Hinchcliffe, Tagliani and Villeneuve Ready for 2014 Indianapolis 500 Race Day

Photo credit: Chris Jones

Winning on the 105-year old Indianapolis Motor Speedway circuit is a honour anyone who can handle a steering wheel would want. Of the select few who have joined the ranks of professional open wheel drivers, just 33 drivers a year compete for the Indianapolis 500. Bestowed with the chance at claiming the BorgWarner Trophy, the triumphant is the one who completes 500 miles around the 2.5-mile oval first.

With a rich national auto racing history, the Indianapolis 500 is understandable desirable to Canadians. Canada's History at the historic track known as "The Brickyard" runs deep. Pete Henderson was the first documented Canadian to run in the Indy 500 back in 1916. Since then, names such as Billy Foster, Ludwig Heimrath, John Jones, Scott Goodyear and Paul Tracy have competed for victory on the Indiana oval.

For the 2014 edition of the Indianapolis 500, three veteran drivers (James Hinchcliffe, Alex Tagliani and Jacques Villeneuve) have a 1 in 33 chance of winning the Memorial Day classic in motor racing.

James Hinchcliffe

Photo Credit: John Cote

Team: Andretti Autosport
Car: #27 United Fiber & Data Dallara-Honda
Sporting Spot: 2nd

The only Canadian driver running full-time on the 2014 Verizon INDYCAR Series tour, James Hinchcliffe is a 27-year old entered in his fourth Indianapolis 500.

Taking part in his first Indy 500 in 2011 with Newman/Haas Racing, Hitchcliffe's initial showing at Indy was strong but resulted with a DNF just ahead of the halfway distance in the race. Signing with Andretti Autosport the following year, his 2012 showing was his career best so far finishing sixth after starting second. The 2013 Indianapolis 500 had James Hinchcliffe arrive as an INDYCAR race winner of two races in the season. Unfortunately, he fell late in the race to finish 21st in his #27 Dallara-Chevrolet.

With the Andretti Autosport team switching from Chevrolet to Honda in 2014, Hinchcliffe enters this year's Indy 500 with a seventh place at Barber Motorsports Park being his best result of the season. Making problems worse, James Hinchcliffe suffered an concussion during the Grand Prix of Indianapolis race early this month resulting with him having to sit out the first four days of practice on the oval. EJ Viso subbed for Hinchcliffe until the Canadian received the go-ahead to step back in the #27 car. Fortunes might be turning around for James Hinchcliffe following a stellar performance last weekend in qualifying. Fourth fastest on Saturday, Hinchcliffe and the #27 Dallara-Honda was locked into the top nine positions of the 2014 Indy 500. After a Fast 9 Shootout on Sunday, James Hinchcliffe posted the second-fastest time behind pole winner Ed Carpenter. Hinchcliffe's four-lap average of 230.839 miles per hour was roughly 0.15 seconds off the pole-winning time.

Alex Tagliani

Photo Credit: Walter Kuhn

Team: Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing
Car: #68 Dallara-Honda
Starting Spot: 24th

Despite running professionally in open wheel racing since the 1990s, French-Canadian driver Alex Tagliani was unable to run at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway until 2009 due to the IRL/CART split. Arriving with Conquest Racing, Tagliani finished 11th and became the second Canadian to be recognized as an Indy 500 Rookie of the Year. Alex Tagliani returned to the 2.5-mile track in 2010 with FAZZT Race Team. The 2010 effort consisted of a fifth place qualifying spot and a tenth final result. The following year, the FAZZT Race Team was sold to Sam Schmidt Racing and retained Tagliani for the 2011 Indianapolis 500. In a Fast 9 qualifying shootout for the race, Alex Tagliani and the #77 car won the pole with a 227.472-mile per hour average four-lap time.  Leading 20 laps on race day, Tagliani's race turned south and was ultimately cut short when the #77 crashed. For 2012 and 2013, Alex Tagliani participated with a Bryan Herta Autosport-owned race car. In both years, the team qualified 11th and finished 12th in 2012 and 24th in 2013.

