West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix Presented by The Brick
Encyclopedia
The Edmonton Indy is a round of the IndyCar Series
held at a temporary circuit set up at the Edmonton City Centre Airport near the downtown area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
. It was formerly called the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton and was a round of the Champ Car World Series. It was one of three Champ Car races added to the 2008 IndyCar Series following the merger of the two American open wheel racing series
.
The inaugural race was held in 2005 and was known as the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix. It was known in 2006 as the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix Presented by The Brick. In 2007, Katz Group signed with the Grand Prix of Edmonton as the race's lead sponsor. In 2010, Honda Canada Inc.
was the title sponsor of the race. There is no title sponsor in 2011.
During the 2010 race weekend, it was announced that Octane Motorsports Events from Montreal
, promoter of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix
and the NASCAR Nationwide race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
, was taking over as the new promoter. In November, the City and the promoter not being able to reach an agreement concerning pavement work to be done on the Eastern runway of City Centre Airport, where the race course was to be moved, the event was cancelled. Further negotiations had the race returned on the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series
schedule for July 22–24. February 8, 2011, the promoter unveiled the new racecourse (13-turn, 3.579 km) which received rave reviews from several IndyCar drivers.
In 2006, there were 3 support series events. The Champ Car Atlantic Championship
series, the CASCAR
series, and D-Sport Drifting
Demo. The 2006 race festivities took place from July 21 through July 23, 2006. The CASCAR race event took place on Saturday, July 22, 2006. The Champ Car Atlantic Championship race, the Champ Car World Series race, and the D-Sport Drifting Demo all took place on Sunday, July 23, 2006.
The Northern Alberta Sports Car Club held GT and Vintage class support races also.
.
The IndyCar Series race took place on Saturday and not Sunday in 2008 because of an agreement between the IRL and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. By agreement, the IRL is not permitted to race opposite the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
and the Northern Alberta Sports Car Championship. In addition, there were also a demonstration provided by D-Sport Drifting.
This year also saw the creation of an off the track event team called Race Week Edmonton. This all volunteer team's mandate was to assist in promoting the Honda Edmonton Indy with various events such as car shows, a go kit derby, autoslalom, and a large slate of music events.
This event also saw the debut of a new course, moving from the western runways to the eastern runways of the City Centre Airport. This was caused by redevelopment of airport lands by the City of Edmonton. As well, Octane Motorsports took over the promoting of the race from Northlands declined to continue to run the race. This caused a temporary cancellation of the event in November, 2011. During this cancellation, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
released their schedule and saw Edmonton not scheduled for the 2011 season.
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
* Estimate
From 2008 onwards, event organizers have refused to disclose attendance figures due to an agreement with the Indy Racing League.
IndyCar Series
The IZOD IndyCar Series is the premier level of American open wheel racing. The current championship, founded by Indianapolis Motor Speedway owner Tony George, began in 1996 as a competitor to CART known as the Indy Racing League . Citing CART's increasing reliance on expensive machinery and...
held at a temporary circuit set up at the Edmonton City Centre Airport near the downtown area of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. It was formerly called the Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton and was a round of the Champ Car World Series. It was one of three Champ Car races added to the 2008 IndyCar Series following the merger of the two American open wheel racing series
American Championship Car Racing
Since 1916 there has been a recognized United States national automobile racing National Championship for drivers of professional-level, single-seat open wheel race cars. The championship has been under the auspices of several different sanctioning bodies since 1909. Since 1911, the Indianapolis...
.
The inaugural race was held in 2005 and was known as the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix. It was known in 2006 as the West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix Presented by The Brick. In 2007, Katz Group signed with the Grand Prix of Edmonton as the race's lead sponsor. In 2010, Honda Canada Inc.
Honda Canada Inc.
Honda Canada Inc. is the Canadian division of the Honda Motor Company. Founded in 1969, Honda has been building cars in Canada since 1986. The head office is in Toronto, Ontario.-Corporate head office:...
was the title sponsor of the race. There is no title sponsor in 2011.
