Toronto Honda Indycar, U2 and Peter Frampton
by Scott A. Sumner
Each year in July I make the trip to the Toronto Honda Indycar race to experience everything this event and Toronto has to offer. This year thare was lots going on to see and here are some of what I got to see first hand.
The indycar race had famous Canadian actor Dan Akroyd as grand marshall. Dan Akroyd“ These drivers have to have extreme skills to handle these machines. The track is an urban track that people drive on every other day of the year. I am exited about the Canadian drivers and the female drivers. When you see these races you want to drive faster. As a father of three daughters I like to follow the female drivers. You can’t look at someone like Danica patrick and not take a double take. She is very talented as a driver and very glamourous.
IZOD is a great brand and have done a good job of selling their products. They are also doing a great job of making stars of their drivers and creating a great series. Toronto is a first class city for a first class event.” Dan Akroyd is a car collector himself and owns a 1940 Buick Roadmaster, 1949 Bently Mark 6, 55 Desoto hemi, Police Harley Davidson and a 1959 Ford truck to name a few he stated.
New this year at the Toronto Honda Indy race was the Ferrari
Challenge. This race features 25 Ferrari cars in competition driven by
non professional race car drivers. “ All the cars come to our headquarters and are distributed to the dealers. We are supporting the Honda Indy car with 25 race cars and five different show cars. The race cars are privately owned and are driven by doctors, lawyers and business owners,” said Isaac Abila, Transportation Manager for Ferrari of North America based in New York City. “ The Ferrari Challenge is a series that is the same in North America as in Japan, Australia, Europe and here. They race the exact same car with the same configuration and set up with no modifications. It is up to the driver and how they do on the different race tracks
across North America. The cars are exactly as they are manufactured with some sponsorship on them. They buy the car, go to a particular dealer and they do the set up and then bring the cars to the race track and take care of every need before the track. The drivers then qualify
and have races on Saturday and Sunday. The car then goes back to the dealer and their shop to get ready for the next event.” There are 8 races in the Ferrari Challenge which starts in California and end of up Miami Homestead. After the eight races there is the finals for the 5 or
6 cars to compete in Monzaand then they determine the champions for the years. The cars then go back to the dealer and are stored for the winter. The car can’t be driven on the street. The model used is the 458 and a street version is about $300,000.
At the main Toronto Honda Indycar race The Target car ran well and Dario Franchitti wins fo rhis third time in Toronto. “ There is no margin for error you have to get everything right. It was wild out there today.” said Franchitti.U2 360 Tour Amazing To See
There is no doubt that U2 is one of the world’s top rock bands. Their leader Bono is well known as a political activist. Seeing their 360 tour at the Rogers Centre in Toronto with 60,000 plus other people was just an amazing experience. The rocket ship style stage soared almost
to the roof of the former named Sky Dome and was as a wide as a football field. It was especially fun to hear live some of my favourite U2 songs like Pride in the Name of Love. Bono spent time thanking Live Nation and CEO Mike Rapino who is from Thunder Bay and organized the entire 360 tour. This tour is certainty a mammoth undertaking and showcased the Toronto venue and city to the world.
It was also fun for me to see one of the artists I listened to growing up, Peter Frampton, with his 35 anniversary tour of his famous Live double album of 1976 that sold over 20 million copies. The Molson Ampitheatre at Ontario Place is a great venue and always has a solid
line up of top acts including many that will come to Thunder Bay as well.
