Norris McDonald's Auto Racing Blog

Elvis Stojko reveals plans to race cars

FLASH: Canada may soon have a new racing hero to cheer for.

As Paul Tracy, Patrick Carpentier and Jacques Villeneuve walk off into the sunset, leaving James Hinchcliffe, Robert Wickens and Alex Tagliani to carry the Canadian flag into battle, champion figure skater Elvis Stojko revealed today that he's about to launch a car racing career.

During an interview on the Fan 590 radio station in Toronto, Stojko - who'd been contacted to talk about the upcoming Summer Olympics in London (he's a three-time Olympic silver medalist in figure skating) - let it be known that he was in serious training for a season of shifter-kart racing.

There's a wonderful world-class kart facility at le Circuit-Mont Tremblant race track north of Montreal and Stojko said he was spending a week there to hone his skills as a kart racer.

"My arms hurt and my body aches but I'm having a great time," he said after telling his interviewer that the kart he's training in this week is capable of an average speed of 160 km/h.

Stojko said his wife, Mexican figure skater Gladys Orozco, used to race karts as a child and is fully supportive of his ambition.

It was then that he said his plan is to become a car racer, although he didn't reveal whether that would be in single-seaters, sedans or stock cars.

Now, if I was Francois Dumontier, president and CEO of Octane Racing, which promotes the F1 race in Montreal and the Edmonton Indy, I would be on the phone to Stojko asap to invite him to compete in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race he'll be promoting at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve next month.

That race weekend needs help - the Canadian Tire series is part of a double-header with the NASCAR Nationwide Series - and has been successful in large part because of the presence of famous Canadian racers, particularly French-Canadian racing stars.

But Carpentier had to be enticed out of retirement for this year's race and Villeneuve and Tagliani are not the draws they once were. Danica Patrick will be there but the Cup stars (other than Carl Edwards and Marcos Ambrose) have never embraced that race.

But Elvis Stojko? In a stock car? I betcha that would sell some tickets.

Meantime, good luck to Elvis. His participation in motorsports will draw a lot of attention from people who wouldn't normally be interested.

Figure skating has a huge fan base and if even some of them become race fans as a result, it will be a real shot in the arm for the sport.

Earlier:

Latino top drag racer; Touring cars, Porsches thrill

Although this is a few days later, here is what happened last weekend in "local" racing:

(My definition of "local" racing is racing that is not Formula One, NASCAR, American LeMans/Grand Am or IndyCar . . .)

Before we concentrate on the major Canadian races in support of the ALMS at Mosport – Canadian Touring Cars and the Porsche GT3 Challenge Canada – let’s catch up with Ontario drag racing.

At the Bend Motoplex, Eric Latino of Whitby won the Pro Modiified Racing Association headline event at the IHRA MOPAR Nitro Jam Nationals. It was his fourth victory in PMRA competition.

Driving his Team Green ‘69 Chevy Camaro, Latino – who’d qualified fourth behind PMRA points leader Bruce Boland of Hamilton – defeated Rocky Di Lecce of Mississaugua in the final round.

Latino is now in second place in the PMRA 2012 Series presented by Global Emissions Systems, Inc., behind Boland, who has a 26-point lead.

Next time out for the drag racers is the August Civic Holiday weekend at Toronto Motorsports Park. In addition to the PMRA, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series presented by NAPA and the Pro Bike & Sled Series presented by Wiseco Performance Products will also compete at TMP.

Now, before we leave the drag racers, Melanie Simmons and her Toyrific Racing Top Dragster Team, based in Orillia, has signed a product marketing agreement with Aeroquip Performance Products and will be flying its colours at drag meets for the foreseeable future.

You know, it doesn’t matter whether it’s drag racing or circuit racing or oval racing, when you add it all up, Canadian companies and corporations are investing millions of dollars in motorsport and I urge fans everywhere to patronize the businesses and purchase the products of those companies.

Moving right along, the World of Outlaws sprint cars – the F1 and Indy cars of sprint car racing – are coming to Canada Friday for a four-speedway swing that will see them wrap up at Ohsweken Speedway on the Six Nations Reserve next Tuesday night.

At Williams Grove Speedway in Pennsylvania last weekend, Steve Kinser received a cheque for $10,000 for leading the series at the halfway point of the season.

Kinser, Sammy Swindell, Joey Saldana, Craig Dolansky and the rest of the Outlaws will race at Autodrome Granby and Autodrome Drummondville in Quebec on Friday and Saturday nights, then move to Cornwall Speedway on Sunday before finishing off the Canadian swing at Ohsweken on Tuesday.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: if you have never seen an Outlaws race, you are missing one of the most incredible forms of racing in the world. They don’t come by this part of the world all that often, so don’t miss them.

Tony Stewart will be the big draw at Ohsweken. In fact, he’ll be there for a 360 sprint car race Monday night as well as Tuesday night with the Outlaws. Reserved seats are on sale now and can be purchased by calling the speedway.

Okay, last weekend at Mosport, the Canadian Touring Car Championship raced twice – on Saturday and Sunday and both at the end of the day, which meant the track was less than perfect.

In the first race Saturday, Remy Audette was the winner in Super Touring class, followed by Bob Attrell and Philip Fayer. Series leader Sasha Anis spun in fluid early in the race and crashed.

In Touring Class, Alain Lausiere was first, followed by Damon Sharpe and Jonathan Young. In B-Spec Class, Nick Wittmer was first, followed by his brother Karl. Guest media driver Russ Bond finished a wonderful third.

In the race on Sunday – the tenth round of the season – Anis recovered wonderfully from his terrible Saturday, starting 18^th and passing everybody to finish on the top step of the podium. Attrell was second again, followed by Scott Nicol. In the Touring and B-Spec Classes, the contestants finished exactly the same way they had on Saturday.

The series now goes to Trois-Rivieres, Que., the first weekend in August.

The Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Michelin, which is the fastest-growing single-make series in North America, also held two races.

In the first, on Saturday, Carlos de Quesada was first in Platinum class, with Perry Bortolotti second and John Ellis third. In Gold class, Chris Green was first, followed by Robert Maranda and Bruce Gregory. Finally, in Silver class, Robert Seitz was first, with Leho Poldmae second and Gavor Foti third.

In the second race on Sunday, Etienne Borgeat was first in Platinum class, with Jean-Frederick Laberge second and Bortolotti third. Green repeated as Gold class winner, with Gregory second and Peter Collins third. In Silver class, Seitz was first again, with Foti and Poldmae switching places from Saturday for second and third.

Both races were actually won by Kyle Marcelli of Barrie but, since he is a professional racing driver and the other participants are semi-pros or non-professionals (I hate the word amateur), he participated as a guest driver and his results were not counted.

Honda Indy: no Target, no more TSN and Hunter-Reay's mom

Sunday's Honda Indy was one of the best races in years. Good weather, good crowd and good competition.

Winner Ryan Hunter-Reay surprised everyone by mentioning that his late mother, Lydia, was from Hamilton. This is almost becoming a ritual. Two years ago, Will Power revealed that one of his grandmothers came from Edmonton.

There were many stories out of the weekend. Here is a brief glimpse at some of them, particularly the confirmation from IndyCar CEO Randy Bernard that he's negotiating with Rogers Sportsnet on a TV contract for 2013.

Hunter=Reay, who became emotional when he left the podium Sunday after winning the Honda Indy, calls himself half-Canadian.

Although born in Dallas, Tex., his mother, Lydia, came from Hamilton, Ont. She died of cancer in 2009 and the thought of winning, and of being so close to her hometown, was overwhelming for him.

Hunter-Reay honours her by driving car No. 28, which stands for the 28 million people currently fighting various forms of cancer.

The Andretti Autosport driver, who has now won three races in a row in the highly competitive IZOD IndyCar Series, beat Charlie Kimball, a Type 1 diabetic, and Mike Conway to the top step of the podium.

It was Kimball's best finish in IndyCar competition; Conway, who battled back from serious injuries suffered in the 2010 Indianapolis 500, drives for A.J. Foyt and third place was their best finish in the last three years.

