 10 years since Paul Godfrey brokered a deal to secure $2 million in provincial and municipal subsidies to help bring Toronto’s IndyCar race back from the dead.

Fans, however, have been lukewarm about the race since it returned to the city in 2009 after a one-year hiatus.

The race routinely attracted more than 70,000 people and about 170,000 over the course of three days during the 1990s and early 2000s, but the turnout figures to be far lower this weekend for the Honda Indy.

Godfrey, president and CEO of Postmedia Network, feels the race has “somewhat lost its charm” in the years since he and seven-time Toronto Indy champion Michael Andretti helped secure funding to revive it after it was given the axe because of scheduling issues when the two rival open-wheel racing series reunited in 2008.

“The buzz that was there a few years ago has not gotten back to the same levels it’s been at in the past,” Godfrey said.

“I know Honda is trying their best to get that to happen and hopefully it will. Because it’s a great sport and it’s a great event, and I’d love to see it get back to the excitement of yesteryear.”

Jeff Atkinson, president of the Honda Indy, said the race has grown over the past two years since he took on the role, adding that he’s expecting a three-day turnout of over 125,000.