| IndyCar Series | |
|---|---|
| Location | Exhibition Place Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Corporate sponsor | Honda Canada Inc. |
| First race | 1986 |
| First ICS race | 2009 |
| Most wins (driver) | Michael Andretti (7) |
| Most wins (team) | Newman/Haas Racing (7) |
| Most wins (manufacturer) | Lola (12) |
| Circuit information | |
| Surface | Asphalt/Concrete |
| Length | 2.824 km (1.755 mi) |
| Turns | 11 |
| Lap record | 57.143 (Gil de Ferran, Reynard-Honda, 1999, CART) |
The Honda Indy Toronto is an annual IndyCar Series race, held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Originally known as the Molson Indy Toronto, it was a Champ Car World Series race held annually from 1986 to 2007. The track has 11 turns, is a 2.824-kilometre (1.755 mi) street circuit, and is located at Exhibition Place.
The Toronto Indy is one of six Canadian circuits to hold an Indy/Champ Car race, the others being Mont-Tremblant, Sanair, Montreal, Vancouver, and Edmonton.
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In 1977 and 1978, the race, then named the Molson Diamond Indy and sanctioned by USAC was held at Mosport International Raceway in nearby Bowmanville, Ontario. The first Indy race held in Canada was the 1967 Telegram Trophy 200 race at Mosport, which was won by Bobby Unser (his first career Indy victory).
In the 1996 race, American driver Jeff Krosnoff was killed in a crash with 4 laps remaining. In that same crash, volunteer corner marshall Gary Avrin was killed, and marshall Barbara Johnston also received injuries in the crash; she was treated and released that evening. Adrián Fernández won the race.
The name of the race was changed in 2006 from the Molson Indy Toronto to the Molson Grand Prix of Toronto after it was purchased by the Champ Car World Series from Molson Sports and Entertainment. The name was also changed to distance Champ Car from the rival Indy Racing League (IRL), which had gained the exclusive right to use the "Indy" name after 2002. In 2007, after Molson dropped their title sponsorship to the race, Steelback Brewery signed a multi-year, multi-million dollar deal to become the event’s title sponsor, re-naming it the Steelback Grand Prix of Toronto. This marked the first title sponsorship change since the event started in 1986.
The unification of Champ Car and the Indy Racing League was announced on February 22, 2008, and the Grand Prix of Toronto's future was left in doubt. After attempts were made to preserve the race for 2008, it was confirmed on March 5, 2008 that the race had been cancelled.
On May 15, 2008, Andretti Green Racing (co-owned by Michael Andretti) purchased the assets of the former Grand Prix of Toronto.[1] On July 30, 2008, it was confirmed that the race would return to Toronto on July 12, 2009.[2] On September 18, 2008, Andretti Green Racing announced that it had signed a multi-year agreement with Honda Canada Inc. for the title sponsorship of the race, henceforth named from 2009 onward as the Honda Indy Toronto.[3]
Michael Andretti is the all-time race win leader with seven victories.
| Season | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team | Race title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1967 | Bobby Unser | Eagle | Ford | Leader Cards Racing | Telegram Trophy 200 |
| 1968 | Dan Gurney | Eagle | Weslake-Ford | Oscar Olson | Telegram Trophy 200 |
| 1969–1976: Not held | |||||
| 1977 | A.J. Foyt | Coyote | Foyt | A.J. Foyt Enterprises | Molson Diamond Indy |
| 1978 | Danny Ongais | Parnelli | Cosworth | Interscope Racing | Molson Diamond Indy |
| ARS/Indy Lights | Atlantic Championship | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Winning Driver | Season | Winning Driver | |
| 1986 | Fabrizio Barbazza | 1986 | Not held | |
| 1987 | Tommy Byrne | 1987 | ||
| 1988 | Calvin Fish | 1988 | ||
| 1989 | Gary Rubio | 1989 | ||
| 1990 | Paul Tracy | 1990 | Freddy Rhemrev | |
| 1991 | P.J. Jones | 1991 | Stuart Crow | |
| 1992 | Bryan Herta | 1992 | David Empringham | |
| 1993 | Bryan Herta | 1993 | Claude Bourbonnais | |
| 1994 | Steve Robertson | 1994 | Richie Hearn | |
| 1995 | Greg Moore | 1995 | Richie Hearn | |
| 1996 | Gualter Salles | 1996 | Patrick Carpentier | |
| 1997 | Hélio Castro-Neves | 1997 | Memo Gidley | |
| 1998 | Guy Smith | 1998 | Alex Tagliani | |
| 1999 | Geoff Boss | 1999 | Not held | |
| 2000 | Not held | 2000 | Andrew Bordin | |
| 2001 | Townsend Bell | 2001 | David Rutledge | |
| 2002 | Not held | 2002 | Michael Valiante | |
| 2003 | 2003 | A.J. Allmendinger | ||
| 2004 | 2004 | Jon Fogarty | ||
| 2005 | 2005 | Antoine Bessette | ||
| 2006 | 2006 | Robbie Pecorari | ||
| 2007 | 2007 | Franck Perera | ||
| 2008 | 2008 | Not held | ||
| 2009 | Sebastian Saavedra | 2009 | ||
| 2010 | Jean-Karl Vernay | 2010 | ||
| 2011 | Stefan Wilson | 2011 | ||
| Year | Race Name | Winner |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Streets of Toronto 100 | Andrew Ranger |
| 2010 | Jumpstart 100 | Andrew Ranger |
| Year | Attendance |
|---|---|
| 1986 | 60,000 |
| 1987 | 64,000 |
| 1988 | 59,155 |
| 1989 | 61,156 |
| 1990 | 64,245 |
| 1991 | 61,264 |
| 1992 | 65,094 |
| 1993 | 66,225 |
| 1994 | 66,503 |
| 1995 | 68,238 |
| 2000 | 72,976 |
| 2001 | 73,628 |
| 2002 | 73,160 |
| 2003 | 73,255 |
| 2004 | 72,561 |
| 2005 | 73,155 |
| 2006 | |
| 2007 | |
| 2008 | Not held |
| 2009 | 15,000 est. [4] |
| 2010 | |
| 2011 | 25,000 est [5] |
| Previous race: | Current IndyCar Series races |
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