Tony Kanaan finished fourth, Oriol Servia was fifth, Helio Castroneves finished sixth, J.R. Hildebrand was seventh, James Jakes was eighth, Takuma Sato finished ninth and Alex Tagliani, one of two Canadian drivers in the classic, was tenth.

The other Canadian, Oakville's James Hinchcliffe, had a horrible weekend that ended early when his second Chevrolet engine went kaput. He finished 22nd, officially.

He missed the entire second practice on Friday after the first engine failed. That earned him a 10 grid-position penalty to be assessed after qualifying, in which he was ninth fastest, sending him off in Toronto from 19th position. He was on the charge, and well up in the top ten, when the second engine blew up.

This means that at the next race in Edmonton, he will be assessed a further 10 grid-position penalty after qualifying, which hardly seems fair but rules are rules.

Tagliani was also the victim of a 10 grid-position penalty and started the race 16th. He had an up and down day, charging to the front but then falling back. His tenth-place finish was excellent, all things considered.

 

IndyCar President and CEO Randy Bernard confirmed that the series is negotiating with Rogers Sportsnet to take over the televising of Indy car racing from 2013 on. TSN, which broadcast the race in Canada Sunday (ABC carried the event in the U.S.), has televised Indy car racing for years, as well as NASCAR and F1 races.

Bernard says the time is ripe for IndyCar to make a Great Leap Forward in Canada because of the popularity of Oakville's James Hinchcliffe.

"When a guy who's running 22nd or 23rd comes to me and says 'I'm not getting enough exposure,' my answer to him is 'win.' When you have someone like James who is right up there kicking butt, this is the type of guy - he's got a great personality, he's got a great sponsor - this is the type of guy you want to take that momentum and build and that's why the time is ripe for us to build in Canada.

Bernard wouldn't be specific and, in fact, ducked the direct question but did confirm that IndyCar is looking to grow the series in Canada.

He wouldn't bite when asked about the possibility of a third race north of the Canada-U.S. border, as has been rumoured. IndyCar has two races in Canada, here in Toronto and in Edmonton, but CART and Champ Car previously raced in Vancouver, Montreal and at Le Circuit Mont-Tremblant in Quebec.

Quebec City has been rumoured but IndyCar would love to somehow get back to Vancouver.

Bernard, who wouldn't say if he was negotiating, or with whom, did say he would be open to any race that didn't negatively impact the current races in Edmonton and Toronto.

 

Michael Andretti owns Ryan Hunter-Reay's car. Andretti won the Toronto Indy seven times but this is his first victory as a car owner. With this victory - his third straight - Hunter-Reay now leads the IZOD IndyCar Series points standings.

Andretti said it was unfortunate that the Honda Indy had to end under yellow that that a green-white-checkers finish would not be a good thing for Indy car racing. 

"You can't do that (have a green-white-checkers)," he said. "Some guys were just running on fumes and wouldn't be able to compete."

He said NASCAR, where he's rumoured to be entering a team in 2013, is different.

"Their races are a lot different than ours. For them, it works. They just shut their cars off on the backstretch and park 'em and we can't do that so all we'd do is hold the show up and maybe make the fans mad so we shouldn't do it."

 

Where was Target?

A year ago, after it was announced that the U.S. department store would be coming to Canada in late 2012 and 2013, they used the Honda Indy to market their company and their involvement in racing.

They threw a wonderful reception on Sunday morning in advance of the race, brought in their American executive team and introduced their Canadian executives. Target drivers Dario Franchitti and Scott Dixon entertained the assembled media and even Chip Ganassi showed up.

Out on the grounds, there were signs with the Target logo everywhere and young men and women were dressed in Target-branded clothing and were handing out flyers and small merchandise.

This year, nothing.

Yes, the Chip Ganassi team is still Target Chip Ganassi but there were no signs around the site nor were there any representatives of the store wandering around publicizing it.

It was a complete withdrawal and it seemed strange

ASN Canada FIA supervised kart races that were held in the infield of the Honda Indy Toronto circuit during the weekend.

Nearly a half-million dollars were raised for women's programs at Sunnybrooke Hospital from the kart races that started Thursday with a Bay St. celebrity event and continued Saturday and Sunday.

 

Gustavo Yacaman, the Colombian racer who won Saturday's Indy Lights race, said Sunday morning that he hopes to be in the IndyCar Series next season.

"That's the plan," he said, adding that he expects the necessary sponsorship to be in place before the 2013 season starts.

Yacaman, echoing Roger Penske, also said it was disappointing to hear about NASCAR star A.J. Allmendinger's failed drug test that saw Sam Hornish Jr, replace him for the Coke 400 at Daytona Saturday night.

"It's disappointing when you see a driver get an opportunity like he did with Penske Racing and then do something that could destroy his career. We have to give him the benefit of the doubt, but it's disappointing to see."'

Allmendinger, who was mentored by Paul Tracy, raced in the Champ Car World Series before going to NASCAR. He is married to a girl from Toronto.

 

Other racing news: Mark Webber passed Fernando Alonso with two laps to go to win the British Grand Prix Sunday. Sebastien Vettel was third. . . . Tony Stewart won the Firecracker 400 at Daytona Saturday night (now called the Coke Zero 400). A.J. Allmendinger failed a drug test and has been suspended temporarily. It could be indefinite, depending. Dinger previously pleaded guilty to DUI. . . . Klaus Graf and Lucas Luhr came back from being four laps down to win the American Le Mans Series race at Lime Rock, Conn. The ALMS will be at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (Mosport) in two weeks.

 

Mayor Rob Ford came to the Honda Indy Sunday morning talked about the $50 million economic impact the race has on Toronto and expressed hope that the event would continue for years.

He noted that there are more construction cranes in the air in Toronto at the moment than there are in any other major North American city.

The mayor said he couldn't pick a winner because he wished the best of luck to all the drivers.

 

Meantime, back at the Honda Indy, the two front row starters, pole sitter Dario Franchitti and outside front row starter Will Power, have had better days.

Franchitti took the lead at the start, only to be passed by Power. When Franchitti, who's won this race three times, including last year, made his first stop for fuel and tires, he stopped too far out from the pit wall for the fuel hose to attach to the car. By the time his crew were able to move the car in enough to fuel it, his race was essentially over.

It ended shortly before the finish when he collided with Ryan Briscoe and both cars were too damaged to continue.

Power, meantime, had a slight coming-together with another car and the front wing on his car came apart, damaging a tire. He made two stops, one for fresh rubber and fuel and another for a new nose and that was pretty much all she wrote. 

Power officially finished 15th and Franchitti was 17th.

It was a fast race and, until the last laps, remarkably clean. There were only two caution periods before the schmozzles at the end and, according to the official score card, only eight laps in total were run under yellow all race.

It only took a little over 90 minutes to run the Honda Indy and the average speed for the 85 laps was 95.787 miles an hour. There were five lead changes between Franchitti, Power, Pagenaud (who ran near the front all day but was assessed a 30-second penalty after the checkers for blocking, dropping him to 12th place), J.R. Hildebrand and Hunter-Reay.

Sebastien Bourdais was heading for a top five finish when he crashed to bring out the second caution flag (Graham Rahal's crash brought out the first) and was extremely angry at Kimball, suggesting he didn't deserve a podium. (Kimball was on the inside and Bourdais  was outside going into Turn One and often in siutations like that, two into one won't go and Bourdais wound up in the wall.)

Kimball was asked about this afterward and was very calm, sugggesting any anger should be directed at officials in Race Control who didn't see fit to send out a sweeper to get rid of the marbles that were everywhere on the course once a car got off the racing line.

The inference was that Bourdais was the architect of his own demise by getting off the race line and into the marbles.

Franchitti wins Honda Indy pole; Hinch to start 19th

Dario Franchitti won the pole for Sunday's Honda Indy Toronto moments ago, pipping Will Power and Justin Wilson.

 

Alex Tagliani was the only Canadian to make it into the Fast Six, James Hinchcliffe just missing make it out of the second qualifying session.

