Courtesy of INDYCAR PR, here’s all you need to know ahead of this weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto on the streets of downtown Toronto, the 11th of 16 races on the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series schedule:
Honda Indy Toronto fast facts
Track: Streets of Toronto’s Exhibition Place, an 11-turn, 1.755-mile temporary street course
Race distance: 85 laps / 149.175 miles
Entry List: Honda Indy Toronto (PDF)
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
2015 race winner: Josef Newgarden (No. 67 Hartman Oil CFH Racing Chevrolet)
2015 Verizon P1 Award winner: Will Power (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet), 59.4280 seconds, 106.314 mph
Qualifying record: Gil de Ferran, 57.143 seconds, 110.565 mph, July 17, 1999
NBCSN television broadcasts: Qualifying, 1:30 p.m. ET Saturday, July 16 (live); Race,2:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 17, CNBC/Sportsnet 360 (live); 5:30 p.m. ET Sunday, July 17, NBCSN (re-air); Leigh Diffey is the lead announcer for the NBCSN broadcasts this weekend alongside analysts Townsend Bell and Paul Tracy. Pit reporters are Jon Beekhuis, Kevin Lee, Katie Hargitt and Robin Miller.
Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network broadcasts: Mark Jaynes is the chief announcer alongside analyst Davey Hamilton. Jake Query and Nick Yeoman are the turn announcers with Dave Furst, Rob Howden and Jim Murphy reporting from the pits. All Verizon IndyCar Series races are broadcast live on network affiliates, Sirius 212, XM 209,IndyCar.com, indycarradio.com and on the INDYCAR Mobile app. All Verizon IndyCar Series practice and qualifying sessions are available on IndyCar.com, indycarradio.comand on the INDYCAR Mobile app.
Video streaming: All practice sessions for the 2016 Verizon IndyCar Series season not covered by television will be available on RaceControl.IndyCar.com.
INDYCAR Mobile app: Verizon Wireless puts fans around the world in the driver’s seat with its INDYCAR Mobile app. The app has been enhanced with new features to keep fans in the know of the latest race-day action. Exclusive features of the INDYCAR Mobile app for Verizon Wireless customers will stream live through the app and includes enhanced real-time leaderboard and car telemetry; the ability to follow the race in real time with the interactive 3D track; live in-car camera video streaming for select drivers during Verizon IndyCar Series races; live driver and pit crew radio transmissions during races and live Advance Auto Parts INDYCAR Radio Network audio streaming during all track activities.
At-track schedule (all times local):
Friday, July 15
10 - 10:45 a.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice #1, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
2:30 - 3:15 p.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice #2, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
Saturday, July 16
9:45 - 10:30 a.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series practice #3, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
1:30 p.m. - Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award (three rounds of knockout qualifying), NBCSN (Live)
Sunday, July 17
10:30 - 11 a.m. - Verizon IndyCar Series warmup, RaceControl.IndyCar.com (Live)
2:30 p.m. - Driver Introductions
3:08 p.m. - Command to Start Engines
3:15 p.m. - Honda Indy Toronto (85 laps/149.175 miles), CNBC/SportsNet 360 (Live)
Race notes:
• There have been seven different winners in the 10 previous Verizon IndyCar Series races in 2016: Juan Pablo Montoya (Streets of St. Petersburg), Scott Dixon (Phoenix International Raceway), Simon Pagenaud (Streets of Long Beach, Barber Motorsports Park and Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Alexander Rossi (Indianapolis 500), Sebastien Bourdais (Raceway at Belle Isle-1), Will Power (Raceway at Belle Isle-2 and Road America) and Josef Newgarden (Iowa Speedway). Dixon’s win at Phoenix on April 2 tied him for fourth on the all-time Indy car victory list with Al Unser at 39. He is the active leader in wins. Bourdais’ win at Belle Isle on June 4 tied him with Bobby Unser for sixth on the all-time list with 35 wins. Power’s win at Road America on June 26 tied him with Johnny Rutherford for 13th all-time with 27.
• The Honda Indy Toronto will be the 32nd Indy car race on the streets of Exhibition Place. Newgarden won the race in 2015.
• The Honda Indy Toronto will be the eighth race on a road/street course in 2016. The first six races were won by Montoya (St. Petersburg), Pagenaud (Long Beach, Barber and Grand Prix of Indianapolis), Bourdais (Belle Isle-1) and Power (Belle Isle-2 and Road America).
• 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 five past Toronto winners entered in this year’s race, along with Ryan Hunter-Reay (2012) and Newgarden (2015). 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 seven 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 2015) and Helio Castroneves (2000). Castroneves also started on pole in Race 2 in 2014 but was awarded the pole based on entrant points.
• Bourdais has finished in the top 10 in 11 of his 12 races at Toronto, including his wins in 2004 and 2014 Race 1. He has finished on the podium in three of the last five Toronto races. Dixon has finished on the podium in three of the last seven races at Toronto. He has nine top-five finishes in 11 starts.
• Nineteen drivers entered in the event have competed in Indy car races at Toronto. Castroneves and Tony Kanaan (13) have the most starts among the entered drivers. Eleven of those drivers have led laps at the track (Bourdais 188, Power 151, Dixon 95, Castroneves 77, Newgarden 37, Hunter-Reay 36, Pagenaud 30, Graham Rahal 23, Kanaan 7, Luca Filippi 2 and Charlie Kimball 2).
• 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 seven pole positions at the track: Danny Sullivan (1988 and 1990), Emerson Fittipaldi (1993), Castroneves (2000), Gil de Ferran (2001) and Power (2011 and 2015).
• Four rookies - Max Chilton, Conor Daly, Spencer Pigot and Rossi - are entered. Rossi leads the Sunoco Rookie of the Year standings by 91 points over Daly, with Chilton 125 points behind.
• Kanaan seeks to start his 260th consecutive race this weekend, which would extend his Indy car record streak that began in June 2001 at Portland. Teammate Dixon has made 201 consecutive starts heading into the weekend, which is the third-longest streak in Indy car racing.
• Castroneves will attempt to make his 322nd career Indy car start, which ranks fourth on the all-time list. Kanaan would break a tie with Al Unser for fifth all-time with his 321st start.
• The 2016 season is the second in which aerodynamic bodywork component kits are used. The aero kits, produced by engine manufacturers Chevrolet and Honda for their respective supplied teams, are the latest technical innovation to enhance on-track performance through competitive aerodynamic development. Each manufacturer produces two kits for teams - one for short ovals/road courses/street courses and another for superspeedway ovals - but within each kit, teams have multiple component options available.
• The second season of aero kit competition complements the fifth year of engine manufacturer competition between Chevrolet and Honda with their 2.2-liter, twin-turbocharged V-6 engines. It will be another season testing speed and durability to determine the manufacturer champion.