It’s hard to believe that Paul Tracy has been racing at the top of the open-wheel ranks in North America for almost two decades.
He is, after all, still very much the joking, poking, sometimes annoying personality who quickly transforms into a deadly serious win-at-all-costs race-car driver when he’s behind the wheel of an 800-horsepower Honda-powered Dallara.
And when he’s back in Canada, whether it be at the Honda Indy Toronto or the Rexall Edmonton Indy this season, he has that extra spring in his step and sparkle in his bright blue eyes signifying that both the fun is about to begin and that he’s a contender to win.
The 40-year-old doesn’t need to carry around a curriculum vitae, either. Fans and competitors are all too aware of his records on the track. Toronto Sun
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What is beyond dispute, or hyperbole, is this:
Tracy leads all active open-wheel racers with 31 victories. The only problem is the last of those wins came a little more than two years ago at the Grand Prix of Cleveland, part of the Champ Car World Series. Since then, the entire CART/Champ Car series has been absorbed by the Indy Racing League and Tracy, for the most part, has been left in the dark with his press clippings.
He did make one IndyCar Series start last season, finishing fourth in Edmonton, and this year made a celebrated return to the Indy 500, finishing a respectable ninth for KV Racing Technology. He went on to have a last-place ride at the IRL Milwaukee Mile on May 31, driving an inferior setup provided by A. J. Foyt.
More significant, he returns now to his hometown of Toronto (he’ll race again in Edmonton, too) driving for KV Racing after a “warmup” entry at Watkins Glen this past weekend where he spun out near the halfway point in the race.
As much as Toronto missed its Indy fix last year, a victim of the forced merger, this town has missed Tracy, too. The feeling is mutual, of course, for a guy who grew up in Scarborough and proudly calls himself a Crazy Canuck, as well as the Thrill From West Hill.
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In 16 previous starts in the Toronto showcase event, Tracy has 11 top-10 finishes including five podium performances and a pair of wins, in 1993 and 2003.
“The Toronto race without me? I don’t think it would be the same,” he said. “It’s going to go on at some point without me but obviously, the first year it’s back in Toronto, for me to be in the race I think is great.” Toronto Star
“It’s tough,” said Tracy, who will drive for KV Racing Technology in Toronto. “When you’re not in a car for weeks or months at a time, it makes it difficult to just step in and be right back at the full throttle. It would be like a top-level hockey player who hasn’t played for a year. It’s tough to jump back on the ice and go like you’ve played before.”
Of course, working in Tracy’s favour is that Toronto is the place where he learned to drive. He has won twice on these streets. And with the Toronto race, which was on the ChampCar circuit, restored to the amalgamated Indy Racing League schedule after a year off, he could have an advantage over drivers who are unfamiliar with the course.
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“It’s a tricky track,” Tracy said. “So it makes it a tough race to get through without making a mistake ... hopefully with a bit of luck, we can make that happen.” National Post
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