Before thousands of Honda Indy spectators can
experience the smell of burning rubber as cars zoom by at 300 kilometres an hour, the track that snakes
through the city of Toronto needs to be built.
Tuesday, June 8 marked the beginning of a month-long construction process of the Honda Indy track. At 1 p.m.
a large crane began to lay concrete barriers at Exhibition Place in front of the Direct Energy Centre.
Media gathered around the crane that will be laying down approximately 2,000 of these barriers within the
month. Charlie Johnstone, vice-president and general manager of Honda Indy Toronto, says, “It’s a process,
it’s a jigsaw puzzle; it has to go in piece by piece in a logical order.”
The construction of the track that will wind through Exhibition Place and along the Lakeshore is, according
to Johnstone, ahead of schedule. “We have to build our stadium every year and then we tear it down every
year, so we have a system pretty down pat,” says Johnstone.
“But every year there’s new challenges and this year with the G20, it throws a bit of a wrinkle in it in
terms of the timing of it. But we’re well underway with a great team here.” This team includes sponsorship
from Mike, No Ordinary Phone, as part of its Built by Mike program for Honda Indy Toronto, and
TELUS.
Amongst the ongoing construction, the red and white official Honda Indy show car was presented to the media
for the first time, giving everybody a taste of what’s to come from July 16 to 18.
“It’s so cool, it’s so sexy, it’s so fun. There’s so much energy, there’s so much
noise — I mean, it’s a world-class event happening in our streets and people are coming down who aren’t even
race fans to soak up the energy and the atmosphere that is the Honda Indy Toronto,” says Johnstone.
And unlike previous years, the Honda Indy has opened its doors so that everybody can come down and experience
the event for free on the Friday.
“The lineup of racing action from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday is jam-packed,” says
Johnstone. Spectators will be treated to stars like Danica Patrick, local hero Paul Tracy and Helio
Castroneves, who will all be racing.
Besides sponsor-related exhibits and autograph sessions, fans can also get up close to the show cars and walk
through the paddock area where they will be housed. There will also be three days of live entertainment
packed with local artists, who haven’t been revealed yet.
Stay tuned for that announcement.•
Photo courtesy of Maria Gagliardi