 

He set ninth fastest qualifying time and will start 19th as a result of a 10 grid-position penalty assessed Friday after his team had to change his engine before the pre-determined number of laps had been turned.

 

So Sunday's race will look this way: Franchitti on pole with Power beside him on the front row. Wilson will start inside Row Two with Sebastien Bourdais beside him. Scott Dixon will go off fifth (inside Row Three) with Ryan Hunter-Reay beside him.

 

Canadian Alex Tagliani was sixth fastest but, like Hincchcliffe, was assessed a 10-grid-position penalty because of an engine change and so will go off 16th.

 

Tag thinks that might give him an advantage, as it allows for the potential for different strategies. When you're at the front, the race pretty much dictates how you will handle tires and fuel. But when you're in the back, you can maybe do things differently and get the win that way.

 

 Earlier,

 

Over the years, politicians have been largely  absent from the Honda Indy.

 

David Peterson was just about the last Liberal to show up and that was in the 1980s. Bob Rae didn't attend when he was premier, nor has Dalton McGuinty. Mike Harris came, of course, as did Mel Lastman. But David Miller? It is to laugh.

 

The news today is that Rob Ford is coming to the Honda Indy on Sunday morning. He will be taken for a pace car ride a little after 9 in the morning (brother Doug will be here as well) and then will meet James Hinchcliffe at Andretti Autosport and Alex Tagliani at Bryan Herta Racing. He's also going to meet Roger Penske and Chip Ganassi at some point.

 

Whether he'll stay for the race is not known.

 

Earlier,

 

Where is Target?

 

A year ago, after it was announced that the U.S. department store would be coming to Canada in late 2012 and 2013, they used the Honda Indy to market their company and their involvement in racing.

 

They threw a woonderful reception on Sunday morning in advance of the race, brought it their American executive team and introduced their Canadian executives. Target drivers Dario Ffranchitti and Scott Dixon entertained the assembled media and even Chip Ganassi showed up.

 

Out on the grounds, there were signs with the Target logo everywhere and young men and women dressed in Target-branded clothing handing out flyers and small merchandise.

 

This year, nothing.

 

Yes, the Chip Ganassi team is still Target Chip Ganassi but there are no signs around the site, there are no representatives of the store wandering around publicizing it.

 

It's a complete withdrawal and it seems strange.

 

Earlier,

Although this is Honda Indy Toronto weekend, there is still other racing going on.

 

-Kurt Busch won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona Friday night. There was a "big one" two thirds into the race, collecting (and wrecking) 16 or 18 cars.

 

-In Britain, Fernando Alonso won the pole for Sunday's British Grand Prix. The story, though, was the rain. Jenson Button's miserable season continued wen he couldn't get a handle on the Silverstone track and couldn't make it out of Q1 qualifying. He will start 17th.

 

And Silverstone bought radio ads urging people not to go to the circuit because the parking and camping areas were quagmires. Traffic jams were more chaotic than usual.

 

Meantime, Scott Dixon was fastest in third practice leading up to Saturday afternoon qualifying for Sunday's Honda Indy Toronto. Ryan Hunter-Reay was seoond and Simon Pagenaud was third.

 

James Hinchcliffe finished seventh after returning to the track aftger Friday's disastger in which his team had to change the engine in its car before it had gone the required number of miles. Ergo, it was an "unauthorized" engine change and he will be penalized 10 grid positions after qualifying later today.

Franchitti happy, Hinchcliffe dour after Honda Indy practice

Three-time winner Dario Franchitti of Scotland threw down the gauntlet Friday by setting fastest times in both practice sessions leading up to Sunday's Honda Indy Toronto.

 

His Target Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon of New Zealand was second in the hour-long morning session, with Simon Pagenaud of France third. They traded places in the 60-minute afternoon session, with Pagenaud, who drives for Schmidt-Hamilton Racing, finishing in the second spot. 

 

James Hinchcliffe of Oakville, the GTA's hope for victory in Sunday's race, was forced to miss the afternoon practice because of mechanical issues with his Andretti Autosport car that resulted in an unauthorized engine change (because the engine gave out before its due date).

 

This means he will be assessed a 10 grid-position penalty following Saturday afternoon's qualifying session, something that disappointed the young Canadian who's been hitting his stride recently in the IZOD IndyCar Series.

 

He's fifth in points going into the Honda Indy.

 

"Unfortunately, today is a day to forget, really," Hinchclife said afterward.

 

"It's too bad what happened in the second session because with the first session not going too smoothly (he was only 15th fastest) we were really looking to make some gains.

 

"Hopefully we can learn a lot off what (teammates) Marco (Andretti) and Ryan (Hunter-Reay) accomplished, but it's just putting us on the back foot - not only with setting the car up but with the engine penalty as well. 

 

"Certainly it makes it more of a challenging weekend than we wanted, but at the end of the day it's still possible for the Go Daddy car to move forward. Last time we got an engine penalty (early in the season), we were able to come back and finish on the podium.

 

"So we may be down but we're certainly not out."

 

Justin Wilson of England, who ran down four crew members in his pit stall during the Friday morning session (all were treated and released, including two who were taken to hospital by ambulance), recovered sufficiently to post the fourth fastest time Friday afternoon while Ryan Briscoe of Australia was fifth.

 

Drivers of the four quickest cars enjoyed power provided by Honda engines while Briscoe drove the fastest Chevrolet-powered car. The third engine manufacturer, Lotus, was represented by the 19th fastest driver, Simona de Silvestro, of Switzerland.

 

Franchitti's record illustrates the importance of a good qualifying effort. When he won the Honda Indy in 2009 and again last year, he started from the pole position both times. When he won the race in 1999, when it was still the Molson Indy, he started second.

 

Franchitti's best time Friday around the 1.755-mile circuit at Exhibition Place (the IndyCar series uses Imperial measurements) was one minute, 00.2786 seconds for a speed of 104.813 miles an hour.

 

He said he was most satisifed with his car in both sessions and raved about the smoothness of Lake Shore Blvd. West that was recently resurfaced.

 

"Lake Shore is like the top of this table, billiard-ball smooth," he said, referring to a table he was leaning on. "For years, I couldn't see as I was heading toward Turn 3 (because of vibrations from the bumpy road). 

 

"It's good to see that the promoters and the city got together to solve this. And it (the repaving) will make it safer because you won't have cars moving around out there (trying to find a smooth portion of the road to set up for Turn 3, where there is usually passing)."  

 

Pagenaud acknowledged that the race's title sponsor was getting its money's worth because Honda engines were leading the way.

 

"I think they will be very happy," he said, adding that he'd had a run-in with Australian driver Will Power at Turn 8 during the second practice

 

"We hit (together)," he said. "I don't know (what it was about); you'll have to ask him."

 

The morning practice was interrupted for about 10 minutes after Wilson was unable to stop his car while entering his pit stall and ran over four crew members, two from his team and two from the team that fields a car driven by Sebastien Bourdais of France.

Michael Cole of Dale Coyne Racing, Wilson's team, and Daniel Martin of Dragon Racing, Bourdais's, were treated and released from the infield care centre.

Chuck Homan and Raffi Aroyan, both of Dragon Racing, were taken to St. Michael's Hospital for evaluation of lower leg and foot injuries and subsequently released.

Both Bourdais and Wilson returned to the track after the accident and, in fact, Wilson later spun into a tire wall when he tangled with a car driven by Alex Tagliani of Montreal. No one was hurt in that incident.

Said Wilson later: “I came down pit lane and the car refused to go into neutral. I was stuck in first (gear). On top of that, these carbon brakes don't work when they're cold, so I was hard on the brakes and I couldn't stop.

"At the last second, I tried to drive into the wall to take speed off but those guys were there and had no idea I was coming.”

The turnout for Free Friday was steady but not overwhelming (admission was waived for the day, which was sponsored by the Honda Dealers of Ontario in return for a donation to Make-A-Wish Canada). It was very warm at Exhibition Place and many of the spectators spent most of their time inside the air-conditioned Direct Energy Centre.

