IndyCars - Toronto: The return to battle under the Princes' Gate

[MarkyS]

For a while, it seemed the IndyCar were never destined to come back to Toronto, Canada due to cancellations during the Covid-19 lockdowns, but low and behold! We are finally BACK, as we do…

The Honda Indy Toronto

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The circuit is a very challenging street course laid out in Toronto’s Exhibition Place - the publicly-owned entertainment and exhibition district near downtown, fronted by the magnificent multi-columned Princes’ Gate, named for Prince Edward, the Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII), and Prince George (later the Duke of Kent).

The layout changed just a little bit in 2016 in order to accommodate a new hotel, by moving the pit lane to the north side of the front straight, necessitating that it curve around Turns 10 and 11. With 25 cars entered in this weekend’s event, the pit lane is squeezed tighter than ever before, with only 35 feet for each pit box. This will also be the first IndyCar race at Toronto with the Aeroscreen on the cars.

The 11-turn circuit boasts a great slowly-curving straight after Turn 2 that leads to the heart-breaker at Turn 3, where all that speed is funneled into a 90-degree+ corner that can barely contain one car. This track ALWAYS produces thrills.

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There is a pent-up desire for great racing in Canada and for this event, so it is expected to draw a huge crowd. Those race fans will be treated to no less than 10 races this weekend. They include:

• NASCAR Pinty’s Series - 1 race on Friday
• Sports Car Championship Canada - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
• Porsche Carrera Cup North America - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
• USF2000 - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday
• Indy Pro 2000 - 2 races on Saturday and Sunday

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and, of course, the IndyCar race on Sunday.

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Let’s take a look at that support racing:

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Sports Car Championship Canada - SCCC is a series of races open to GT4 and TC sport cars, much like IMSA’s Michelin Pilot Challenge series. As the name suggests, the series is a Canadian national championship. The series will be making its debut appearance at Exhibition Place during the Honda Indy Toronto weekend in just its second year of operation. As no IndyCar driver will be in the SCCC we will wish them safe and happy racing and focus elsewhere

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NASCAR Pinty’s Series - People are always talking about a good weekend mix of NASCAR and IndyCar…Well, here it is! This is Canada’s top stock car series, with a 12-race season of competition throughout the great North, using stockers from Dodge, Ford and Chevrolet. No current IndyCar guys compete in this series but former CART driver Alex Tagliani is a series regular as is former CART driver Andrew Ranger. Andrew, in fact, has THRICE been Champion of the series and holds the most WINS ever. We’ll keep an eye on Alex and Andrew to see how they do. Andrew has 3 previous WINS here and Alex had 2 previous WINS here, but the current points leader is Marc-Antoine Camirand in the # 22 GM Paillé Chevrolet.

Marc-Antoine Camirand

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Porsche Carrera Cup North America - This one-make series is the premiere Porsche racing series on the continent and is an IMSA staple, utilizing the Porsche 992, which is the Cup version of the Porsche 911 GT3 R. Some of the best Porsche 911 drivers in the world participate in this series and that includes a few IndyCar aces. We’ll keep an eye on the doings this weekend to see how they fair.

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continued…

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[MarkyS]

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Support Racing… (continued)…
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The Road to Indy is the ladder system that develops IndyCar drivers. It is made up of now four series of increasing complexity, performance and cost, each when conquered becomes a step towards entering the IndyCar series. They are USF Juniors, (a new series), USF2000, Indy Pro 2000 and Indy Lights. TWO of the four rungs on the ladder will be racing at Toronto, this weekend.
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USF2000 - What used to be the first step up on the ladder is a bit more complex than USF Juniors and is populated with drivers who have more open-wheel racing experience - even at this lower level. USF2000 uses the all-carbon Tatuus USF-22 car, powered by a 2.0 liter engine made by Elite Engines, with about 175 hp. The cars have racing slicks and adjustable wings. The transmissions are a six-speed sequential gearbox, with steering-wheel paddle shifters. The brakes are 4-piston monobloc caliper sets, front and rear.

The fields are usually very large, very eclectic and very competitive but the talent range is also large - some very good while others are learning. After 13 rounds, the current points leader is Myles Rowe, driving for Pabst Racing in his 2nd season in this series. He has 10 TOP FIVES with 9 podiums and 4 WINs. Myles is only 12 points ahead of Michael d’Orlando for Cape Motorsports.

Myles Rowe

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Indy Pro 2000 - This is the middle rung of the ladder. “IP2K” uses the PM-22 car from Tatuus, based on the USF-22, but with much bigger tires, much more wing, and a much more powerful engine. The Elite Engines 2.0 liter puts out 275 hp. The brakes are bias driver-adjustable, just like in the USF-22. Transmissions are six-speed paddle-shifter sequential jobs. With the bigger tires and more wing, the cars have substantially more downforce and braking than USF2000.

The fields are typically graduates from USF2000 or from European F3 and GP3, all used to handling more power and grip and all with great racecraft. The level of competition across the board is much more even, though the fields are smaller than USF2000. After 12 rounds, the current points leader in IP2K is England’s Louis Foster for Exclusive Autosport, a rookie with 9 TOP FIVES, including 4 WINS and 8 podiums. Louie is a substantial 49 points ahead of Reece Gold for Juncos Hollinger Racing.

Louis Foster

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Friday will start with practice sessions for both USF2000 and Indy Pro 2000. Let’s GET THIS GOING!!!

