IndyCar to run downtown Toronto, not Mosport? (2nd Update)

UPDATE #2 It appears almost certain that promoters of the Honda Indy Toronto and the Verizon IndyCar Series have agreed that the 2015 race will stay downtown, but be held a month earlier than usual.

After months of on again, off again, talks with City of Toronto officials about when to hold the race in the face of the Pan Am Games taking over its traditional Exhibition Place home for all of July next season, a decision was made to move it to mid June.

The announcement that the race will be held June 12-14 next year will be made on Thursday.

Those dates also avoided a potential conflict with Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, which will run June 5-7 at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.

10/14/14 It's looking more and more likely that the 2015 Honda Indy will happen in Toronto in June and go up against Formula One for exposure and fans.
With the coming Pan-American Games using the race's Exhibition Place site on its usual mid-July date, the race must move to before or after the athletics. The games finishing date of Aug. 15 make a post Pan-Am race highly unlikely since IndyCar continues to indicate it will continue with the strategy of ending the season around Labour Day.

And as the 2015 IndyCar schedule comes more into focus with races dates slowly being added, it seems the only date available for the Toronto race is June 14. It's "race" next year and not "races" because IndyCar has confirmed that the rejigged Toronto event will not be a double-header weekend.

So, Toronto's green flag will fall a week after the Canadian Grand Prix, which will easily grab all the headlines and drain many race fans' wallets days before IndyCar arrives to set up for its race. And having Formula One overshadow an event that struggles to attract fans is not good news for IndyCar's future in Toronto.

The race's new date will also make it tough on the teams that run the Indianapolis 500 on May 24 and then do a four-race road trip in four or five weeks that will bounce them up and down the continent. The string starts with a doubleheader in Detroit (May 30-31) before a trip to Texas (June 6), Toronto (June 14), and Fontana (June 20 or 27). Globe And Mail

08/30/14

It looks as if IndyCar will be returning to downtown Toronto next year.

We're getting word here at Auto Club Speedway that IndyCar will not run Mosport as originally thought. Rather, the race will be in downtown Toronto.

We're not yet sure of the date.