Most Torontonians know what it’s like to be stuck in traffic on Lake Shore Blvd.
Simon Pagenaud’s experience with the highway is a little different.
The French IndyCar driver won the final Honda Indy race in Toronto in 2019, and with the event returning to the city this weekend after a two-year absence due to the pandemic, he’s eager to feel the “rush” of racing on Lake Shore Boulevard again at speeds above 200 mph, hopefully with traffic in the rearview mirror.
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“Lake Shore is one of a kind. You know when you see the helicopter footage, it really gives you the 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 street,” Pagenaud told CP24.com that week as he discussed the 11-turn, 1.8-mile circuit around Exhibition Place. “I love this track.”
The Honda Indy Toronto is the fourth oldest continuous race 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 created a unique situation for Pagenaud, who would find himself as the defending grid champion three years after taking the checkered flag.
He’s changed teams and cars since then and admits he’s had to “relearn a lot” since joining Meyer Shank Racing, but he’s excited to return to a track and city he’s become familiar with over the years.
Toronto, he says, is simply one-of-a-kind in the racing world because of the mix of surface types, tight turns, and the Lakeshore Boulevard straight, which provides one of the track’s only breathing spaces.
“The competition is very physical. The cars are very physical to drive, no power steering. So it’s a place where you can rest your arms, your breathing can settle a little bit, and you can go back to the next turn. So it’s definitely high praise for the track,” he said. “It’s very technical (the track). You know, second gear, third gear in the corners. So it’s about technique more than anything and being precise, inch, inch precise in terms of where you position the car.”
Six races will be held over the weekend
Sunday’s Honda Indy will be the culmination of three days of racing on Toronto’s lakefront, with cars competing on six different tracks lined up on the grid at different points.
The big race, which drew crowds of more than 30,000 in 2019, comes around the middle of the IndyCar schedule and will be key for drivers like Pagenaud looking to climb up the standings.
But for Honda Indy Toronto president Jeff Atkinson, the return of the so-called “Roar on the Lake Shore” is about much more than checkered flags and fast cars.
He’s excited to throw himself into what he calls the “immersive experience” of the event, whether that means the “sights, sounds or smells” of auto racing that tend to permeate most west end neighborhoods around 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 just to see all those (familiar) faces again that you haven’t seen in three years, whether it’s volunteers, workers, fans, I’m just excited to reconnect with everybody and I think the city is excited to reconnect with Honda Indy Toronto,” Atkinson told CP24.com this week. “You know , that it will be nice to put on this event again after this absence and see these cars back on the streets of Toronto.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to the cancellation of 10 races in the 2020 IndyCar season, including the Honda Indy.
But in 2021, plans to bring back the race were underway, just until the spring wave of the pandemic prompted the City of Toronto to again revoke 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 that the Blue Jays were able to come back, the Rogers Cup started and it was great for the city, but there were earlier events like the RBC Canadian Open and the Honda Indy that could,” Atkinson said. “We were so close to being able to do it and we were ready if we could. We worked until the cancellation trying to organize the 2021 event for our city.”
A host of big summer events are returning to the streets
The Honda Indy is just the latest major event to return to the streets of Toronto this summer, following the first Pride parade of 2019 earlier this month.
The Caribbean Carnival is also back with its Grand Parade, which will take place on the grounds of Exhibition Place on July 30.
Speaking to CP24.com, Pagenaud said he’s excited to be back in Toronto and plans to “soak in this weekend” as much as possible, noting that the pandemic has taught him to “appreciate things a little bit better.”
He just won’t be enjoying the scenery on a Sunday afternoon.
“You better look ahead because the next turn is coming fast. I mean, this piece is rushed, it really is. You’re constantly dancing with the car from corner to corner, braking so hard and immediately accelerating as hard as you can,” he said. “It’s a bit like music. Driving is like music, it’s about rhythm and for me the rhythm on a street track is very different and very exciting because you’re 100 percent very close to the walls all the time with no margin for error.”
In addition to the races this weekend, fans will also be able to explore a number of interactive exhibits throughout the festival and grab a bite from countless food trucks.
Sunday’s big race starts at 3:30 p.m
There will be 25 cars on the grid, including those driven by Canadian drivers Dalton Kellett and Devlin DeFrancesco.
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