The support race Star Mazda Series will kick off Saturday's on-track activities at 8 a.m. The Indy cars will go out for final pre-qualifying practice at 9:45 a.m. with qualifying commencing at 1:05 p.m.

In addition to Hinchcliffe, Tagliani and de Silvestro will be assessed 10 grid-position penalties post-qualifying for unauthorized engine changes.

The featured race of the day Saturday will be the Firestone Indy Lights, with the green flag scheduled to be waved at 4 p.m.

Alonso wins in Spain as rivals fall off; other racing

I TOOK THIS IPHONE SNAP OF DALE CREASY JR. (LEFT LANE) AND CRUZ PEDREGON FACING OFF IN A MATCH RACE SATURDAY AT TORONTO MOTORSPORTS PARK NEAR CAYUGA. PEDREGON WON.

In a thrilling European Grand Prix at Valencia, Spain, this morning, Ferrari driver Fernando Alonso became the first repeat winner of 2012 due to a storming drive on his part and bad luck on the part of his major opponents.

After seven different drivers won the first seven races of the season, Alonso had to battle to the front after starting 11th - yes, he failed to make it into the final qualifying session on Saturday - in order to win his second race of the season.

Comeback kids, and former world champions, Kimi Raikkonen finished second for Lotus-Renault (he came back to F1 this season after driving in the World Rally Championship the previous two years) and Michael Schumacher was third for Mercedes. It was Schumacher's first podium since he returned to the sport three seasons ago. Full results here

Two-time world champion Sebastien Vettel was running away with the race - he had a 20-second lead at one point - but his Red Bull-Renault racer conked out on him on Lap 34 of the 47-lap contest. There was no immediate explanation for the engine failure.

Romain Grosjean was running second in his Lotus-Renault and it appeared to be only a matter of time before he would take the lead when the alternatore stopped working on Lap 41 and he was forced to retire.

And on the second-last lap, Lewis Hamilton's McLaren-Mercedes was assaulted by Pastor Maldonado's Williams-Renault and sent flying into a retaining wall, eliminating the winner of the last race, the Canadian Grand Prix, and allowing Schumacher to inherit third place.

Alonso was very emotional following the victory. He teared up during the playing of the Spanish national anthem and told interviewers later that his home race victory overshadowed everything else he'd done in his career.

The race featured incredibly intense and close racing, particularly in the early stages.

In other racing (of which there was a ton on Saturday):

- Ryan Hunter-Reay won the IZOD IndyCar race in Iowa that started Saturday and finished early today. The start was held up 40 minutes because of rain but it still began way too late in the day - another case of this series shooting itself in the foot.

Canadian James Hinchcliffe of Oakville crashed out, despite leading the event at one point. He was 17th; Alex Tagliani of Montreal also didn't finish but was classified 16th.

- Ex-F1 racer Nelson Piquet Jr. won the NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Road America Saturday. Canadian Ron Fellows of Mississauga finished third but the Canadian everybody was talking about later was another ex-F1 racer, Jacques Villeneuve, who continued his battering ram ways of a year ago.

Saturday, he pushed not one but two drivers off the track - Elliott Sadler and Danica Patrick. Patrick, in particular, was upset because she was running the best race of her first full-time NASCAR season, in the top five all day, and her trip into the sandtrap on the last lap, compliments of Jacques (a move that Paul Tracy tweeted will now be known as the "Newtown horn"), dropped her to 12th.

- D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas won his second NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race of 2012 at Delaware Speedway near London on Saturday night, with defending series champion Scott Steckly of Milverton second and Jason Hathaway of Dutton, Ont., third.  The race had to be red-flagged at one point because the lights along the front straight went out. There were 22 cars in the field, one more than showed up at Mosport Speedway a week ago.

- Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato won the GT class in the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car race at Road America Saturday, which was won overall by Scott Pruett and Memo Rojas. Segal and Assentato's class victory in a Ferrari was the third of the season for the AIM Autosport team out of Woodbridge.

- At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, In the Pirelli World Challenge Championship, Mike Skeen of Charlotte, N.C., won the first of two weekend in a Corvette. Johnny O’Connell of Flowery Branch, Ga., was second in a Cadillac. The GTS class saw Michael Galati from Olmstead, Ohio, take the top spot while his Kia Motors teammate Mark Wilkins of Toronto finished second. In Touring class, American Jeff Altenburg won the first of three weekend races while Markham's Gary Kwok took the top spot in the second. Andre Rapone of Thornhill won both races in the new B-Spec class in his Honda Fit.

Saturday's racing also saw the Ontario Formula Ford Championship hold its first of two races. In the F1600-A Class, Jack Mitchell Jr. of Clarendon Hills, Ill., won over Caitlin Johnston of Orangeville. 

In the final race of the day, Skeen finished first in the Porsche 944 Cup.  Mike Mallais of Scarborough was second.

- At Toronto Motorsports Park, near Cayuga, qualifying was held in a number of categories for today's Canadian Nitro Nationals elimination finals. 

Taking the No. 1 spot in Pro Modified Racing Association competition was Bruce Boland of Hamilton. Boland, a three-time champion, posted a 6.005-second, 238.05-mph pass with his 1941 Willys Pro Modified. Second in qualifying was Derek Hawker of Corbyville and third was Kenny Lang of Grand Pointe, Man.

In the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, Dave Leverentz of Irving, N.Y., took the No. 1 spot in Top Dragster with a 6.183-second, 223.02-mph run. James Lichty of Linwood placed second, followed by Rick Kopp of Burlington. 

On the Top Sportsman side of the Quick 32 Sportsman Series, two-time champion Kevin Wicke of Stratford qualified first with a 6.797-second, 203.09-mph effort in his Dodge Stratus. Mike Wagg of Waterdown placed second and Darryl McMillen of Goderich was third

In the PBSS series, Kevin McKay of Ingersoll rode his Pro Bike Suzuki to the No. 1 qualifying spot with a 7.711-second, 169.10-mph run. John Orfanidis of Toronto placed second with his Pro Bike entry. Dan Cryderman of Thamesville, Ontario, also in Pro Bike, qualified third. 

- Finally, in Round 2 of the Northern Summer Nationals for sprint cars, Justin Barger of Montrose, N.Y., won the main at South Buxton Speedway (Chatham area) Saturday night. Dustin Daggett of Grand Ledge, Mich., finished second and Travis Cunningham of Grimsby was third.  

Round 1 at Ohsweken Speedway (Brantford area) Friday night went to Jared Zimbardi of Salamanca, N.Y., with Chris Steele second and Bryan Howland of Auburn, N.Y., third.

A feast of GTA-area racing this weekend

Michael Adams, who is leading the Ontario Toyo Tires F1600 Series Championship going into this weekend’s races at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, was a busy driver on Canadian Grand Prix weekend in Montreal. He finished fifth in the first FF race, backing off with an overheating engine, and was sixth in the second race. As you can see, he was in some pretty good company as he waited to go onto the track for the first race.

I — and others — frequently refer to the last Sunday in May as the greatest day in auto racing.

I mean, it’s hard to beat the Indianapolis 500, Coca-Cola 600 and the Grand Prix of Monaco all happening on the same date.

But then, along comes a weekend like this one.

I mean, everything is happening this weekend. Here’s a quick rundown:

- In Formula One, the Grand Prix of Europe will be held Sunday at Valencia, Spain. Will there be eight winners in eight races? Michael Schumacher has yet to win this year (or since he started his comeback, for that matter) and some people think he stands a chance. It would be exciting, wouldn’t it? See “George’s TV listings for race fans” for times and channel.

- In the IZOD IndyCar Series, the last race before the Honda Indy Toronto (which will happen in two weeks) will be held at the Iowa Speedway Saturday night (see “George’s TV listings, etc.). Oakville’s James Hinchcliffe is second in the standings and could improve his position dramatically by the time the checkers fly. Heat races to set the field instead of time trials have tongues wagging.

