Sebastian Bordais (l) and James Hinchcliffe (r) were on hand today to promote this year's Honda Indy Toronto.

SCOTT FireFit Championship and STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series join exciting lineup of activities that includes gourmet food trucks, local craft beer and live entertainment

Toronto, Ontario – When is a car race not just a car race? The answer will come easily to anyone who comes to Toronto's Exhibition Place, July 18-20, for Honda Indy Toronto – an entire festival of events that offers as much off-track action as it does on track.

"The festival aspect of Honda Indy Toronto continues to grow," said Charlie Johnstone, president of the event, at a special track-side media preview today. "Not only do we have a double-barrelled weekend with two full-points Verizon IndyCar Series races and the usual super-charged menu of support races, but we have also made some very special additions to our entertainment package. We think our fans will be really happy with what we've come up with."

The one of the two big newcomers for 2014 is the STIHL TIMBERSPORTS Series for its Canadian Championships. Fans in attendance will be able to see top professional logger sports athletes compete in such events as the Standing Block Chop, the STIHL Stock Saw, the Underhand Chop, the Single Buck, the Springboard and the Hot Saw.

And if watching men and women STIHL TIMBERSPORTS athletes compete under the hot sun leads to heat overload for some, there will be plenty of help on site in some of the top firefighters in North America, competing in the Honda Indy Toronto leg of the SCOTT FireFit Championships, a series of events that have been described as Olympics for firefighters and smokeaters.

Also part of the entertainment mix is the return of Honda Canada, with its Junior Red Rider program and the Honda World exhibit, featuring games, activities and racing-inspired displays for race fans of all ages. Designed for kids aged 6-12, the Junior Red Rider program teaches the fundamentals of motorcycle and off-road riding using appropriately-sized motorcycles and full safety gear, in a fun, controlled and safe environment.

In 2013, Honda Indy Toronto organizers introduced the "festival" theme for race weekend – a booming success – and has renewed many of those attractions this year.

Tickets to the 2014 Honda Indy Toronto are available now, visit www.hondaindy.com or call 1-877-503-6869 to purchase.

About Honda Indy Toronto

The Honda Indy Toronto, Ontario's largest annual sporting event, takes place July 18-20 on the streets surrounding Exhibition Place near Lake Ontario and downtown Toronto. In addition to world-class racing, the event features festival attractions, including craft beer, food trucks, adrenaline filled shows, interactive games and activities, live entertainment, charity events and celebrity appearances. For more information, visit HondaIndy.com.