During the 2010 race weekend, it was announced that Octane Motorsports Events from Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, promoter of the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix
Canadian Grand Prix
The Canadian Grand Prix , abbreviated as gpc, is an annual auto race held in Canada starting in 1961. It has been part of the Formula One World Championship since 1967...
and the NASCAR Nationwide race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
Circuit Gilles Villeneuve
The Circuit Gilles Villeneuve is a motor racing circuit, venue for the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix, NASCAR Canadian Tire Series, NASCAR Nationwide Series and Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series....
, was taking over as the new promoter. In November, the City and the promoter not being able to reach an agreement concerning pavement work to be done on the Eastern runway of City Centre Airport, where the race course was to be moved, the event was cancelled. Further negotiations had the race returned on the 2011 IZOD IndyCar Series
2011 IndyCar Series season
The 2011 Izod IndyCar Series season was the 100th season of American open wheel motor racing. The season consisted of seventeen events over the course of a seven–month season. Its premier event was the 95th Indianapolis 500, run on Sunday, May 29. It was the final season running the IR–05 Dallara...
schedule for July 22–24. February 8, 2011, the promoter unveiled the new racecourse (13-turn, 3.579 km) which received rave reviews from several IndyCar drivers.
2006
Champ Car Atlantic Championship
The Cooper Tires presents the Atlantic Championship Powered by Mazda was a formula race car series with races throughout North America. It is often colloquially referred to as the Atlantic Championship, Champ Car Atlantics , Toyota Atlantics , or just Atlantics or Formula...
series, the CASCAR
CASCAR
The Canadian Association for Stock Car Auto Racing was the governing body for amateur and professional stock car racing in Canada.-History:It was established in 1981 by President Anthony Novotny...
series, and D-Sport Drifting
Drifting (motorsport)
Drifting refers to a driving technique and to a motorsport where the driver intentionally over steers, causing loss of traction in the rear wheels through turns, while maintaining vehicle control and a high exit speed...
Demo. The 2006 race festivities took place from July 21 through July 23, 2006. The CASCAR race event took place on Saturday, July 22, 2006. The Champ Car Atlantic Championship race, the Champ Car World Series race, and the D-Sport Drifting Demo all took place on Sunday, July 23, 2006.
2007
The 2007 race festivities took place from July 20 through July 22, 2007.The Northern Alberta Sports Car Club held GT and Vintage class support races also.
2008
The 2008 race festivities took place July 24 through July 26, 2008. There were also 2 support series events, the Atlantic Championship series and the NASCAR Canadian Tire SeriesNASCAR Canadian Tire Series
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series , commonly abbreviated as NCATS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada that is based from the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981.-History:...
.
The IndyCar Series race took place on Saturday and not Sunday in 2008 because of an agreement between the IRL and the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. By agreement, the IRL is not permitted to race opposite the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
The Brickyard 400 is an annual 400-mile NASCAR Sprint Cup points race held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana. The event, when first held in 1994, marked the first race other than the Indianapolis 500 to be held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway since 1916...
at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
2010
The race festivities took place from July 23 through July 25, 2010. There were three support series at this event, the Indy Lights Series, NASCAR Canadian Tire SeriesNASCAR Canadian Tire Series
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series , commonly abbreviated as NCATS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada that is based from the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981.-History:...
and the Northern Alberta Sports Car Championship. In addition, there were also a demonstration provided by D-Sport Drifting.
This year also saw the creation of an off the track event team called Race Week Edmonton. This all volunteer team's mandate was to assist in promoting the Honda Edmonton Indy with various events such as car shows, a go kit derby, autoslalom, and a large slate of music events.
2011
The race festivities took place from July 22 through July 24, 2011. However, steady rainfall saw the cancellation of all on-track events on July 22. This caused Indy Lights and IndyCar practice sessions to be moved to July 23. There were two support series at this event, the Indy Lights Series and the Northern Alberta Sports Car Championship. Unlike previous years, the Indy Lights Series ran two races with one on Saturday and one on Sunday, these were known as the Edmonton Twin 100s Race.This event also saw the debut of a new course, moving from the western runways to the eastern runways of the City Centre Airport. This was caused by redevelopment of airport lands by the City of Edmonton. As well, Octane Motorsports took over the promoting of the race from Northlands declined to continue to run the race. This caused a temporary cancellation of the event in November, 2011. During this cancellation, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
NASCAR Canadian Tire Series
The NASCAR Canadian Tire Series , commonly abbreviated as NCATS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada that is based from the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981.-History:...
released their schedule and saw Edmonton not scheduled for the 2011 season.
