Cleared by doctors, Hinchcliffe to wave flag
A little more than a week ago, Verizon IndyCar Series driver Will Power pushed Oakville’s James Hinchcliffe out of Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis in a wheelchair.
The Canadian IndyCar pilot had been grievously injured during a practice accident at Indianapolis Motor Speedway May 18 — he nearly bled to death — and was heading for his home in suburban Zionsville, Ind., to start a months-long recuperation.
A photographer was on hand to record the moment. Hinchcliffe was hamming it up, as usual, while Power looked somewhat bemused.
By a strange twist of fate, both drivers are in Toronto for this weekend’s Honda Indy — Power to drive for Team Penske (along with teammates Helio Castroneves, Juan Pablo Montoya and Simon Pagenaud) and Hinchcliffe to serve as the grand marshal for the three-day event.
During a conference call with motorsport journalists Wednesday afternoon, Hinchcliffe left the door open to travel to Toronto for the race, but also gave the impression that his injuries were severe and recovery would take some time.
“There are obviously a lot of people that would have to sign off on me going,” he said during the Q & A. “Me being me, I’d love to be there. Unfortunately, it’s not just up to me. We’ll see. It’s not an impossibility, but it certainly isn’t a done deal yet.”
Thursday morning, a text message from his PR firm was sent out that said: “Hinch got his medical clearance to come to Toronto! He WILL be there this weekend with SPM (Schmidt Peterson Motorsports).”
The Honda Indy people were understandably thrilled.
“We are very excited to have James as grand marshal,” said Charlie Johnstone, president of the Honda Indy Toronto. “Although he is unable to race, it is important to us, and to him, that he is involved in the race in some capacity, being as this is his hometown event.”
Hinchcliffe will perform the standard grand marshal duties that include giving the famous “Drivers, start your engines!” command to start the race on Sunday afternoon.
For his part, Power said the picture taken of him giving Hinchcliffe a hand was simply a matter of being in the right place at the right time.
“I went up to see him and they were starting to check him out so I basically walked out with him,” Power told the Toronto Star in an interview.
“It wasn’t planned or anything. I just went to see how he was doing and there he was. It was cool to see him leave the hospital and to see that he’s on the road to recovery. We all miss him in IndyCar; he’s such a character and he’s very good for the series.”
Power, winner of two previous Toronto Indy races, is an Australian whose grandmother came from Edmonton. He likes to race in Toronto because he considers it a challenge.
“The course (at Exhibition Place) is unique in that it’s got cement in the corners. You go from grip (pavement) to no grip (cement) to grip (pavement), which makes it difficult to understand how to set the car up.
“But Toronto’s all about survival in the race. There are a lot of incidents; we call Toronto a street fight. However, if you can put yourself in a good position and not get caught up in incidents, you have a shot at the win.
“Qualifying near the front is one thing, but being good in the race is really what counts.”
Friday is “Fan Friday” at the Indy, which means visitors’ everybody’s admission is being covered by the Honda Dealers of Ontario in return for a donation of any amount to Make-A-Wish Canada.
Saturday, qualifying and racing in six support series will start at 8 a.m., with IndyCar Series qualifying scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
The 85-lap classic will get the green flag, if everything is on time, at 3:37 p.m. on Sunday.