Auto Racing

The Honda Indy Toronto was once again the backdrop for an incredible show of generosity from race fans, the Ontario Honda Dealers Association (OHDA) and the Honda Canada Foundation (HCF). Total donations for Make-A-Wish® Canada were a sizeable $75,000, thanks to a $30,000 contribution by fans matched by the OHDA and HCF, and generous contributions of $5,000 and $10,000 from new partners Tim Hortons Inc. and Johnsonville Sausage.

This was the 30th year of racing on the streets of Toronto and the seventh straight year for Make-A-Wish® fundraising efforts at the Honda Indy Toronto. Over that time, spectators and partners have raised more than $500,000 for Make-A-Wish.

“This is a true reflection of how big people’s hearts are and I know that everyone at Make-A-Wish shares in my excitement and sincere gratitude to Indy fans, the Honda Canada Foundation and Ontario Honda dealers,” said Jennifer Klotz-Ritter, president & CEO, Make-A-Wish Canada. “Programs like this play an instrumental role in our ability to bring strength and happiness to the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions.”

Race fans of all ages were once again treated to the speed and spectacle of the race and fun of the surrounding festival on Fan Friday. Instead of admission, attendees were encouraged to make a contribution to Make-A-Wish. Donations were also accepted throughout race weekend for games and activities including face painting, racing simulators and Honda Junior Red Riders off-road riding program.  All contributions over the weekend were matched dollar-for-dollar by Honda Canada Foundation, the company’s national charitable arm.

“This is exactly what the Honda Canada Foundation is all about and the common values we share with Canadians,” said Dave Gardner, senior vice president of operations, Honda Canada Inc. “We’re thrilled about what we’ve accomplished together with thousands of Indy fans, our dealers and this year, a host of new Honda Indy Toronto partners including Tim Hortons and Johnsonville.”

New levels of cooperation and seven years of Fan Fridays

Joining Honda during the seventh year of Fan Friday were two new Honda Indy Toronto partners. Tim Hortons Toronto Restaurant Owners committed all proceeds from the on-site sale of coffee and lemonade which totaled $5,000, while Johnsonville Sausage pledged a $10,000 donation.

“We’re thrilled with the support we’ve seen from the fans and partners and hitting this half-million-dollar mark is a huge win for everyone involved in Fan Friday,” said Kevin Pearson, president, Ontario Honda Dealers Association. “I’m very proud of the work we’ve done together in support of Make-A-Wish and I know that’s a sentiment shared by Honda dealers across the province.”

Hometown hero and Honda ambassador, James Hinchcliffe, made a special appearance on Fan Friday to meet with a group of Make-A-Wish kids and their families. He took time to sign autographs, pose for photos and receive good luck ‘high-fives’ from smiling children before hitting the Toronto track for the first time since being sidelined for the 2015 season due to a serious, crash-related injury.

The races may be over, but there are always opportunities to donate to Make-A-Wish. To make a $5 donation, text the word ‘DREAM’ to 41010 from any mobile phone. With support from organizations like the Honda Canada Foundation and the OHDA, Make-A-Wish grants 500 wishes a year through eight regional chapters across the country.

The 30th running of the Honda Indy Toronto provided a show for the fans with plenty of of battles throughout the field. In the end, it was Australian Will Power of Team Penske that drove his car to victory – his third this year and third in Toronto.

Power may have received all the accolades and driver standing's points, but it was the hometown favourite and driver of the No. 5 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car, James Hinchcliffe who became the star of the show, placing on the podium in third position while wearing his racing suit signed by donators to the Make-A-Wish Canada Foundation. It was Hinchcliffe's first ever podium out of seven tries on the streets of Toronto.

The race took a turn in favour of Power, Hinchcliffe and second-place finisher Helio Castroneves of Team Penske when Ed Carpenter Racing's Josef Newgarden hit the curb on Lap 47 of 85 at Turn 5 – an asphalt curb that didn't hold up between the 22 Indy cars and the Toronto heat.

Newgarden's crash into the wall changed the complexion of the race benefiting Power the most, who pitted seconds ahead of the incident. A long yellow caution favoured the drivers who had already pitted to the detriment of the front runners at the time including pole sitter Scott Dixon of Chip Ganassi Racing, his teammate Simon Pagenaud and KVSH Racing's Sebastien Bourdais. 

“We finally got a yellow to go our way,” Power announced on the team radio after clearing the checkered flag. “It was a late call as the 22 car [Pagenaud] was being held up by the No. 8 [Chip Ganassi Racing's Max Chilton]. It was perfect timing and when I saw the yellow light on my dash – it was just amazing,” Power added in a following interview.

Hinchcliffe had a similar take as Power, “For once, we finally got a break in TO.”

It wasn't an easy coast to third place for the Canadian driver, as he had to fend off veteran Chip Ganassi Racing driver Tony Kanaan until the very end as a late caution went green with one lap to go. Kanaan would finish in fourth, followed by A.J. Foyt's Takuma Sato who rounded out the top-five.

“I got a little extra boost from seeing the Canadian crowd in Turn 11,” explains Hinchcliffe.

Power's win makes it three victories in the last four races to place him only 47 points behind teammate Pagenaud. Castroneves' second-place finish catapults him from 5th to 3rd in the driver's standings; while Hinchcliffe was the biggest mover from 13th position into 8th.

The IndyCar series moves next to the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio for its race on July 31, but for now Hinchcliffe will be relishing his moment in front of the hometown fans. Typically, there's one major party reserved for the winner; however on this day as Hinchcliffe puts it, “there will be a party here tonight in Hinchtown.”