Past winners
| Season | Date | Winning Driver | Chassis | Engine | Team | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Champ Car World Series history | ||||||
| 2005 | July 17 |  Sébastien BourdaisSébastien Bourdais Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French race car driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series, having won four successive championships from 2004 to 2007.... |
Lola | Ford-Cosworth | Newman/Haas Racing | Report 2005 West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix of Edmonton The 2005 West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix of Edmonton was the seventh round of the 2005 Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series Powered by Ford season, held on July 17, 2005 at Finning International Speedway, a temporary course laid out at Edmonton City Centre Airport in Edmonton, Alberta,... |
| 2006 2006 Champ Car World Series Season The 2006 Champ Car season was the third and penultimate season of the Champ Car World Series era of American open wheel racing. It began on April 9, 2006 in Long Beach, California and ended on November 12 in Mexico City, Mexico after 14 races. The Bridgestone Presents the Champ Car World Series... |
July 23 |  Justin Wilson |
Lola | Ford-Cosworth | RuSPORT RuSPORT RuSPORT was an auto racing team that competed in the Champ Car World Series. It was founded in September 2002 by Carl Russo.Russo drove for the team then known as Performance Development and Racing based in Fort Collins, Colorado which was owned by Steve Wulff... |
Report 2006 West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix of Edmonton The 2006 West Edmonton Mall Grand Prix of Edmonton was the eighth round of the 2006 Champ Car World Series season, held on July 23, 2006 at JAGFlo Speedway, a temporary track laid out at City Centre Airport in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.-Qualifying results:... |
| 2007 2007 Champ Car World Series Season The 2007 Champ Car season was the 29th and final season of the Champ Car World Series, however only its fourth season under the Champ Car title. It began on April 8, 2007 and ended on November 11 after 14 races... |
July 22 | Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Bourdais Sébastien Olivier Bourdais is a French race car driver. He is one of the most successful drivers in the history of the Champ Car World Series, having won four successive championships from 2004 to 2007.... |
Panoz Panoz DP01 The Panoz DP01 is an open-wheel car that was produced by Élan Motorsport Technologies near Road Atlanta, Georgia, United States. It was developed for use in the 2007 Champ Car World Series season, replacing the aging de facto-spec Lola chassis. The DP01 was introduced to the world at the 2006 Grand... |
Cosworth Cosworth Cosworth is a high performance engineering company founded in London in 1958, specialising in engines and electronics for automobile racing , mainstream automotive and defence industries... |
Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Newman/Haas/Lanigan Racing Newman/Haas Racing was a motor racing team competing in the IndyCar Series. The team operations were based in Lincolnshire, Illinois. Newman/Haas Racing was formed when actor Paul Newman and long-time racer Carl Haas, competitors in the Can-Am championship, each began looking to Champ Car racing... |
Report 2007 Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton The 2007 Rexall Grand Prix of Edmonton was the eighth round of the 2007 Champ Car World Series Season, and was be held on July 22, 2007 at Rexall Speedway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The race was won by Sébastien Bourdais followed by Justin Wilson and Graham Rahal.-Qualifying results:Will Power... |
| IndyCar Series history | ||||||
| 2008 2008 IndyCar Series season The 2008 IndyCar Series season was the 13th season of the IndyCar Series. Its premier event was the 92nd Indianapolis 500 on May 25. The first race was held March 29 at Homestead. It was the 97th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing.... |
July 26 |  Scott DixonScott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon, MNZM is a New Zealand motor racer who became the most successful all-time driver in the Indy Racing League championship in the United States when he won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in August 2009. This took his total to 21 wins... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... |
Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an automotive racing organization with teams competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is owned by businessmen Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates. They have won 4 Champ Car, 3 Indy Racing League and 1 Grand-Am championships... |
