Champ Car World Series
Molson Grand Prix of Toronto
Exhibition Place, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
RACE STATISTICS
TRACK LAYOUT: 1.755-mile street course
RACE LENGTH: 88 laps, 154.440 miles
TRACK RECORDS: Qualifying (one lap) - 1999, Gil de Ferran, 110.565 mph (57.143 seconds). Race - 2000, Michael Andretti, 98.248 mph (2:00:02.313), based on 112 laps (196.560 miles).
Winners List
Year Race winner Pole winner
1986 Bobby Rahal Emerson Fittipaldi
1987 Emerson Fittipaldi Bobby Rahal
1988 Al Unser Jr. Danny Sullivan
1989 Michael Andretti Emerson Fittipaldi
1990 Al Unser Jr. Danny Sullivan
1991 Michael Andretti Michael Andretti
1992 Michael Andretti Bobby Rahal
1993 Paul Tracy Emerson Fittipaldi
1994 Michael Andretti Robby Gordon
1995 Michael Andretti Jacques Villeneuve
1996 Adrian Fernandez Andre Ribiero
1997 Mark Blundell Dario Franchitti
1998 Alex Zanardi Dario Franchitti
1999 Dario Franchitti Gil de Ferran
2000 Michael Andretti Helio Castroneves
2001 Michael Andretti Gil de Ferran
2002 Cristiano da Matta Cristiano da Matta
2003 Paul Tracy Paul Tracy
2004 Sebastien Bourdais Sebastien Bourdais
Total Victories
Michael Andretti 7
Al Unser Jr. 2
Paul Tracy 2
Bobby Rahal 1
Emerson Fittipaldi 1
Adrian Fernandez 1
Mark Blundell 1
Alex Zanardi 1
Dario Franchitti 1
Cristiano da Matta 1
Sebastien Bourdais 1
Total Pole Positions
Emerson Fittipaldi 3
Danny Sullivan 2
Bobby Rahal 2
Dario Franchitti 2
Gil de Ferran 2
Michael Andretti 1
Robby Gordon 1
Jacques Villeneuve 1
Andre Ribiero 1
Helio Castroneves 1
Cristiano da Matta 1
Sebastien Bourdais 1
Paul Tracy 1
DID YOU KNOW
Toronto was named for the Huron Indian word for 'meeting place'. And for good reason - the area was used in this manner for centuries by people of the First Nations, and later by French traders, thanks to its naturally protected harbor. In 1793, Lieutenant-Colonel John Graves Simcoe established a military garrison and named the town York in honor of the Duke of York of the time. It was renamed Toronto when the city was incorporated in 1834. In 1867 Canada was born, and Toronto became the capital of the newly created province of Ontario. The Exhibition Place which makes up part of the race course may be best known as the site of Canadian National Exhibition (CNE). This lakefront area has hosted major exhibitions since the construction of the Crystal Palace exhibition hall in 1858. That landmark burned down soon after, but new buildings were built in 1878 to host the Toronto Industrial Exhibition, forerunner of the CNE. The "Ex" is still the world's largest annual exhibition. In1968, the initial proposal to stage a world-class auto race in downtown Toronto was made, but the idea took a very long time to bring to fruition. Auto racing through the streets of Exhibition Place in Toronto did not become a reality until 1986. The Molson Indy Toronto will celebrate its 20th Running in 2005 and has become one of the country's premier annual sporting events.
BY THE NUMBERS
1834 - The year that Toronto had its name changed from York. Could you imagine the Molson Indy York? 1986- The first year a Champ Car Race was ran on the Streets of Toronto. 35- The percentage of races in Toronto in which Michael Andretti has been the winner (7 victories in 20 years). 11- The number of turns on the Toronto course. 5 - Toronto is North America's 5th largest city falling behind Mexico City, Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago. 4.2 - The number of millions of people that call Toronto home. 4- How many racers have won from the pole position in the Molson Indy Toronto (Michael Andretti, Cristiano da Matta, Paul Tracy, and Sebastien Bourdais). 2.824 km (1.755 mi) - The length of the Toronto Street Circuit.