For 2014, Alex Tagliani has been picked up by Sarah Fisher Hartman Racing for the Indianapolis 500 event. A one-off appearance in the 2014 Verizon INDYCAR Series, Alex Tagliani will be starting in the 24th starting spot on Sunday. In final practice, Alex Tagliani posted an eighth fastest time with the #68 car in race trim.

Jacques Villeneuve

Photo Credit: Walter Kuhn

Team: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
CarL #5 Dollar General Dallara-Honda
Starting Spot: 27th

Every Canadian race fan is familiar with Jacques Villeneuve's success at Indy. Prior to being the 1997 Formula 1 World Driving Champion, the son of Gilles Villeneuve drove a Players sponsored race car at the Indianapolis 500 twice. In his rookie year, Villeneuve started fourth in a Ford-powered Reynard chassis and finished second. Jacques Villeneuve and winner Al Unser Jr were the only drivers to complete all 200 laps in the 1994 race. His performance earned him the 1994 Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honours becoming the first Canadian to do so. The 1995 Indy 500 was another fine moment for Canadian racing. Nine laps remaining in the event, a restart had Jacques Villeneuve behind fellow Canadian Scott Goodyear. Goodyear mistimed his acceleration overshooting the pace car that was entering pit road. With Scott Goodyear being penalized, Jacques Villeneuve (who had overcame a two-lap penalty himself for what the sanctioning body ruled as passing the pace car) won the 1995 Indianapolis 500. The second race would be has last Indy 500 ahead of his move to Formula 1 the following year. In 2014, Villeneuve returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway after a 19-year absence.

Driving the #5 car for Schmidt Peterson Motorsports, he qualified his Dollar General sponsored in 27th starting spot for Sunday's race. Timing into the race with a four-lap average speed of 228.949 miles per hour, Villeneuve mentioned he had trouble accelerating in his Honda-powered Dallara during qualifying. During Friday's Carb Day practice, the #5 car was still struggling to find speed posting a 30th fastest time. However, Jacques Villeneuve has expressed confidence in his car and team in quote on his website saying, "I saw some guys out there taking big risks. We didn't do that, and the car is handling better than it has been all week. We're happy right now, which is a good place to be heading into the race on Sunday."

Back in 2009, I was fortunate enough to get some words from Jacques Villeneuve ahead of the NASCAR Nationwide Series race in Montreal. Among questions I asked was the potential of returning to INDYCAR racing. Villeneuve response went as follows: "IndyCar is still damaged and not what it used to be. The healing process hopefully has started as it was a great series that opened doors to F1 to a few drivers." A lot has changed in five years and we're happy to see Villeneuve back at Indy as he risks his average finish of 1.5 in his third race on the 2.5-mile track.

The Maple Leaf at the Brickyard

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

Commemorating 100 years since the first Indianapolis 500 ran at the 2.5 oval track, achievements transpiring at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway composes a rich tapestry for those who conquered the highest plateaus on auto racing. Of course, this Brickyard history includes some special efforts presented by many enterprising Canadians.

At least 17 drivers of Canadian nationality have inserted themselves into the open wheel classic field. Started when Arran, Ontario's Pete Henderson drove a Maxwell to 6th in the 1916 Indianapolis 500, another early Indy contender was Ira Vail. Making his first Indy 500 start in 1919, Vail would make five Indy 500 appearances collecting a best 7th place in 1921.

A heyday for Canadian determination at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, the 1990s saw the Canadian flag carried to three top-2 finishes. Racing to 2nd place in 1992 and 1997, Scott Goodyear came just 0.043 seconds short of Indy 500 victory in 1992. Goodyear also had a pivotal role in the 1995 Indianapolis 500 with 10 laps remaining. Mistiming the pace car, Scott Goodyear was black-flagged for jumping the restart allowing fellow countryman Jacques Villeneuve. Future Formula 1 World Champion, Villeneuve is acknowledged as Canada's first official Indy 500 winner. 1946 Indy 500 winner George Robson was unofficially the Canada's initial connection to victory lane at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. A British-born driver possessing a Canadian background, Robson was declared an American citizen.

