Hunter-Reay tops Honda Indy Toronto practice

TORONTO (AP) -Ryan Hunter-Reay turned a lap at 101.668 mph to top the 26-driver field Friday in practice for the Honda Indy Toronto.

The Andretti Autosport driver has won twice in the IndyCar series, at Watkins Glen in 2008 and Long Beach in April.

“I love this place and it's great to see the fans turn out here in Toronto on a Friday,” Hunter-Reay said. “The last street course we were on was Long Beach and the car was good ... and our car is still good.”

Justin Wilson was second for Dreyer and Reinbold Racing at 101.602.

“It's always good to come back to Toronto,” Wilson said. “It's a track that I really like and always have had fun driving on. It's obviously not the smoothest track we drive on, but I think that adds character to the course.”

Team Penske took the next two spots. Helio Castroneves was third at 101.468, and series leader Will Power followed at 101.341.

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THRILL FROM WEST HILL: Paul Tracy, the Canadian who won Champ Car races in Toronto in 1993 and 2003, is driving for KV Racing Technology.

“It's my hometown and the race I always want to win,” said Tracy, from nearby Scarborough. “I thought I was close to winning last year when I came from the back to challenge. ... Now, I look forward with a little bit of revenge.”

He's coming off a 14th-place finish two weeks ago at Watkins Glen for Dreyer and Reinbold in his season debut. The 41-year-old Tracy, who won 31 Champ Car races and the 2003 series title, also will race for KV next week in Edmonton.

“I've had nearly a year out of the car,” Tracy said. “The Watkins Glen race helped get the rust off. Now, I'm ready to do battle.”

He was 15th in the opening practice session Friday, then hit the wall in the second and ended up running only eight laps. He finished 25th at 97.719 mph, ahead of only the dangerously slow Milka Duno (89.423) in the 26-car field.

“When we got going, the car was a little bit skatey all over the place,” Tracy said. “I felt like I was out there with a set of ice skates with no laces in them, so I was kind of slipping and sliding all over the place trying to control the car.”

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PUSH TO PASS: The IndyCar drivers will be allowed to use the overtake assist button 15 times Sunday in the 85-lap race on the 1.775-mile, 11-turn course.

The mechanism will provide about 10 extra horsepower to the Honda Indy V-8 engines in 16-second bursts. There's a 10-second recharge time between pushes.

The system, introduced last August, varies in frequency, duration and recharge time from track to track. It is being used for the first time in Toronto.

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INDY LIGHTS: Local driver James Hinchcliffe topped the Indy Lights at 94.551 mph in the second-tier series' first practice session.

“It's hot,” Hinchcliffe said. “It's a slippery mess out there. The concrete patches just have no grip. ... I was pretty shocked with how little grip there was.”

Hinchcliffe, from Oakville in suburban Toronto, won at Long Beach in April and was second two weeks ago at Watkins Glen.