Piquet Jr. would like to see a IndyCar race at Mosport

Piquet Jr.

Nelson Piquet Jr. thinks that the Verizon IndyCar Series could and should race at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport).

Not that he thinks the downtown Honda Indy Toronto race should move to the Bowmanville natural road course, but rather that Canada should have two top-level North American open-wheel events.

Piquet, who is currently leading the championships in the Formula E series with one race to go, is at the Honda Indy to drive the Carlin Motorsports Mazda in the Indy Lights Series on Sunday.

He also spent two seasons in the NASCAR Xfinity and NASCAR Camping World Truck Series.

When he was in the stock car series Piquet was picked by NASCAR to be the test driver at CTMP in the season prior to the truck series debuting in the Chevrolet Silverado 250.

He dismisses claims by some in the open wheel world that CTMP is dangerous for the high speed slick Dallara DW12s.

“I hear some people in racing say that but I don’t think it’s true at all," Piquet said in an interview at his team’s transporter.

“If there is concern about run-off areas, like some people say, there is no run off areas (at Exhibition Place) either.

“No, I think (CTMP) would be really fun to drive in an IndyCar."

Piquet, who also raced in Formula 1 for the then Renault squad, is filling in on the Carlin team in place of Max Chilton, who is racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend with Nissan.

Piquet said he had a weekend off from his Formula E duties and thought it would be good practice for next week’s championship finale on the streets of downtown London, England.

“It’s an open-wheel car on a street course, and I think it should be great practice for London," Piquet said.

As for the perception that Indy Lights is a step down from what he has been doing, Piquet emphatically rejects that notion.

“I’m a racer," he said. “I was asked by the Carlin team if I wanted to do this race and I jumped at the chance.

“Any time you get in a race car is good, I don’t care what series it is." Dean McNulty/Toronto Sun