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[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Toronto - USF2000 hold their practice session…

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There will only be this one practice session before the series holds qualifying, later this morning

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Here was the order of speed for the USF2000 P-1 practice session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing - time of 01:14.2457s for a speed of 86.599mph

2 - Christian Weir, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:14.2810s for a speed of 86.558mph

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3 - Myles Rowe, Pabst Racing - time of 01:14.9107s for a speed of 85.830mph

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4 - Spike Kohlbecker, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:14.9229s for a speed of 85.816mph

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5 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:14.9355s for a speed of 85.802mph

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6 - Jagger Jones [R], Cape Motorsports
7 - Jacob Douglas [R], Exclusive Autosport
8 - Evagoras Papasavvas [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
9 - Thomas Nepveu, DEForce Racing
10 - Nicky Hays [R], Cape Motorsports

11 - Billy Frazer, Exclusive Autosport
12 - Dylan Christie, DEForce Racing
13 - Bijoy Garg, DEForce Racing
14 - Jorge Garciarce [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
15 - Frederik Lund [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
16 - Nicholas d’Orlando [R], Exclusive Autosport - no time

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Notable:

• The field for this race is one of the smallest so far this season, with almost all the participants being the better half of the grid. The TOP FIVE guys belong in the TOP FIVE, with the exception of Spike Kohlbecker. Spike was one of the nice surprises of the 2021 season but hasn’t been this fast so far in 2022. Spike usually does very well on street courses so maybe he’s found his mojo.

• This would be the home race for Canadian kart wunderkind Thomas Nepveu who is from Oka, in the province of Quebec, but he has never actually been able to race here, yet. Still, he will be the series flag bearer and the most popular driver in this field.

• Nicaragua’s Frederik Lund has not raced in the series since the two openers at St. Pete. It’s good to see him back in a car.

• This is the best showing for rookie Evagoras Papasavvas in a practice, though he has been aggressive in the races. He started racing at Road America when he turned 14, though he tested in the pre-season. This will mark his 5th series start of the year.

• Nicolas d’Orlando moved up from the USF Juniors at Road America in early June, but was driving for Velocity Racing Development at the time. He has just now switched to Canadian team Exclusive Autosport, but they failed to get him on track for this crucial session. Not helpful.

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Left to right, Thomas Nepveu, Evagoras Papasavvas and Nichiolas d’Orlando

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Jace Denmark - 3rd in the points chase

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USF2000 will qualify for Race 1 just before Noon today. Next up, Indy Pro 2000 holds their practice session…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Toronto - Indy Pro 2000 comes out for practice…

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As with the kids from USF2000, this will be the only practice session for the IP2K guys before qualifying, later today.

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Here was the order of speed for the Indy Pro 2000 P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Nolan Siegel [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:10.5814s for a speed of 91.095mph

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2 - Louis Foster [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:10.7076s for a speed of 90.932mph

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3 - Reece Gold, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 01:10.8070s for a speed of 90.805mph

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4 - Braden Eves, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:11.0886s for a speed of 90.445mph

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5 - Kiko Porto [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:11.1661s for a speed of 90.346mph

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6 - Enaam Ahmed, Juncos Hollinger Racing
7 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
8 - Josh Green [R], Turn 3 Motorsports
9 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing
10 - Salvador de Alba [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

11 - Jonathan Browne [R], Turn 3 Motorsports
12 - Jordan Missig [R], Pabst Racing
13 - Wyatt Brichacek, Exclusive Autosport
14 - Lindsay Brewer [R], Exclusive Autosport
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Notable:

• The TOP TEN guys should all be in the TOP TEN. Any one of them is capable of podiums and most are capable of WINS. That is the nature of IP2K - the fields are very talented and pretty evenly matched. All TOP TEN were within a second of each other.

• NONE of these drivers has raced a PM-22 car at this circuit before, so everyone is learning, today. Nolan Siegel, Reece Gold, Braden Eves, Jack William Miller and Yuven Sundaramoorthy have all raced in the USF2000 series here in 2019, so at least they know the circuit. Louis Foster has never been here before, but it doesn’t seem to matter.

• Lindsay Brewer is the most rusty, as she hasn’t been in the car since Road America and only has 5 starts, this season. Still, she was quite competitive in all five races, so she should hold her own and will learn a lot.

Lindsay Brewer

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Nolan Siegel - 3rd in series points

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Indy Pro 2000 will qualify for Race 1 in the early afternoon, today. Next up, the Porsche Carrera Cup gang hold practice…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Toronto - The IMSA Porsche Carrera Cup guys practice…

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…and one of the series Canadians steps it up for the home-town folks. We have the TOP FIVE in practice in their order of speed here:

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1 - Jeff Kingsley, MDK Motorsports - time of 1:13.384s for a speed of 86.091mph

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2 - Trenton Estep, MDK Motorsports - time of 1:13.411s for a speed of 86.059mph

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3 - Kay van Berlo, Kelly-Moss Road & Race - time of 1:13.445s for a speed of 86.019mph

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4 - Riley Dickinson, Kelly-Moss Road & Race - time of 1:13.530s for a speed of 85.920mph

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5 - Parker Thompson, JDX Racing - time of 1:13.741s for a speed of 85.674mph

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Notable:

• Jeff is not a series regular, this season, and is in the field just for this race and he’s making it work.

