July 19^th, 2014

TORONTO, ON: DAY ONE

Race fans gathered for the 2014 Honda Indy Toronto along Lakeshore Blvd with pre-race weekend ‘Fan Friday’ presented by Ontario Honda Dealers Association. For the fifth year in a row, young and old filled the stands and the grounds to get a glimpse of this world class annual car racing event. Practice day was free to the public where parents, grandparents and children had a chance to experience the sound and speed of car racing, as the drivers familiarized themselves with the bumps and curves of the 80-lap,  2.1 km road course prior to Saturday and Sunday’s qualifiers and races. Rather than paying admission, the public was encouraged to donate to the Make-A Wish Foundation in support of granting wishes to children with serious medical conditions.

In addition to the racing excitement, the grounds were filled with festival activities and attractions, food trucks, craft beer stands, live entertainment and celebrity appearances. The IndyCar paddock was opened to the public, along with the CNE exhibition halls, which were lined with 18-wheelers and race cars from Honda, Porsche, Ferrari, Bentley and Ashton Martin offering the public an up-close and behind-the-scenes look at the racing world’s top machines, equipment and teams.

Last year’s IndyCar winner, in both races, was Scott Dixon from New Zealand. The favored driver, however, was Toronto’s, James Hinchcliffe, who is entering his 3^rd year of driving, finishing 8^th  last year in the IndyCar series points standings for Andretti Autosports and a 2011 winner of the Sunoco Rookie of the Year and Tony Renna Rising Star Awards.

Patricia Lever – Front Page News
Freelance writer/Mid-day announcer 101.9 DAWG-FM