Round 12 - Toronto, CA (1) - Niko Gouloumis
As a certain song goes, 'If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it.' Canada may be famed for its long cold winters but in the summertime the Great White North turns into a tropical paradise. Hats, sunglasses, lotion and plenty of water are a must and I made sure to be well-supplied. I wouldn't have enjoyed my weekend nearly as much had I had to deal with being sunburned and having heatstroke.
I'd known of the Honday Indy Toronto as early as 2010, when I used to live in the city after graduating from university. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend as I had used up my time off visiting friends in America earlier that month. My two subsequent visits to Canada were in the winter, but this year I knew I had to go and see the race at last and with rumours that the race might switch to an oval circuit being constructed, it might be one of my last chances.
As usual, I flew in with Air Transat, a partner airline of the agency Canadian Affair. For anyone wanting to visit Canada on the cheap, this is definitely the way to go. Prices have gone up in response to a rise in air tax, but book early enough and you can easily get a summertime flight for about £600. An alternative way to travel is to do a multi-stop trip via Iceland but I'm not sure it's as much of a saving as it used to be.
Accommodation-wise, you could do a lot worse than the Canadiana hostel. Once voted the best hostel in North America, its glory days might be a gone but it still remains a cheap, comfortable option with plenty of opportunities to mix and socialise. Top tips for staying in a hostel, a bottom bunk is preferable to a top one and it's best to get up early or risk waiting forever to use a shower.
I made my way to the track on Fan Friday and made the error of brining an aerosol sun tan lotion, which obviously is prohibited. Luckily it was still very early and the worst of the sun wouldn't be for hours yet. I decided not to watch the practice sessions and after a brief play in the Honda interactive area (including racing on a simulator and having a photo taken in an IndyCar shell) I made my way to the paddock. I cannot stress enough how valuable a paddock pass is, even more so for its actual low cost. As the fans arrived so did the drivers and being fairly early it was a great chance to grab some autographs and photos as the drivers could afford to do so without having to deal with a group of twenty fans clamouring for their attention. So it was that I met Josef Newgarden and Charlie Kimball; it was a weird mixture of being obviously star-struck, but at the same time they were so friendly and open that there were no nerves and it didn't feel like a big deal at all. Not for the last time I would think "Imagine this at a Formula One race. it would never happen."
As the day progressed more and more drivers appeared although not all had the time to stand and chat, but by the end of the day I would get autographs from or at least a photo of drivers such as Simon Pagenaud, Tristan Vautier, Alex Tagliani, Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais, plus a few sneaky shots of James Hinchcliffe, Tony Kanaan, Simona di Silvestro and Ryan Hunter-Reay in their garages. Graham has a bad reputation for being arrogant but he was very accommodating of fans wanting his autograph and at one point his father Bobby also came out. Not only that but I would also spy Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti hanging out in their teams' hospitality lounges. A small highlight of the day was getting caught up in the traffic jam of cars and carts on their way to be inspected and in the process having to move out of the way of Jon Beekhuis and a camera crew. And how often do you get to meet a legend of the sport? Very rarely but outside of the Dale Coyne garages was none other than Arie Luyendyk, the fastest man ever around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "That's Arie Luyendyk!" an older fan said to me, his face a picture of disbelief.
After all the drivers had left for qualifying it was time to go watch the action, but I was lucky in that Sarah Fisher had chosen the same time to leave and so I managed to grab her autograph as well. With it being Fan Friday, access to the grandstands wasn't constrained by what ticket you had bought for the weekend, so I worked my way down to Turn 11 and then Turn 10 to grab some pictures and videos. This was undoubtedly the best place to be for qualifying as you could watch the cars go through the Turns 9/10 chicane with a big screen opposite to keep an eye on the times. The rows was disappointed that Hinchcliffe didn't make it out of the first part of qualifying and quite a few people left to beat the queues for food and drink. Having taken all the pictures and videos I wanted, I headed back to the Start/Finish straight to watch the Fast Six and see Dario Franchitti take pole.
A word of warning, sometimes the schedule doesn't reflect the one advertised and because of it I almost missed the start of qualifying. As it turned out the only accurate schedule was the one printed in the Toronto Sun's souvenir pull-out, free copies of which were dotted around the circuit. Neither the website nor the official programme was accurate, so be careful if you ever attend a race. I also thought it was a bit silly having USF2000 practice start before the circuit opened, especially as there was some kind of power problem (which no-one in the line bought) that prevented people from getting in for a further half-hour.