• Jeff Kingsley, Parker Thompson, Marco Cirone and Alan Metni are the guys in this field with previous Porsche experience here at Toronto, but that was in 2019, so everyone is either a little rusty or completely new, here.

• The IndyCar guys in the field are Trenton Estep, Parker Thompson and TJ Fischer who was P6 in this practice. Parker is another Canadian in the field.

• The series points leader is Nederlander Kay van Berlo, with Parker in 2nd place and Riley in 3rd.

Jeff Kingsley

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The Porsche gang will hold a 2nd practice session later today in the early afternoon. Next up, the NASCAR guys get their shot at practice and qualifying for this afternoon’s race.

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[MarkyS]

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Friday morning at Toronto - The NASCAR Pinty’s boys take to the track…

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…for what was supposed to be a practice and qualifying session. The Pinty’s race control has given us the results of the qualifying session. We’ll give you the TOP FIVE qualifiers, here:

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Pole - Andrew Ranger, GM Paillé Chevrolet Canada (Chevrolet) 01:16.776 seconds

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P2 - LP Dumoulin, WeatherTech/Bellemare, (Dodge) 01:17.041 seconds

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P3 - Alex Tagliani, Viagra/St. Hubert/Qwick Wick (Chevrolet) 01:17 318 seconds

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P4 - Kevin Lacroix, ESR/Lacroix Tuning/Boulonnerie (Dodge) 01:17.324 seconds

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P5 - Marc-Antoine Camirand, GM Paillé Chevrolet Canada (Chevrolet) 01:17.453 seconds

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Notable:

• The two IndyCar guys in the field make the TOP FIVE - Alex Tagliani and Andrew Ranger. Andrew was the only guy to bust into the 01:12s. He has WON here three times in the past, while Alex has two WINS and Kevin Lacroix has one.

• Points leader Marc-Antoine Camirand also makes the TOP FIVE.

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The Pinty’s series race is scheduled for late this afternoon - last activity of the day. Next up, USF2000 holds qualifying…
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[MarkyS]

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Friday midday at Toronto - USF2000 is qualified for Race 1 of the weekend…

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Whenever possible, the Road to Indy likes to have a separate qually session for each race of a weekend, so as to allow teams to make adjustments as the track changes between races, and in this case scheduling permits, so USF2000 just qualified for Race 1 and we have those results.

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Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 14, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing - time of 01:13.0629s for a speed of 88.001mph

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P2 - Jagger Jones [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:13.1775s for a speed of 87.863mph

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Row 2

P3 - Myles Rowe, Pabst Racing - time of 01:12.8169s for a speed of 88.298mph

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P4 - Jacob Douglas [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:13.2220s for a speed of 87.810mph

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Row 3

P5 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:13.2391s for a speed of 87.789mph

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P6 - Christian Weir, Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:13.2884s for a speed of 87.730mph

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Row 4

P7 - Spike Kohlbecker, Turn 3 Motorsports
P8 - Nicky Hays [R], Cape Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Evagoras Papasavvas [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P10 - Bijoy Garg, DEForce Racing

Row 6

P11 - Dylan Christie, DEForce Racing
P12 - Nicholas d’Orlando [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 7

P13 - Thomas Nepveu, DEForce Racing
P14 - Jorge Garciarce [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 8

P15 - Frederik Lund [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P16 - Billy Frazer, Exclusive Autosport - no time

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Notable:

• As the cars left the pits to begin qualifying Thomas Nepveu hit the wall in Turn 5, doing damage, and Billy Frazer stopped on course with some sort of mechanical. As a result the session was initially red-flagged and there was only about ten minutes left to qualify when it resumed. Frazer unfortunately never returned but Nepveu was able to get repaired and put in 4 laps to sneak into P13 - better than P-16.

• The pole battle was between Rowe, Denmark and Michael d’Orlando and flipped between the three a number of times. Then, on the last lap Jagger Jones and Jacob Douglas pushed past d’Orlando and Myles Rowe took pole, (as his time suggests), but then Rowe stayed out for 1 lap past the checkered flag and was docked two grid positions as a penalty.

• Kiwi Jacob Douglas started the season middling at best, but has really turned it on in the last few races and is now TOP TEN all the time and sometimes much better, such as today.

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The race is scheduled for late morning on Saturday. Next up, the Porsche Carrera guys hold another practice session…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday afternoon at Toronto - the Porsche Carrera Cup N.A. gang holds P-2…

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The 2nd practice session for the Porsche gang had most of the TOP FIVE from this morning return to the TOP FIVE, but with a different order:

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1 - Trenton Estep, MDK Motorsports - time of 1:11.935s for a speed of 87.825mph

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2 - Riley Dickinson, Kelly-Moss Road & Race - time of 1:12.200s for a speed of 87.503mph

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3 - Kay van Berlo, Kelly-Moss Road & Race - time of 1:12.222s for a speed of 87.476mph

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4 - Parker Thompson, JDX Racing - time of 1:12.582s for a speed of 87.042mph

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5 - Travis Wiley, Topp Racing - time of 1:12.707s for a speed of 86.893mph

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Notable:

• Jeff Kingsley, TOPS in the P-1 session, posted P6 in this session.

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Trenton Estep

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The PCCNA gang will qualify on Saturday morning and then hold Race 1 on Saturday afternoon. Next up, Indy Pro 2000 qualifies for Race 1…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday early afternoon at Toronto - Indy Pro 2000 qualifies for Race 1…

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Just like the kids from USF2000, the IP2K gang will get a separate qually session for each race of the weekend. This was the session for Race 1.

