Go to the Ex

Professional racing in my backyard! Words and photos by Ian Rae

During one’s life there are many firsts that will remain in your memory banks for the duration of your time on Earth. Some are good, some bad. When I emigrated to Canada the time frame for the move was governed by the dates of the Molson Indy as it was initially called. I was desperate to see Indycars at speed and running on a street circuit would just make it more interesting. My cousin Craig had bought my tickets and I was going to be in Canada for the race, come hell or high water! The great thing about the Exhibition Place facility is it is smack bang in the middle of Toronto. Access by streetcar or GO train to Exhibition Place (The EX) is easy, by car it is a bit more difficult due to the road closures caused by the event but just like the Formula 1 race in Montreal the race is brought to the masses rather than the other way around. Consisting of eleven turns, the 1.75 mile track runs around the site of the famous Canadian National Exhibition that is held in late August. The Indy brings much to the economy as it is the second largest sporting event in Canada, only it’s Formula 1 counterpart in Montreal is larger. That first Indy in Toronto was memorable for two things, my first taste of the turbocharged Indycars series and the stupidity of a Scot not realizing that sunscreen is a MUST for Toronto in mid-summer. I came home from day one with a face that color matched the red shorts I was wearing and there were two more days to go. I could have stayed at home and watched the race live on TV while I suffered in silence (or not) but nothing, absolutely nothing was going to deter me from getting my full three day experience of Indycars.

So who was I going to cheer for? There were no Brits running in the 1988 CART PPG Indy Car World Series so the closest I could get was Derek Daly the Irishman. He had raced in Formula 1 and was now domiciled in Indiana and was making the USA home. Over in Indy Lights I was pulling for fellow former karter Calvin Fish who had won the Atlantic Series the previous year, he is English but when abroad all us Brits back each other up. By the end of the day it was a combination of good and bad. Daly had not won but it was cool to see Little Al of the Unser dynasty take the Indycar win. Fish came through with a drive that reminded me of why he was one of the few ever to challenge Ayrton Senna in FF2000 and F3. A Brit on top of the podium, it was time for more copious quantities of the race sponsors beverage. So move on twenty odd years and it was time to shoot Indycars once again but this time from the front of the spectator fence. The track had changed in the intervening years due to various building projects on the

Above: My good friend Jayson Clunie

Robby Gordon’s SST series is wall to wall excitement and great entertainment

Main: It was good to see JPM back in an Indycar Top: Stadium trucks are wild to watch. Below: Unfotunately there was lots of yellow this weekend. Left: Jason Sharpe has done an amazing job with his new F1600 series!

EX property but the basic layout of four straights joined by a multitude of corners continues. The weather man called for all sorts of weather during the weekend and although I hate getting wet I love the photo ops the wet gives. The event reminds me of a street faire; there is that much going on. Multiple classes of single seaters are joined by the top classes of the Pirelli World Challenge and Robby Gordon brings a touch of circus to Toronto with his Stadium Trucks tour. The trucks were a fan favorite and the oohs and aahhs that were heard just got louder and louder the higher the trucks jumped. The temporary ramps were located

from turn ten and down the start straight enabling the majority of seated fans to see the spectacle. Inside the track is a plethora of stalls and food stands with the multi-ethnic make-up of Toronto spilling over into the food vendors. The Honda dealers of Ontario stepped up again with free tickets on Friday with a donation to Make-A-Wish® Canada,

making for a perfect day to bring the family along to see what all the noise is about. As you can see from the attached photos I had a great time and got some great captures. How did the fans like it? Other than the rain, I think everyone went away happy, I know I did.

TORONTO, ON, 2014 – Honda Indy Toronto is returning to the streets of downtown Toronto in 2015 and will take place June 12-14, instead of its traditional July dates. The announcement comes after an extended period of negotiations and coordination between all major supporters and partners of the annual event including Honda Canada, INDYCAR, the City of Toronto, Exhibition Place, Tourism Toronto and Green Savoree Toronto, promoters of the race. In the end, organizers were successful in working with the

City of Toronto, Exhibition Place and the 2015 Pan- American Games to accommodate both events next summer.

The Verizon IndyCar Series will return as the marquee race for the event weekend, with other on-track programming to be announced over the next few months. Keep up to date - www.hondaindytoronto.com

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