Report 2008 Rexall Edmonton Indy The 2008 Rexall Edmonton Indy was the thirteenth round of the 2008 IndyCar Series season, and was held on July 26, 2008 at Rexall Speedway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. The race was won by Scott Dixon, followed by Hélio Castroneves and Justin Wilson... |
| 2009 2009 IndyCar Series season The 2009 IndyCar Series season was the 14th season of the IndyCar Series. The 17-race season began on April 5, and its premier event, the 93rd Indianapolis 500 was held May 24. All races were broadcast on ABC or Versus in high-definition... |
July 26 |  Will PowerWill Power William Steven Power is an Australian motorsport driver, who currently competes in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske.-Australian Racing:... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... |
Penske Racing Penske Racing Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske... |
Report 2009 Rexall Edmonton Indy The 2009 Rexall Edmonton Indy was the eleventh round of the 2009 IndyCar Series season, and was held on July 26, 2009 at the Rexall Speedway in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.-Qualifying results:... |
| 2010 2010 IndyCar Series season The 2010 Izod IndyCar Series season was the 15th season of the IndyCar Series, and the 99th recognized season of top-level American open wheel racing. It was the series' first of six planned seasons under Izod title sponsorship, a multi-million dollar deal which was announced on November 5, 2009... |
July 25 | Scott Dixon Scott Dixon Scott Ronald Dixon, MNZM is a New Zealand motor racer who became the most successful all-time driver in the Indy Racing League championship in the United States when he won the Honda Indy 200 at Mid-Ohio in August 2009. This took his total to 21 wins... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... |
Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates is an automotive racing organization with teams competing in the IZOD IndyCar Series and the Rolex Sports Car Series. It is owned by businessmen Chip Ganassi and Felix Sabates. They have won 4 Champ Car, 3 Indy Racing League and 1 Grand-Am championships... |
Report 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton The 2010 Honda Indy Edmonton was the third running of the Edmonton Indy and the eleventh round of the 2010 IndyCar Series season. It took place on Sunday, July 25, 2010... |
| 2011 2011 IndyCar Series season The 2011 Izod IndyCar Series season was the 100th season of American open wheel motor racing. The season consisted of seventeen events over the course of a seven–month season. Its premier event was the 95th Indianapolis 500, run on Sunday, May 29. It was the final season running the IR–05 Dallara... |
July 24 | Will Power Will Power William Steven Power is an Australian motorsport driver, who currently competes in the Indy Racing League IndyCar Series, driving for Team Penske.-Australian Racing:... |
Dallara Dallara Dallara Automobili is an Italian chassis manufacturer for various motor racing series, being most notable for its near-monopoly in Formula 3 since 1993... |
Honda Honda is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than... |
Penske Racing Penske Racing Penske Racing is a racing team that competes in the IndyCar Series and NASCAR. They also previously competed in road racing, and Formula One. Penske Racing is a division of Penske Corporation, and is owned and chaired by Roger Penske... |
Report |
Atlantic Championship
| Season | Date | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | July 17 | Katherine Legge Katherine Legge Katherine Legge is a British auto racing driver, formerly racing in the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters.-Early racing and Atlantics:Prior to joining the Toyota Atlantic series, she raced in several developmental open-wheel series in Britain, including Formula Three, Formula Renault and Formula Ford.... |
| 2006 | July 23 | Simon Pagenaud Simon Pagenaud Simon Pagenaud is a French race car driver born in Poitiers. He currently races in the IZOD IndyCar Series with Dreyer & Reinbold Racing.-Career:... |
| 2007 | July 21 |  Raphael MatosRaphael Matos Raphael Matos is a Brazilian racing driver from Belo Horizonte. He currently participates in the IZOD IndyCar Series for AFS Racing. He was the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights Series champion and the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Series champion... |
| July 22 | Raphael Matos Raphael Matos Raphael Matos is a Brazilian racing driver from Belo Horizonte. He currently participates in the IZOD IndyCar Series for AFS Racing. He was the 2008 Firestone Indy Lights Series champion and the 2007 Champ Car Atlantic Series champion... |
|