Toronto, ON – In the constant spitting rain of Toronto, the 2015 Honda Indy Toronto went off without much trouble. Only two yellow flags were waved during the 85 lap street course around Exhibition Place, but in the end, a 1-2 finish from an unpredictable duo of Josef Newgarden and Luca Filippi of Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing stole the show.

It was not only Newgarden's second victory of the year and career, but the first 1-2 finish from the small team that merged together in the off season.

Newgarden started the race in 11th place, while Filippi had a brilliant qualifying session to fight his way to a sixth place start. Both drivers were on different strategies, but found a way to come together and battle for the race win. Newgarden edged out his teammate by 1.4 seconds, distancing themselves from Team Penske and driver Helio Castroneves, who ended up in third.

It was a bit of luck that got Newgarden to the front of the pack pitting just ahead of a full-course yellow for an individual incident involving Schmidt Peterson Motorsports' James Jakes on Lap 29. That pit stop catapulted Newgarden to the front of the previous lead-pack that included Filippi.

“I'm not going to deny that that yellow for sure helped us win this race,” said Newgarden. “Once we got to the position to be able to win the race, you can see that we had the cars to do it...we got there with a little luck, and we still did the work we had to do to win the race, and I'm really proud of the whole team.”

For Filippi, it was a long road to his first podium in IndyCar. After the race, the Italian-native talked about his struggles to find a ride that found himself only a few years ago broadcasting IndyCar and Formula One on Sky Sports in Europe. He's only racing on street and road tracks this season, as owner and teammate Ed Carpenter fills the gaps during the oval tracks, but he clearly has made the most of his opportunities with this result in Toronto.

Third-place finisher Castroneves led the race for a total of 15 laps, but fell victim to a yellow flag for debris during his scheduled pit stop, reshuffling him back to 15th position. He would fight his way back to third, but had nothing left for the two CFH drivers.

Chevrolet dominated the Honda Indy Toronto fielding the top eight drivers that included Will Power, Sebastien Bourdais, Tony Kanaan, Juan Pablo Montoya and Scott Dixon. The top Honda driver was Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Graham Rahal in ninth, maintaining the top Honda spot, which is fifth overall in the driver standings.

With a fourth place finish by Power, he shrunk the gap between him and points leader Montoya to just 27. The other two drivers in striking distance are Dixon (47 points back) and Castroneves (52 points back). Newgarden jumps up to eighth in the driver standings, 108 points behind Montoya.

The 2015 Honda Indy Toronto race wasn't without its Canadian content. Oakville-native James Hinchcliffe, currently out for the season with an injury made a special appearance in Toronto as the Grand Marshal for the 29th running of the event. For the many cheering fans that packed the grandstands on Sunday, it was a big moment to see their local favourite, who helped fill-in driver Conor Daly throughout the weekend.

The IndyCar season will now move to Fontana, California for the MAVTV 500 on June 27th.

Toronto, ON – The 2015 Honda Indy Toronto is a bit different this year in many ways. No longer do we have to endure the double header of the past two seasons, but there's no Canadian driver in the field.

The lone Canadian hope, Schmidt Peterson Motorsport driver and Oakville-native James Hinchcliffe is recovering from a serious crash in practice following the Indy 500 qualification, and has been sidelined for the remainder of the IndyCar season. Hinchcliffe was in serious condition after a steel wishbone entered and exited his right leg and upper left thigh causing massive blood loss and placing him in the Intensive Care Unit. The good news is he's on the recovery trail and will be the Grand Marshal for the 29th running of IndyCar in Toronto.

In a touching moment after Saturday's practice session, Hinchcliffe had an embrace with Mike Yates, IndyCar manager of track safety operations. Replacing Hinchcliffe in the No. 5 car on Sunday will be rookie Conor Daly.

As for the rest of the IndyCar series, Team Penske's Juan Pablo Montoya leads the driver's standings with a 34-point lead on defending champion and teammate Will Power. Montoya hasn't finished lower than 14th place in any race this year, raking in two victories, two-third place finishes, to go along with a fourth and a fifth. Montoya is gunning for his second driver's championship, 17 years removed from the one he received in his rookie year during his first stint with Chip Ganassi Racing.

Past the half-way point in the season, it appears to be a four-driver race with Chip Ganassi's Scott Dixon and Team Penske's Helio Castroneves being the other two competitors, all within 62 points. After the first four, we have our first two Honda drivers, Rahal Letterman Lanigan's Graham Rahal and Andretti Autosport's Marco Andretti. It has been a turn-around year for Rahal who has been lost in the shuffle the past two seasons, but Honda's new aero kit set-up hasn't been up to snuff so far this year to compete on a level playing field versus Chevrolet.

Chip Ganassi's Tony Kanaan and Team Penske's Simon Pagenaud will hope to turn their seasons around, as they both are performing worse than expected. Kanaan will be hoping for his first victory of the year, and first in Toronto; while Pagenaud will also be gunning for his first win with Penske, besting his top third-place finish in Detroit Race #1.

The battle between teammates resumes this weekend, where Power captured his second pole in Toronto and 41st overall. Teammates Pagenaud and Montoya will start second and third, respectively. Rounding out the top six are Dixon in fourth, KV Racing's Sébastien Bourdais in fifth and Carpenter Fisher Hartman Racing's Luca Filippi.

The top Honda qualifiers are A.J. Foyt's Takuma Sato in 8th and Rahal in 10th. Andretti will start near the back of the pack in 18th.

The 2015 Honda Indy Toronto will begin at 3:37 ET for 85 laps on the streets around Exhibition Place.