Green Savoree Race Promotions, which operates four of the 17 annual NTT IndyCar Series races, is close to formalizing a new agreement that will keep its marquee Toronto street race on the calendar for years to come.
With this week’s Honda Indy Toronto serving as the final race under GSRP’s current contract with Penske Entertainment, event president Jeff Atkinson says Canadian fans can look forward to making more visits to 1.8-mile, 11-turn circuit that weaves around Exhibition Place.
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“We are very excited to be back in Toronto, ticket sales are very strong, and we’ve seen a real big enthusiasm for motorsports, especially in car racing, since the pandemic,” Atkinson told RACER. “Our goal is to remain here in Toronto and Exhibition Place for a long time and we’re working through those details. We’ll have some news to share, hopefully soon.
“Ticket sales are up over last year, and last year was a record crowd for over two decades and we’re seeing that momentum continue. So our plan is to continue competing on the streets of Toronto, which is a world-class city and a great place to have an event.”
GSRP, which also put on the St. Petersburg, Mid-Ohio, and Portland IndyCar events, has been working with the series to better accommodate the growing field of entries which will pack pit lane with 27 cars this weekend.
“You have only a finite amount of space, and ultimately, we try to be as creative as possible to make things fit with the space we have,” Atkinson said. “So we’ve worked closely with IndyCar on making some changes; you’re going to see a lot of paving in the final turn area from pit lane that we’ve paved for this year and there’s been an investment in new safety systems at the track.
“You get excited by seeing all those ticket sales, and if it’s 23 cars on the grid, 27 cars, or whatever, we’re going to do our darndest trying to make it work for everyone.”