Dario Franchitti earned his fifth career pole start at Toronto and 32nd in Indy car competition by claiming the Verizon P1 Award for Race 1 of the Honda Indy Toronto 2 in T.O. on July 13.
The 85-lap race on the 1.7-mile, 11-turn Exhibition Place street course pays full points to the contestants and will have the added twist of the first IZOD IndyCar Series standing start.
"It feels good to get our third pole of the year," said Franchitti, who moved into a tie with Michael Andretti for sixth on the all-time Indy car list by recording a lap of 59.6756 seconds in the No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda in the Firestone Fast Six. "I made it difficult this morning. I made a mistake in Turn 5, took the right side off the car. The guys had to work and repair the car."
Sebastien Bourdais, who has started from the pole three times at Toronto and won the 2004 CART race, secured his first front-row start in IZOD IndyCar Series competition in the No. 7 Dragon Racing car.
Combined, Franchitti and Bourdais have amassed 62 victories and 63 pole starts. Four of Franchitti's victories have come in Toronto.
Five different teams were represented in the Firestone Fast Six session. Will Power and Tony Kanaan will share Row 2, while James Jakes and Scott Dixon qualified on Row 3. However, Jakes will incur a 10-spot grid penalty for an unapproved engine change following the Pocono INDYCAR 400 Fueled by Sunoco on July 7.
Series championship points leader Helio Castroneves qualified eighth. Defending race winner Ryan Hunter-Reay, who entered the event 23 points behind Castroneves, qualified seventh.
IZOD IndyCar Series drivers practiced standing starts from a pit box at the end of pit lane during the morning session. INDYCAR officials monitored the mandatory launches as drivers got acclimated with the light sequence countdown.
Also on July 12, Jack Hawksworth topped the time chart in both Firestone Indy Lights practice session for the Toronto 100 on the 1.7-mile, 11-turn street circuit with a best lap of 1 minute, 4.7627 seconds (97.556 mph) in the No. 77 Schmidt Peterson with Curb-Agajanian car.
Peter Dempsey was second-quickest (1:05.0500) in the No. 5 Belardi Auto Racing car and Juan Pablo Garcia (1:05.1741) was third in the No. 2 TMR-International-Euclid Chemical car. Points leader Carlos Munoz was seventh (1:05.6551) in the No. 26 Dialy-Ser car for Andretti Autosport.
DAY 1 NOTEBOOK
IZOD IndyCar Series entry update:
Car name for #18 Mike Conway is Sonny's.
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Race Director Beaux Barfield will not be in Toronto this weekend for personal reasons. INDYCAR Senior Vice President of Operations Brian Barnhart will serve as race director for the doubleheader IZOD IndyCar Series races July 13-14 at the Honda Indy Toronto.
Barfield will resume his duties in Race Control at the next IZOD IndyCar Series event, the Honda Indy 200 on Aug. 2-4 at Mid-Ohio.
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SONAX, a leading manufacturer of premium car care products worldwide, could pay an extra $100,000 this weekend at the Honda Indy Toronto doubleheader races with the "SONAX Perfect Finish Award."
SONAX, INDYCAR's Official Automobile Detail Partner, established the 2013 "SONAX Perfect Finish Award" to be presented to an IZOD IndyCar Series driver who captures both races on a doubleheader weekend at the Detroit, Toronto or Houston events.
SONAX will award $50,000 to a driver who wins both feature races during any of the doubleheader weekends. If a driver does not win both races in any weekend, the $50,000 prize will carry over to the next doubleheader weekend.
Since no driver won both Detroit events, the award jumps to $100,000 in Toronto for a driver who wins both races at the famed Exhibition Place street circuit. If no driver captures both features at Toronto, the SONAX Perfect Finish Award will be worth $150,000 at the Houston weekend.
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The IZOD IndyCar Series is using standing starts for the first time this weekend in Race 1 of the Honda Indy Toronto 2 in T.O.
INDYCAR has updated procedures for standing starts, which will be implemented this weekend and in Race 1 of the Houston doubleheader weekend.
Highlights of the standing start procedures from 2013 IZOD IndyCar Series rulebook include:
Countdown - The safety car will lead the formation lap and drivers will follow single-file in starting order.