- NASCAR is in California for the first of two road course races this season, which are always more interesting than most of the ovals anyway. The Sprint Cup race at Sonoma Sunday afternoon (see George’s) will be the first since the seas parted in Michigan last weekend and Dale Earnhardt Jr. drove through them and straight into Victory Lane. With due respect, he ain’t gonna win this week.

Meantime, the Nationwide Series will be at Road America in Wisconsin on Saturday and our own Jacques Villeneuve and Ron Fellows will be in action. It's on TV, too.

- The Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series is also at Road America this weekend (see George’s, etc. — but you'd best look soon because it’s a Saturday noon start . . .) and of particular interest to Toronto-area race fans is the performance to date of drivers Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato in the No. 69 AIM Autosport of Woodbridge Team FXDD Ferrari 458 Italia Grand Am. In leading the GT class standings, Segal and Assentato have won two races this season, at Miami and New Jersey, and have been on the podium four times in six races.

So that’s a pretty outstanding lineup of international races that can be seen on TV in your living room.

But there’s also some pretty incredible local racing on offer this weekend, as well. How’s this for a menu?

- The first two rounds of the Northern Summer Nationals Sprint Car series will take place this weekend, with Friday night racing at Ohsweken Speedway near Brantford and Saturday at South Buxton Raceway near Chatham. Three affiliated sanctioning bodies have officially signed up for the series, including Ohsweken’s Corr/Pak Merchandising Sprint Car division, along with the Southern Ontario Sprints club and the Patriot Sprint Tour. NHRA drag racing star Cruz Pedregon will pilot a car entered by Ohsweken owner Glenn Styres on Friday night. For more information, click here

- At Toronto Motorsports Park near Cayuga, the annual Canadian Nitro Nationals will be held featuring nitro Funny Cars, Top Fuel dragsters, alcohol Funny Cars, jet dragsters, the Pro Modified Racing Association, the Quick 32 Sportsman Series and the Pro Bike and Sled Series. Cruz Pedregon and his brother Tony will line their NHRA Funny Cars up for a couple of exhibition runs. For more info, click here

- At Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (formerly Mosport), the  Pirelli World Challenge (GT, GTS, Touring and a new class for 2012, B-Spec) will bring their “Sports Car Wars” north of the border to headline the CTMP’s Sports Car Doubleheader Weekend. Also in action will be the action-packed Porsche 944 Cup and the Ontario Formula Ford Championship F1600. For information, click here

- At Shannonville Motorsport Park near Belleville, the Mopar Canadian Superbike Championship is going to have a strange look when the 2012 season opens this weekend. For the first time since 2006, Jordan Szoke will not be wearing the No. 1 plate on his motorcycle. After a record-breaking string of five straight national championships between 2006 and 2010, the Brantford ace was beaten to the title last season by Brett McCormick of Saskatoon. While McCormick has moved on to the World Superbike wars, Szoke will be looking to reclaim the top spot in Canadian motorcycle road racing this summer. For information, click here

- At Delaware Speedway near London, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series will be racing Saturday night. They had 21 starters at the Speedway at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park last weekend and when I complained that the number was low, some of my critics said it was because the facility wasn’t up to par. Well, Delaware is a good track, so we’ll see this weekend who’s right. More than 21 entries? We’ll see. For more information about the event, click here.

Was Dale Earnhardt Jr.'s win a fluke?

The hype that is NASCAR moved into over-hype late yesterday (Sunday) when Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished first in a race for the first time in four years.

You would have thought it was the second coming the way everybody reacted when he won the Sprint Cup race at Michigan International Speedway.

The fans went nuts, which is fine.

But the announcers also went nuts - please - and SPEED Channel publicists quickly sent out a media release with supplied quotes from eight – count ‘em, eight – analysts and commentators ranging from Dave Despain, Darrell Waltrip and Larry McReynolds to Bob Dilner and Kenny Wallace all saying what a wonderful thing this victory was.

You'd have thought he'd cured cancer.

Tony Stewart – God love him – was the only driver with any sense. "National holiday tomorrow," he quipped when Little E crossed the finish line.

Greg Biffle, Jimmy Johnson, Jeff Gordon – to a man – all said how happy they all were for "Junior" but Stewart said he sure wasn’t because he’d wanted to win the race.

"Just because NASCAR wants him to win a race doesn’t mean the rest of us have to roll over for him," Stewart said.

If I’d been asked, I’d have wondered out loud how a guy could possibly drive for Rick Hendrick and have that equipment and that crew chief and that pit crew and not win a race for four – count ‘em, four – years.

I’d have wondered out loud about his talent and commitment. Yes, I would most certainly have been in the minority, and maybe not even believed some of the stuff I was saying, but they are questions that should have been asked – have to be asked – in a situation like that one.

They say that if you sit a thousand monkeys down in front of a thousand typewriters that one of them will write a best-seller. It’s a law-of-averages thing.

So I maintain that some beer league hockey player could score at least 10 goals in the NHL if a team let him play three shifts in every period of every game all season. Ditto with hitting a baseball at the Major League level: make some amateur the DH for a team in the American League and let him go up to the plate a minimum of three times a game every game all season and I guarantee you he will hit .200 with a dozen home runs.

The preceding paragraph was a warmup for this one: most of the drivers in the Nationwide Series, or even the trucks, could have done better than Dale Jr. these past 48 months if sent out to do battle 36 times a season in a Rick Hendrick-prepared race car with a Rick Hendrick crew and crew chief in support.

So how did Dale Earnhardt Jr. manage not to win?

Those are the questions the high–priced help on television should have been asking instead of gushing all over what might be, could be, may have been . . . a fluke.

I mean, if he wins again next weekend, then maybe the world will sit up and take notice.

Otherwise, the counting up of his losses will start all over again.

Full NASCAR results here

Okay, here are some other questions after a weekend of racing:

– For the second consecutive year, a "gentleman" racer nearly killed a top professional during the running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

In 2011, Mike Rockenfeller was driving the No. 1 Audi and passing a GT class Ferrari driven by Robert Kaufmann when Kaufmann moved into his lane. How Rockenfeller survived that accident is still a mystery.

On Saturday, ex-F1 driver Anthony Davidson, piloting a Toyota hybrid, was passing a – What? Again? – GT class Ferrari driven by Piergiussepe Perazzini when Perazinni turned into Davidson and sent his car somersaulting down the track.

Davidson suffered a broken back and remains in hospital. Perazzini wasn’t injured.

Two close calls in two years. One of these days, Alice . . .

Meantime, Audi became the first manufacturer to win the Le Mans 24 using hybrid technology. Andrew Lottere, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer drove to their second straight Le Mans win in Audi’s R18 e-tron quattro diesel-powered, flywheel-based hybrid car.

And race engineer Leena Gade, who became the first woman race engineer to win Le Mans in 2011, was the engineer on this team too.

Le Mans results here

– Why is the IZOD IndyCar Series running heats to set the field for next weekend’s race at Iowa Speedway? Don’t those people ever learn?

Last year, they had a lottery to determine the starting field for the second of "twin" features at Texas Motors Speedway. It didn’t work well and the drivers hated it. So they scrapped it for this year.

Now they want to hold three heat races at Iowa next Friday night (lineups for those will depend on practice times) to set the field for the race itself next Saturday night.

What if there are accidents and cars are destroyed? What if a driver in the top five in the standings can’t race or isn’t competitive because of something untoward happening in one of those heats?

If you thought the drivers bitched about the lottery at Texas, wait till you hear the reaction after one of them finds out they’re starting 17^th after winning the third heat. And so on.

Oval track time trials are fair and they’ve worked for a century. Why does the IndyCar series think it has to manufacturer excitement?

If the product is good enough, people will buy it. NASCAR plays around with the All-Star race but it doesn’t matter because it isn’t a points race. I don’t think NASCAR would mess around with a points race; F1 sure doesn’t and IndyCar shouldn’t either.

This new leadership was supposed to be enlightened. The jury remains out on that one.