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Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 13, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Louis Foster [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:09.4139s for a speed of 92.627mph

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P2 - Enaam Ahmed, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 01:09.4975s for a speed of 92.516mph

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Row 2

P3 - Reece Gold, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 01:09.5569s for a speed of 92.437mph

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P4 - Nolan Siegel [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:09.6096s for a speed of 92.367mph

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Row 3

P5 - Josh Green [R], Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:09.6170s for a speed of 92.357mph

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P6 - Braden Eves, Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:09.7427s for a speed of 92.190mph

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Row 4

P7 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing
P8 - Kiko Porto [R], DEForce Racing

Row 5

P9 - Jordan Missig [R], Pabst Racing
P10 - Salvador de Alba [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 6

P11 - Wyatt Brichacek, Exclusive Autosport
P12 - Jonathan Browne [R], Turn 3 Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports
P14 - Lindsay Brewer [R], Exclusive Autosport

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Notable:

• This is Louis foster’s 3rd pole of the season and adds 1 more point to his big points lead.

• Jack William Miller brought out a red flag during the session but we haven’t been told why. He clearly didn’t qualify as well as expected.

Jack William Miller

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This race is scheduled for midday on Saturday, but before that the gang will be out to qualify for Race 2. Next, the IndyCars get their first shot at the track in three years…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday at Toronto - The IndyCars hold their first practice session…

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This was an extended time session with alternate “red” tires allowed and almost everyone tried them out.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-1 session, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:00.6090s for a speed of 106.083mph

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2 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing - time of 01:00.6991s for a speed of 105.926mph

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3 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:00.7031s for a speed of 105.919mph

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4 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:00.7262s for a speed of 105.879mph

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5 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 01:00.7650s for a speed of 105.811mph

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6 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP
7 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport
8 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
9 - Will Power, Team Penske
10 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

11 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan
12 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
13 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
14 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
15 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske
16 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
17 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner
18 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
19 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
20 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP

21 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
22 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
23 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
24 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing
25 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises

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Notable:

• While Rossi topped the session overall, Graham Rahal was the fastest guy on primary black tires and the third-fastest guy on alternate red tires. That has to make him very happy.

• Scott Dixon posted the fastest time in the 2019 P-1 session and it was over 1:01 minutes, so that’s already been well-eclipsed, despite the extra 60-pound weight of the aeroscreen.

• The last five race WINNERS here were Simon Pagenaud in 2019, Scott Dixon in 2018, Josef Newgarden in 2017 and 2015 and Will Power in 2016. All are back again to go for it.

• The first guy to hit a wall was Callum Ilott for Juncos Hollinger who tagged the Turn 1 wall, damaging both ends of the left side and taking him out of the practice, which he needed, as a track and series rookie.

• The best series rookie for the session was Christian Lundgaard for Rahal Letterman Lanigan in P11. Christian is also a track rookie but other track rookies include Jimmie Johnson, Alex Palou, Scott McLaughlin and Devlin DeFrancesco. Others have been here before in Road to Indy races but not in the big cars.

• The word from the drivers is the track is in the worst shape that they have ever seen, with patches of various kinds all over the place. They will make it tougher to get in a clean lap in qualifying and in the race.

• Tatiana Calderon is not in the race because sponsor Rokit has failed to keep up their sponsor obligations to AJ Foyt Enterprises. It’s not known if this is going to be a one-off or if the car is through - and Tati with it - for the rest of the season. Too bad, hers was the best performing car in the stable, as far as points goes, and she was in the Leaders Circle as a result, which could have earned the car a lot of extra cash for 2023 at the end of the season.

Tatiana Calderon

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Alexander Rossi - TOPS in P-1

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The IndyCars will hold their P-2 session on Saturday morning, in anticipation of qualifying later in the day. Next up, the Pinty’s series hold their race…

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[MarkyS]

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Friday evening at Toronto - The NASCAR Pinty’s series race…

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The 35-lap event was WON by Kevin Lacroix for ESR / Lacroix Tuning / Boulonnerie in the # 74 Dodge from his P4 start. Coming in P2 was IndyCar driver Andrew Ranger in the # 27 GM Paillé Chevrolet Canada Chevy from his pole position while P3 went to LP Dumoulin in the # 47 WeatherTech / Bellemare Dodge from his P2 start.

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The WIN by Kevin keeps the streak alive of so far only 3 Pinty’s drivers ever WINNING this race, as Ranger has 3 WINS, IndyCar driver Alex Tagliani has 2 WINS and now Kevin has 2 WINS.

Coming in P4 was Gary Klutt in the NewTechWood/Ace Hill # 59 Dodge from a P7 start while Alex Tagliani came home P5 in the # 18 Viagra/St. Hubert/Qwick Wick Chevy from his P3 start.

With the WIN Lacroix takes the points lead from Marc-Antoine Camirand, who finished in 9th in the GM Paillé Chevrolet Canada # 96 Chevy, from a P5 start.

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With this result, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Toronto:

1 - Kevin Lacroix, 203
2 - Marc-Antoine Camirand, 200
3 - Gary Klutt, 195
4 - Alex Tagliani, 186
5 - Treyten Lapcevich, 184

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The next outing for the Pinty’s series will be at Edmonton International Raceway, July 23. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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Saturday morning at Toronto - USF2000 holds qualifying for Race 2…

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The first race of the weekend for USF2000 will be run later today but the series held qualifying for Sunday’s Race 2 first thing this morning.