While Jacques Villeneuve's win is the first and only official victory by a Canadian driver at the Indianapolis 500, an strong argument could be made that Paul Tracy should have been the rightful victor of the 2002 event. In the height of the nasty North American open wheel where IRL and the CART fought for supremacy, an uneasy truce existed to allow CART drivers as well as teams to enter the field of the Indianapolis 500 race. In the closing laps of the 2002 Indianapolis 500, the IRL regular Team Penske car driven by Helio Castroneves battled with the one-off of Team Green's effort driven by Canada's Paul Tracy. A caution with 2 laps remaining flew for a turn 1 crash while Tracy was side-by-side with Castroneves in the process of passing the Penske car. When the yellow flag fell, Paul Tracy and many others believed the pass occurred before the time of caution. However, a ruling by IRL officials instructed that the pass was not completed before the caution paving the way for Helio Castroneves to roll to victory. Team Green appealed the finish but the results for the 2002 Indy 500 would not change. Many continue to believe that IRL/CART politics factored heavily into Tracy losing the race.

Photo Credit: Chris Nagy/XSL Speed Reporter

Perhaps the most influential Canadian name surrounding the Indianapolis 500, Calgary's Stuart Hilborn success came outside of the open wheel cockpit. Selling teams on his then-radical concept of fuel injection, Hilborn's engineering expertise first propelled Troy Ruttman to a 1952 Indy 500 victory. By the 1960s, every Indy car would run Hilborn fuel injection systems.

Canada's history at the Indy 500 has been buoyed in the 2011 event that where the late Dan Wheldon took victory. Todd Malloy, a native from the province of Ontario and a graduate from the University of Waterloo, served as the Race Engineer on the winning #98 Bryan Herta Autosport entry. For 2012, Malloy will be partnered with French-Canadian IZOD INDYCAR driver Alex Tagliani driving the team's race car.

In 2012, Alex Tagliani returns to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway as the event's reigning pole sitter while sophomore driver James Hinchcliffe is intent on taking vengeance for losing the Indy 500 Rookie of the Year honour to JR Hildebrand. Two Canadian drivers will take on the Brickyard aspiring to write new chapters in the books for the Indianapolis 500 that could involve the Maple Leaf flag back in the winner's circle.

Franchitti Wins Calamity-Filled Honda Indy Toronto

Photo Credit: Chris Jones

An event celebrating 25 years of running around the Canadian National Exhibition grounds, the Honda Indy of Toronto presents a generation full of great moments. In the inaugural 1986 open wheel round held on the Canadian temporary street course, Bobby Rahal claimed victory shortly after taking the year's Indy 500. For 7 of the 24 previous race runnings, Michael Andretti hoisted the Toronto race trophy. For occasions, the open wheel race in Toronto saw a Canadian challenger take the coveted race as local hero Paul Tracy won in 1993 and 2003.

Sporting a rich history of exciting open wheel racing, the 2011 edition of the Honda Indy started event as 26 IZOD INDYCAR Series competitors fire up Honda V-8 racing engines. For the 25th Sunday event on the 1.755-mile street course Canadian actor Dan Ackroyd gave a bellowing command to start those engines.

Taking the pole with an under-1 minute qualifying time, defending 2010 Honda Indy champion Will Power started the 2011 event on the front row with Scott Dixon alongside. With only 6 Honda Indy events won by the pole sitter, Power and the #12 Penske Racing team had their work cut out for them in efforts to repeat a victory lane appearance. Will Power's 8th consecutive road course pole in the IZOD INDYCAR Series parlayed a 33-lap initial lead at the Honda Indy Toronto as the Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Scott Dixon and Dario Franchitti hung close behind.