| 2008 2008 Atlantic Championship season The 2008 Atlantic Championship season was the thirty-fifth Atlantic Championship season. It began on April 20, 2008 and ended on October 4, 2008. Despite the merger of Champ Car's premier series with the Indy Racing League, the Champ Car owners will continue to own and operate the series under a... |
July 25 |  Jonathan BomaritoJonathan Bomarito Jonathan Bomarito is an American racing driver from Monterey, California.After much success in karting and two years driving in Grand-Am Cup, Jonathan Bomarito moved to Formula Ford 2000 USA in 2003 and won the championship. The next year he moved to the Atlantic Championship and finished 9th in... |
| July 26 | Jonathan Summerton Jonathan Summerton Jonathan Summerton is an American race car driver.-Early Racing:He began racing karts at the age of 14 and by the end of the year had begun racing Skip Barber Series cars... |
Firestone Indy Lights
| Season | Date | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 2009 Indy Lights season The 2009 Indy Racing League Firestone Indy Lights season began April 4 in St. Petersburg, Florida, where it ran a double-header weekend in support to the season-opening IndyCar Series event. The schedule will take place over 14 race weekends in support of the IndyCars, with 15 total races. Unlike... |
July 25 | J. R. Hildebrand J. R. Hildebrand John R. Hildebrand Jr. is an American race car driver. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series; driving the #4 National Guard car for Panther Racing. Hildebrand's nickname is Captain America... |
| 2010 2010 Indy Lights season The 2010 Indy Racing League Firestone Indy Lights season was the 25th Indy Lights season. It was contested over thirteen races beginning on March 28 on the streets of St... |
July 25 |  James HinchcliffeJames Hinchcliffe James Hinchcliffe is a Canadian race car driver from Oakville, Ontario currently competing in the IndyCar Series.-Early racing:... |
| 2011 I 2011 Indy Lights season The 2011 Indy Lights season is a season of open wheel motor racing in which cars' drivers will compete against each other using cars which conform to the Indy Lights set of motor racing regulations. It is the 26th season of the Indy Lights series and the tenth sanctioned by IndyCar where the... |
July 23 |  Esteban GuerrieriEsteban Guerrieri Esteban Guerrieri is an Argentine racing driver.-Career:After graduating from karts, Guerrieri competed in various Formula Renault 2000 championships from 2001 to 2003... |
| 2011 II 2011 Indy Lights season The 2011 Indy Lights season is a season of open wheel motor racing in which cars' drivers will compete against each other using cars which conform to the Indy Lights set of motor racing regulations. It is the 26th season of the Indy Lights series and the tenth sanctioned by IndyCar where the... |
July 24 | Josef Newgarden Josef Newgarden Josef Newgarden is an American racing driver who competes in single seater formulae.-Karting:Newgarden drove a kart for the first time at the age of thirteen... |
NASCAR Canadian Tire SeriesNASCAR Canadian Tire SeriesThe NASCAR Canadian Tire Series , commonly abbreviated as NCATS, is a national NASCAR racing series in Canada that is based from the old CASCAR Super Series which was founded in 1981.-History:...
| Season | Date | Winning Driver |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | July 21 | J. R. Fitzpatrick J. R. Fitzpatrick John Ryan Fitzpatrick is a Canadian stock car driver. He is currently the youngest driver to win the CASCAR Super Series championship... |
| 2008 | July 26 | Alex Tagliani Alex Tagliani Alexandre Tagliani is a Canadian auto racing driver from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He currently competes in the IZOD IndyCar Series, driving the #77 entry for Sam Schmidt Motorsports.-Champ Car career:... |
| 2009 | July 25 | Andrew Ranger Andrew Ranger Andrew Ranger is a Canadian racing driver driving in the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series in the #27 Ford Fusion for Jacombs racing and the #35 Waste Management Chevy in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East... |
| 2010 | July 25 | J. R. Fitzpatrick J. R. Fitzpatrick John Ryan Fitzpatrick is a Canadian stock car driver. He is currently the youngest driver to win the CASCAR Super Series championship... |
Attendance
In its inaugural year (2005), Edmonton set the attendance record for a Champ Car event in Canada at 200,052.| Year | Race Day | 3-Day Total |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | 78,080 | 200,052 |
| 2006 | 63,921 | 171,391 |
| 2007 | 60,508 | 167,152 |
| 2008 | 60,000* | 160,000* |
* Estimate
From 2008 onwards, event organizers have refused to disclose attendance figures due to an agreement with the Indy Racing League.