Formation Lap - During the formation lap, drivers will remain in starting order with no overtaking. The speed of the formation lap will be set by the safety car.
Grid - At the end of the formation lap, drivers will take their starting positions with the front wheels of the car remaining within its designated orange grid line.
A five-second declaration will be made via radio by the Race Director prior to the start of the light sequence. The starting sequence will begin when the first two rows of red lights on the lighting panel illuminate. The red lights will continue to fill from the bottom of the light panel two rows at a time, for a total of six steps (12 rows).
Once the panel is filled with red lights, there will be a delay between .5 and 3 seconds and the panel will switch to all green lights and the race will begin.
False Start - A false start shall be declared when a car moves forward or is out of its assigned position before completion of the light sequence. A penalty will be imposed for a false start.
Aborted Start - The Race Director can declare an aborted start before the final row of red lights is illuminated on the lighting panel. If the start is aborted, the full-course caution lights will be turned on.
In the event of an aborted start, a rolling start shall be implemented. Any Competitors whose actions result in an aborted start will move to the rear of the field.
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Standing start practice will be available during the opening practice session today. There will be a practice box at pit exit equipped with the lights system and manned by an INDYCAR official. It is mandatory that each Eentrant complete at least one practice start during the session to the satisfaction of an INDYCAR official. Entrants failing to do so may be subject to penalty.
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IZOD IndyCar Series officials announced the following team will receive a 10-spot grid penalty for Race #1 on Saturday for an unapproved engine change following the event at Pocono Raceway:
#16 Jakes (Rule 15.5.1)
15.5.1. (Minimum mileage): Engine was changed before minimum mileage threshold ("Change-Out Mileage") of 2,000 miles.
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Pre-practice quotes from IZOD IndyCar Series
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "I love coming home to Toronto. This race is something that I've been coming to as a toddler. A lot of my earliest memories of anything, never mind racing memories, have come from right here at Exhibition Place. To be able to come back here and be on the other side of the fence as a guy on track putting on a show for the Canadian fans is something special. As you said, it's a little bit of a love-hate relationship because I've never really gotten particularly well, which is unfortunate. There's always another year and here we are again, so hopefully, we can turn that around." (About his season so far): "It certainly hasn't gone the way anyone would have predicted. To have three wins at this point, but also five races or something outside the top 10, we certainly haven't been the model of consistency. We've been fast, and the wins have been great. I wouldn't trade those for anything because they are all so special. To get to win at this level is so difficult. To have a team capable of doing what we've done this year is phenomenal. We just need to keep doing what we have been doing because I think some of the bad results haven't been caused by things on our end. Some of it is luck. Some of it is getting caught up in other people's things. It's just part of the sport. We need to keep our heads down and hopefully we can get the GoDaddy car back up front this weekend." (How does Toronto compare to some of the tracks where you've had success on this year): "It compares favorably because two of the wins were on street circuits. So that's a strong starting point. With (teammate) Ryan (Hunter-Reay) having won the race last year, we're coming here with a good base. That's going to be so important because with this doubleheader format, we only get one practice session before we have to qualify, and qualifying here is monumentally important. It's a very trick street circuit. I think it requires more setup compromise than anywhere else because of the fast corners, slow corners, the concrete patches that create all sorts of issues for us, and obviously the bumps. That's part of challenge. That's part of the charm of this place. Hopefully, we can take we learned at places like St. Pete, Brazil and Detroit, Long Beach and apply it to here, hopefully it works." (About standing starts): "I've done lots (of them). My first four seasons of open-wheel racing had standing starts. I'm used to them, but it's been a while. It's been a few years now. Some of the guys, I don't think they've ever done them in a formula car, which is a little scary to think. The big concern is we haven't had a ton of time to practice them. We were going to do them at the start of the year, then we weren't. We were going to do them at Long Beach, and then we weren't. We were going to do them at Detroit, and then we weren't, so the teams haven't been quite as proactive on testing and practicing this. We have never gone through the procedure of lining up and going through the lights as a series, so there is a risk of someone getting it wrong. The other issue is that if somebody does stall, there's nowhere to go, and that's got potential for issues. But that's what adds to excitement, right? That's why everyone should be here on Saturday. It's going to be really impressive seeing 25 Indy cars rocket into Turn 1 from a standing start, or it's going to be pretty spectacular what goes wrong."