The next day I made my way to the circuit in time for the Pro Mazda race. What bit of F1 nerd that is left in me was pleased to see Matthew Brabham win in a dominating display that brings his victory streak to six in a row. After that was the USF2000 race which was a lights-to-flag victory for Neil Alberico. Then it was time for the IndyCars to qualify for Sunday and I made my way back to Turn 10. Today the grandstands were restricted but undeterred I pointed my camera lens through the first line of fencing and managed to get some good shots. At ground level it was quite apparent at how hard the drivers were working the wheel, at one point Hinch clouted the Turn 9 kerb and it was a great visual display of a driver on the limit. After qualifying the Indy Lights race started, but after watching twenty laps and seeing Jack Hawksworth start to run away with things I abandoned the race and instead took up the offer of waiting in line to meet Paul Tracy, with everyone getting to have a photo that was then printed out and signed. Tracy was before my time and I don't think I would have been a fan of his but it was still a pretty cool experience.
By the time I had finished there the Lights race was almost over and so I made my way to Victory Circle, where I had previously been for the presentations for the other support races. After that I went to the paddock which was thin on drivers, but I did get a photo of Bryan Herta doing an interview for radio. I left for some lunch and went back to the track to see he Stadium Super Truck race, the track modified to include some small jumps. I watched from Turn 10 where a jump in the chicane produced some great action. I was sceptical of its inclusion on the bill but it turned out to be a pretty inspired decision and the crowd loved it.
And then it was time for the race. The grandstands were already packed and so it was with soome dofficuly that I made my way to my seat. Everyone was veryexcited for the standing start and then massively dissapointed that it was aborted with Newgarden stalling on the grid, which turned out to be a more fundamental problem as the race was delayed for several laps when his car cut out. Some light entertainment was provided by a gentleman a few rows in front of me, who cried out 'Here comes the fly-past!' before pointing at a commercial aircraft coming in to land on the island airport. But soon enough the race started and any misgivings I might have had for chooisng the straight rather than the traditional overtaking spot of Turn 3 soon evaporated. Being able to watch the pit-stops and seeing strategies work out as drivers re-joined the track was very enjoyable and the was even some passing in Turn 1, including Will Power on Bourdais for the lead. What surprised me most was how quickly everything seemed to go compared to watching on television and before we knew it we were giving Scott Dixon a standing ovation for a well-deserved victory.
Victory Circle was already packed when I got there due to the proximity of the Turns 10 and 11 grandtands but I still manged to get an okay vantage point and could see most of what was foing on, including the hilarious podium ceremony as Bourdais dropped his trophy. Three drivers, all with 31 victories and a great weekend that still has plenty more excitement to come. All in all, attending an IndyCar race might have cost me more than going to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, but it has certainly been value for money. I can only hope the series is able to make its way over to Europe soon, but if you have to holiday to see a race, you could do a lot worse than Toronto and all the sites, attractions and things to do the city has to offer away from the central event.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
You can follow Niko on Twitter and read his Blog
I'd known of the Honday Indy Toronto as early as 2010, when I used to live in the city after graduating from university. Unfortunately I wasn't able to attend as I had used up my time off visiting friends in America earlier that month. My two subsequent visits to Canada were in the winter, but this year I knew I had to go and see the race at last and with rumours that the race might switch to an oval circuit being constructed, it might be one of my last chances.
As usual, I flew in with Air Transat, a partner airline of the agency Canadian Affair. For anyone wanting to visit Canada on the cheap, this is definitely the way to go. Prices have gone up in response to a rise in air tax, but book early enough and you can easily get a summertime flight for about £600. An alternative way to travel is to do a multi-stop trip via Iceland but I'm not sure it's as much of a saving as it used to be.
Accommodation-wise, you could do a lot worse than the Canadiana hostel. Once voted the best hostel in North America, its glory days might be a gone but it still remains a cheap, comfortable option with plenty of opportunities to mix and socialise. Top tips for staying in a hostel, a bottom bunk is preferable to a top one and it's best to get up early or risk waiting forever to use a shower.
I made my way to the track on Fan Friday and made the error of brining an aerosol sun tan lotion, which obviously is prohibited. Luckily it was still very early and the worst of the sun wouldn't be for hours yet. I decided not to watch the practice sessions and after a brief play in the Honda interactive area (including racing on a simulator and having a photo taken in an IndyCar shell) I made my way to the paddock. I cannot stress enough how valuable a paddock pass is, even more so for its actual low cost. As the fans arrived so did the drivers and being fairly early it was a great chance to grab some autographs and photos as the drivers could afford to do so without having to deal with a group of twenty fans clamouring for their attention. So it was that I met Josef Newgarden and Charlie Kimball; it was a weird mixture of being obviously star-struck, but at the same time they were so friendly and open that there were no nerves and it didn't feel like a big deal at all. Not for the last time I would think "Imagine this at a Formula One race. it would never happen."