The race at Milwaukee this weekend, won by Ryan Hunter-Reay with Tony Kanaan second, was so-so. James Hinchcliffe of Oakville finished third and is now second in the standings behind Will Power. He could be leading the standings when the series heads for Toronto in three weeks.

I suggest it will be time to get excited about this very soon.

Full IndyCar results here

– How come the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series attracts 27 cars for its first road race of the season (Canadian Tire Motorsport Park) and 29 for its second (Circuit ICAR) and only 21 for its first oval race of the season (CTMP)?

I always figure that if you support a series, you show up – regardless if the type of racing isn’t your particular cup of tea.

Once upon a time, when national stock car racing was made up mostly of ovals, what would have happened at the one or two road-racing venues if half the oval guys had said the hell with it, as a half-dozen or more road racers are now saying to oval racing?

Maybe the NASCAR Canada people should start applying some pressure to some of these "occasional " racers.

Or, when they all show up at Montreal for the glamour–puss event at the end of August, which they surely will, they be told they’re welcome to race but that they’ll have to start behind the 20 or so cars that have run every event to date.

Seems fair to me.

Meantime, D.J. Kennington of St. Thomas won his first race of the season at the oval at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park Saturday night, with first-time-out-in-2012-driver Mark Dilley of Barrie in second place and J.R. Fitzpatrick of Cambridge in third.

Pole-sitter Peter Shepherd III, also making his first start of the season, broke an axle and finished 16^th.

Fitzpatrick leads the standings, followed closely by Kennington with Andrew Ranger of Roxton Pond, Que., in third place. The next race will be held this coming Saturday night at Delaware Speedway outside London, Ont.

Full NASCAR Canadian Tire Series results here

Norris' Grand Prix blog: Hamilton wins Grand Prix

SEBASTIEN VETTEL, IN FLIGHT ON SATURDAY

Five years ago, Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain won the first Grand Prix of his career when he won the Canadian GP at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.

Sunday afternoon, in brilliant sunshine and in front of a huge crowd estimated at more than 100,000, Hamilton drove his McLaren-Mercedes to his first victory of the 2012 season.

But the victory was much more than a checkered flag.

It was the third time he's won the Canadian race -- he won previously in 2007 and 2010 -- and the points he earned Sunday put him into the lead for this year's world championship, a title he first won in 2008.

And he became the seventh different winner in the first seven races of an F1 season, something that has never happened before.

Romain Grosjean of France, driving for Lotus-Renault, finished second and Sergio Perez of Mexico, driving a Sauber-Ferrari, was third. It was the second podium finish this season for each of those two young drivers.

The pole-position winner, defending world champion Sebastien Vettel of Germany, finished fourth in a Red Bull-Renault and Fernando Alonso of Spain was fifth in a Ferrari after starting third.

Nico Rosberg of Germany was sixth for Mercedes, Mark Webber of Australia seventh for Red Bull, Kimi Raikkonen of Finland eighth for Lotus, Kamui Kobayashi of Japan ninth for Sauber and Felipe Massa finished tenth in his Ferrari.

Massa was as high as fourth early in the race but he lost control and spun out, dropping back to twelfth. He later called his tenth-place finish "a success."

Both Alonso and Vettel tried to make it to the finish of the 70-lap contest, which took an hour and 32 minutes to complete at an average speed of 198.027 km/h, with only one stop for tires while Hamilton stopped twice.

It was the second stop that made the difference. Alonso and Vettel lost speed as their traction went away and Hamilton was not only able to catch them but to leave them in his dust with Vettel eventually surrendering and making a late stop for tires.

“What a feeling,” said Hamilton, who hadn’t won  before today despite taking two pole positions, at a media conference afterward. “This is where I won my first Grand Prix. I knew it would be tough (to win) but I loved every single minute and I am really grateful.”

The winner, who joins Nelson Piquet as the winner of three Canadian Grands Prix – only Michael Schumacher has won more of them: seven – said it was one of the most enjoyable races he’s ever driven.

“I could not believe it wen I crossed the line. The feeling inside was like an explosion. . . and that is what I like about racing.”

He praised his team for the two-stop strategy and said one stop would have been a mistake.

"I think the team did a great job with the pit stops and the strategy,” he said. “I was not able to do one stop; I think I would have fallen back. I think a two-stop was just right."

Hamilton said a combination of things is at the heart of why he does so well in Montreal.

"It's the weather, it's the city and it's the fans,” he said. “The fans are incredible here.There are very few places like this that we go to throughout the year. The support here has been incredible."

Although it was Grosjean's first race at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve -- he was in F1 briefly two years ago but only drove a handful of races -- he cheerfully admits that it's his favourite race track because of the video games he likes to play.

“But it’s more bumpy in real life than on the X-Box,” he laughed. "But it's pretty interesting and I already liked it before I got here."

Perez was delighted to be back on the podium – he had a storming drive earlier this year in Malaysia to finish second – and said it wasn’t something he’d anticipated after qualifying 15th.

The winner of last year’s race, Jenson Button of England, had a terrible day and finished 16^th in his McLaren, a lap down.

And Schumacher, a sentimental favourite because of his previous success here, dropped out on the 43^rd lap when a flap in the rear wing on his Mercedes, which can increase straightaway speed when activated at certain approved places on the race track, stuck open and his mechanics couldn’t get it closed.

The team issued a public apology to the champion later – something that is extremely rare in the world of motor racing.

The race this year was a marked change from a year ago when it also set a record -- for the longest Grand Prix ever run, a mark that will likely never be challenged.

A two-hour rain delay in 2011 meant the race went into the record books at four hours, four minutes and 39.537 seconds, prompting the FIA (auto racing's international governing body) to change the regulations to limit a Grand Prix to four hours maximum, regardless of the circumstances.

Although there were threats of disruptions and demonstrations at the Grand Prix, everything went off without a hitch. Montreal police did say, however, that roughly 30 people had been detained at Metro stations leading to Ilse Notre Dame, where Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve is located, because of what was described as suspicious behaviour.

Much earlier Sunday:

Lewis Hamilton of McLaren-Mercedes makes history by becoming the seventh winner in the first seven F1 races in a season when he won the Canadian Grand Prix at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve this afternoon.

Romain Grosjean of Lotus-Renault was second and Sergio Perez was third in a Sauber.

Sebastien Vettel was fourth, Fernando Alonso was fifth, Nico Rosberg was sixth, Mark Webber seventh, Kimi Raikkonen eighth, Kamui  Kobayashi ninth and Felipe Massa tenth.

"Thank you boys," Hamilton yelled after his team told him he did "a great job."

It marks the third time Hamilton has won the Canadian race. He did it in 2007 and 2010 - his world championship years. He didn't finish the race in either of 2008 or 2010.

Pole sitter Vettel's tires went off as he tried to stay with Alonso, who tried to make it to the end on only one stop.

Earlier,

If this holds up, Lewis Hamilton will become the seventh different winner in the first seven races of a F1 season - another record. He has five to go.

Earlier,

All tires going off; Perez up to second, Alonso third, GFrosjean fourth, Vettel fifth with two to go.

Earlier,

If this holds up, Lewis Hamilton will become the seventh different winner in the first seven races of a F1 season - another record. He has five to go.

Earlier,

Vettel pits with seven to go; Hamilton takes lead with six to go.

Earlier,

Hamilton in second.

Earlier

Hamilton told with nine laps left there'splenty of time to get past the two in front of him, Vettel immediately and Alonso a little further.

Earlier,

They're all together - Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton - who has fresher tires.

Earlier,

Hamilton is closing - 7.7 seconds b ack with 12 to go; Alonso still has 3.2 seconds on Vettel.

Earlier,

Massa, Rosberg and Perez just went three wide down the front straight. NASCAR has nothing on these guys.

Earlier,

Hamilton told Ferrari might try to go to the finish; he's 12 seconds back with 16 to go.

Earlier,

Hamilton told to give it everything he's got for three laps (presumably to hold the gap when the other two pit). He's later told he's running one second faster than Alonso.

Earlier,

Hamilton in on Lap 50, slow stop (right rear); Alonso leads from Vettel.

