Music: {allcanada} In Toronto, James Hinchcliffe is Canada's homegrown hope

Saturday, July 7, 2012

{allcanada} In Toronto, James Hinchcliffe is Canada's homegrown hope

TORONTO – So this is what being the Mayor of Hinchtown looks like.

Lime green billboards splashed along Toronto's interstates. Large signage in subway platforms and bus terminals. A complete grandstand of family, friends, supporters and new fans for Sunday's Honda Indy Toronto.

And the excitement is building with each step James Hinchcliffe of nearby Oakville takes in the Izod IndyCar Series.

In a GoDaddy-sponsored Indy car made recognizable by Danica Patrick, Hinchcliffe is filling the Canadian void left by Paul Tracy, a native of the Toronto suburb of Scarborough. Tracy was the favorite racing son of this motor sports hotbed nearly from the moment he made his professional debut in 1986, but he doesn't have a ride in this series.

That makes Hinchcliffe the local center of attention, and he's proving worthy of it.

Hinchcliffe, 25, was IndyCar's top rookie last year, and he's fifth in the point standings heading to Sunday's race. He started on the front row for the Indianapolis 500 won by Dario Franchitti, finishing sixth.

Ontario noticed and appreciated. Starting with the fourth-place finish in IndyCar's season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Fla., the Hinchcliffe momentum has been building. The evidence of it is on display this weekend, where Stand H will be full when the green flag drops.

Hinchcliffe, who lives in Avon, Ind., hasn't stopped moving in this market since Monday. He has done more media interviews than laps around the street circuit he first came to as an 18-month-old child.

If the locals didn't know him from his social media efforts _ that's where the Mayor tag came from _ they know him from his on-track performances. He has finished in the top six in seven of the nine races this season, with thirds at the famed races in Long Beach, Calif., and Milwaukee.

"I don't live here, so it's tough to feel that much, but it's great," Hinchcliffe said. "What GoDaddy has done with the Toronto takeover the past few weeks is unbelievable. There's great support from the Canadian press and the Canadian fans. It's cool to see everything growing in Toronto."

Dean McNulty is the longtime motor sports journalist for the Toronto Sun, and he said Saturday that Hinchcliffe has surpassed not only Montreal's Alex Tagliani in popularity here but also former 500 winner and Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve. Hinchcliffe is starting to approach Tracy's level.

"He's not just a racing star now; he's a sports star," McNulty said of Hinchcliffe. "Tagliani is still a racing star. Jacques is still a racing star."

Hinchcliffe has done this mostly on his own, although a team of individuals have helped him shape his image and create the Internet network of followers. A shrewd marketer, Hinchcliffe makes at least one trip a month to Toronto to promote himself and the sport. He never turns down an interview request and keeps himself in the news with results.

But he's also genuine. His history with this event is as rich as Michael Andretti, who won a record seven times as a driver. A photograph circulated Saturday of Hinchcliffe, then 13, getting the autograph of the late Greg Moore, another Canadian hero. He'll host his seventh event after-party tonight.

"I feel the energy, I feel the atmosphere," he said of Toronto. "I came to this race 22 years as a fan, so get to come here as a competitor is great.

"It's the greatest city in the world and greatest racing series in the world so to get here to race is the greatest feeling in the world."

The downside is starting 19th in Sunday's 25-car field because of an unapproved engine change that comes with a 10-spot penalty. This 1.75-mile circuit limits the passing opportunities, so it will be difficult for Hinchcliffe to score his first win.

But first, second or last, Hinchcliffe, IndyCar and the Indianapolis-based promoters of this event _ Green Savoree Promotions _ will be the winners for his emergence.

"This sort of thing just doesn't happen overnight; this is the result of hard work by a lot of people," Hinchcliffe said. "I've put a lot of time up in the city, and it's a labor of love. I don't want to make it sound like it was a hassle to do it. I love this city, and I love trying to grow IndyCar up here because it's a big part of my life and this is where I'm from.

"It's a combination of a lot of things, and it's a great to see."