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Here is the way USF2000 will grid for Season Round 15, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Jace Denmark, Pabst Racing - time of 01:12.1898s for a speed of 89.065mph

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P2 - Jagger Jones [R], Cape Motorsports - time of 01:12.2314s for a speed of 89.014mph

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Row 2

P3 - Myles Rowe, Pabst Racing - time of 01:12.2668s for a speed of 88.970mph

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P4 - Michael d’Orlando, Cape Motorsports - time of 01:12.4224s for a speed of 88.779mph

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Row 3

P5 - Billy Frazer, Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:12.6222s for a speed of 88.535mph

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P6 - Thomas Nepveu, DEForce Racing - time of 01:12.7237s for a speed of 88.411mph

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Row 4

P7 - Jacob Douglas [R], Exclusive Autosport
P8 - Spike Kohlbecker, Turn 3 Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Bijoy Garg, DEForce Racing
P10 - Evagoras Papasavvas [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

Row 6

P11 - Dylan Christie, DEForce Racing
P12 - Nicky Hays [R], Cape Motorsports

Row 7

P13 - Jorge Garciarce [R], Jay Howard Driver Development
P14 - Nicholas d’Orlando [R], Exclusive Autosport

Row 8

P15 - Christian Weir, Turn 3 Motorsports
P16 - Frederik Lund [R], Jay Howard Driver Development

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Notable:

• With the track improving as it rubbers up, everyone went faster in this session than in the first qually for Race 1, but the same trio come out on top, this time with Jace Denmark posting the fastest lap, rather than getting pole handed to him. The TOP FOUR in points are clustered in the first two rows - Rowe, d’Orlando, Denmark, Jones. This will make for fireworks at the start and all the way through!

• With this slimmer field, there are far fewer middling drivers here. These are the best of the season, for the most part, and 2/3rds of the field are capable of podiums. The TOP ELEVEN are within 0.77 seconds of each other!

• A good session for Billy Frazer who was robbed of a chance in the first qually due to a mechanical and for Canadian Thomas Nepveu who hit the wall in Turn 5 in the first qually and got in little running time, as a result.

• Christian Weir, on the other hand, fell on his face a bit. He should be TOP TEN easily.

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Jace Denmark - on the pole for Race 2

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This race is scheduled for Sunday morning. Next up, Indy Pro 2000 qualifies for Race 2…

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[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Toronto - Indy Pro 2000 holds qualifying for Race 2…

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As with USF2000, the first race of the weekend for IP2K will be run later today but the series held qualifying for Sunday’s Race 2 this morning.

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Here is the way Indy Pro 2000 will grid for Season Round 14, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Louis Foster [R], Exclusive Autosport - time of 01:08.6292s for a speed of 93.686mph

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P2 - Nolan Siegel [R], DEForce Racing - time of 01:08.8572s for a speed of 93.376mph

Row 2

P3 - Josh Green [R], Turn 3 Motorsports - time of 01:09.0260s for a speed of 93.148mph

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P4 - Reece Gold, Juncos Hollinger Racing - time of 01:09.0595s for a speed of 93.102mph

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Row 3

P5 - Jordan Missig [R], Pabst Racing - time of 01:09.1123s for a speed of 93.031mph

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P6 - Salvador de Alba [R], Jay Howard Driver Development - time of 01:09.1311s for a speed of 93.006mph

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Row 4

P7 - Enaam Ahmed, Juncos Hollinger Racing
P8 - Jack William Miller, Miller Vinatieri Motorsports

Row 5

P9 - Jonathan Browne [R], Turn 3 Motorsports
P10 - Yuven Sundaramoorthy [R], Pabst Racing

Row 6

P11 - Braden Eves, Jay Howard Driver Development
P12 - Kiko Porto [R], DEForce Racing

Row 7

P13 - Wyatt Brichacek, Exclusive Autosport
P14 - Lindsay Brewer [R], Exclusive Autosport

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Notable:

• As with USF2000, everyone went faster in this session than in the first qually, but Louis Foster still takes the pole - his 4th series pole this season, adding another series point to his total. The TOP THREE in points - Foster, Gold and Siegel - are all clustered in the first two rows. Should make for a wild start.

• The TOP TWELVE cars are all within 0.82 seconds of each other. Only Wyatt and Lindsay fall out of less than 1 second to the pole.

• A very good session for Jordan Missig who has his best start ever in Indy Pro 2000 competition, but both Braden Eves and Kiko Porto should be better.

• Josh Green actually glanced the wall in Turn 8 and then bounced into the tire barrier at Pit-In, doing some damage, but it was after the session checkered flag fell, and he impeded no one, so he was not penalized, but the team will have to scramble to repair the car for Race 1 today.

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Louie Foster - 4th pole of the season

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This race is scheduled for just before Noon on sunday. Next up, the Porsche gang qualify…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Toronto - The Porsche Carrera Cup gang hold qualifying…

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This qually session will grid Race 1 of the weekend and affect the grid of Race 2, as well.
We have the TOP THREE qualifiers for Season Round 5 here:
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On the pole will be Road to Indy alum Trenton Estep in the # 6 Porsche 992 for MDK Motorsports with a time of 1:11.135s for a speed of 88.813mph. Trenton bested points-leader Kay van Berlo in the # 3 Porsche 992 for Kelly-Moss Road & Race by 0.108 seconds. Starting third will be 2nd-in-the-points and Road to Indy ace Parker Thompson in the # 9 Porsche 992 for JDX Racing.

