The first race on the streets of Toronto was a CART sanctioned event in 1986 as the Molson Indy Toronto. This race replaced the old Molson Indy held on Sanair Super Speedway in Quebec. Since then, open-wheel racing has continued there every year until the Champ Car World Series folded in 2008. Racing has continued on the circuit from 2009 under IndyCar Series sanction as the Honda Indy Toronto. The temporary street circuit is located near the west side of downtown Toronto at Exhibition Place.
The 11-turn street circuit winds in and around Exhibition Place. The start/finish line is located on Princes' Boulevard. Turn 1 is at the scenic Princes' Gates and is 90 degree right hander. Turn 2 is a progressively quicker right hander and leads onto Lake Shore Boulevard. Many consider the Lake Shore as the back stretch. Speeds reach up to 180 miles per hour heading into a hard breaking zone at the hairpin type turn 3. After the sharp right hander, there is an immediate slight left hander that makes up turn 4. A short stretch leads to a 90 degree left hander for turn 5. A right curve makes up turn 6. Speed picks up and many can go flat out on the gentle turn 7 bend. Another breaking zone precedes another 90 degree right hander for turn 8. A series of left-right-left curves make up the "esses" for turns 9, 10 and 11. This leads back to the fast front straight on Princes' Boulevard.
The Toronto Street Circuit appears in many games that have been based on the CART Indycar Series.
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