History of the Indy,
Starting Line
One year after his legs were amputated after of a crash, Alex Zanardi made his emotional return to the track as the 2002 race’s honourary starter.
Turn 1
The easiest place to pass is also the corner that has seen the most carnage over the years. The famous first corner was where pole-sitter Dario Franchitti had his race ended in 1998 after being slammed into by Bobby Rahal.
Turn 2
More of a kink than a turn, this is the lead-up to a long straightaway along Lakeshore Boulevard.
Turn 3
Michael Andretti and Emerson Fittipaldi were battling each other in the final laps for first place in the 1989 race. With a few more to go, heading into Turn 3 — a turn that would prove fatal years later — Andretti bumped Fittipaldi and went on to win the first of a record seven races in Toronto.
There were three laps remaining in the 1996 race when rookie driver Jeff Krosnoff tried to pass Stefan Johansson as both headed into Turn 3. Their tires brushed together and Krosnoff’s car was lifted airborne, killing Krosnoff and volunteer track Marshall Gary Avrin. A memorial plaque overlooks the scene of the accident.
Dario Franchitti was involved in mishaps here in 2000 and 2011. In the first, Franchitti collided with Juan Pablo Montoya, the 1999 CART Series champion, after Helio Castroneves’ brakes locked up while heading into that same deadly turn. The two cars were stuck together for a few minutes before being separated. In 2011, the Scotsman took the inside of Turn 3, and as he emerged out of it he knocked Will Power out of the race. Franchitti ended up winning in Toronto for a third time. He was initially penalized, but the penalty was later overturned. “I always race him clean and he always races me dirty,” Power said after leaving his car. “The guy that mouthes off about everyone and whinges about everyone, and he’s the one that races the most dirty, never gets a penalty from IndyCar. It’s not right.”
Turn 4
During the Canadian National Exhibition, this is where the Flyer roller coaster stands and near where Exhibition Stadium once stood. In 2009, it was shaping up to be a great day for Canadian drivers with Alex Tagliani leading and Paul Tracy in third. But that changed on the 66th lap, when Tracy tried to pass Helio Castroneves and crashed after his car slid on a patch of concrete.
Turn 5
It was on the 65th lap of last year’s race when Justin Wilson and Charlie Kimball collided, causing Wilson’s car to bounce off a wall and smash into Ryan Briscoe. Upon contact, Briscoe did not let go of his steering wheel and the collision broke his wrist.
Turn 7
A six-car crash took place on Turn 7 in 1995 while racing under a yellow flag. Carlos Guerrero’s car caught the end of another and sent him airborne. The car jumped over nearby racer Alessandro Zamepedri and landed on the car’s front end, not on top of him. No one was injured.
Turn 8
Bumpiest section of the course.
Turns 10 and 11
Track changed in 1996 to accommodate the construction of the Direct Energy Centre, Canada’s largest trade centre, which opened in 1997. Turns 10 and 11 were made rounder, and the track was moved in. Turn 1 was made slower, tighter, sharper, more abrupt. The rest of the track remained the same.
Turn 10
With the checkered flag out, Danny Sullivan made one last push and tried to go around leader Emerson Fittipaldi on the second-last turn on the last lap of the 1987 race. The cars bumped, causing Sullivan to spin out. Fittipaldi, however, hung on for the
dramatic victory.
Turn 10
The final turn of the track is where drivers try to pick up speed heading into the last straightaway before the finish. Of course, this comes with risks: In 1994, Bryan Herta slid into the outside wall, breaking his pelvis and ending his season.
Finish Line
The finish line, along Princes’ Boulevard, should be renamed Michael Andretti Road considering he has won a record seven times in Toronto. Of his victories, his last in 2001 might be the most memorable. After stalling his car on the parade lap, Andretti passed every car in the field to claim his final checkered flag.
Pits (in)
The first Molson Indy was not without controversy. Midway through the 1986 race, Bobby Rahal was assessed a 46-second drive-through pit penalty for apparently passing the pace car under a yellow flag. All it did was make Rahal’s eventual victory that much more impressive.
Pits (out)
Paul Tracy had led four laps when he went into the pits. Coming out, the Canadian driver tried to take back the lead, but as he crossed onto the track his car crossed into the path of Michel Jourdain Jr. Tracy was assessed a black flag and finished the 2004 race in fifth place.
Tracy encountered trouble here again in 2005 when race leader Sebastien Bourdais pulled in front of him on the way out of the pit lane, and contact chopped off Tracy’s left wing. The Canadian kept on racing for several laps until he ran out of fuel.