Ten things you might not know about Honda Indy in Toronto
It’s late July of 1986, and Toronto’s Lake Shore Boulevard is hosting a different type of traffic than usual, but there’s no gridlock here. Roaring CART race cars took to the streets of Ontario’s capital for the first time for the Molson Indy Toronto in an event that would become second only to the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal for Canadian race fans.
Since that time, the race has seen a lot of change, with the acidic division of CART into Champ Car and Indy Racing League, a few changes of sponsors and owners and even being dropped from the calendar in 2008. Now known as the Honda Indy Toronto, the race — which goes July 13-15 at Toronto’s Exhibition Place — will certainly add to its long history. And hopefully, maybe even with another Canadian winner.
There’s only been one Canadian winner since 1986
Only one Canadian-born driver has won the series’ annual street race at Toronto: Paul Tracy. Granted, the 2003 CART champion did so twice, with Penske Racing in 1993 and again with Forsythe Racing 10 years later, but when you consider that multiple drivers from the U.K., the U.S., Brazil and Australia have claimed victory in Toronto, it’s a sobering statistic.
Only five Canadian drivers have finished on the podium
Want to hear something even more astonishing? Tracy’s ’93 win was the first time a Canadian had been on the IndyCar podium in Toronto, and only four other national drivers have done so since. These include Jacques Villeneuve (third in ’95), Alex Taglian (second in ’01, third in ’05), Patrick Carpentier (third in ’04) and James Hinchcliffe (third in ’16 and ’17).
The winner’s list is a veritable Who’s Who of CART/IndyCar champions
Win in a CART/IndyCar around the streets neighbouring Lake Shore Boulevard, and chances are you’re on the road to — or have already tasted — championship success. After all, in the 34 IndyCar races held around the streets of Toronto, only five have been won by a driver who did not go on to, or had not already secured, an IndyCar/CART championship. They include Adrian Fernandez (’96), Mark Blundell (’97), Justin Wilson (’05), A.J. Allmendinger (’06), and Mike Conway (’14).
Which leads us to …
In 32 years, only eight drivers have failed to finish on the podium in Toronto during their championship year
When Nigel Mansell retired from the 1993 Molson Indy Toronto with engine issues, he (eventually) became the first driver to win the IndyCar championship without finishing on the Toronto podium. He would be the first of eight, so far. (Technically, you could add Will Power to this list as he finished ninth in the first of two races in Toronto in 2014, but the Australian did bounce back to finish third in the second race.)
Sébastien Bourdais actually has the dubious honour of achieving this feat twice, finishing fifth and ninth in 2005 and 2007 respectively before going on to secure his second and fourth CART championships. Also on the Toronto wall of shame is Al Unser Jr. (20th in ’94), Juan Pablo Montoya (24th in ’94), Gils de Ferran (14th in ’01), Scott Dixon (eighth in ’15) and Simon Pagenaud (ninth in ’16).
And the driver with the most Toronto podiums is …
It’s no real secret that Michael Andretti is the most successful driver ever in Toronto, amassing seven wins between 1989 and 2001. And given that his nearest (active) rival — Will Power — is still four wins behind, the 1991 CART PPG Indy Car World Series champion will hold that record until at least 2021. Fittingly, Andretti has also spent more time on the podium in Toronto than any other driver, having banked 10 top-three finishes at Exhibition Place. That’s a record, given the longevity of his career, that will probably never be broken, unless Sébastien Bourdais and/or Will Power can net five podium finishes on the bounce.
Pole position doesn’t always guarantee victory
Incredibly, in 32 years, only six CART/IndyCar drivers have started on pole position in Toronto and gone on to win. These include Michael Andretti (’92), Cristiano da Matta (’02), Paul Tracy (’03), Sébastien Bourdais (’04 and ’14), Dario Franchitti (’09), and Scott Dixon (’13, race two). Andretti also holds the record for winning from farthest back on the starting grid, the fan favourite having taken his final victory in Toronto in 2001 despite starting 13th. Mike Conway came close to bettering this in 2014 when he won the weekend’s second race from 11th on the grid, a feat that, bizarrely, Josef Newgarden repeated the next year.
It’s IndyCar’s fourth oldest (active) race, and its second longest-running street race
No real prizes for guessing the series’ oldest race, given that the 102nd running of the Indy 500 was in May this year. Still, the Honda Indy Toronto has nevertheless had a good innings, running every year bar one since 1986. Only the 500 (1911), the Phoenix Grand Prix (1979), and the Grand Prix of Long Beach (1984) had their first races earlier than this.
Penske-Chevrolet could set two new records with one win
Consider this: if Team Penske wins at Exhibition Place this year, it will be the first time a CART/IndyCar outfit has won three successive races in Toronto. Impressive enough in and of itself, this hypothetical win would also be the sixth in a row at the event for Chevrolet, breaking a record the American manufacturer has held since 1991. Yep, from 1987 to 1991, Patrick Racing, Galles Racing (twice) and Newman/Haas Racing (twice) all secured victory for ChevroletIlmor in Toronto. Ironically, this run would go on to be broken in 1992 by the Ford-Cosworth-powered Newman/Haas Lola of Michael Andretti, the very same combo that netted Chevrolet-Ilmor its ’91 win. Oh, and for the completionists out there, that ’92 win was the second of an eventual 10 for Cosworth in Toronto, three more than Honda has managed thus far.
Only five teams have finished 1-2 in Toronto in 32 years
Boy oh boy, did Newman/Haas Racing know how to get the job done in Toronto. Between 1986 and it’s closure in 2011, the American giant won a record seven races at Exhibition Place and claimed 16 podium finishes in total. It seems only fitting then that Newman/Haas was also the first team to achieve a 1-2 finish at the event in 1991.
Since then, the feat has only been repeated by Team Penske (’93 and ’16), Team Green (’99), Chip Ganassi Racing (’11), and, bizarrely, CFH Racing (’15) in the latter’s only IndyCar season to date. Keep a close eye on Chip Ganassi Racing during this year’s race: the team has already amassed 18 podiums in Toronto, and is only one win shy of equalling Newman/Haas’s record.
The one racer with the most experience here is ...
If you’re looking for the most experienced driver on the IndyCar grid around the streets of Toronto, that honours goes to A.J. Foyt driver Tony Kanaan. Since 1998, the 2004 Indy Racing League champion has raced 15 times at Exhibition Place with either CART or IndyCar, missing only the 2000 running after breaking his arm in a qualifying shunt earlier that year.
How does that compare with a certain M. Andretti? Quite well, actually, as the ’91 champ raced 16 times in Toronto between 1986 and 2002.