IZOD INDYCAR SERIES PRACTICE:
The start of IndyCar Series practice has been delayed for five minutes due to track preparation. The session will run for the scheduled 90 minutes, ending at noon.
At 10:30 a.m., the ambient temperature was 78 degrees (26 C) with a relative humidity of 62 percent and winds from the south at 9 mph (15 km/h). Skies were partly cloudy. The track temperature was 107 degrees (42 C), according to Firestone engineers.
10:30 a.m. - GREEN. #1 Hunter-Reay first on track.
11:10 a.m. - RED. #12 Power overshoots Turn 3, stops just before barriers. No contact.
11:13 a.m. - GREEN.
11:26 a.m. - All cars have performed their required standing-start practice.
11:44 a.m. - RED. #10 Franchitti hits outside retaining wall with right-front tire at exit of Turn 5. Car stopped at entry of Turn 6. Franchitti climbs from car without assistance from Holmatro Safety Team. Light damage to right-front wheel.
11:55 a.m. - GREEN.
11:59 a.m. -- #55 Vautier turns quickest lap of session, 1:00.7833.
Noon -- #1 Hunter-Reay turns quickest lap of session, 1:00.6082.
Noon - CHECKERED. End of session. #1 Hunter-Reay quickest at 1:00.6082.
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Firestone is supplying the same street-course tire specifications this weekend for IZOD IndyCar Series teams as those used this season at St. Petersburg, Long Beach and Detroit.
Primary (black-sidewall) tires: Each entry receives nine sets(36 total tires) for the race weekend. A total of 1,078 tires are available. Rookie drivers and those outside the top 10 in points receive a 10th setthat must be returned after the first practice session. Each entry must complete at least five laps during the first practice session to earn the ninth set of primary tires from its weekend allotment.
Alternate (red-sidewall) tires: Each entry receives three sets (12 total tires) for the race weekend. A total of 342 tires are available.
Wet-weather (rain) tires: Each entry can use up to six sets (24 total tires) of the rain tire that debuted in the middle of the 2012 season. A total of 436 tires are available.
The alternate tire program mandates teams use two dry-condition tire specifications in road- or street-course races. The Firehawk alternates, easily identified by their bright red sidewalls, pair the same tire construction as the primary specification with a softer tread compound to provide more grip and faster lap times, while trading off compound durability for the shorter-term advantages.
Per series regulations for doubleheader race weekends, all cars must use at least one set of primary tires and one alternate set during each race, each for a minimum of two green-flag laps. Otherwise, teams are free to use their tire allotment at their discretion.
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INDYCAR, the sanctioning body of the Mazda Road to Indy ladder system, announced today that it has entered into an agreement for Andersen Promotions to license and operate Firestone Indy Lights beginning in 2014.
The multi-year agreement provides strategic and operational synergies for Firestone Indy Lights, an essential training ground for drivers and teams that seek to compete in the IZOD IndyCar Series and Indianapolis 500.
Andersen Promotions, based in Florida, currently owns and operates the first two rungs of the Mazda Road to Indy - the Cooper Tires USF2000 Championship Powered by Mazda and Pro Mazda Championship Presented by Cooper Tires.
Andersen Promotions will direct on-track activity utilizing INDYCAR personnel at shared venues as well as the race director at all events. Andersen Promotions will be the primary contact for all business, marketing and promotional operations with continued INDYCAR support.
Firestone Indy Lights will run up to 12 race events per year, with the goal of 10 in conjunction with the IZOD IndyCar Series. INDYCAR will work with its television partners to ensure broadcast continuity and will continue to support the scholarship for the Firestone Indy Lights champion to compete full time in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
In preparation for the 2014 season, Andersen Promotions has launched a new stand-alone website for Firestone Indy Lights at www.indylights.com, which will run alongside continued coverage for the series at www.indycar.com.
Tristan Vautier and Josef Newgarden, the past two Firestone Indy Lights champions, are among the graduates of the program competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series.
