In preparation for the pair of races this weekend on the streets of Exhbition Place, the stars of the Verizon IndyCar Series had a pair of practices to get their machines hooked up on the 11-turn temporary street course. In the end, it was Simon Pagenaud topping the combined speed chart for the Honda Indy Toronto with a lap of one minute and 0.0084 seconds.
Pagenaud has been strong on the road/street courses this year, picking up the victory earlier this year in the Grand Prix of Indianapolis.
“It’s always a challenge in Toronto because of the different (asphalt and concrete) tarmacs,” Pagenaud commented. “Practice went well for us. Our sponsor, Oculus, is a Canadian company so it’s great to shine here. The car is beautiful, similar to Houston, so I feel confident.”
Helio Castroneves was second quickest as he comes into the weekend leading teammate Will Power by nine points following Iowa Speedway. Castroneves brought out one of the red flags during the session after stalling in turn eight due to no power and the car being stuck in gear. Castroneves’ Team Penske team got the problem fixed, though, as Castroneves was back out for the 10-minute standing start practice following the full second session.
Scott Dixon was third quickest as he searches for his third straight Honda Indy Toronto victory in a row after sweeping both events last season en route to the championship. 2011 race winner Will Power was fourth, followed by Ontario’s own James Hinchcliffe. Hinchcliffe has yet to finish in the top-five in Toronto, with a best career finish of eighth in four previous starts.
“(The car) is a handful,” Hinchcliffe commented. “This track is always such a challenge for us set up wise, and we’re seeing that again here today – even though we’re less than a tenth off the pace. It’s hard work out there trying to get that (fast) lap. The bumps, the surface changes….it makes it difficult to nail the set-up. The United Fiber and Data guys are obviously doing a good job for the car to have the pace it does, but from where we’re sitting, ya know, drivers are never happy at this track. You’re always looking for a little more. But all in all, it’s great to be back home in Toronto. I’ve said it before, we have the best fans here and I hope we can put on a great show for everyone this weekend.”
Sebastien Bourdais was sixth, followed by Josef Newgarden, Juan Pablo Montoya, Ryan Hunter-Reay and Ryan Briscoe. Briscoe brought out the second red flag of the session with two minutes to go after spinning on the exit of turn one.
Notably, the struggles continue for Mike Conway as he only posted the 22nd quickest time.
The Verizon IndyCar Series will qualify at 10 a.m. EST on Saturday, before the first race of the double header at 3 p.m. EST. Coverage can be seen on NBCSN and SportsNet.
