A record four New Zealanders are on hand to contest this weekend’s Honda Indy Toronto over the 11-turn, 1.786-mile Exhibition Place street circuit, with Scott Dixon leading the Kiwi charge from second in the standings.
Dixon, joined by compatriots Scott McLaughlin, Marcus Armstrong and Tom Blomqvist for the race, notched his 52nd all-time career victory on the Streets of Toronto last year, equalling Mario Andretti for second on the all-time win list. He has since gone on to better this following his success in Nashville last August.
“I think it’s been a pretty fun track for us in the past,” said Dixon. “We’ve definitely had some great results as a team and obviously going back to where we won last year. I love the crowd here and wish we had more Canadian races.
“The one goal is to try to win it and to try and keep this championship headed in the right direction. All of CGR is looking really strong right now, and Honda, as well. We’ll keep working, keep our heads down, and we’ll see what it brings.”
Despite being winless so far this season, Dixon has featured on the podium twice in addition to two fourth-place finishes. He has only finished outside the top ten once this year, at Long Beach. He sits second in the standings, 110 points behind runaway leader Alex Palou.
It’s a contrast of an out for Dixon’s Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Armstrong, who not only is racing on the track for the first time; it’s his first visit to the country.
“I’ve never been to Canada before, and it’s my first time racing there, obviously,” said Armstrong. “The track looks really cool. I’ve always liked the idea of racing in Toronto since I was a kid. I really enjoyed watching the racing even though it’s a different layout now.
“I feel like I’ve been performing well on street tracks this year. The car feels really good, especially on this type of track, and I feel very confident heading into the weekend despite seeing it for the first time.”
Despite not running ovals, Armstrong leads the Rookie of the Year chase with 130 points to his name. He achieved season-best results of eighth at Long Beach and Detroit and came home ninth last round at Mid-Ohio.
McLaughlin also remains in the mix at the front end of the field, sitting sixth as the season enters its second half. The Team Penske driver has already succeeded in 2023, winning in Round 4 at Barber. That remains his sole IndyCar podium of the year, with his fifth-place at Mid-Ohio being his second-best result.
McLaughlin is 148 points off the pace of Palou but only 38 behind second-placed Dixon.
Blomqvist will be making his IndyCar debut for Meyer Shank Racing, filling in for an injured Simon Pagenaud. Blomqvist races under the British flag but is a New Zealand, United Kingdom and Sweden triple-national. He is an eight-time karting champion in New Zealand.
McLaughlin was the fastest Kiwi in this morning’s first practice session, setting a best time 0.1625 seconds off the pace of session-topped Kyle Kirkwood.
Dixon was eleventh-fastest, a further three-tenths back, while Armstrong and Blomqvist put in over 30 laps each as they get up to speed with the unfamiliar circuit.
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Header Image Source: Scott McLaughlin (Facebook)