DERRICK WALKER (President of Competition and Operations, INDYCAR): "This is a positive move for our sport. A strong and relevant training system is important to develop the next generation of INDYCAR drivers. Firestone Indy Lights will be more closely aligned with its developmental series already operated by Andersen Promotions and will be positioned for growth to continue to meet the goal of preparing up-and-coming race drivers for the rigors of the IZOD IndyCar Series. Today's announcement will create more consistency as drivers and teams advance up from USF2000 to Pro Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights, all under the leadership of Andersen Promotions."
DAN ANDERSEN (Owner and CEO, Andersen Promotions): "The history of Firestone Indy Lights is so impressive, with dozens of drivers graduating to IZOD IndyCar Series careers over the years. I am honored to be given the opportunity to step in and steer the course for the future. Our model for operating development programs appears to be well-received by teams and drivers, and I am fortunate to have a strong staff in place. We believe in the Mazda Road to Indy and are grateful that INDYCAR has chosen to continue its support for years to come."
QUALIFYING PROCEDURE FOR THE VERIZON P1 AWARD:
Qualifying for the Verizon P1 Award consists of three segments. In Segment One of qualifying, each group receives 10 minutes of track time. The fastest six cars from each group advance to Segment Two, while the remaining cars are assigned positions 13-26. Group One drivers will occupy the odd-numbered positions (13, 15, 17...) while Group Two drivers will occupy the even-numbered positions (14, 16, 18...) based on their fastest lap times.
During Segment Two, the 12 advancing cars receive 10 minutes of track time. The fastest six advance to the Firestone Fast Six Shootout while the remaining six cars are ranked in positions 7-12 based on their fastest laps.
During the Firestone Fast Six, the six cars receive 10 minutes of track time, with a guarantee of five minutes of green flag time. At the end of the session, the cars are ranked 1-6 based on their fastest laps.
Any driver who causes a red flag during any segment will lose their two quickest laps.
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VERIZON P1 AWARD QUALIFYING #1 SEGMENT ONE:
Segment One of qualifying is divided into two groups of 12 drivers each.
Qualifying laps will continue to be timed during local yellow conditions.
Competitors must exercise caution during a local yellow condition. Violators may be penalized; and there is no passing in a local yellow area.
A red condition will be declared when a car is in need of immediate assistance.
At 2:15 p.m., the ambient temperature was 71 degrees (22 C) with a relative humidity of 66 percent and winds from the southwest at 3 mph (5 km/h). Skies were sunny. The track temperature was 97 degrees (36 C), according to Firestone engineers.
Track record: Gil de Ferran, 57.143 (July 1999).
Quickest lap today: #1 Ryan Hunter Reay, 1:00.6082
2:15 p.m. - GREEN. First group on track.
2:25 p.m. - CHECKERED for first group. Top six cars: #9 Dixon, #7 Bourdais, #14 Sato, #3 Castroneves, #16 Jakes, #12 Power. Cars failing to advance: #77 Pagenaud, #5 Viso, #98 Tagliani, #67 Newgarden, #55 Vautier, #20 Carpenter.
Top time from first group: #9 Scott Dixon, 1:00.1779
No. 6 time from first group: #12 Will Power, 1:00.3558
No. 7 time from first group: #77 Simon Pagenaud, 1:00.4303
2:30 p.m. - GREEN. Second group on track.
2:40 p.m. - CHECKERED for second group. Top six cars: #10 Franchitti, #1 Hunter-Reay, #25 Andretti, #11 Kanaan, #4 Briscoe, #19 Wilson. Cars failing to advance: #27 Hinchcliffe, #83 Kimball, #15 Rahal, #18 Conway, #78 De Silvestro, #6 Saavedra.
Top time from second group: #10 Dario Franchitti, 1:00.0210
No. 6 time from second group: #19 Justin Wilson, 1:00.4272
No. 7 time from second group: #27 James Hinchcliffe, 1:00.5083
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VERIZON P1 AWARD QUALIFYING #1 SEGMENT TWO:
At 2:45 p.m., the ambient temperature was 72 degrees (22 C) with a relative humidity of 67 percent and winds from the south at 5 mph (8 km/h). Skies were partly cloudy. The track temperature was 106 degrees (41 C), according to Firestone engineers.
Crew of #16 Jakes repaired bent toe link on car between sessions.
2:50 p.m. - GREEN. Track open to all 12 participants in second segment.