As the green flag initiated the 85-lap race, the term "avoidable contact" was uttered quite often during and after the course of the 2011 Honda Indy of Toronto. At the typical problem area of the turn 3, Tony Kanaan in the #82 KV Racing Technology car became the first victim of what would be a series of on-track contact. Rushing into the turn in the third lap of the event, the #82 was being challenged on the inside of the Lakeshore Boulevard stretch by the #6 Penske Racing car of Ryan Briscoe. Bring early in the Honda Indy race, Kanaan gave Briscoe room to safely turn through the slow, tight turn 3. Despite the space presented, the #6 Dallara-Honda swung wide catching the right rear wheel of the #82 KV Racing Technology car. Spinning the #82 car into the outer wall, Tony Kanaan's day ended with severe suspension damage to his Dallara. Stepping out of his car, Kanaan immediately expressed heated displeasure to Ryan Briscoe as the #6 Penske Racing car rounded the track under caution. Used to being in contention for wins in the past month, Tony Kanaan's IZOD INDYCAR race in Toronto ended before the #82 car had a chance to mount a change.

Photo Credit: Jim Haines

As the Honda Indy ran under a full-course yellow to retrieve Kanaan's wrecked race car, a restart on lap 6 was followed quickly by more action within the turn 3 area of the Toronto street course. Under braking entering the corner, Danica Patrick's #7 Andretti Autosport car received hard rear end contact from Takuma Sato as she braked for the turn. Calling Sato "an idiot" over her in-car radio, Patrick was able to continue back to the pit road but Takuma Sato's #5 KV Racing Technology. Both drivers would finish the 2011 Honda Indy but would reside 6 laps down at the end of the event. In the case of Patrick, she would also get caught in a later caution. As the #7 car would end up needing two nose cone assembly changes, Danica Patrick finished the race wearing a share front end piece from her Andretti Autosport's teammate Marco Andretti's #26 car.

The first Canadian IZOD INDYCAR Series event of the 2011 season, the Honda Indy Toronto propels three drivers deeper into the race weekend spotlight. Paul Tracy, Alex Tagliani and James Hinchcliffe are provided with the additional pleasure (or perhaps burden) of competing on front of a hometown crowd. While fanfare was at an all-time high for each Canadian driver, the track results through the weekend was an effort accompanied with less than impressive qualifying runs for Sunday's event. As the race started, all three drivers began to assert themselves at the Toronto event. Starting 24th driving the #8 Dragon Racing Make a Wish Canada car, Paul Tracy charged 5 spots in the first handful of race laps. Driving his regular #77 ride for Sam Schmidt Racing, Alex Tagliani was eager to show pace early in the event. Looking good up to the first round of pit stops, Tagliani's Toronto race would quickly turn sour on lap 31 when Helio Castroneves made contact with the #77 car in turn 3. While the damage was minimal, many at the race track took note of the 2009 tangle Castroneves had for other Canadian driver Paul Tracy at the event. The contact between Helio Castroneves and Alex Tagliani brought out the race's second full course caution.

In the first 1/3 stage of the Honda Indy Toronto for the IZOD INDYCAR Series, several teams deeper in the field began to short pit hoping to take advantage of a caution. Thanks to the Tagliani/Castroneves caution on lap 31, there was a chance for some to capitalize on the fact the top-three drivers Will Power, Scott Dixon and Mike Conway had no pitted. As those vehicles came to attention of pit road during the caution period, Dario Franchitti took over the race lead. On a lap 36 restart James Hinchcliffe, the rookie Canadian driver wheeling the #06 car for Newman/Haas Racing for the 2011 Honda Indy, was elevated to 5th place in the field. Attempting to retain the high track position, Hinchcliffe immediately fell under the challenge of fellow Canadian Paul Tracy. Watching the open wheel race as a spectator for almost his entire life, James Hinchcliffe would end up dicing with the heroic two-time race winner. Through turn 3 at lap 37, Tracy drew along the inside Hinchcliffe's #06 car for position. Unwilling to give up his spot, Hinchcliffe matched wits with Tracy's trademark aggression. Racing side-by-side skillfully through the tight turn 3 and 4 stretch, turn 5 would see the thrilling duke-out between the two Canadians. Out of the fifth turn of the Toronto track, Hinchcliffe's and Tracy's cars slid together. Making contact on track, Paul Tracy received the worst of the incident requiring the West Hill, Ontario native to participate in an extended time on pit road. Finishing 16th on the day, Tracy responded about his 2011 Honda Indy in post-race saying, "Today wasn't the best day for us Canadians and our team. We had a great car and made our way through the field, making it all the way to the top-five. Unfortunately, cars got in our way and ended our day early, causing us to go two laps down for the rest of the day."

