Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Pre-Race Notes & Quotes: Honda Indy Toronto

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Pre-Race Notes & Quotes: Honda Indy Toronto

Topics: Honda Indy Toronto

Schmidt Peterson Motorsports Pre-Race Notes & Quotes: Honda Indy Toronto

Monica Hilton
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
13 July 2016

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Race Fast Facts

Verizon IndyCar Series drivers: James Hinchcliffe (No. 5 Arrow Electronics), Mikhail Aleshin (No. 7 SMP Racing); Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires drivers: Andre Negrao (No. 17), Santiago Urrutia (No. 55 Mazda)
Event title: Honda Indy Toronto
Location: Streets of Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Track: An 11-turn, 1.75-mile street circuit
2016 event counter: The Honda Indy Toronto is the 11th race (of 16) for the Verizon IndyCar Series and the 12th and 13th races (of 18) for the Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Series

Verizon IndyCar Series Track Activity
Practice sessions: Friday, July 15 from 10:00-10:45 a.m. ET and 2:30-3:15 p.m.; Saturday, July 16 from 9:45-10:30 a.m.
Qualifications: Saturday, July 16 from 1:30-2:45 p.m. ET
Race: Sunday, July 17 with pre-race activities beginning at approximately 2:30 p.m. ET and an estimated green flag at 3:15 p.m.

Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires Track Activity
Practice sessions: Friday, July 15 from 9:20-9:45 a.m. ET and 3:30-4:00 p.m.
Qualifying: Saturday, July 16 from 8:25-8:55 a.m. ET
Race 1: Saturday, July 16 from 12:25-1:15 p.m. ET
Race 2: Sunday, July 17 from 11:15-12:25 p.m. ET

Broadcast Information
TV race broadcast (USA): CNBC (USA), SportsNet 360 (Canada)
Race broadcast (radio): IMS Radio Network, XM 209 and Sirius 212

IndyCar Quotes:
James Hinchcliffe (No. 5)
"What more can I say about racing in Toronto? For me, it's like Christmas in July. Getting to come back to my home town and race in front of the crowd that I was in for decades as a kid is an unreal feeling. Luck hasn't been on my side here but statistically, that has to change at some point! I'm excited to get on track in the Arrow Electronics car after a solid result in Iowa, and hopefully this year we will have a smooth weekend and give the Canadian fans something to cheer for."

Mikhail Aleshin (No. 7)
"I'm very happy to return to Toronto this year with the Verizon IndyCar Series. It's a beautiful town and lots of fun. At the same time, it's a difficult and very technical track, but I'm looking forward to racing there in the SMP Racing car. We had a very good race last weekend in Iowa with a fifth place finish, so I'm aiming to follow that up with another good result in Toronto."

Indy Lights Quotes: Santiago Urrutia (No. 55)
"We had a disappointing weekend in Iowa. A fifth-place finish is good for the championship but we have to win races if we want to be victorious in the championship. Toronto was good for me last year and I like the track. It will be an important weekend so I'm looking forward to it. My goal is to get the victory and pole position. I'm confident that we're going to have a strong car so we can get those points and be closer to the lead in the championship."

Andre Negrao (No. 17)
"For this event, I'm more prepared than ever. I love street circuits and Toronto should be a good one for us. I don't know the circuit yet but I've heard really great things about it because it's technical and challenging, which I like. I'm focused on the podium this weekend and really looking forward to racing."

Team Social Media
Website: www.SPMindycar.com
Twitter: @SPMindycar
Instagram: @SPMindycar
Facebook: Schmidt Peterson Motorsports
SnapChat: @SPMindycar
Periscope: @SPMindycar

Driver Social Media
James Hinchcliffe
Website - www.Hinchtown.com
Twitter - @hinchtown & @HinchOnTrack
Facebook - Hinchtown
Instagram - @hinchtown

Mikhail Aleshin
Twitter - @MikhailAleshin
Facebook - Mikhail Aleshin

Santiago Urrutia
Website - www.SantiUrrutia.com.uy
Twitter - @Santi_Urrutia
Facebook - Santiago Urrutia Oficial

Andre Negrao
Website - www.AndreNegrao.com
Twitter - @NegraoAndre
Facebook - Andre.Negrao
Instagram - @anegrao

Scott Anderson
Website - www.ScottAndersonRacing.com
Twitter - @ScottDKAnderson
Facebook - Official Scott Anderson Racing
Instagram - @scanders01

Heamin Choi
Website - www.F1Pilot.com
Twitter - @HeaminChoi
Instagram - @HeaminChoi
Facebook - HeaminChoi

Fan Opportunities

Verizon IndyCar Series autograph session with James Hinchcliffe and Mikhail Aleshin: Saturday, July 16 from 11:45-12:30 p.m. ET in the Enercare Centre Atrium.
Indy Lights presented by Cooper Tires autograph session with Andre Negrao and Santiago Urrutia: Saturday, July 16 from 3:45-4:15 p.m. ET in the Enercare Centre Atrium.

About Schmidt Peterson Motorsports:
Schmidt Peterson Motorsports (SPM) was established in 2001 and is owned by former IndyCar driver Sam Schmidt and Canadian businessman Ric Peterson. Schmidt was paralyzed (quad) in 2000 after an accident during testing at Walt Disney World Speedway in Orlando, Fla. SPM fields cars in the Verizon IndyCar Series, including the Indianapolis 500, and the Indy Lights Series presented by Cooper Tires. SPM is the most successful team in Indy Lights Series history with sixty-five race wins and seven championships. In addition, SPM won the coveted Indianapolis 500 pole position in 2011 for the 100th Anniversary and 2016 for the 100th Running, and has won five Verizon IndyCar Series races between 2013 and 2015. For more information, please visit www.SPMindycar.com.

About Conquer Paralysis Now:
Conquer Paralysis Now is a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization with a mission to cure paralysis, formerly known as the Sam Schmidt Paralysis Foundation. The organization is leading the charge for a cure through funding scientific research, medical treatment and technological advances benefiting those paralyzed by spinal cord injuries, stroke or diseases such as ALS, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's or in other ways. For more information, visit conquerparalysisnow.org.