2:58 p.m. - LOCAL YELLOW, then RED. #14 Sato hits tire barrier in outside of Turn 1. Water inside tires from torrential rain earlier this week sprays on track.
3 p.m. - CHECKERED. End of segment two. Top six cars: #10 Franchitti, #7 Bourdais, #11 Kanaan, #9 Dixon, #12 Power, #16 Jakes. Cars failing to advance: #1 Hunter-Reay, #3 Castroneves, #19 Wilson, #4 Briscoe, #25 Andretti, #14 Sato. All 12 cars turned laps on Firestone red "alternate" tires.
Top time from segment two: #10 Dario Franchitti, 59.7680
No. 6 time from segment two: #16 James Jakes, 1:00.1617
No. 7 time from segment two: #1 Ryan Hunter-Reay, 1:00.1954
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VERIZON P1 AWARD QUALIFYING #1 FIRESTONE FAST SIX SHOOTOUT:
At 3 p.m., the ambient temperature was 73 degrees (23 C) with a relative humidity of 66 percent and winds from the southeast at 4 mph (7 km/h). Skies were partly cloudy. The track temperature was 108 degrees (42 C), according to Firestone engineers.
Engines in Firestone Fast Six: Honda 3 (#9 Dixon, #10 Franchitti, #16 Jakes), Chevrolet 3 (#7 Bourdais, #11 Kanaan, #12 Power)
3:10 p.m. - GREEN. #9 Dixon, #10 Franchitti, #16 Jakes on track on Firestone primary "black" tires.
3:15 p.m. -- #7 Bourdais, #11 Kanaan, #12 Power on track on Firestone alternate "red" tires.
3:16 p.m. - All six Firestone Fast Six participants on Firestone alternate "red" tires.
3:19 p.m. -- #10 Franchitti quickest at 1:00.0409.
3:20 p.m. - CHECKERED. #10 Dario Franchitti wins Verizon P1 Award for capturing pole with lap of 59.6756 seconds. #7 Sebastien Bourdais will start second, joining Franchitti on front row.
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VERIZON P1 AWARD WINNER QUICK QUOTE:
DARIO FRANCHITTI: "I was surprised about how quick we could go on the blacks. I'm quite happy with that. I'm delighted to put the Target car on pole. We've had a tough stretch. It feels really good, man."
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VERIZON P1 AWARD QUALIFYING NOTES:
This is the third Verizon P1 Award this season for Dario Franchitti. He also claimed the pole in Long Beach and for the first race at Belle Isle. But Franchitti started 11th in the first race at Belle Isle due to an unauthorized engine change.
This is the fifth career pole on the Streets of Toronto for Dario Franchitti. He also won the pole in 1997, 1998, 2009 and 2012.
This is the 32nd career pole for Dario Franchitti, tying Michael Andretti for sixth all-time in Indy car history.
Sebastien Bourdais qualified second, his best starting spot this season. His previous best was seventh at Sao Paulo.
Sebastien Bourdais qualified second for Dragon Racing, the team's best starting spot in seven seasons of IZOD IndyCar Series competition. The previous best was third in 2009 at Long Beach by Raphael Matos and third in 2012 at Sonoma by Bourdais.
Sebastien Bourdais has qualified seventh or better in nine career starts at Toronto.
Dario Franchitti has qualified sixth or better in 11 career starts at Toronto.
Tony Kanaan qualified fourth, matching a career-best start at Toronto set in 2001.
James Jakes qualified fifth, his career best at Toronto. His previous best was 23rd in 2011. Jakes will incur a 10-grid spot penalty for an unapproved engine change this week.
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HONDA INDY TORONTO 2 IN T.O. RACE #1 QUALIFYING QUOTES:
DARIO FRANCHITTI (No. 10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing Honda): "Luckily enough, the Target car feels good on blacks or reds. Not too big of a balance shift. I managed to get a really good lap on the blacks. So, happy with the speed of the blacks and happy with the speed on the reds. Thanks to these boys for fixing (the car) after my little incident this morning. I buffed a sidepod again on one of the walls just getting a little close, but it feels good." (About if championship is out of the picture): "No, it's not. I've never looked at it that way. Whether I was first, or at one point this year I was last in the championship, so never say never. Until it's mathematically impossible, you just keep fighting every week. We've put ourselves in a bit of a hole, but we'll see if we can dig our way out." (Comparing this track to Detroit): "It's not as bumpy. Detroit was like a rally stage almost. The cars were so on top, you were catching the slightest every corner, like driving a rally car with low grip. So this is probably a little bit of a higher grip surface, unbelievably is a little less bumpy in most places than Detroit, but I think it's a least an equal physical challenge than Detroit. It's 85 laps - that's a long way." (About standing starts): "For most of the people in the field, it's been such a long time since we did standing starts. And with this hand clutch and everything, it's just going to be a complete unknown tomorrow. Which in some ways is good, it mixes things up a little bit. It's better in the front than in the middle of it."
