TORONTO, Ont. — Four-time IndyCar champion and three-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dario Franchitti will be inducted into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame as its 2023 International Category recipient at a black tie gala in Toronto on February 14th in association with the 2024 Canadian International AutoShow.
Over a span of six years, Franchitti was IndyCar’s biggest star, winning his first title and Indy 500 in 2007 with Andretti Green (now Andretti INDYCAR). After a brief NASCAR Cup stint in 2008, he returned to IndyCar with a vengeance, driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, where he won three consecutive championships (2009-11) and added two Indy 500 wins (2010 and 2012) before an accident in the final race of the 2013 season forced him into retirement.
The 50-year-old Scotsman, who now calls London, England, home, has enjoyed considerable success in Canada over his 16 years of CART and IndyCar racing. He notched six wins, eight poles and 11 podiums, with three of those victories coming at the Honda Indy Toronto.
“Dario Franchitti was an extraordinary talent, with a strong story of international and Canadian success, winning IndyCar races on the streets of Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal,” says Peter Lockhart, Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame Board Chair. “The Hall is thrilled to join with the AutoShow in paying tribute to Dario’s illustrious career with his induction into the International Category during the Collectors’ Celebration Gala.”
The Collectors’ Celebration Gala is an exclusive, invite-only annual event held just before the AutoShow in partnership with Cobble Beach Concours d’Elegance. Along with Franchitti’s induction to the Hall of Fame, this year’s event will include Canadian racing star James Hinchliffe — who is also being inducted in the Canadian Motorsports Hall of Fame this year — and Richard Hammond, internationally renowned automotive journalist and host of Top Gear, The Grand Tour and his current YouTube channel DriveTribe.
The other 15 inductees into the Canadian Motorsport Hall of Fame Class of 2023 — including Hinchcliffe — will be inducted during a ceremony at the John Bassett Theatre in the Metro Toronto Convention Centre on Saturday, February 17th. Tickets are available at cmhf.ca.
The AutoShow will feature two of Franchitti’s Indianapolis 500 and IndyCar championship-winning Indy cars from Andretti INDYCAR and Chip Ganassi Racing on the 100 level of the North Building at the entrance to Auto Exotica.
Like many racers, Franchitti began his career in karting, and he was a winner from the start, claiming four titles by age 15 in 1988. He quickly rose through the British open wheel ranks with another three titles over four years.
In 1997, he moved to North America to launch his IndyCar career with Hogan Racing. The following season, he joined Team Green, and that combination produced immediate results, with three wins and a third-place season finish to establish Franchitti as an IndyCar force for years to come.
Franchitti continues to be active in motorsport as a commentator on Formula E broadcasts and a driver mentor/coach with Chip Ganassi Racing.
The 2024 Canadian International AutoShow will take place February 16th to 25th at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. For news and updates — and to buy tickets — please visit autoshow.ca. Stay connected with the Canadian International AutoShow on Instagram @autoshowca, Tik Tok @autoshowca, X @autoshowcanada and Facebook at /autoshowcanada.
Media accreditation to the 2024 AutoShow is now online and can be requested at autoshow.ca/media-registration.
About the Canadian International AutoShow, presented by The Toronto Star
Celebrating the automobile since 1974, the Canadian International AutoShow features more than 650,000 square feet of exhibits, displays and attractions spanning the North and South Buildings of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. With annual attendance in excess of 350,000, the Canadian International AutoShow is not only the largest automotive expo in Canada, it is also the country’s largest consumer show. A leader in lifestyle, technology and all things automotive, it is a showcase for the latest cars, trucks, SUVs, concept cars, exotics, classics, muscle cars, electric vehicles, alternative fuel vehicles and autonomous vehicles.
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For more information, please contact:
Kalvin Reid
Director of Public Relations
Enterprise Canada
289-241-7936
kreid@enterprisecanada.com
Twitter: @KalReid
