The 7 Races of the Honda Indy Toronto

For those of you who are not the biggest car race fans, you probably have no idea what a 7 series race is. Don’t stress, that’s what I’m here for! A 7 series race is a racing festival that has 7 different categories of racing. Many people assume that the Honda Indy is just one big Indy car race, but it’s actually an entire weekend of racing! Here are the 7 different kinds of races that are at this year’s Honda Indy:

Canadian Touring Car Championship

This is a race between vehicles in their original stock street version. Touring cars are designed for passengers and luggage… regular/everyday vehicles. These cars are commercially available models.

Robby Gordon’s SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road (Powered by TRAXXAS)

This race features Outdoorsy high-horsepower trucks that are life-size replicas of Traxxas Remote-Control Monster trucks. However, unlike remote-control toy trucks, they produce 600 horsepower giving them speed of up to 209 kilometres per hour (130 miles per hour). Each off-road course consists of man-made ramps and obstacles that cause the trucks to fly through the air nearly 6 meters off the ground (20 feet) and hundreds of feet down the racetrack. Robby Gordon’s SPEED Energy Formula Off-Road trucks are able to race on practically any surface. As of 2014, these trucks will be featured at IndyCar venues.

The Porsche Ultra94 GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin

?If you have not already figured it out, this race is done in a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. The GT3 Cup Challenge is for semi-professional and aspiring professional racers. It is the perfect platform for aspiring drivers to work their way up to the highest levels of the GT competition. The 911 GT3 Cup car has a maximum engine speed of 8,500 rpm (RPM = Revolutions Per Minute: How fast the motor turns per minute).

Cooper Tires USF2000 Powered by Mazda

The USF2000 race is the first step on Mazda’s road to Indy path. It is an important training ground for drivers. The champion receives a scholarship package from Mazda to advance to the Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires. Drivers as young as age 15 can enter this competition! The USF2000 cars are open-wheel, single-seat, and open-cockpit cars with front and rear wings. The engine is a Mazda 2-litre Powerplant (4 cylinder) which can take drivers up to 241 kilometres per hour (150 mph).

?Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires

The Pro Mazda Championship features open-wheel, single-seat, and open-cockpit cars with front and rear wings. The cars utilize Mazda Renesis rotary engines which can power cars up to 257 kilometres per hour (160mph). This race is the vital second step for drivers that are working toward the Indy competition. The series’ winner gets a scholarship package from Mazda and advances to the Indy Lights race next year.

Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires

?The Indy Lights race is the final step on Mazda’s road to the Honda Indy. The winner is awarded a $750,000 scholarship towards the IndyCar Series. The cars featured at the Indy Lights are, “New state-of-the-art single-seat, open-wheel, Indy car-style chassis manufactured by Dallara Automobili,?complete with paddle shifters, push-to-pass and safety components…” as per the official Indy Lights bulletin. These cars have 2.0-litre turbocharged Mazda MZR-R engines that produce 450 horsepower.

?The Honda Indy

?The entire purpose of “Mazda’s Road to Indy,” has been to create a training program for drivers to escalate to The IndyCar Series. This progression program allows new and young drivers to grow into some of the best racing competitors in the world. The main event of The Honda Indy Toronto is the IndyCar Series. According to IndyCar, the vehicles are, “single-seat, open-cockpit cars that feature a 2.2-litre, twin turbocharged, and direct-injected V-6 engine optimized to rev to a maximum of 12,000 RPM with an estimated 500-700 horsepower.” This series is faster than any form of motorsports racing; cars have reached up to 378 kilometres per hour (235mph). The track is known for its superspeedway (a racetrack more than 3.2km in length), and short ovals. The driver with the top score at the end of the series receives the title and a 1 million dollar bonus. Good luck drivers!

?Did one of these races grasp your interest? Visit www.hondaindytoronto.com/ontrack for more information about these races as well as a full schedule of the weekend.

RELATED:?Montreal Grand Prix 2015?

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The 2015 Honda Indy Toronto Roundup

The Honda Indy is one of Toronto’s most highly anticipated events. This 3 day event is jam-packed with activities, 7 different kinds of races, food, beer and entertainment. This year Wheels.ca and I had the pleasure of experiencing the Indy first hand right in the pits.

