Fast Facts: Honda Indy Toronto

By Jun 9, 2015, 5:05 PM EDT
2 Comments

Courtesy of INDYCAR PR, here’s all you need to know heading into this weekend’s Verizon IndyCar Series weekend on the streets of Toronto:

—

Date: Sunday, June 14, 2015
Track: Streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place, an 11-turn, 1.755-mile temporary street course
Entry List:  Honda Indy Toronto (PDF)
Race distance: 85 laps / 149.175 miles
Push-to-pass parameters: 10 activations for 20 seconds each
Firestone tire allotment: Four sets primary, three sets alternate
Twitter: @HondaIndy @IndyCar, #IndyTO, #IndyCar
Event website: www.HondaIndyToronto.com
INDYCAR website: www.IndyCar.com 
2014 race winners: Sebastien Bourdais (Race 1) and Mike Conway (Race 2)
2014 Verizon P1 Award winners: Sebastien Bourdais (Race 1), 58.9479 seconds, 107.179 mph, and Helio Castroneves (Race 2), Entrant Points
Qualifying record: Gil de Ferran, 57.143 seconds, 110.565 mph, July 17, 1999

NBCSN television broadcasts: Qualifying, 5 p.m. ET Saturday, June 13; Race, 3 p.m. ETSunday, June 14. Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for the NBCSN broadcasts this weekend alongside analysts Steve Matchett and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Jon Beekhuis, Kevin Lee, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller.

Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Paul Page is the chief announcer with analyst Davey Hamilton. Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying and races are broadcast live on network affiliates, Sirius 212, XM 209, IndyCar.com, indycarradio.comand on the INDYCAR 15 app. Verizon IndyCar Series practice sessions are available on  IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and the INDYCAR 15 app.

Video streaming: All practice sessions for the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season are available on RaceControl.IndyCar.com.

INDYCAR 15 app: The Verizon INDYCAR 15 app has new features to keep fans in the know of the latest race-day action. Exclusive features of the INDYCAR 15 app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and include interactive 3D Live View with real-time leaderboard and car telemetry to see where a fan’s favorite driver is positioned, leaderboard with enhanced 2D “marching ants” and car telemetry, in-car camera video streams from cameras that move 360 degrees and driver-pit crew chatter as drivers talk strategy with their pit crews during the race.

At-track schedule (all times local): 
Friday, June 12
10:45-11:30 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
2:45-3:30 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice

Saturday, June 13
10:40-11:25 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series practice
2:30-3:45 p.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series qualifying (three-rounds, knockout qualifying), NBCSN (taped, 5 p.m. ET).

Sunday, June 14
11-11:30 a.m. – Verizon IndyCar Series warmup
3 p.m. – NBCSN on air
3:37 p.m. – Honda Indy Toronto (85 laps/149.175 miles), NBCSN (live)

Race notes:
* There have been seven different winners in nine Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2015: Juan Pablo Montoya (Streets of St. Petersburg and Indianapolis 500), James Hinchcliffe (NOLA Motorsports Park), Scott Dixon (Streets of Long Beach and Texas Motor Speedway), Josef Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park), Will Power (Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Carlos Munoz (Raceway at Belle Isle-1) and Sebastien Bourdais (Raceway at Belle Isle-2). In 2014, there were a record-tying 11 different race winners. Dixon’s win at Long Beach on April 19 gave him sole possession of fifth on the all-time Indy car victory list with 36. He is the active leader in wins with 37 after his victory at Texas on June 6.

* The Honda Indy Toronto will be the 31st Indy car race on the streets of Exhibition Place. Bourdais and Mike Conway split a same-day doubleheader in 2014.

* This is the eighth road/street course race of the 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule with a different driver winning the previous seven races: Montoya (Streets of St. Petersburg), Hinchcliffe (NOLA Motorsports Park), Dixon (Streets of Long Beach), Newgarden (Barber Motorsports Park), Power (Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Munoz (Raceway at Belle Isle-1) and Bourdais (Raceway at Belle Isle-2).

* Bourdais, Dixon and Power have each won twice at Toronto, the most wins by an active Indy car driver at the track. They are among the four past Toronto winners entered in this year’s race, along with Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012). Michael Andretti has the most wins at the track with seven.

* The Verizon IndyCar Series champion has won in Toronto in four of the last six seasons. Dario Franchitti, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Dixon all won on the streets of Toronto before eventually claiming the championship. Franchitti won in 2009 and again in 2011. Hunter-Reay won in 2012 and Dixon swept both races in 2013. Seven other drivers have claimed the Indy car championship in the same season they won at Toronto. They are: Bobby Rahal (1986), Al Unser Jr. (1990), Michael Andretti (1991), Alex Zanardi (1998), Cristiano da Matta (2002), Paul Tracy (2003) and Bourdais (2004).

* Drivers who have won poles at Toronto entered in this year’s race are: Bourdais (2014 Race 1, 2007, 2005, 2004), Dixon (2013 Race 2), Power (2011) and Helio Castroneves (2000). Castroneves also started on pole in Race 2 in 2014 but was awarded the pole based on entrant points.

* Twenty drivers entered in the event have competed in Indy car races at Toronto. Castroneves and Tony Kanaan (12) have the most starts among the entered drivers. Ten of those drivers have led laps at the track (Bourdais 188, Power 121, Dixon 95, Castroneves 62, Hunter-Reay 36, Simon Pagenaud 30, Graham Rahal 23, Newgarden 7, Kanaan 4 and Charlie Kimball 2).

