Dixon captures third Toronto Indy
Canadian driver Wickens also makes memorable race debut, writes Ian Shantz
Scott Dixon always feels welcome in Toronto.
“It feels like it’s kind of a second home. I’m part of the Commonwealth. Bit of a long-shot there, but, you know, I’ll take it,” the gleeful 37-year-old New Zealander said on Sunday after celebrating in victory lane at the conclusion of a hectic 34th running of the Honda Indy Toronto. His affinity for the city should come as no surprise. After all, when Dixon captured the third Toronto victory of his career on a wild and steamy afternoon along the city’s lakeshore, he reached a level of success few others have managed at the Verizon IndyCar Series’ lone Canadian stop.
The local love-in was a recurring theme on Sunday, and for good reason. Robert Wickens couldn’t stop smiling after finishing third in his hometrack Indy debut, coming in just behind Frenchman Simon Pagenaud.
Wickens, who hails from nearby Guelph, was in street clothes here last summer to celebrate his good friend and fellow Canuck James Hinchcliffe’s third-place finish. One year later, the 29-year-old Wickens was the one spraying champagne after a hard-fought battle in what was an entertaining race from flagdrop to finish.
“A year ago, I didn’t know I was going to be racing in the Verizon IndyCar Series,” said Wickens, who spent 12 years racing in Europe before joining Schmidt Peterson Motorsports last fall. “I wasn’t expecting to be here a year later, but life is a crazy thing and it’s hard to predict the future. I’d like to think that this is kind of a perfect example of that, but it’s just been a great day.”
Though Dixon led for 49 of the race’s 85 laps, overtaking polesitting Josef Newgarden, who recovered from a brush against the wall on the 33rd lap to finish ninth, it was far from a sure thing on a day when temperatures soared and cars went into smash‘em mode, making the event at times look more like a demolition derby than an Indy race. A pair of five-car crashes on turns one and three highlighted once again just how much of an unforgiving monster the 2.874km, 11-turn, 85-lap temporary street circuit can be, leading to game-changing restarts, which benefited the Canadians, including 14th-place finisher Zachary Claman De Melo.
“I think the level of aggression in the series is going up as the competition goes up,” said Hinchcliffe, who moved up from his 10th starting position to finish fourth and clinch a pair of top-fives for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports. “At the same time, this track is no stranger to contact and rubbing sideways, front-to-back, whatever it is.” Wickens and Hinchcliffe came into slight contact when their wheels touched in the opening lap, but came away unscathed, allowing both Canucks to move up courtesy of the cautions and stake out their opportunities. Wickens and Pagenaud got into it when he French driver pushed the rookie against the wall as the Canadian was attempting a tight pass, but Wickens avoided a crash and hung on for his third podium finish of the season and fifth top-five.
“We were pretty fortunate on that restart there that basically got me up into second. Just at the right place at the right time,” Wickens said. “Probably more luck than talent. But we ended up in P2 and that was the turning point in our race. Our pace was good enough to stay there.
“I tried going into one, he defended it and we had a little contact there,” he added of the dust-up with Pagenaud. “Good, hard racing.”
Added the Frenchman who drives for Penske: “It’s IndyCar racing. We’re on the streets of Toronto, there’s not much room. There’s two cars battling for the same real estate.” Ultimately, Dixon found the most open space and did what he does best. The win was his third of the season, the 44th of his career and the Chip Ganassi team’s 106th series race win, giving the four-time series champion some much-needed breathing room in the driver standings heading into the season’s home stretch.
“You definitely can’t get complacent,” Dixon said. “It can turn very quickly as we saw this weekend. Nothing comes easy. Every single one of us on the team have to put in the hard work and by the end of the year hopefully we can look back on it and it pays off.” Canadians have now finished top-three in Toronto for three consecutive years, with Hinchcliffe securing third place in 2017 and 2016.