Trenton Estep for MDK Motorsports - on the pole

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Notable:

• During the session Am-class driver John Goetz in the # 57 Wright Motorsports entry clouted Pro-class driver michael McCarthy in the # 7 Kelly-Moss entry as they approached Turn 3, sending both cars hard into the wall. Both guys were okay but the wall was severely displaced, and the track video system was also damaged. This has caused the IndyCar P-2 session to be delayed while repairs are made.

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Race 1 for the PCCNA will be the last on-track activity of the day, today. Next, the IndyCars hold their P-2 practice session…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday morning at Toronto - The IndyCars hold their P-2 practice session…

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The session was significantly shortened due to the shunt mentioned in the previous post that happened during the Porsche Carrera Cup qualifying session, requiring a great deal of track repair. This will be the last chance the teams have to get their cars ready for qualifying, or, if they have the luxury, to confirm their race set-ups.

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Here was the order of speed for the IndyCars P-2 practice, with times for the TOP FIVE: [R] denotes rookie

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1 - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 01:00.0471s for a speed of 107.076mph

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2 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 01:00.2082s for a speed of 106.789mph

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3 - Will Power, Team Penske - time of 01:00.3322s for a speed of 106.570mph

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4 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske - time of 01:00.3389s for a speed of 106.558mph

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5 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan - time of 01:00.3954s for a speed of 106.458mph

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6 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing
7 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
8 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports
9 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP
10 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport

11 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing
12 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
13 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing
14 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
15 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing
16 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
17 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner
18 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
19 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
20 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing

21 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises
22 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing
23 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing
24 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
25 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske
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Notable:

• Andretti Autosport seems to have a good handle on things, topping both practice sessions with one guy or another. Team Penske and Chip Ganassi Racing are also looking very smooth, when they can run.

• A number of drivers clouted the walls in the session. First out was Alex Palou with an uncharacteristic error. Also in the wall were Romain Grosjean and Takuma Sato. Palou should be fine for qualifying but the other two will have to hustle.

• Josef Newgarden lost an engine just prior to the session starting and lost all time getting it changed for qualifying, later today.

• Good session for Rahal Letterman Lanigan to get two of three cars in the TOP SEVEN. Best rookie was RLL’s Christian Lundgaard in an impressive P5.

• Ed Carpenter Racing improved from the P-1 session, but are still searching for speed.

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Colton Herta

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Next up for the IndyCars will be qualifying in the early afternoon. Next, USF2000 holds Race 1 of the weekend. The grid for this is in post # 7…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Toronto - USF2000 holds Race 1 of the weekend…

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…and taking a decisive WIN was Pabst Racing’s points-leader Myles Rowe from his P3 start. P2 went to teammate Jace Denmark from pole while P3 went to Cape Motorsport’s rookie Jagger Jones from his P3 start.

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On the opening lap as Jace led the field to the start Myles got the jump on Jagger to take P2 from him as Michael d’Orlando for Cape Motorsports passed Jacob Douglas for Exclusive Autosport for P4. Nicholas d’Orlando for Exclusive Autosport went past Evagoras Papasavvas for Jay Howard Driver Development to take P10. On lap 2 Jace set Fastest Lap as Nicky Hays for Cape Motorsports took P6 from Spike Kohlbecker for Turn 3 Motorsports. On lap 3 Myles finally passed Jace for the P1 spot, setting Fastest Lap in the process.

From that point on in the race the field stretched out, and as the cars got lighter and lighter burning off fuel, Myles kept resetting Fastest Lap, lap after lap. Dylan Christie for DEForce Racing passed teammate Bijoy Garg on Lap 11. On lap 12 Evagoras had contact and had to pit with damage. On the final lap, lap 15, Frederik Lund for Jay Howard had to pit with a mechanical. Myles crossed the line 5.85 seconds ahead of Jace who was 1.2 seconds ahead of Jagger.

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Notable:

• This was Myles’ 5th WIN of the season and 7th podium in a row.

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Your happy podium - That’s Jace Denmark in P2 on the left, Myles Rowe in P1 in the middle and Jagger Jones in P3 on the right:

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Race 2 for USF2000 is scheduled for Sunday morning. Next up is Race 1 for Indy Pro 2000. The grid for this is in post # 9…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Toronto - Indy Pro 2000 holds Race 1 of the weekend.

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Coming home P1 in Race 1 for the IP2K gang was pole-sitter Louis Foster for Exclusive Autosport, in a dominating fashion. P2 went to Enaam Ahmed for Juncos Hollinger Racing from a P2 start and P3 went to Josh Green for Turn 3 Motorsports from his P5 start.

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As Louis led the field to the green flag on lap 1 Jordan Missig for Pabst Racing took first Kiko Porto for DEForce and then teammate Yuven Sundaramoorthy to take P7 while Jack William Miller for Miller Vinatieri jumped from a P13 start into P9 behind Yuven. P12 starter Jonathan Browne for Turn 3 Motorsports lost his front wing and had to pit with the errant wing bringing out a full course caution. On the lap 3 restart Kiko recovered P9 from Jack while Jordan Missig passed Braden Eves for Jay Howard to claim P6. Josh Green passed Nolan Siegel for DEForce to take over P4. On lap 4 Louis set Fastest lap for the first of many times.

