AUTO RACING
Wilson carries Glen momentum to streets of Toronto
TORONTO — Justin Wilson has won before on the streets of Toronto, and he’s ready for an encore performance in the wake of his first IndyCar Series triumph.
“Everyone’s on a high after Watkins Glen,” Wilson said Friday after turning the second- fastest lap in afternoon practice for the Honda Indy Toronto. “We’ve done well on the other street courses this year and we’re looking forward to carry all that momentum forward this weekend. We know what it takes to win at this track.”
A strong neck for one. The 11-turn, 1.75-mile layout on the temporary street course at Exhibition Center promises to be a challenge in Sunday’s 85-lap race for every driver in the 23- car field.
“It’s really bumpy,” said Wilson, who won his first open-wheel race here, in Champ Car, in 2005. “You get thrown about, hit your head on the headrest. It takes a second or two to refocus.”
Wilson led 49 of 60 laps last Sunday in a dominant victory over the undulating, high-speed road course at Watkins Glen. It was the first victory for Dale Coyne Racing since Coyne started his team in 1984 and the first triumph this season by a driver not from Team Penske or Target Chip Ganassi Racing.
“We want to keep going,” Wilson said. “We’d love to get a second win in as many weeks, try to keep on that high.”
Sunday’s race will be the first in Toronto for the Indy- Car Series, and it’s a homecoming of sorts for two Canadian drivers seeking full-time rides, homegrown hero Paul Tracy of KV Racing and Conquest Racing’s Alex Tagliani of Montreal. Combined, they have just seven starts this season, but both have the most experience on Toronto’s street course. Tracy has competed on it 16 times — he won in 1993 and 2003 — and Tagliani seven.
“It’s great to be back in front of the hometown crowd,” Tracy said. “For us, last weekend at Watkins Glen was a getting- ready race for this weekend. Being out of the car on a road course for a year, when I got into the practice here I was ready to go. We had a good session. It came back right away — like riding a bicycle. Hopefully, we put on a good race, but the focus is to be back in the car full time.”
“Paul’s looking really good,” said former open-wheel star Al Unser Jr., now a full-time driver coach for the series. “Here in Toronto he knows the circuit. He’s going to be strong, somebody to contend with on race day.”
Count Raphael Matos of upstart Luczo Dragon Racing as another. The 27-year-old Brazilian, vying for rookie of the year, was the class of the field in afternoon practice.
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