Over the 30-year history of the Honda Indy Toronto we’ve seen the unexpected many times, and it happened again this past weekend.
Pole sitter Scott Dixon was in front of the field and on cruise control with no serious challenge, but then it all changed. Will Power took over the lead and collected his third win in four races, while hometown hero James Hinchcliffe finished on the podium for his best-ever Toronto result.
The race turned upside down when Josef Newgarden crashed hard out of turn five, causing a full course caution. Power had just been called to pit lane and made his final pit stop before the caution came out. Dixon was set to pit the next time by but it proved to be one lap too late. As pit stops cycled through Dixon was buried in the field and Power’s huge break set him up to claim the victory.
Meanwhile, Hinchcliffe was suffering through a miserable stint in the middle of the race when the Schmidt Peterson team decided to take a big gamble, deciding to make their final stop early and hope to stretch their fuel to the end. It was a risk, but Hinchcliffe was losing ground so it was worth a try.
After being notoriously unlucky in Toronto Hinchcliffe finally caught a break when clouds moved in and cooled the temperature, allowing him to improve his handling after struggling with the balance of his car all day. A late caution when Juan Pablo Montoya hit the wall was another huge break too, as it allowed Hinchcliffe to push a little harder and hold on for a third-place finish, just behind Helio Castroneves.
And with that the party in Hinchtown began.
Collecting his best-ever starting spot (sixth) during qualifying was nice, but to pull off a podium finish with a unique strategy and a little good fortune made for a triumphant return to Toronto for the Oakville, Ont., native, who wasn’t able to compete last year due to injuries from his Indianapolis crash. It was an enormously popular result with the hometown crowd that mobbed Hinchcliffe all weekend, and typical of the drama that’s occurred over the history of the Toronto event.
The reconfigured course was a challenge for the drivers. Alternations were made during the weekend to try and help but a little more work is necessary. If corner 11 could be just a little wider that would help; some massaging of pit lane to help the crew members who are vulnerable due to the drivers’ limited visibility would also be a welcome change.
With five events remaining, Simon Pagenaud’s overall lead is now 47 points over Penske teammate Power, a significant margin but not insurmountable. Power told me after the race that he feels if you’re within 20 points at the final race in Sonoma you will be able to control your own destiny. The last event pays double championship points so the title likely won’t be decided until the final checkered flag of the year.
