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CAN - CANADA
TORONTO, EXHIBITION PLACE
SORRY, SOME DATA ARE NOT TRANSLATED YET
Not to be confused with Toronto Motorsport Park - Toronto, Lake Shore
Description Thanks to great interest about Cart championship (now Champ Car), in 1984 Molson Breweries acquired exclusive rights for the first race of that championship in Canada, the later famous Molson Indy. They want to create a street circuit in Toronto town center, following the example of Long Beach.
While waiting for final proposal, Molson Indy was raced on Sanair trioval course (Quèbec). On November 26th 1985 final proposal was finally revealed: it was located in Exhibition Place, an exhibition area not far from Ontario Lake. Some of these streets should have already been used for Lake Shore Boulevard circuit, proposed in 1968 and 1977 and never developed.
First race was held on July 20th 1986, the winner was Bobby Rahal (March Truesport), in front of 60,000 spectators sit on grandstands.

The circuit has 11 corners, quite gast with two long straights and a more slow section. At the end of longer straight (Lakeshore Boulevard) max speed is approx 305 km/h - 190 mph. Before 2006 GP, best lap was scored by Gil de Ferrand, average speed 177.939 km/h - 110.565 mph

The track was changed in 1996 (and not in 1997, as reported by some sources), because on a section of the old circuit was built The National Trade Centre, a great exhibition complex, the biggest in Canada. The section changed was in Princes’ Boulevard, towards start/finish line, i.e. the last two fast corners of the circuit (Turn 10 and Turn 11). According to first proposal by Cart, left-hand Turn 9 just after Nova Scotia Avenue should have been unchanged; then, after a short straight, it should have had the new right hand Turn 10, the the new long left hand Turn 11 that should have taken back to start/finish straight. Nevertheless this proposal was later modified according to drivers’ suggestions. Final layout has "left-right-left" turns as well, but they are much closer. Turns 10 and 11 have a wider radius and they have been moved back in order to have a longer start/finish straight.
Turn 1 was changed as well: the new one is much slower and tighter. This layout is the same still in use today (2006) except that some minor changes. Please note that Turn 1 is just in front of Princes’ Gate

According to official website for hosting Molson Gran Prix of Toronto 2006 2000 steel-reinforced concrete barriers, 76 cm - 30 inches high will be used, as well as 3352 m - 11000 ft chain-link debris fences (3 m - 10 ft high), 5791 m - 19000 ft of chain-link spectator fences and 487 m - 1600 ft tyre walls.

In future the circuit could be changed again, as in the narrow Exhibition Place area a new football statium should be build for FIFA Under 20 World Cup Canada 2007. According first rumors, the new track layout should be quite similar to the 2006 one but start/finish straight that should be moved from Princes’ Boulevard to the adjacent parking, the should be widened after the construction of the stadium near Ontario Drive

As I said, track layout was changed only once, between 1995 and 1996 races, so from 1996 to 2006 the layout was never changed.
Oddly official length in 1996 was still the previous one and the new layout was measured only in 1997. In 1999 Cart changed its measurement criteria, so the circuit was remeasured, even if it was unchanges (like it happened i.e. at Cleveland in 1997)
Location Toronto
ON - Ontario - Eastern Canada
Location Along Toronto lakeshore, Exhibition Place, 13 km - 8 mi from City center
Latitude - Longitude + 43°37'59"     - 79°24'54"
43.633056     -79.415
UTM Coordinates X = 627857.332  -  Y = 4832338.976  -  Zone 17T
Aerial photo / Map (*)  Google Maps  -    Bing Maps  -    Flash Earth  -   Aerial photo / Map (*) MapQuest
Altitude AMSL 80 m - 262 ft
Inauguration July 20th 1986
Closing  
Designer  
Sources and links (Translation) (**)
(1) English (page 182)Author: Peter Higham, Bruce Jones - Published by: Andre Deutsch - year: 1999 - ISBN: 0-233-99619-2
Description
(2) Italian English ForumForum --> North America --> Canada --> TORONTO Champ car.... need information! (ITA-ENG)
(3) English (United States) champcar.com/races96/11toronto/preview.html
(4) English (United States) insider.speedtv.com/viewtopic.php?t=125715&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=15&sid=5b9dbae1a98188d928a202e1fbeb87eeSpeedTv forum (thanks especially to FellowsFan for precious info)
(5) English (United States) www.champcarstats.com/tracks/toronto.htm
(6) English www.grandprixtoronto.comMolson Grand Prix of Toronto Official Website
(7) English (United States) www.racingone.com/tracks_front.asp?series=2
(8) Italian Rombo 30/1985 (page 69)Nel 1986 una gara Cart nella zona della Canadian Exhibition (e possibili modifiche per il 1988)
(9) Italian Autosprint 37/1985 (page 75)Nel 1986 una gara Cart nella zona della Canadian Exhibition
(10) Italian Rombo 50/1985 (page 74)Anteprima del circuito per la F.Cart (con mappa)
(11) Italian Autosprint 29/1996 (page 78)Descrizione in sintesi delle modifiche al tracciato

