Ensuring fans have a good time

I was talking with Jeff Atkinson, president of the Honda Indy Toronto, and I said it seems that every year, the first time anybody hears anything about the race is on the morning mid-week when they learn Lake Shore Blvd. W. is closed to traffic.

How fast can you say crippling traffic jam on the Gardiner?

Every year, it seems, and this will happen next Wednesday night, July 11, just in time for the Thursday-morning rush hour, it comes as a big surprise to many people that the road is closed for this car race that has only been happening in July since 1986.

Atkinson agreed this had been the case in the past but that this year is different. The Honda Indy has been doing a lot of promoting, he said, and many more advertisers and sponsors have come on board and more people have been purchasing tickets.

“We’re looking forward to a good year and a good race,” he said.

Atkinson says that he and some pals first attended the race in 2001 and got in by purchasing general admission tickets. “We had so much fun that the next year, we bought gold tickets,” he said.

And then he got a job with the company, Savoree Green Racing Promotions, and look what’s happened to him since. Not only is he in charge of the Toronto race, he’s vice-president, marketing, for races in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Portland, Ore., as well as all the public events at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, south of Columbus.

But that general-admission ticket experience left a lasting impression, because back when he was a spectator, there weren’t a lot of places to watch the race.

“I vowed to fix that,” he said. “So a few years ago, we introduced the Pinty’s Pub and Grill for GA ticket-holders down on the outside of turn 1, and that has proved to be very popular.

“This year, the Miller Lite deck will be opened at turn 4. It will be a great place to watch the race for general-admission ticket holders.”

Atkinson said the key to making sure nobody wakes up in the future to be surprised that the Lake Shore Blvd. W. is closed is to make sure firsttime attendees leave happy.

“We’ve done a good job with ticket packages and loyalty programs,” he said. “We just have to make sure that we continue to develop first-time festival-goers. Once they come down to Exhibition Place, they are going to be pleasantly surprised, not just with the entertainment on the race track but all the things you can see and do away from the race track.

“So many people, once they get introduced to motorsport, they become a fan for life. Think back to the first time you went to a race. It’s a special moment.”