* Kanaan seeks to start his 243rd consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car-record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Teammate Dixon has made 184 consecutive starts heading into the weekend.

* Chip Ganassi Racing has won six times at Toronto: Michael Andretti (1994), Zanardi (1998), Franchitti (2009 and 2011) and Dixon (2013, both races).

* Team Penske has two wins at the track (Tracy 1993 and Power 2010). It has six pole positions at the track: Danny Sullivan (1988 and 1990), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Castroneves (2000), Gil de Ferran (2001) and Power (2011).

* Bourdais has finished in the top 10 in 10 of his 11 races at Toronto, including his wins in 2004 and 2014 Race 1. He has finished on the podium in three of the last four Toronto races.

* Dixon has finished on the podium in three of the last six races at Toronto. He has seven top-five finishes in 10 starts.

* The 2015 Verizon IndyCar Series season marked the competition debut of aerodynamic bodywork kits designed, manufactured and supplied by Chevrolet and Honda. Cars are differentiated by their shape as the manufacturers have designed separate aero kit specifications for road and street course/short ovals and superspeedways for the Dallara IR-12 chassis. References to the cars incorporate the name of the corresponding manufacturer.

* With a total pit lane time of 1 minute, 47.013 seconds, the No. 26 AndrettiTV Cinsay Honda crew of Andretti Autosport and driver Carlos Munoz won the Firestone Pit Stop Performance Award during the Firestone 600 at Texas Motor Speedway. The win marks back-to-back Pit Stop Performance Awards for Andretti Autosport (No. 28 crew at Chevrolet Dual in Detroit Race 2), and the team’s third overall win of the season (No. 27 crew at the Honda Grand Prix of Alabama). The AndrettiTV Cinsay Andretti Autosport crew will receive its $10,000 award during pre-race festivities at Honda Indy Toronto.

Ford Mustang GT3 test has Austin Cindric dreaming of Daytona: ‘I want to drive that car’

By Mar 22, 2023, 2:30 PM EDT
Cindric Ford GT3 test
Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
0 Comments

Austin Cindric wasn’t the “mystery” test driver behind the wheel of the new Ford Mustang GT3 at Sebring International Raceway, but the Team Penske driver desperately wanted to be.

Ford CEO Jim Farley, an amateur sports car driver himself, made the big reveal via a Tuesday tweet that provided the first video evidence of the GT3 Mustang on track.

“I’ve watched the video in question about a million times,” Cindric said Wednesday during a Ford Performance Zoom news conference to promote NASCAR’s first road course weekend of the season at Circuit of the Americas. “Definitely exciting times for sure. I want to drive that car. It suits my experience level and also the relationships that I have.”

Ford will enter the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship next season with its GT3 Mustang, entering a two-car factory effort (that will be managed by Multimatic) in GTD Pro and making customer cars available in the GT Daytona category.

That increases the likelihood of seeing more NASCAR drivers crossing over to IMSA. Cindric has been the only full-time Cup driver in the Rolex 24 at Daytona the past two years, but Ford Performance global director Mark Rushbrook has said the GT3 Mustang will provide more opportunities.

Ford has used its GT4 Mustang as a NASCAR driver development tool in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge with Harrison Burton and Zane Smith combining to win the season opener at Daytona International Speedway in January.

“We’re excited about the Next Gen car and the new architecture there and the similarities between that car and GT3 and even GT4 cars,” Rushbrook said at the announcement of the Ford GT3 program in January 2022 at Daytona. “We think it’s a great opportunity and to do be able to do that in a 24-hour race and get NASCAR drivers even more time is something we need to consider taking advantage of that opportunity.”

Given his sports car background, Cindric probably still would be in the Rolex 24 regardless. He has eight IMSA starts since the 2017 season opener at Daytona, racing a Lexus RCF GT3 and Mercedes-AMG GT3 in the GT category. The 2022 Daytona 500 winner made his second LMP2 start this year with Rick Ware Racing.

But Cindric’s preference naturally would be in a Ford, particularly with sports car racing enjoying convergence and crossovers in both GT and prototype racing.

“It’s an exciting time in GT racing, just as it is now for prototype racing with a lot of new regulations and manufacturers building new GT3 cars,” he said. “And also the opportunity with WEC (the World Endurance Championship) and Le Mans and how that all lines up for that category of car. It’s definitely an exciting time. I want to be as much of a part of that as possible.”

Though those odds seemingly will increase with multiple Ford entries in the Rolex 24 field next year, Cindric said NASCAR drivers still have to put in the networking to land rides as he has in recent years.

“Now how (the GT3 Mustang) relates to specifically NASCAR drivers and how often they want to be in the Rolex, could it be an influence? Absolutely, as far as the tie-in with the manufacturer,” Cindric said. “But the challenge and the drive and the logistics of getting an opportunity for a race like the Rolex 24 will be just as challenging as it always is to find your one-off ride for the race. At least from my experience, that’s what I still anticipate.”

It turned out the “mystery” test driver wasn’t from NASCAR (Farley revealed the driver to be 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Joey Hand after a fan asked whether it was Joey Logano).

But Cindric believes there could be more Cup drivers — and perhaps himself — behind the wheel of Mustang GT3s in the future.

“There’s definitely more of a pathway than I think there would be before as far as Ford drivers are concerned,” he said. “Hopefully, I’ll get the opportunity to drive that thing. It’s obviously a great looking car. That’s the first box you’ve got to check. And it’s cool (to have) a guy like Jim Farley, no doubt he’s a racer just as much as he is steering the ship for Ford. It’s cool to see he’s just as excited as the rest of us about it.”