Today’s IZOD IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights and Mazda Road to Indy headlines:
1. Toronto technical penalty update
2. IZOD IndyCar Series stars hit big screen in animated feature “Turbo”
3. Charity wins big on Fan Friday
4. Of note
1. Toronto technical penalty update: There were no technical penalties issued following the IZOD IndyCar Series doubleheader races on the Streets of Toronto on July 13-14.
2. IZOD IndyCar Series stars hit big screen in animated feature “Turbo”: Four-time IZOD IndyCar Series champion Dario Franchitti wasn’t the inspiration for the character Guy Gagne in Dreamworks Animantion’s feature film “Turbo,” but director David Soren said ‘he could be, there are similarities.”
Franchitti was technical consultant on the 3D film about a common garden snail who dreams of competing in the Indianapolis 500 Mile Race against his idol Gagne. When a freak accident and multiple circumstances collide, Theo finds himself at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Franchitti, Team Penske’s Will Power and Indy car legend Mario Andretti have cameo voices in the movie. Andretti is the voice of a member of the Speedway Safety Patrol. Franchitti and Power are journalists.
“Basically, I went to a studio at DreamWorks with a microphone and a script and just acted out,” Power said. “We went through a bunch of different scenarios. One was a bus driver, one was in a driver’s meeting and one was a reporter. I’m thrilled; I made the cut.”
Added Andretti: “I welcomed the opportunity obviously to be a part of it to some degree. Just to be part of it in a cameo I think is wonderful. Every time that I’m taken on the inside and shown everything that goes into a production is overwhelming. They were so kind. We went through all the different departments and spoke to so many people. They even had a Team Andretti there. With so many talented people I was wondering what my payroll was. We had fun.
“(DreamWorks Animation storyboard artists) made sure they are capturing the essence of what it’s all about. They showed me bits and pieces of the film and when Turbo is doing his lap I knew exactly where he was on the racetrack. They capture all the idiosyncrasies, which is what it’s all about. They studied it in and out to bring that certain reality to it and that’s what these new animations are all about.
“It’s wonderful that they’re featuring Indianapolis and our biggest race. It’s known around the world and it plays very well. The reach is tremendous and what it does for the exposure of our sport is golden.”
3. Charity wins big on Fan Friday: More than $57,000 (Canadian) was raised for Make-A-Wish Canada during the Honda Indy Toronto race weekend.
The event included Fan Friday in which admission to watch IZOD IndyCar Series practice and qualifications for Race 1, Mazda Road to Indy series (Firestone Indy Lights, Pro Mazda and USF2000) practice and participate in interactive displays was free through the backing of the Ontario Honda Dealers Association. Spectators made donations to the charity.
In four years of the fund-raising efforts during the race weekend, more than $308,000 has been generated.
Alex Tagliani, driver of the No. 98 Barracuda Racing car and a Make-A-Wish Canada ambassador, spent time with Make-A-Wish families between on-track sessions. He kicked off raising awareness of Fan Friday by throwing out the ceremonial first pitch at Rogers Centre before the Toronto Blue Jays hosted the Detroit Tigers on July 1.
“On behalf of everyone at Make-A-Wish Canada, I’d like to express our sincere thanks to Honda Canada, its dealers and, of course, the fans,” said Jennifer Ritter, CEO of Make-A-Wish Canada. “This level of commitment and support is a huge part of how we can continue to grant wishes and bring happiness and strength to the lives of children with life-threatening medical conditions.”
Days are winding down to donate to the dare between Scott Dixon and Tagliani.
Fans can make monetary donations to charities designated by Dixon or Tagliani through July 19 at www.power-of-2.org.
The charities will end up winners, but the celebrity who finishes second in the fund-raising will have to cash in with a very public dare: They’ll get into costume (Tagliani a beaver; Dixon a sheep) and ride around the grounds of the Indiana State Fair in August on a tricycle.
There is also something in it for those who make contributions: A chance to win a signed Dixon or Tagliani racing helmet and phone/Skype call with them.
4. Of note: Simona De Silvestro participated in the Michael Strahan Celebrity Golf Tournament at the Liberty National Golf Club in New Jersey to benefit the Newark Mentoring Movement. Strahan, a former New York Giants defensive end and co-host of “Live with Kelly and Michael,” was joined by the Giants’ David Diehl and Justin Tuck, Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd and NFL Pro Bowler Bruce Smith among others…Josef Newgarden competed in the Honda Indy Toronto in the No. 67 Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing car without chief engineer Nathan O’Rourke, who returned to Indianapolis early July 13 to be with his wife, Nikki, for the birth of the couple’s second child. “It was tough losing Nathan, he’s kind of like my right arm,” Newgarden said.
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The next IZOD IndyCar Series race is the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised live at 3 p.m. (ET) by NBC Sports Network and broadcast by the IMS Radio Network, including on Sirius and XM Channels 211, www.indycar.com and the INDYCAR 13 App for most smartphones and tablets. The next Firestone Indy Lights race is the Mid-Ohio 100 on Aug. 4 at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course. The race will be televised by NBC Sports Network at 2 p.m.
