James Jakes looking to double down in Toronto

The IndyCar series heads north of the border this weekend for another weekend double header..

It is being billed as” 2 in TO,” both the Saturday and the Sunday races will be run on the street course in Toronto. Both days the races start at 3p.m. and  the races can be seen on NBC Sports Network with the radio on the IMS Radio network and Sirius XM Radio.

IndyCar driver James Jakes feels that the streets of Toronto will be a great place to build some more momentum as he heads into the summer season.Jakes is one of the bright young stars of the race series.

He drives the No. 16 Rahal- Letterman- Lanigan Racing Honda. Thus far he has been a very consistant driver and he has gotten better each time out on the track. Through 12 races thus far he has one top 5 finish and three Top 10 finishes and when I spoke to him via phone today he was excited about the doubleheader in Toronto.

JW: What excites you about Toronto?

Jakes: It is one of the best street tracks on the IndyCar circuit. There are plenty of places to pass, starting with the long straight-a-ways where passing is good. We also have a number of great turns with plenty of passing room if you are careful. Overall it is a fair course and like all road courses it will beat us up physically. To win or to make the podium in either race this weekend it will test both the drivers as well as our teams. Both the drivers and the cars have to be in great shape for two days..

JW: Talk about your first season with the No. 16  Rahal- Letterman- Lanigan Racing Honda team.

Jakes: Well what can I say when you are working for a driving legend like Bobby Rahal. He has been a great help to me. He has taught me quite a bit about the racing business and how to be a better driver. Of course my crew have been outstanding thus far and we just keep getting better the more we work together.. I think we had a couple of very good chances to make the podium this season and that is what excites me about Toronto.  

JW: What is your game plan for this weekend?

Jakes: The format makes for a very busy weekend and the key is to race hard and hopefully to qualify in the Top 10. It is great to start a race and not to have to worry about the traffic so that is why qualifying well is so important.I recall that the last time we had a double header was in Detroit and I will tell you Sunday night I had a great night's sleep. It because this is great racing and only the crews that work hard and stay out of trouble will be around for both days. My hope is that we can get our first podium in Toronto. We have both the car and the crew to get that done.
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