As the day progressed more and more drivers appeared although not all had the time to stand and chat, but by the end of the day I would get autographs from or at least a photo of drivers such as Simon Pagenaud, Tristan Vautier, Alex Tagliani, Graham Rahal, Scott Dixon and Sebastien Bourdais, plus a few sneaky shots of James Hinchcliffe, Tony Kanaan, Simona di Silvestro and Ryan Hunter-Reay in their garages. Graham has a bad reputation for being arrogant but he was very accommodating of fans wanting his autograph and at one point his father Bobby also came out. Not only that but I would also spy Chip Ganassi and Michael Andretti hanging out in their teams' hospitality lounges. A small highlight of the day was getting caught up in the traffic jam of cars and carts on their way to be inspected and in the process having to move out of the way of Jon Beekhuis and a camera crew. And how often do you get to meet a legend of the sport? Very rarely but outside of the Dale Coyne garages was none other than Arie Luyendyk, the fastest man ever around Indianapolis Motor Speedway. "That's Arie Luyendyk!" an older fan said to me, his face a picture of disbelief.
After all the drivers had left for qualifying it was time to go watch the action, but I was lucky in that Sarah Fisher had chosen the same time to leave and so I managed to grab her autograph as well. With it being Fan Friday, access to the grandstands wasn't constrained by what ticket you had bought for the weekend, so I worked my way down to Turn 11 and then Turn 10 to grab some pictures and videos. This was undoubtedly the best place to be for qualifying as you could watch the cars go through the Turns 9/10 chicane with a big screen opposite to keep an eye on the times. The rows was disappointed that Hinchcliffe didn't make it out of the first part of qualifying and quite a few people left to beat the queues for food and drink. Having taken all the pictures and videos I wanted, I headed back to the Start/Finish straight to watch the Fast Six and see Dario Franchitti take pole.
A word of warning, sometimes the schedule doesn't reflect the one advertised and because of it I almost missed the start of qualifying. As it turned out the only accurate schedule was the one printed in the Toronto Sun's souvenir pull-out, free copies of which were dotted around the circuit. Neither the website nor the official programme was accurate, so be careful if you ever attend a race. I also thought it was a bit silly having USF2000 practice start before the circuit opened, especially as there was some kind of power problem (which no-one in the line bought) that prevented people from getting in for a further half-hour.
The next day I made my way to the circuit in time for the Pro Mazda race. What bit of F1 nerd that is left in me was pleased to see Matthew Brabham win in a dominating display that brings his victory streak to six in a row. After that was the USF2000 race which was a lights-to-flag victory for Neil Alberico. Then it was time for the IndyCars to qualify for Sunday and I made my way back to Turn 10. Today the grandstands were restricted but undeterred I pointed my camera lens through the first line of fencing and managed to get some good shots. At ground level it was quite apparent at how hard the drivers were working the wheel, at one point Hinch clouted the Turn 9 kerb and it was a great visual display of a driver on the limit. After qualifying the Indy Lights race started, but after watching twenty laps and seeing Jack Hawksworth start to run away with things I abandoned the race and instead took up the offer of waiting in line to meet Paul Tracy, with everyone getting to have a photo that was then printed out and signed. Tracy was before my time and I don't think I would have been a fan of his but it was still a pretty cool experience.
By the time I had finished there the Lights race was almost over and so I made my way to Victory Circle, where I had previously been for the presentations for the other support races. After that I went to the paddock which was thin on drivers, but I did get a photo of Bryan Herta doing an interview for radio. I left for some lunch and went back to the track to see he Stadium Super Truck race, the track modified to include some small jumps. I watched from Turn 10 where a jump in the chicane produced some great action. I was sceptical of its inclusion on the bill but it turned out to be a pretty inspired decision and the crowd loved it.
And then it was time for the race. The grandstands were already packed and so it was with soome dofficuly that I made my way to my seat. Everyone was veryexcited for the standing start and then massively dissapointed that it was aborted with Newgarden stalling on the grid, which turned out to be a more fundamental problem as the race was delayed for several laps when his car cut out. Some light entertainment was provided by a gentleman a few rows in front of me, who cried out 'Here comes the fly-past!' before pointing at a commercial aircraft coming in to land on the island airport. But soon enough the race started and any misgivings I might have had for chooisng the straight rather than the traditional overtaking spot of Turn 3 soon evaporated. Being able to watch the pit-stops and seeing strategies work out as drivers re-joined the track was very enjoyable and the was even some passing in Turn 1, including Will Power on Bourdais for the lead. What surprised me most was how quickly everything seemed to go compared to watching on television and before we knew it we were giving Scott Dixon a standing ovation for a well-deserved victory.
Victory Circle was already packed when I got there due to the proximity of the Turns 10 and 11 grandtands but I still manged to get an okay vantage point and could see most of what was foing on, including the hilarious podium ceremony as Bourdais dropped his trophy. Three drivers, all with 31 victories and a great weekend that still has plenty more excitement to come. All in all, attending an IndyCar race might have cost me more than going to Silverstone for the British Grand Prix, but it has certainly been value for money. I can only hope the series is able to make its way over to Europe soon, but if you have to holiday to see a race, you could do a lot worse than Toronto and all the sites, attractions and things to do the city has to offer away from the central event.
But trust me on the sunscreen.
You can follow Niko on Twitter and read his Blog