SEBASTIEN BOURDAIS (No. 7 Dragon Racing Chevrolet): "We finally got a break, and the car is heading in the right direction. We made a lot of changes this morning in the one-and-a-half hour session that we had. I'm pretty hopeful. We're starting to understand what this car needs on the new tires, which is something we haven't had since the start of the season."
SIMONA DE SILVESTRO (No. 78 Nuclear Entergy Areva KVRT Chevrolet): "It was a really frustrating session. We've not been fast since we pretty much rolled out. Hopefully for tomorrow, we can fix it and have a good race from where we're starting and have a better qualifying for the second race. But we'll have to see. Right now I don't think any of us are happy at all with what we've got, so we just need to work a little bit harder and keep getting better every session."
RYAN BRISCOE (No. 4 National Guard Panther Racing Chevrolet): "We've got a great National Guard Chevy, and I'm excited to be here. It's the first race we've come to with a little bit of continuity, and we're really getting to know one another and the preparation has been good. We've been fast all day, but it was a little bit of a disjointed qualification session there with the red flag, which caught us out, because we had a better car than the time I put down. But it's just that competitive here in the IndyCar Series now; you can't leave anything to chance. We're happy with a top-10, and we can move forward from there, especially with the standing start."
TAKUMA SATO (No. 14 ABC Supply A.J. Foyt Racing Honda): "We had difficulty in the morning session with several different issues. Our car didn't like the track initially, so we made a lot of changes in the practice session, and with the other issues we had, we just ran out of time. Then we made a lot of changes for qualifying and expected to have a lot more grip from the alternate red tire, which we did. We made good progress in Segment One, and the car was much more comfortable and I was able to push hard. But in the second segment going into Turn 1, we were always on the edge just kissing the bumps. But the last time, it bottomed out, and it went straight in to the tires. It's unfortunate, but we have another qualifying session tomorrow, so hopefully we can improve again."
ED CARPENTER (No. 20 Fuzzy's Vodka/Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet): "It's frustrating to improve that much in time but not move up the grid. We had some issues this morning, but we made some nice gains in qualifying. We jumped 1.7 seconds from the morning practice. We definitely took a step forward today, and we have another qualifying session tomorrow morning. I think the standing start will be interesting on Saturday. We'll see how the response is for it. It's kind of like the heat races at Iowa. If the fans like it, it is something we should consider doing it in the future. I don't like the fact we just do it two times a year, though. If it is something that is going move the needle, I think we should do it all the time. We need the practice to do it all of the time. And we need the technology to do it right, too. I feel it is a little too last-minute for here this weekend. I've never done a standing start in a race. We practiced it this morning, and I think it will be good for Saturday. This is a physical track, but I really like it. It's a bumpy track, and the long straightaway makes for a lot of action. Plus I really like coming to Toronto. It's a great crowd today already." (How did the Carpenter kids like the movie "Turbo?"): "They had a great time last night at the premiere. They really liked the movie. It was late night for them, but they were still talking about the movie. I'm sure we will be buying the DVD or on iTunes or Apple TV as soon as it becomes available."
SIMON PAGENAUD (No. 77 Schmidt Hamilton HP Motorsports Honda): "We've got a really fast car, and I'm honestly very happy with it. I'm very frustrated, though, because I couldn't extract the full potential of what the HP car has in it because we're having brake problems. We've had the issue since this morning's practice. When I hit the brake, I can't stop the car properly, which obviously makes it very difficult to drive. It's a shame because we had a pole position car today."
