Canada’s “Eh” Team finishes third and fourth in Toronto IndyCar race
A good day for Canada’s “Eh!” Team Schmidt Peterson Motorsports’ “Team Canada” was the focus of attention at the 2018 Honda Indy Toronto with both team cars finishing in the top four. ▲
Scott Dixon won the race The Indycar series championship leader, Scott Dixon was the class of the field for most of the weekend, including the race itself which he won decisively in the #9 PNC Bank sponsored car of Chip Ganassi Racing. ▲
Hometown favourites In spite of Dixon’s dominance, the familiar #5 Arrow-sponsored car of James Hinchcliffe, who hails from nearby Oakville, was a clear public favourite, along with his new fellow-Canadian team-mate, Robert Wickens. ▲
Team Canada With both drivers being Canadian (Hinchcliffe left, Wickens right), the Schmidt Peterson Motorsports team has been unofficially dubbed “Team Canada” or, more euphemistically, the “Eh!” Team. ▲
Experienced rookie While Robert Wickens may be a rookie in IndyCar, he is a highly experienced driver having raced in Europe for several years with considerable success in the Formula Two, GP3, and Formula Renault 3.5 series and, most recently in the Mercedes-Benz DTM team. ▲
Another Canuck There’s more Canadian content than just the drivers in the SPM team as co-owner Ric Peterson is Canadian, as is the team’s Technical Director, Todd Malloy (right). [Full Disclosure: Malloy is the writer’s son.] ▲
Operation central Operation central for the SPM team was its own paddock within the Enercare building – a change from the usual IndyCar practice of working under canopies outside. Three team haulers, which carry the cars as well as all their related gear from race to race, also provide meeting rooms for drivers and crew at the track. ▲
Tech inspection Part of the race preparation on each car is lining up for tech inspection, several times over the course of the weekend. ▲
Public appearances Driving is only part of the drivers’ jobs, especially at a home-market race. Wickens and Hinchcliffe spent much of the week making public appearances and doing interviews, like this one for TV. ▲
Signing autographs Of course, there are autographs to be signed, both at formal sessions and every time a driver steps out among the fans. ▲
Heading for the track Hinchcliffe and Wickens, like most of the drivers, travel back and forth between the paddock and the pits via motorcycle. ▲
In the office Given all the off-track obligations, it may have been a relief for Wickens to finally get behind the wheel. ▲
Pitwork Changing tires is just one of the pit crew’s many jobs. In practice, in particular, it’s common to make multiple adjustments to suspension and aerodynamic settings, at the race engineer’s direction, to tune the car to the driver’s liking. ▲
Leaving the pits Finally, it’s time for Wickens #6 Lucas Oil car to take to the track. ▲
Swarm of activity There’s a swarm of activity around Hinchcliffe’s #5 Arrow car when he stops at his pit. ▲
Into the pits Wickens dives for his pit to make changes during pre-race practice. ▲
Refuelling Practice sessions also provide an opportunity to check out the operation of the cars’ sophisticated refuelling rigs. ▲
Hinchcliffe to the pits Hinchcliffe, too, takes to the pits for adjustments during practice. ▲
Waiting Hinch waits for a signal to get back on the track. ▲
Watching While his driver is on the track, a crew member watches his progress on a big screen behind the pits. ▲
Views for all Giant screens around the track provide both live-action images and a scrolling update of drivers’ current positions. ▲
Back to the pits Hinchcliffe returns to the pits, maintaining a preset speed limit established by the organizers. ▲
Back to the paddock Wickens heads back to the paddock for debriefing with his engineers after practice. ▲
Side-by-side The two “Team Canada” cars lined up side-by-side for the start of the race. ▲
Rush for turn one It was a frantic rush for turn one when the green flag flew to start the race. ▲
No quarter given Even though they’re team-mates, Wickens and Hinchcliffe raced each other hard, including some wheel-banging early in the race. ▲
Third-place finish Wickens crossed the finish line in third place after a drama-filled race, with Hinchcliffe just behind in fourth. ▲
Podium! Wickens joined race-winner Scott Dixon and second-place finisher Simon Pagenaud on the podium to celebrate. ▲
Hometown hero With their third- and fourth-place finishes, Wickens and Hinchcliffe confirmed their status as hometown heroes! ▲
Keyword: Behind the scenes at the Honda Indy Toronto race