(*) NOTE: a complete and detailed view of the circuit can be found (if available) on Street View by Google Maps and/or Bird's Eye and 3D views by Bing Maps for Enterprise (former Microsoft Virtual Earth): both can be reached using their own link in Aerial photo / Map cell.

(**) For on-line not-English speaking sources, click on each small flag and you open the corresponding Google Translator page with automatic translation.

Exhibition Place
Description  
Years 1986÷1995
Direction Clockwise   Clockwise
Progetto Proposal NO
No longer operational YES
Car Circuit YES
Motorbike circuit  
Type Street course
Inauguration July 20th 1986
Closing 1995
Last update of this page September 6th 2007
Info last update  
Designer  
Distinctive points Princes’ Boulevard - Lakeshore Boulevard West - Ontario Drive - Princes’ Boulevard - Manitoba Drive - Nova Scotia Avenue
length 2871  m 9419  ft 1.784  mi   (5)

Exhibition Place
Description Preliminary 1996 proposal (see general description)
Years 1996
Direction Clockwise   Clockwise
Progetto Proposal Proposal  YES
Proposal not developed YES
Car Circuit YES
Motorbike circuit  
Type Street course
Inauguration  
Closing  
Last update of this page September 6th 2007
Info last update  
Designer  
Distinctive points Princes’ Boulevard - Lakeshore Boulevard West - Ontario Drive - Princes’ Boulevard - Manitoba Drive - Nova Scotia Avenue

Exhibition Place
Description In 1996 track layout was the same used in 1997-2006, but it was not remeasured and official (wrong) length was the same of the previous layout (1986-1995)
Years 1996÷...
Direction Clockwise   Clockwise
Progetto Proposal NO
No longer operational  
Car Circuit YES
Motorbike circuit  
Type Street course
Inauguration 1996
Closing  
Last update of this page September 6th 2007
Info last update  
Designer  
Distinctive points Princes’ Boulevard - Lakeshore Boulevard West - Ontario Drive - Princes’ Boulevard - Manitoba Drive - Nova Scotia Avenue
length 2871  m 9419  ft 1.784  mi 1996 Official length (wrong) (5)
length 2824  m 9266  ft 1.755  mi Official track length from 1999, when measuring system was modified (track unchanged) (5)
length 2770  m 9087  ft 1.721  mi Official track length 1997÷1998 (track unchanged) (5)

Toronto, Exhibition Place 1986÷1995

Toronto, Exhibition Place 1986÷1995


Toronto, Exhibition Place: 1996 proposal not developed

Toronto, Exhibition Place: 1996 proposal not developed


Toronto, Exhibition Place 1996÷...

Toronto, Exhibition Place 1996÷...


Location: + 43°37'59", - 79°24'54"
If the aerial photo is not visible, you have to zoom out by clicking (maybe more then once) button ’-’ in top left corner

Updates
Date Track layout Years Description by Map by Thanks to Note
April 21st 2007     Lorenzo Tommasi     Update Description
July 9th 2006     Guido de Carli Guido de Carli Lorenzo Tommasi Update Description with map
July 4th 2006     Guido de Carli Guido de Carli Lorenzo Tommasi New Description with map
June 9th 2006     Lorenzo Tommasi Lorenzo Tommasi   Update Description
August 12th 2005     Guido de Carli     Update Description
August 7th 2002     Guido de Carli     Update Description
Not all eventual updates issued in last years are already visible in this list

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