Most Torontonians know what it’s like to be stuck in traffic on Lake Shore Boulevard.
Simon Pagenaud’s experience with the motorway is a bit different.
The French IndyCar driver won the last Honda Indy held in Toronto in 2019 and with the event returning to the city this weekend after a two-year absence due to the pandemic, he is eager to once again feel the “acceleration” of run by the lake Shore Boulevard at speeds of over 200 miles per hour, hopefully with traffic in your rear view mirror.
For a complete list of Honda Indy road closures, follow this link.
“Lake Shore is in a class of its own. You know, when you see the shot of the helicopter, it really gives you an idea that you’re actually racing on the streets and most kids who want to be race car drivers dream of driving a race car on the streets,” he said. Pagenaud to CP24.com. week, while he discussed the Circuit of 11 laps and 2.8 kilometers around the Exhibition Place. “I love this race track.”
The Honda Indy Toronto is the fourth oldest race in continuous operation on the IndyCar circuit, dating back to 1986.
But it was canceled the past two summers due to the COVID-19 pandemic, along with dozens of other popular events and festivals. That, in turn, has created a unique situation for Pagenaud, who will find himself the defending champion on the starting grid three years after taking the checkered flag.
He’s changed teams and cars since then and admits he’s had to “relearn a lot of things” since joining Meyer Shank Racing, but he’s excited to return to a track and city he’s become quite familiar with over the years. of the years.
Toronto, he says, is simply unique in the racing world because of its mix of pavement types, hairpin turns and the straightaway on Lakeshore Boulevard that provides one of the only opportunities to breathe on the course.
“The race is very physical. The cars are very physical to drive, there is no power steering. So it’s a place where you can rest your hands, your breath slows down a bit and you can reset for the next corner. So it’s definitely a track high mark,” she said. “It is very technical (the track). You know, second gear, third gear in the corners. So it’s more about technique and being precise, inches, inches of precision in terms of where you put the car.
Six races will be held throughout the weekend
Sunday’s Honda Indy will be the culmination of three days of racing along Toronto’s lakefront, with cars competing on six different circuits lined up on the starting grid at various points.
The big race, which drew a crowd of more than 30,000 in 2019, comes roughly halfway through the IndyCar schedule and will be pivotal for drivers like Pagenaud looking to move up the standings.
But for Honda Indy Toronto president Jeff Atkinson, the return of the so-called “Lakeshore Roar” is about much more than checkered flags and fast cars.
He’s excited to jump into what he calls the event’s “immersive experience,” whether that means the “sights, sounds, or smells” of auto racing, which tend to permeate most West End neighborhoods. that surround the track.
He also hopes to reconnect with many of the 600 volunteers who make the event possible.
“It means a lot. It’s a world-class motorsports festival that we put on in the streets of Toronto and there’s a lot that goes into the event. So to get back to see all those (familiar) faces you haven’t seen in three years, Whether it’s the volunteers, the workers, the fans, I’m excited to reconnect with everyone and I think I think the city is excited to reconnect with Honda Indy Toronto,” Atkinson told CP24.com this week. It will be nice to host this event again after that absence and also to see those cars return to the streets of Toronto.”
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of 10 races during the 2020 IndyCar season, including the Honda Indy.
But in 2021 plans for the return of racing were underway, right up until a spring wave of the pandemic prompted the city of Toronto to once again cancel permits for summer events and festivals.
It ended up being the only event on the IndyCar schedule to be canceled entirely.
“2021 was tough. If you look at the timeline, you’ll see in August the Blue Jays were able to come back, the Rogers Cup got underway and it was great for the city, but there were previous events like the RBC Canadian Open and the Honda Indy that were able to do that,” he said. Atkinson. “We were so close to being able to do it and we were ready if we could have. We worked until cancellation trying to organize the 2021 event for our city.”
Numerous great summer events returning to the streets
The Honda Indy is just the latest major event to return to the streets of Toronto this summer, hot on the heels of the first Pride parade since 2019 earlier this month.
The Caribbean Carnival also returns with its Grand Parade on the Exhibition Place grounds on July 30.
Speaking to CP24.com, Pagenaud said he’s excited to be back in Toronto and plans to “get soaked this weekend” as much as possible, noting that the pandemic has taught him to “appreciate things a little better.”
He just won’t enjoy the scenery on a Sunday afternoon.
“You better look ahead because the next corner is fast approaching. I mean, this track is a race, it really is. You are constantly dancing with the car from corner to corner, braking as hard and accelerating as hard as you can right off the bat,” she said. “It’s a bit like music. Driving is similar to music, it is about rhythm and for me the rhythm on a street circuit is very different and very exciting because you are 100% all the time very close to the walls with no margin for error.
In addition to this weekend’s races, fans will also be able to check out a series of interactive exhibits throughout the festival grounds and grab a bite to eat from a host of food trucks.
The big race on Sunday starts at 3:30 pm
There will be 25 cars on the starting grid, including those driven by Canadian drivers Dalton Kellett and Devlin DeFrancesco.