Honda Indy Toronto Set for July 12, 2009; Marks New Era for IndyCar Series Racing in Toronto
TORONTO, Ontario, Canada (September 18, 2009) – Andretti Green Toronto (AGT) announced today it has signed a multi-year agreement with Honda Canada for the title sponsorship rights to the company’s Toronto-based IndyCar Series event. The announcement was delivered at a media conference held today at the Direct Energy Centre, Exhibition Place in Toronto.
Scheduled for July 10-12, 2009, the Honda Indy Toronto will be part of next year’s 18-race IndyCar Series schedule and will also feature the Firestone Indy Lights Series as part of the weekend’s diverse activities.
The Honda Indy Toronto is the most-recent addition to Andretti Green’s event promotions business unit. The company began operating the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg in 2005 on the downtown streets of St. Petersburg, Fla. That event recently received the distinction of being named as the 2009 IndyCar Series season-opener.
Honda employs more than 22,000 Canadians, buys $1.1 billion of goods and materials annually from Canadian-based suppliers, and manufactures about 390,000 vehicles per year. Honda Canada began operations in 1969, selling motorcycles and power equipment. Four years later the Civic was the first car to be sold by Honda in Canada. Today Honda Canada sells more than 170,000 cars and trucks annually, led by the Civic which has been the best-selling car in Canada the past 10 years.
As part of today’s announcement, Andretti Green also announced the launch of a new event website, which can be accessed at www.hondaindytoronto.com.
Tickets for the 2009 Honda Indy Toronto will go on sale in early 2009. Fans interested in receiving information about tickets can visit the website or contact Andretti Green Toronto at (416) 588-7223 or at hondaindytorontotickets@andrettigreen.com.
About Honda Canada: Honda is the world's preeminent maker of engines for automobiles, motorcycles and power equipment. With 135 manufacturing facilities in 28 countries worldwide, Honda now attracts 23 million customers annually. Honda Canada manufactures the Honda Ridgeline and Civic sedan and coupe, and the Acura CSX and MDX at its two plants in Alliston, Ontario. A new engine plant in Alliston, with the capacity to produce 200,000 fuel-efficient, 4-cylinder vehicle engines annually, begins production next week.
About Andretti Green Toronto: Andretti Green Toronto, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Andretti Green Canada, operates the Honda Indy Toronto – an IndyCar Series event scheduled to be run July 10-12, 2009 on a temporary downtown street circuit in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Andretti Green Canada is owned and operated by partners Michael Andretti, Kim Green and Kevin Savoree. Founded in 2002, Andretti Green’s family of companies includes Andretti Green Racing, which competes in the IndyCar Series, Firestone Indy Lights Series and the American Le Mans Series. It also includes Andretti Green Promotions, which operates the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg – an annual IndyCar Series event held on a temporary downtown street circuit in St. Petersburg, Fla.
Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president, Honda Canada Inc.: “We are very pleased to be sponsoring this exciting event which has been one of the top attractions in Ontario since it first roared to life in 1986. We salute Andretti Green for its commitment to bring the IndyCar Series back to the streets of Toronto as a premier open wheel race series, powered by Honda.”
Michael Andretti, co-owner and chairman, Andretti Green: “This is a great day for everyone that is a fan of IndyCar racing in Toronto. Honda has been a great partner of ours for years and this will take that partnership deeper into the future. Andretti Green and Honda plan to do great things with this event and everyone associated with the event is very excited for July 2009 to get here.”
Kevin Savoree, co-owner and president, Andretti Green Toronto and Andretti Green Promotions; co-owner, president and chief operating officer, Andretti Green: “The Honda brand is very powerful and is one of the true driving forces behind the growth and success of the IndyCar Series. Andretti Green and Honda have a long legacy of successful partnership and the Honda Indy Toronto will benefit immeasurably from the strength of our relationship. Not only has Honda Canada lent its name and mark to this event, but they also plan to engage our fans in a big way. The next several months promise to be a very exciting time for IndyCar Series fans in Toronto and Ontario.”
From AGT
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