Earlier,

Michael Schumacher retired on Lap 43. The DRS stuck open on his Mercedes.

Earlier,

On this day, Vettel is just being outraced. Hamilton has a 3.1-second lead over Alonso on Lap 44, with Vettel 6.5 seconds back.

Earlier,

After 40 laps, Hamilton, Alonso and Vettel still held down the top three positions with Perez and Webber in fourth and fifth.

Earlier,

Button pits on Lap 34.

Earlier,

After 30 laps - nearly the halfway mark of the Canadian Grand Prix, Hamilton still leads with Alonso second and Vettel third. After that it was Raikkonen, Perez, Webber, Rosberg, Grosjean, Massa and Di Resta.

Earlier,

After 20 laps, Lewis Hamilton leads from Alonso, who tried to block,, with Vettel third. Raikkonen is fourth, Kamui Kobayashi is in fifth, Sergio Perez is sixth, Mark Webber is seventh, Nico Rosberg is eighth, Romain Grosjean - who led for a lap when he reached the front of the line - is ninth and Pastro Maldonado is tenth.

Narain Karthikeyan went for the big spin in the HRT; no harm, no foul.

Earlier,

Alonso pits.

Earlier,

Hamilton in for tires on Lap 18; Alonso leads.

Earlier,

Button pits on Lap 16 - another three-stop strategy. Vettel in on Lap 17! Hamilton in lead.

Earlier,

Paul Di Resta, who was in fifth for Force India-Ferrari, and Michael Schumacher in his Mercedes, both pitted on Lap 14 for tires - a three-stop strategy.Earlier,

Drivers are already being told by their teams to save fuel. It's expected that some, at least, will try to run the race with only one stop for tires. Others, of course, will go for two stops.

Earlier,

After 10 of 70 laps of the Canadian Grand Prix, Sebasztien Vettel still leads, with Hamilton second, Alonso third, Webber fourth, Di Resta fifth, Rosberg sixth, Grosjean seventh, Shoemacher eighth, Buttton ninth and Kimi Raikkonen tenth.

Earlier,

Felipe Massa has spun his Ferrari after seven laps and dropped to 12th after getting as high as fifth in the Grand Prix. Vettel still leads, with Hamilton second and Alonso third.

Earlier,

It's  Vettel  at the start, with Hamilton second and Alonso third.

Drivers are in their cars and engines start for Canadian GP.

Earlier Sunday:

Before I give you some food for thought - some stats and other information you can chew on leading up to the 2 p.m. start of today's Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve - I have one more bit of social news.

As I mention below in my scene-setter, Mario Andretti, Bernie Ecclestone, Emmerson Fittipaldi and other motor racing heavyweights are in attendance but moments ago it looked like the second coming over at the Scuderia Ferrari hospitality area.

Wow, had the prime minister of Italy shown up? Sure looked that way with the crush of onlookers straining for a glimpse of someone inside. Or the mayor of Maranello? None of the above.

It was, in fact, one of the most powerful automotive personalities in the world - Sergio Marchionne, the guy who runs Fiat (parent company of Ferrari) and Chrysler Corp.

He was holding court - and everybody knows who he is.

So now to the grist for your mill:

This is the 33rd Grand Prix to be held at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve. The first F1 GP in Canada was at Mosport in 1967, Centennial year, and it then alternated between there and Le Circuit-Mont Tremblant for several years. It moved to Montreal in 1978 and has been held here every year since except in 1987 and 2009.

That first race at Ilse Notre Dame was won by Gilles Villeneuve, who died in a crash in his Ferrari at the Grand Prix of Belgium in 1982. This year marks the 30th anniversary of his passing and Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso have both made mention.

Massa has Villeneuve's name painted on his helmet and Alonso has suggested he would like to win the race in Gilles' memory.

When Jenson Button won last year's GP in a little more than four hours, it established a record that will never be beaten. It was the longest GP on record (due to a two-hour-plus rain delay) that ran 4 hours, 4 minutes and a few seconds. As a result, the FIA has since put a limit on a Grand Prix: four hours, period. Regardless of circumstances, whoever is ahead at that time will win.

Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton are the only drivers in the race today to have won it more than once - Schumacher seven times and Hamilton twice.

Although I mentioned in Saturday's story that the winners of the last four F1 races have started from the pole position (meaning Sebastien Vettel has got a pretty good chance today . . .) three of the last seven Canadian GPs have been won by drivers from outside the top five starters.

Fernando Alonso of Ferrari is the championship leader going into this race, with 78 points - three more than Red Bull-Renault drivers Vettel and Webber, who are tied for second.

On a personal note, I can't believe the number of people in F1 who still smoke. Not the drivers, of course, but just about everybody else. Of course, although this is a world championship, all of the F1 folks (with one or tw exceptions) are from Europe, so that might explain it.

Earlier Sunday:

It's a beautiful Sunday morning in Montreal. There's not a cloud in the sky and the forecast is for bright sunshine to continue with a forecast high of 27C - a perfect day (as Jackie Stewart would say) for a motor race.

Thousands of spectators are making their way to Ilse Notre Dame via subway, charter bus, shuttle, taxi and car. Although organizers estimate the crowd could drop by 20 per cent today, any number approaching 100,000 is huge and the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve will be a sea of humanity regardless of the final tally.

There are celebrities, of course, and then there are celebrities. Mario  Andretti, 1978 world champion and a legend in the sport, arrived about 9 a.m. via private charter jet from Fort Worth, Tex., where his son and grandson were in competition last night during an IZOD IndyCar Series race at Texas Motor Speedway (won by Justin Wilson, with James Hinchcliffe of Oakville fourth and pole-winner Alex Tagliani of Montreal ninth.)

Andretti was instantly surrounded by F1 regulars including Bernie Ecclestone, who runs the sport. Journalists of the stature of Nigel Roebuck (editor of Motor Sport) and Gordon Kirby were quickly in his circle.

Mario is in his early 70s now but looked like a million bucks - slim, trim and wearing serious gold around his neck. He's done well.

Not looking as good, or as prosperous, but still legendary in their time were ex-world champions Emmerson Fittipaldi and Niki Lauda, who are in attendance representing sponsors. Ex-F1 driver Jacques Lafitte is also in the paddock.

There are support races at Grands Prix, of course, and during the Canadian Touring Car Series race earlier today, Andre Rapone of Thornhill was involved in the most serious crash of the weekend.

Coming out of the last turn before the main straight, Rapone tried to turn left and his Cooper Mini wouldn't go, somersaulting into a crash barrier and bouncing at least once upside down before coming to rest on its wheels with the driver's side door, the trunk and the hood all open.

Rapone was not injured but he'll certainly remember the CTCC race at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in 2012 for a long time.

There was some unpleasantness in downtown Montreal Saturday night, with 28 people arrested and several people injured when hit by a taxicab.

But although some media reports have coined these disturbances as being "riots," or "rioting," they are no such thing. The people arrested are being ticketed for unlawful assembly, or something similar, and there are few instances of assault or actual property damage.

Downtown Montreal the morning after looks just fine.

Tag third, Hinch 14th for Detroit Grand Prix

For the first time this IZOD IndyCar Series season, James Hinchcliffe of Oakville did not make it into final Fast Six qualifying for a road or street course race and, as a result, will start Sunday’s Detroit Grand Prix in 14^th place.

But Montreal’s Alex Tagliani had his best qualifying attempt of the 2012 season when he finished third in Saturday time trials behind pole winner Scott Dixon and second-fastest Will Power.

Dixon, of course, drives for powerhouse Target Chip Ganassi Racing while Power leads the Team Penske contingent. Tagliani drives for the lesser-funded Bryan Herta Motorsport and is finally coming into his own with Honda power after having started the season stuck with the under-perfoming Lotus engine.

Andretti Autosport driver Hinchcliffe, who will enter the race tied with Helio Castroneves for second in the standings behind Power, was disappointed with his performance. He brushed the wall in the final corner on his second lap of the first round of qualifying and the car didn’t work as well afterward.