With each succeeding lap Louis gapped the field more with another Fastest Lap. By lap 10 he was 4.9 seconds out front of Enaam in P2, but then Salvador De Alba for Jay Howard nosed into the tires at Turn 3, out of the race and bringing out another caution, negating Louie’s lead. On the lap 12 restart Josh jumped on Reece Gold for Juncos Hollinger and took P3. He then started after Enaam. Jack once again took P9 from Kiko while Yuven took P7 from Braden Eves. On lap 15 Louis set another Fastest Lap.

For a number of laps a thrilling battle between Reece Gold and Nolan Siegel for the P4 spot developed that saw Siegel either on the rear wing of Gold’s PM-22 or actually beside him in the turn, but Nolan was not able to complete the pass. On lap 17 Kiko again recovered P9 from Jack. On lap 20 Louie again set a new Fastest Lap and unbelievably, Jack AGAIN passed Kiko for P9. On lap 21 Foster again set Fastest lap, and was now 4 seconds to the good, as a result. On the final lap, lap 25, Braden tried to reclaim P7 from Yuven but ended up dropping from P8 to P12 instead, as Louis crossed the line for the WIN 5.23 seconds ahead of Enaam, who was only 0.71 seconds ahead of a charging Josh Green.

Lots of great racing in the field, but the WINNER was assured of victory, almost from the start.

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Notable:

• This was Louie’s 5th WIN of the season and 9th podium. He extends his points lead over Reece Gold, who remains in 2nd place, while Nolan Siegel is still in 3rd, by now only 1 point over Enaam Ahmed.

• Josh Green’s efforts move him past Braden Eves to 5th place in the points chase.

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Your happy podium - That’s Enaam Ahmed in P2 on the left, Louis Foster in P1 in the middle and Josh Green in P3 on the right:

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Race 2 for Indy Pro 2000 is scheduled for late Sunday morning with Foster on pole, once again. Next up, the IndyCar qualify for the Honda Toronto Grand Prix…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Toronto - The IndyCars are qualified!..

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…and on the pole will be Colton Herta for Andretti Autosport - the first repeat pole of the season.

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Here is the way the IndyCars will grid for Season Round 10, with times for the TOP SIX: [R] denotes rookie

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Row 1

Pole - Colton Herta, Andretti Autosport - time of 59.2698s for a speed of 108.480mph

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P2 - Scott Dixon, Chip Ganassi Racing - time of 59.3592s for a speed of 108.317mph

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Row 2

P3 - Josef Newgarden, Team Penske - time of 59.5257s for a speed of 108.014mph

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P4 - Alexander Rossi, Andretti Autosport - time of 59.5544s for a speed of 107.962mph

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Row 3

P5 - David Malukas [R], Dale Coyne Racing w/ HMD Motorsports - time of 59.6140s for a speed of 107.854mph

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P6 - Scott McLaughlin, Team Penske - time of 59.9558s for a speed of 107.239mph

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Row 4

P7 - Callum Ilott [R], Juncos Hollinger Racing
P8 - Felix Rosenqvist, Arrow McLaren SP

Row 5

P9 - Marcus Ericsson, Chip Ganassi Racing
P10 - Christian Lundegaard [R], Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 6

P11 - Romain Grosjean, Andretti Autosport
P12 - Devlin DeFrancesco [R], Andretti Steinbrenner

Row 7

P13 - Jack Harvey, Rahal Letterman Lanigan
P14 - Graham Rahal, Rahal Letterman Lanigan

Row 8

P15 - Pato O’Ward, Arrow McLaren SP
P16 - Will Power, Team Penske

Row 9

P17 - Helio Castroneves, Meyer Shank Racing
P18 - Simon Pagenaud, Meyer Shank Racing

Row 10

P19 - Takuma Sato, Dale Coyne Racing w/ Rick Ware Racing
P20 - Rinus VeeKay, Ed Carpenter Racing

Row 11

P21 - Jimmie Johnson, Chip Ganassi Racing
P22 - Alex Palou, Chip Ganassi Racing

Row 12

P23 - Dalton Kellett, AJ Foyt Enterprises
P24 - Kyle Kirkwood [R], AJ Foyt Enterprises

Row 13

P25 - Conor Daly, Ed Carpenter Racing

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Notable:

• As usual, a thrilling qualifying, with lots of drama. Rookie David Malukas had his best-ever qualifying session and almost took pole, but Dixon and Herta eclipsed his time on their final laps. Herta’s other pole this season was at Long Beach.

• Josef Newgarden glanced the wall on his final lap during the Fast Six but he was able to complete it to his good.

• Rookie Callum Ilott just missed transferring to the Fast Six, but still collected his best-ever start, as did fellow rookie Christian Lundgaard.

• Expected to transfer out of Q1 but failing was Alex Palou whose engine failed near Turn 1, bringing out a red flag.

• Also failing to transfer out of Q1 were Will Power and Graham Rahal. Both have practiced well and were on target, but their best laps were cut short when Kyle Kirkwood glanced the wall just as Josef Newgarden later did, but Kyle’s suspension eventually folded up and he crashed near the finish line, making it impossible for Power and Rahal to swiftly pass the local yellow he created.

• Conor Daly was penalized when his spotter or team failed to tell him that Power was hustling upon him while he was weaving, trying to warm his tires.

