Godfrey hopes Toronto Indy can reclaim its charm after attendance struggles
TORONTO — It has been nearly 10 years since Paul Godfrey brokered a deal to secure $2 million in provincial and municipal subsidies to help bring the Toronto Indy back from the dead.
While it returned to the city after a one-year hiatus in 2009, there has been a lukewarm response from fans.
The race routinely attracted more than 70,000 people and about 170,000 over the course of three days during the 1990s and early 2000s, but the turnout figures to be far lower this weekend for the Honda Indy.
Godfrey, president and CEO of the Postmedia Network, feels the race has “somewhat lost its charm” in the years since he and seven-time Toronto Indy champion Michael Andretti helped secure funding to revive it after it was given the axe because of scheduling issues when the Indy Racing League and Champ Car reunited in 2008.