Helio Castroneves earned one of the formative wins of his open-wheel racing career over two decades ago in Toronto. He's hoping a return to the area as a rookie on the IMSA WeatherTech Championship Series will yield similar results.
The 43-year-old Brazilian will be one of the headliners at the July 6-8 Mobil 1 SportsCar Grand Prix in Bowmanville, Ont., about 75 kilometres east of the Ontario capital.
Castroneves was a regular at the annual Honda Indy Toronto at Exhibition Place but this will be his first time racing at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.
"I've heard about the place, that it's really fast. That's the kind of track I enjoy," Castroneves said with a laugh.
Ready for a fresh challenge, Castroneves made the move to the sports car series this season with the Roger Penske operation. On May 6, he picked up his first victory since becoming a full-time driver on the circuit with a win at Mid-Ohio with co-driver Ricky Taylor.
"I love racing, this is the air that I breathe," Castroneves said Monday from Atlanta. "It's what I want to do. I want to obviously still be on a good competitive team and still with Team Penske.
"If you start putting all the little details together, this is a great opportunity for me to keep going."
Castroneves has enjoyed some of the subtle changes this season. The car, tires and weight of the vehicle are all a little different, and the new courses have kept things fresh and exciting.
"When you jump into something different, it's a super challenge," he said. "It's like you're starting all over again."
It's similar to when Castroneves made the jump to the North American open-wheel scene after getting his start in karting and British Formula Three racing.
He made his debut in the Indy Lights Series — one level below the top Indy circuit — in 1996 and earned the pole that season in Toronto before crashing out on race day. He picked up the checkered flag when he returned the next year and went on to finish second in the championship standings.
"I remember waving the Canadian flag," Castroneves said. "That was a really cool experience for me, winning on the street course in Toronto."
Castroneves made the jump to the IndyCar circuit in 1998 and went on to post 30 career victories (in IndyCar/CART). He said he still gets butterflies when he gets behind the wheel and has no plans to retire any time soon.
"As long as I still have this fire inside of me and being competitive, of course," he said. "I don't want to just be a number. I want to be the number. As long as I still have that, my goal is at least 50, because these days I believe age is just a number."
Next up for the three-time Indy 500 winner is the Sahlen's Six Hours of the Glen event on July 1 in Watkins Glen, N.Y. After that, he'll head north of the border to take on the 3.957-kilometre track in Bowmanville.
"I heard it's going to suit me well because I do enjoy the high-speed corners," Castroneves said. "So I guess I'm anxious to find out."
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Gregory Strong, The Canadian Press