• Dalton Kellett had an engine issue that made it impossible for him to attempt to qualify.

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The IndyCars will have a final practice - a “Warm-Up” - on Sunday morning, and then hold the race on Sunday afternoon. Next up, the Porsche Carrera Cup gang hold Race 1 of the weekend…

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M

[MarkyS]

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Saturday afternoon at Toronto - The Porsche Carrera Cup Race 1…

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…is going down in the books as the first series race to be WON by an American, as Road to Indy alum Trenton Estep takes the # 6 Porsche 992 to VICTORY from pole for MDK Motorsports. P2 was points-leader Kay van Berlo in the # 3 for Kelly-Moss Road & Race while P3 went to teammate Riley Dickinson in the K-M R&R # 53.

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At the start of the race Road to Indy ace and P3-starter Parker Thompson made a jump on Estep near Turn 3 but ended up going down the runoff area, dropping back to 7th. Riley Dickinson then inherited P3. From that point on Estep controlled the race out front and wasn’t challenged. He finished 3.12 seconds ahead of van Berlo who was 3.09 seconds ahead of Dickinson at the line.

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Left to right, Trenton Estep in P1, Kay van Berlo in P2 and Riley Dickinson in P3

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Race 2 for the Porsche Carrera Cup North America will be on Sunday, early afternoon, right before the IndyCar race. The grid will be set by either the driver’s 2nd best qualifying lap or their best Race 1 lap - whichever is better. This was the last on-track activity of the day.

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M

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[MarkyS]

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Sunday morning at Toronto - USF2000 closes out their weekend with Race 2…

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…and it was a wild one as Jace Denmark goes from pole to checkers and WINS for Pabst Racing. Coming in P2 Canadian Thomas Nepveu for DEForce Racing while P3 went to teammate Dylan Christie.

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On the first lap points-leader Myles Rowe for Pabst Racing made the jump from P3 to P2 past Jagger Jones for Cape Motorsports while 2nd in points Michael d’Orlando for Cape Motorsports tucked behind the pair in P4. Thomas Nepveu took P5 from Billy Frazer for Exclusive Autosport. On lap 2 Evagoras Papasavvas for Jay Howard Driver Development took P9 from Nicholas d’Orlando for Exclusive Autosport. One lap later Papasavvas was by Spike Kohlbecker for Turn 3 Motorsports to take P8 as Jagger Jones set Fastest Lap in pursuit of Myles. On lap 5 Myles set his own Fastest Lap in reply. On lap 6 Jacob Douglas for Exclusive Autosport got into the back of his teammate, Billy Frazer, as they approached Turn 3 and Billy was spun out into the wall, losing both wings in the process. Spike Kohlbecker had to go into the run-off to avoid contact and a full course caution was called.

On the lap 9 restart Michael d’Orlando set Fastest Lap trying to chase down Jagger Jones for P3. By lap 10 the TOP FOUR were running nose-to-tail and separated from the rest of the field. The next 6 cars were also running in a tight scrum, battling for positions. On lap 11 Jacob Douglas was penalized with a drive-through for the avoidable contact with Billy Frazer, now out of the race. On lap 12 Jagger Jones made contact in Turn 3 with Myles and by Turn 6 Jagger’s front wing left the car. As Lap 13 started Michael was immediately by Jagger for the P3 spot. By lap 14 the wounded Jones was passed by Nepveu and Papasavvas and fell to P6. All the while Myles was putting great pressure on Jace for the lead.

On lap 15 Dylan Christie passed Jagger for P6 while Christian Weir for Turn 3 passed Jorge Garciarce for Jay Howard for P9. On lap 16 Evagoras attempted a pass on Thomas Nepveu but ended up dropping down the order from P5 to P9. Jacob Douglas took P10 from Jorge Garciarce. On lap 17 Nicholas d’Orlando looped his car in Turn 5 and brought out another caution. As the cars circulated under yellow Evagoras stopped in Turn 3 with a mechanical, bringing out a local yellow. The race went green for the final lap, lap 20, but with Evagoras stopped in Turn 3 there was no passing in the crucial corner. Myles reset Fastest Lap trying to chase down Jace. As the cars came to Turn 8 Michael d’Orlando lunged to the inside of Myles who refused to yield and the two cars both slammed into the tires, with Michael going airborne. At that moment Thomas and Dylan slipped by the pair to complete the podium. Michael was able to cross the line in P4 while Myles crossed in P5.

A fun and dramatic race with lots of action and a wizz-bang finish!

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Notable:

• This is Jace Denmark’s 3rd WIN of the season and both he and Michael d’Orlando made up a tiny bit of ground on points-leader Myles Rowe as we head into the final 3 races at Portland.

• This is Dylan Christie’s first career podium in the Road to Indy with a previous best of P4 at Road America.

Dylan Christie

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Your happy podium - That’s Thomas Nepveu in P2 on the left, Jace Denmark in P1 in the middle and Dylan Christie in P3 on the right:

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With these results, here are the TOP FIVE in points leaving Toronto:

1 - Myles Rowe, 347
2 - Michael d’Orlando, 322
3 - Jace Denmark, 321
4 - Jagger Jones, 265
5 - Billy Frazer, 229

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The USF2000 gang will next close out their season with a triple header at Portland, in support of the IndyCar race. Next up, the IndyCars hold their P-3 practice session - the “Warm-Up”…

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