"I did the exact same thing at St. Peterburg and the car was okay there but this damaged the left rear. It was an easy fix, and the guys were able to fix it, so we would have been ready to go back out in the next round.

"With 60 seconds to go, our first lap was still in the top six but we just got bumped at the end. We should have been there (in the Fast Six) with Ryan (Hunter-Reay, his teammate, who qualified sixth).

Indy 500 winner Dario Franchitti will go off 15^th, one position behind Hinchcliffe.

The lone woman in the field, Simona De Silvestro, who is the last remaining Lotus driver in the series, will start 22^nd in the 25-car field.

The series has lost a car since Indianapolis. Dragon Racing, which employs Katherine Legge and Sebastien Bourdais, went to court to get out of its Lotus contract and got Chevrolet engines for Indy.

But following the race, Chevrolet said it could only supply the team with engines for one car through the end of the season so the drivers are alternating, with Legge concentrating on the ovals and Bourdais the street and road courses.

Bourdais qualified 10^th on Saturday.

Other racing:

– For the second Indy Lights race in a row, David Ostella of Maple crashed out of the contest early. He finished 13^th and last at Belle Isle Saturday after qualifying eighth.

– Mark Martin won the pole for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Dover, Del. It was his third pole of the season and the fifth he’s won at Dover. Jimmie Johnson will start beside him on the front row, with Ryan Newman third, Clint Bowyer fourth and Matt Kenseth fifth.

Kurt Busch once again got into it with a reporter after the race. After watching Busch exchange words with another driver on pit road after the race, and after he (Busch) brought up the subject of probation, a writer asked him if he was racing as hard as he could, considering he was on probation, and Busch replied:

"(Probation) refrains me from not beating the shit out of you right now, because you ask me stupid questions."

Kurt Busch is a professional entertainer and sportsman who should know by now that there are no stupid questions. He obviously can’t stand the heat so it’s time for him to get out of the kitchen.

– Joey Logano won the Nationwide Series race at Dover, with Ryan Truex Jr. second and Brian Scott third. Sam Hornish and Danica Patrick had another run-in, this time with Hornish putting her into the wall.

Logano is dominating the Nationwide Series this season but is in danger of losing his ride in the Sprint Cup because of poor results.

– Rain curtailed qualifying at Circuit ICAR for the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series race on Sunday so owner points determined the lineup with Scott Steckly starting on pole, with D.J. Kennington right beside him. J.R. Fitzpatrick, who won the season opener at Mosport on May 24 (18^th, really) weekend will go off third.

– Joao Barboss and Darren Law won the Grand Am Rolex Sports Car Series race at Belle Isle, finishing first in Daytona Prototype. Jordan Taylor and Paul Edwards were first in GT, driving a Chevrolet Camaro.

Jeff Segal and Emil Assentato, driving the AIM Autosport of Woodbridge Ferrari 458 (below), finished fourth in GT but continue to lead the standings in that class.

PHOTO BY JOHN jlarsen@photograffics.com]

Time for an IndyCar green-white-checkers finish

It’s time for the IZOD IndyCar Series to go to a green-white-checkers finish.

The reason people were booing at the conclusion of the Indianapolis 500 on Sunday was not (I don’t think) because Dario Franchitti won it for the third time but because, for the third consecutive year, the race ended under the yellow.

This used to be the way it was in NASCAR but they wised up after the fans became restless and demanded change. The result is very exciting: a flat-out dash for the cash over two laps, winner taking all. The fans like it and that’s what it’s about.

The purists will argue against it, of course, but the IndyCar brass should not listen to them. This is show business and it’s 2012 and it’s time for a change.

The fans want to see racing right to the end, so give it to them.

And now, the rest of the news:

This weekend, starting with the Detroit Grand Prix, the Indy cars will begin four consecutive weekends of racing. Following a weekend off, they'll then reconvene in Toronto for the Honda Indy July 6-8. The Detroit race, incidentally, will be televised by ABC and TSN2 at 3:30 p.m. Sunday.

Said Oakville’s James Hinchcliffe, who qualified second at Indy, finished sixth and who will be racing at Detroit's Belle Isle Park for the first time:

"The first four races (of the season) went very well for us. The Go Daddy car has been very competitive on road and street courses. Coming off the '500,' where we had the pace as a team but not the (race) results we wanted, we are very anxious to get back on track and get the Andretti Autosport cars back up front. This is my first time racing at Belle Isle so I'm looking forward to learning a new track. Being a hometown race for Team Chevy, it will be very important race for us and we'll all work hard to get a Bow Tie back in victory lane."

Did You Know: Hinchcliffe, who is tied for second in the standings, is the only driver to have finished every lap of every race in the first five IZOD IndyCar Series events. He is also the only driver to have qualified inside the Firestone Fast Six in each of the first four road and street circuit events this season.

Speaking of other Did You Know stuff from the Indy 500, the IndyCar media service sent these tidbits along this week: Dario Franchitti joined Helio Castroneves as three-time Indianapolis 500 winners in the fewest number of starts (nine). Louis Meyer won for the third time in his ninth start, but it was his 10th Indianapolis 500 because he drove as a relief driver in his rookie year. … Jean Alesi was the third driver in Indianapolis 500 history to start and finish 33rd in the race. Both Dempsey Wilson (1960) and Ronnie Duman (1966) started and finished 33rd. Duman was caught up in that huge crash on the main straight in ’66 that eliminated nearly a dozen cars. … The 500 on Sunday represented the eighth time that Castroneves completed the full 500-mile distance. He joined Ted Horn and A.J. Foyt as the only drivers to have completed the full 500 miles eight times without the aid of a relief driver. The use of relief drivers was a common practice at the Indianapolis 500 before World War II.

The winner of the first Indy 500, Ray Harroun (who was relieved for 35 laps mid-race by Cyrus Patschke) received $10,000 cash, which was a fortune in 1911. Dario Franchitti won $2.47 million last Sunday, which is good but not great in 2012.

Speaking of people named Hinchcliffe, James's father Jeremy did a great pre-500 interview on the CBC last Sunday morning. Care to listen? Go to www.cbc.ca/freshair and click on the Sun., May 27, show (on the main web page). 

A big weekend is coming up at Toronto Motorsport Park. The Canadian Motorcycle Drag Racing Association will present the Eastern Nationals. Should be fun. And the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series stock cars will be at Circuit ICAR (Mirabel Airport), north of Montreal.

Drag racer Ike Maier of Vaughan will be driving not one but two top fuel dragsters this season. He'll see action this coming weekend in the NHRA Full Throttle Toyota Supernationals at Englishtown, N.J., driving the Nitro Express dragster of John LaPorte Racing. That car was previously piloted by Antron Brown. At other NHRA meets this season, including the U.S. Nationals at Indianapolis on Labour Day weekend, Maier will be strapping into the cockpit of the Paton Racing top fueler, a ride he's handled in previous seasons. "I have certainly got my hands full this year," said Maier, which is a bit of an understatement if you ask me.

Meantime, last weekend in Calgary, constantly changing weather conditions didn’t slow down reigning Canadian Rally Champions Antoine L’Estage of St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and co-driver Nathalie Richard of Halifax who notched their second victory in the 2012 Canadian title championship with a resounding win at the Rocky Mountain Rally.
 
L’Estage and Richard wheeled their Yokohama-sponsored Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X through rain, snow, mud and dry conditions over the two-day event to post a decisive 1 minute 39-second victory, their third consecutive sweep of the event and the fifth time L’Estage has won that particular rally.

Teammates and championship rivals Patrick Richard of Squamish, B.C. and Alan Ockwell of Toronto finished second in their Subaru Rally Team Canada entry. Crazy Leo Urlichich of Toronto and his British co-driver Carl Williamson impressed with a solid third place, also in a Subaru.

L’Estage/Richard top the Canadian Rally Championship standings after two wins in the first two events of 2012. The pair won the snowy Rally Perce Neige in February to give them a commanding lead in the series with 44 points to the 31 tallied by Urlichich/Williamson. 

Thanks to old friend Doug Mepham for that report.