Through the mid-point of the Honda Indy Toronto, the on-track impacts between vehicles has grown to the point that unscheduled pit stops were common place. On lap 42, Graham Rahal limped to attention of his Service Central Chip Ganassi Racing team with a flat rear tire caused by contact with another car. Six laps later, the #28 Andretti Autosport piloted by Ryan Hunter-Reay needed to have a loose front wing replaced. Ironically, these unscheduled pit stops would provide them with a chance at the race's victory. Hunter-Reay's pit stop came shortly ahead of a turn 3 jam-up involving Paul Tracy, Victor Meira, Sebastien Bourdais and Charlie Kimball. The fourth full course caution of the race, the race would be slowed four more times in the final 28 laps.

As the IZOD INDYCAR racers ran through the final stage of the event in Toronto, the race quickly evolved into a heavy contact street fight. One of the most controversial coming-togethers at the 2011 Honda Indy occurred between the top two points contenders in the series overall points. Into turn 3, Dario Franchitti dived under the #12 Penske Racing car of Will Power. Within the turn, Franchitti bumped Power's car dropping him from contention in the race. With major championship implications at stake, INDYCAR race control reviewed the incident. Upon the review, there was no penalty issued to the #10 car of Franchitti for the contact (the Versus television broadcast mistakenly announced there was a penalty issued but the decision was reversed).

Insult to injury was added to Will Power later on lap 65 when he was shoved by Alex Tagliani's #77 car. Out of the race, the Australian Power had harsh and angry words with both drivers who eventually led him to a second DNF in a row. "I understood he was going to get penalized but then there was no call - I just don't understand that." Will Power said after the race expressing at one point that Dario Franchitti is getting away with several incidents without penalty throughout the season. Commenting about Tagliani, Power called the French-Canadian driver "a wanker".

From lap 49, the Honda Indy Toronto was led by the #38 of Graham Rahal who was remaining on track with more worn tires and less ethanol fuel than other contenders. Needing cautions laps to make a legitimate effort to finish the 85-lap distance without an added pit stop, Rahal was aided by the considerable yellow flag periods. Holding off Ryan Hunter-Reay on a lap 61 restart, Rahal was holding on to the lead of a race his father once 25 years before.

Ending a race gone bad on lap 72, Alex Tagliani was caught in a turn 3 wreck which involved the #7 car of Danica Patrick and the #18 of James Jakes. Clipping one of the cars, Tagliani's #77 was launched onto two wheels crashing onto the outer race track fence. Despite the scary angle of Tagliani hitting the wall with the top side of his vehicle, the driver was not in danger and got out of the car without injury. Tagliani finished in 23rd place after retiring from the IZOD INDYCAR event. A short-lived restart, their was a lead change as Dario Franchitti's #10 Target Chip Ganassi Racing car passes Graham Rahal to assume the top position.

Photo Credit: LAT USA /INDYCAR

One final full course caution came out on lap 77 following a four-race pile-up through turn 1. Resulting as a chain reaction when the #26 of Marco Andretti touched the #2 car of Oriol Servia, Servia's car whacked Justin Wilson's #22 car. Creating a congested track, James Hinchcliffe and Charlie Kimball made minimum contact with the stopped Servia car. Under the yellow flag, the field diverted around turn 1 while Hinchcliffe and Servia awaited a chance to rejoin the race. The Newman/Haas Racing cars completed the Honda Indy event with notable hometown rookie James Hinchcliffe finishing 14th place. Hinchcliffe would be the highest finishing Canadian driver.