JAMES HINCHCLIFFE (No. 27 GoDaddy Chevrolet): "This is certainly not the way we wanted qualifying to go. I feel bad for all the fans here; (they) deserved better than that, but we'll put our heads down tomorrow. It's a long race, and I know we'll have a good car. We missed it by less than a tenth (of a second) to get through (to the Firestone Fast Six), and it's heart-breaking to miss it by so little. But it's a long race, and this is a track you can pass on and you can plan strategy to your advantage, so fingers crossed that when it counts, when the points are paying tomorrow, we'll be at the right end."
TONY KANAAN (No. 11 Hydroxycut KVRT-SH Racing Chevrolet): "I'm excited about (qualifying fourth). It's the hometown race for my sponsor Hydroxycut. I know everyone is pulling for Hinch, which is totally fair, but we have some Canadian sponsors on the car. Hopefully we can put on an exciting show for the fans."
WILL POWER (No. 12 Verizon Team Penske Chevrolet): "I hope to get a good start tomorrow. The big key to getting a good start is to not get too much (wheel) spin, so you get that proper hookup. I haven't had a chance to look at the grid box, but hopefully it's on a good patch of asphalt because it changes so much around this track."
RYAN HUNTER-REAY (No. 1 DHL Chevrolet): "It's frustrating. We had a great car today; we led the first practice. I'd like to thank the guys, the crew on the No. 1 DHL team for giving me a great car. I'd like to thank (Takuma) Sato for knocking us out of the session again today. It's unfortunate, but we'll be fighting again tomorrow, we'll be fighting again on Sunday. It's just out of our control, so what do you do? We'll just pack up and hope for a better day tomorrow." (About hand injury suffered at Pocono when hit from behind in pits by Takuma Sato): "It's a concern, for sure; it's part of it. We don't have any power steering at all in these cars, and when you get into an issue where you touch a wall or get in to it with another car, the wheel will whip around, and a lot of guys are hurting their thumbs, tearing ligaments and stuff like that. Certainly not a fun situation and not fun driving with it here at Toronto."
ALEX TAGLIANI (No. 98 Barracuda Racing Honda): "We have some work to do for the race. I don't think we have a handle on what we need for the Barracuda Racing car to go fast at the moment, but we're not going to give up. We just have to work at bit harder and find a way to get that pace we're looking for."
CHARLIE KIMBALL (No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch Honda): "It's pretty slick out there. There's only about an hour and a half of practice with Indy cars out there, so there isn't a lot of rubber down yet on the track. The track is really busy today with other series; it's just hasn't put any grip down yet. The guys were able to get a lap time out of it, We were within a couple tenths of transferring, so we're making some progress. Having Dario be the quickest in that group and being able to look at his data and to make it better will be good, not just for tomorrow, but also for the future. I think we'll be in good shape come race time tomorrow. With the standing start, there's more chance for trouble being in the back, so you have to keep a head up, for sure, but I think the No. 83 NovoRapid FlexTouch car here in Canada is going to be good. We just have to get a clean start in the race."
MARCO ANDRETTI (No. 25 Dr Pepper Chevrolet): "You always want to do your laps in the end, but I'm sure I'm in the same boat as everyone else, so I can't use that final red flag as an excuse. We tried something for the second qualifying round that didn't really help, so it's a bummer for the Dr Pepper crew. I think the race tomorrow will come down to attrition. Mistakes will be made during the race, but hopefully not from us. Hopefully there isn't too much carnage, but there might be with the first standing starts. I think the fans are going to be in for a good show."
JOSEF NEWGARDEN (No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing Honda): "We didn't get the most out of what we probably could have in qualifying, but I think we'll have a better day tomorrow. We have a good hold on what we need for this weekend, so we are looking forward to the two races here in TO. It should be a good points weekend for us. We just have to make sure to maximize each race."
TRISTAN VAUTIER (No. 55 Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Honda): "Unfortunately the No. 55 VisitFlorida.com/Schmidt Peterson Motorsports car just wasn't up to speed today. We're going to put our heads together tonight and hopefully come back with a much better package tomorrow morning for quals and then the race. The good thing about these doubleheader race weekends is that there's enough action on the track to turn things around if they're not going your way. With the strong people we have on this team, I'm sure that we can do that."
