Toronto Indy Press conference

Yesterday I took out my Champ Car jacket and ventured off downtown to check out this press conference to kick off the 20th Toronto Molson Indy this summer. Late as usual, I got there just as one person from Molson was talking about their current ad campaign which consists of a series that introduces the phrase ‘it starts here’ and that Molson sees the Toronto Molson Indy as the official tie-in to their slogan and the summer. So, summer starts with the Molson Indy according to the folks at Molson. Works for me.

It was nice to see some of the drivers on hand as well as all the hard working Torontonians who help put this show on the streets. I liked Paul Gentilozzi’s speech about the Toronto race being the one that the owners take to potential new hosts as an example of a perfect race. In my experience, it really is a perfect Champ Car event. It goes far beyond the Champ Car borders to include city-wide events all week, there is PLENTY to do at the track between sessions and fans can count on a pretty good race on Sunday. Long Beach is very close in achieving the same level of city-wide success, as is the Gold Coast (the other two races Mr. Gentilozzi gave as examples of premiere events).

One of the perks of these press conference (thanks crapwagon for informing me about it. Not even Champ Car told me about it) is seeing reporters do their thing. As I was standing and chatting with Meesh (crapwagon) who was waiting for a Paul Tracy interview, she noticed how nervous the interviewer who was currently talking with Tracy was. The poor lad, who was trying to take down notes, was so nervous, he was literally trembling and could barely get anything down on paper. It was nice to see because 1) it brought back memories of when I was a trembling reporter and 2) its easy to forget the magnitude of Paul Tracy when you see him every weekend. Tracy is a star in Canada. This young reporter was interviewing a sports star in Canada and that’s a big deal. If this guy quits his job tomorrow, he’ll always have the Tracy one-on-one interview in his back pocket. Not too many people can say that.

Kudos to my old tv station the Score for asking when the Grand Prix of Long Beach was, moments before doing their stand ups. Atta do your homework!

Next time I'll be there with my camera. This would have been a glorious opportunity to kick off the season with silly driver interviews. But alas, I don't have my video camera just yet.

After making the rounds and re-introducing myself to people I have met thousands of times over the past few years (I have a forgettable face!), I had a chance to speak with Tracy and Ranger. Just casual chats naturally, but it was good to get back in the game and talk racing! I can’t WAIT until Long Beach.

I asked Ranger how much of a star he was becoming in Quebec and an immediate little smile appeared on his face. I think he liked the question. He told me wherever he goes, people notice, stare and point, still unsure of exactly WHO he is, but they know he’s someone. Give it a year in Champ Car Andrew, you won’t be able to walk to the streets of Montreal without being mobbed!

And as Tracy continued to make fun of my hair and my roots (he’s convinced I’m from Macedonia), I asked him about all these European drivers possibly coming in the league and his thoughts on it. In classic Tracy fashion, he paused, smiled and said

“I’ve seen ‘em come…I’ve seen ‘em go”

Champ Car Baby! Champ Car for life!!