The main event of the Honda Indy was the Verizon IndyCar Series race which took place on Sunday. Although the rain was on-and-off all day, weather conditions could not stop the races from going full force. You could feel the adrenaline from each team in the pit stop. The temperature was cool and crisp (about 19 degrees), but the heat from the engines in the pits made it feel like it was a much hotter day. As the race began, the smell of gasoline and determination filled the air. Each team’s crew dropped a serious look on their face and glued their eyes to the track. The sound of Indy engines zipping came in and out of my ears as drivers flew past us. It was so loud I could feel my body vibrating every time a car passed by! Sitting in the pit stop area made me feel like I was right in the middle of the action.

The bleachers were filled with racing fans clenching their seats as they watched drivers hit speeds of up to 145km/hour on slippery roads. Just when the audience thought they could relax, in the 72nd lap Josef Newgarden of CFH Racing made his way to the front of the race. He held on to the #1 spot until the 85th and final lap and won the race! This is an exciting 2nd IndyCar victory for the American as he won the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama in April. Newgarden finished 1.4485 seconds ahead of his CFH teammate, Luca Filippi (2nd place winner). This gave CFH Racing their first 1-2.

Josef Newgarden?

This year is the first year CFH has hit the streets as a team and winning a 1-2 shows that they have a lot to look forward to. “This is a new team this year and so to already be able to get a 1-2 with this group is really incredible,” Newgarden said about his team.

RELATED: 11 Things You Don’t Know About the Honda Indy

2nd Place winner Italian Luca Filippi was an IndyCar broadcast journalist for years. He says he took a break from racing and finds it hard to believe he’s back and on the podium! The second place finish was a career best effort for the Italian.

Luca Filippi

In 3rd place was Helio Castroneves who was pleased with this result considering he faced a number of challenges during the race. Right behind him in 4th place was his Penske teammate, Will Power.

Helio Castroneves

The Honda Indy Toronto is one of many races that add to the competitor’s points. Although Josef Newgarden won at the Toronto track, he is standing in 8th place in the Verizon IndyCar Series. Juan Pablo Montoya of Team Penske leads the series with 374 points. He is followed by his teammate, Will Power who is in 2nd place with 347 points. In 3rd place is Scott Dixon of Target Chip Ganassi Racing with 329 points.

Unfortunately there were no Canadians in the Verizon IndyCar Series race on Sunday. Canadian driver James Hinchcliffe is still recovering from his leg injury caused in an accident about a month ago. However, he did serve as a grand marshal at the race!

The 2016 Honda Indy Toronto will return to it’s July date next year. It is also expected to go back to being a double header race which means even more action and intensity! I’m looking forward to it.

RELATED: More than $73,000 Raised for Make-A-Wish? Canada at Honda Indy Toronto 2015

All photos courtesy of?Gilbert Benamou

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Smart Canada renews its support of Pride Toronto

smart Canada is the exclusive automotive sponsor of Pride Toronto for the third consecutive year.

The 2015 Pride Toronto culminated with a three-day street festival and a world-renowned annual parade, Pride Toronto is one of the premier arts and cultural festivals in Canada and one of the largest Pride celebrations in the world with an estimated highly charged participation of over 1.2 million people.

smart is the perfect partner for Pride Toronto as it exemplifies similar mandates to promote change, both in thought and action.

This sponsorship includes many facets of exposure for the smart brand through various activations, where the brand will personally engage with thousands of people.

Second Hand: Smart Fortwo made fashion statement

From June 26-28 smart welcomed event patrons in their 30-foot booth located on Wellesley St. between Yonge and Church.

The installation will house a parlour where professional artists offered impermanent hair treatments in vibrant colours, as well as temporary tattoos in the immediate company of a brand new “tailor made” 2016 smart fortwo on display.

On June 28 under the rally cry of “FOR A COLOURFUL CITY”, smart Canada and several of its employees marched alongside two brand new 2016 smart fortwo vehicles in the annual Pride parade.

Comparison: Scion iQ beats Smart ForTwo in compact test

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