On the final restart, Target Chip Ganassi Racing cars of Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon swept into the top-two spots by the end of the Lakeshore Boulevard stretch. In control of the race, the efforts of the red cars were helped on lap 79 restart lap when Ryan Hunter-Reay collided with Graham Rahal's #38 car. Despite being in the thick of things for the winning the event in the late laps, the #38 Service Central car ended the Honda Indy in 13th place. "It was really frustrating to get hit there at the end, I really thought we were going to have a good finish for the Service Central team" Rahal said following the event.

Cruising to victory with only his teammate Scott Dixon venturing an occasional move for the lead, Dario Franchitti take the checkered flag for the 2011 Honda Indy Toronto. Having won his third Honda Indy event, Franchitti also won has 4th event of the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR series season and a 30th American open wheel racing event. "I was pretty happy just be in the company of Rick and J.R., and to get my 30^th win today means a lot, especially here in Toronto, I got my first pole here in 1997. I love racing in Canada." Franchitti said in post race. In relationship to the collision with Will Power, Franchitti said after the race he was willing to take more than 50 percent of the blame for the incident but also argued the #12 Penske Racing driver had responsibility for the spin. "We had that incident with Will. He outbraked himself to outbrake me and opened up the door, I went down the inside, I held the wall and Will came down. I put my nose in there, I was trying to get my nose out, but ultimately he closed the door and paid the price."

With Scott Dixon taking a runner-up position, Andretti Autosport drivers Ryan Hunter-Reay and Marco Andretti put in a great showing at a track their team owner Michael Andretti won 7-times at through his driving career. Rebounding from his own troubles in the race, Vitor Meira brought his AJ Foyt-owned car to a top-five finish in Toronto. For the 2011 IZOD INDYCAR season, the result for Meira and the #14 team is a best result. A trio of other strong finishes in the Honda Indy Toronto includes Sebastien Bourdais completing the race in 6th place, Simona de Silvestro in 10th in her return to the series and Ana Beatriz who charged from 26th to finish 11th.

Beyond the results, the 2011 Honda Indy ended as a hot race accompanied with hot tempers. Whether this sizzling will cool ahead of the next race at Edmonton in two weeks will depend on the drivers. However, for the fans who have witnessed this wild 25th anniversary Honda Indy, it becomes so hard to believe a 1.755-mile circuit could provide such an action-packed weekend.

2011 IZOD INDYCAR Series
Honda Indy Toronto
Streets of Toronto
Race Results

1. 10 Dario Franchitti/Scotland/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
2. 9 Scott Dixon/New Zealand/ Target/Chip Ganassi Racing
3. 28 Ryan Hunter-Reay/United States/Andretti Autosport
4. 26 Marco Andretti/United States/ Andretti Autosport
5. 14 Vitor Meira/Brazil/ AJ Foyt Racing Enterprises
6. 19 Sebastien Bourdais/France/Dale Coyne Racing
7. 6 Ryan Briscoe/Australia/ Penske Racing
8. 4 JR Hildebrand/United States/ Panther Racing
9. 58 EJ Viso/Venezuela/ KV Racing Technology
10. 78 Simona De Silvestro/Switzerland/ HVM Racing
11. 24 Ana Beatriz/Brazil/ Dreyer & Reinbold
12. 2 Oriol Servia/Spanish/ Newman/Haas Racing
13. 38 Graham Rahal/United States/Chip Ganassi Racing
14. 06 James Hinchcliffe/Canada/ Newman/Haas Racing
15. 22 Justin Wilson/England/ Dreyer & Reinbold Racing
16. 8 Paul Tracy/Canada/Dragon Racing
17. 3 Helio Castroneves/Brazil/ Penske Racing
18. 18 James Jakes/England/ Dale Coyne Racing
19. 7 Danica Patrick/United States/ Andretti Autosport
20. 5 Takuma Sato/Japan/ KV Racing Technology
21. 83 Charlie Kimball/United States/ Chip Ganassi Racing
22. 27 Mike Conway/England/Andretti Autosport
23. 77 Alex Tagliani/Canada/ Sam Schmidt Racing
24. 12 Will Power/Australia/ Penske Racing
25. 34 Sebastian Saavedra/Columbia/ Conquest Racing
26. 82 Tony Kanaan/Brazil/ KV Racing Technology