E.J. VISO (No. 5 Team Venezuela PDVSA Citgo Chevrolet): "Qualifying for Race 1 didn't go as expected. I believe we had good potential of going to the (Firestone) Fast Six, but it didn't happen. We'll have a second chance tomorrow, and I think for the second race we can do good. We've shown in so many splits that we had the speed to be in the top three."
GRAHAM RAHAL (No. 15 Midas/Big O Tires Honda): "I'm very disappointed in our qualifying effort. Unfortunately we tried to do the (lap) time too late on the tires. The two laps before that should have been better. One was average and the next one, Simona came out of the pits in front of me and I caught her in the middle of Turn 1, so I lost some time there. I just threw a lap in, and it was a solid lap. But unfortunately we missed it by one-tenth and a half (of a second), and that's all it takes now. It's frustrating to start in the back; that's kind of where we've been all year, and there's no reason for it. We're going to just keep working. James typically likes a loose car compared to me, and I'm a little bit more loose than he is right now, so I'm hanging on a bit. We're going to have to make some changes for tomorrow and try to improve it. I think the standing start is going to be really difficult. It will be interesting to see what happens. Starting in the back, we're going to be in the midst of all the mess it if something happens."
***
Two of the newest members of the Toronto Maple Leafs, forwards Dave Bolland and David Clarkson, will serve as the grand marshals for the two Honda Indy Toronto 2 in T.O. races Saturday and Sunday. Bolland will be the grand marshal and give the command to start engines for Race No. 1 on Saturday, with Clarkson serving as grand marshal and giving the command to start engines for Race No. 2 on Sunday.
Bolland, from nearby Mimico, Ontario, scored the game-winning goal for the Chicago Blackhawks in the decisive Game 6 of the 2013 Stanley Cup Final in June. He was traded to the Maple Leafs less than a week later.
Clarkson, a native of Toronto, signed with the Leafs on July 7 after playing the last seven seasons with the New Jersey Devils.
FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS PRACTICE:
At 8:45 a.m., the ambient temperature was 68 degrees (20 C) with a relative humidity of 63 percent and winds from the east at 3 mph (5 km/h). Skies were sunny. The track temperature was 78 degrees (26 C), according to Firestone engineers.
8:45 a.m. - GREEN. #8 Karam first on track.
9:30 a.m. - CHECKERED. #77 Hawksworth quickest at 1:05.8733.
FIRESTONE INDY LIGHTS PRACTICE #2 QUOTES:
JACK HAWKSWORTH (No. 77 Schmidt Peterson c/w Curb-Agajanian): "I really like this circuit. I tend to like all of the street circuits. I think they are really exciting, really challenging; there's a lot to them. I also like the fact that you kind of get punished if you make a mistake around this place. The circuit itself really unique with long straights. It's not your average street course because normally street courses are a lot of 90 (degree) rights, 90 (degree) lefts and stuff, but this course has got some quick sweepers, as well, so it's really interesting. Obviously the setting, being in Toronto and stuff, it's one of my favorite cities. So all in all, great experience coming here for me so far.
PETER DEMPSEY (No. 5 Belardi Auto Racing): "This is where I did my first race with Belardi Auto Racing, and it's the first year I've come back here and know what I'm getting into. I'm working really well with the team right now. It's a track I really enjoy. The concrete patches are tricky. You have to get close to the walls, and it's a real driver's track."
JORGE GONCALVEZ (No. 4 Belardi Auto Racing): "It's good to be out here on the streets again. I feel pretty good. I'm not the fastest guy on the track, but I know the change we made to the car was a good one. I did two laps with the new setup, so hopefully that will help us have an idea with what we need to work on for qualifying tomorrow morning."
GABBY CHAVES (No. 7 Schmidt Peterson c/w Curb-Agajanian): "I think it's hard to tell exactly where we are after today's practice. We definitely need to improve a little bit before tomorrow, so we're going to go back and analyze everything to see what we can work on."
SAGE KARAM (No. 8 Schmidt Peterson c/w Curb-Agajanian): "It wasn't a good day for us today. I'm just not comfortable right now on the circuit. The car has to be good because Jack (Hawksworth) was P1. I can't say it's the car; it has to be me. I'm going to really focus on what I can do to improve so that I'm ready to do well tomorrow."
