He has consistently said that his team, Arrow McLaren SP Racing (a.k.a. 6 Chevy, is entering his third season at Arrow McLaren and said its been virtually seamless as the team doubled in size. Jody Scott, McLarens director of people who joined the team a year ago from Anthem, Inc. (now Elevance Health), said there was no target for the number of hires outside motorsports. Sitting in second place in the drivers standings before that event, Hinchcliffe plummeted to fifth. Behind the scenes of James Hinchcliffe's Body Issue shoot (3:55) IndyCar racer James Hinchcliffe explains the physical toll that racing takes on his body, and he relives a dangerous crash that put . I got to rock up with her on my arm. I was with my wife, Arlene, down in Turks and Cacos and I got a text message from a friend in Charlotte saying Hows James? So I texted back saying, Why? A FaceTime conversation in September 2015 led to Facebook messages, then text messages. Canadian actress Rebecca Dalton, married to husband James Hinchcliffe, stars in A Tiny Home Christmas. "And I get out of the car having never met him before and he just happens to be outside to witness this entry. said Dalton. He was going to be back in a car without any doubt. Hinchcliffe once again raced in the Champ Car Atlantic Series in 2007, this time with the Sierra Sierra team. James Hinchcliffe's best Indy 500 finish is 6th in 2012. We want to go win races., Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. "You're so sweet," said Hinchcliffe, stopping her mid-sentence with a kiss. About two months before the start of the IndyCar season, Jeremy Hinchcliffe died on February 10 after fighting an undisclosed illness, and James wanted to celebrate his father while, in a way, still having him at the race track every week. That company has been around a while. There arent any rides to be had, for starters, but even if there were none of the other teams is in a position to pay him that kind of money. With a decade-plus of incredible memories in the bank, I am happy to announce I am stepping away from full-time IndyCar competition, Hinchcliffe posted on social media. Hes a great personality to the team. Every time he was asked, Schmidt would say the same thing: We have a contract.. "I felt so comfortable and I just knew that I was absolutely doing the right thing. Competing in the. 2 entry. She's been named as a finalist for Indy's Best and Brightest for Technology. James Hinchcliffe was in intensive care late Tuesday following his vicious Indianapolis 500 practice crash, though he was stable and improving. We have an ethos here where we dont necessarily want to do things the way theyve always been done in the IndyCar world. After starting last season with 61 employees, the Arrow McLaren payroll mushroomed in the offseason. Still, the race is the thing. On April 9, 2017, two years after his last win, Hinchcliffe won his first race of the season at the Long Beach Grand Prix. He would then replace Zach Veach for the final three races of the season in the No 26 car after the latter was fired by Andretti. The team also has been aggressive outside racing. No ones ever going to say weve got everything figured out. Unfortunately for the race car driver, he doesn't think he'll be able to use the same pre-show ritual he had during Dancing with the Stars: "Tequila.". Schmidt and Peterson would continue as owners while McLaren through its sporting director, former CART and IRL driver Gil de Ferran would run the team. According to WTHR, Dalton reached out to see how Hinchcliffe was faring after his life-threatening accident. 3:05. He made his debut at Barber Motorsports Park and failed to finish after making contact with a spinning E. J. I know what you mean.". Toronto Star articles, please go to: www.TorontoStarReprints.com, Conversations are opinions of our readers and are subject to the, The Toronto Star and thestar.com, each property of Toronto Star Sam Schmidt, as befits a sharp businessman, has always chosen his words carefully. pic.twitter.com/lge1w0SqJX, James Hinchcliffe (@Hinchtown) April 27, 2021. To order copies of Again. Getting Zak more plugged into the team has been a fantastic side effect of this change, Ward said. Hinchcliffe finished 18th at the first race of the season at Texas Motor Speedway. 4 talking about this. The aspiring race car driver arrived to pick up his date, two years his younger, in a red Mini Cooper S. Rebecca's father was watching. People get to see how much enthusiasm Zak brings. On the surface, six wins and one pole in an 11-year career isn't exactly eye-popping, but he wasn't just a race car driver. As in 2023, James Hinchcliffe's age is 36 years. Hell be able to take care of his parents in their old age that is definitely part of the program, said Jeremy Hinchcliffe. [18], (key) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap), On August 30, 2016, he appeared on an episode of Celebrity Family Feud featuring IndyCar drivers competing against swimsuit models. Dalton actually once portrayed the girlfriend of a seriously injured race car driver in an episode of the CTV medical drama Saving Hope, which Hinchcliffe watched with his girlfriend. James Hinchcliffe was born in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, on December 5, 1986. But I love watching her perform. My Dad was such a big personality and was such a fixture at the track. So we just have to keep that, and well be all right.. Im new to this role; hes lived it before. He also served as the driver analyst for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Radio Network for the 2010 Indianapolis 500 as regular driver analyst Davey Hamilton was competing in the race. Weve done a bit of that. Hinchcliffe's serious accident in 2015 was big news in Toronto. And I found her in a magazine and just reached out to her.. Jeremy Hinchcliffe Death -Dead - Obituary - Cause of Death : James Hinchcliffe's father Jeremy Hinchcliffe has Died. And wants to make this something special. So hes really between a rock and a hard place.. Selina Hinchcliffe Whether you knew him as Jeremy, The Stache, Papa Hinch, or as I did, Dad, to know him was to love him. Obviously, its very late in the game but my team is working flat out to salvage a full 2020 IndyCar campaign. Zak also leads the charge in that. The former Inbetweeners actress, 33, rocked a short . You take the serious things seriously and dont take yourself too seriously and life will pass a lot more pleasantly.. My dads originally from England and hes got that dry British sense of humour. And that was awesome for a nerd like me. ", "I know her as one thing," said Hinchcliffe. Andretti Autosport did not renew his contract for next year. to colleagues, clients or customers, or inquire about Andretti Autosport did not renew his contract for next year. Walter Hinchcliffe was born in Barnsley, Yorkshire, . Nearly 50 percent of the team is comprised of engineering, commercial and finance positions with skillsets that transcend racing. On October 7, 2014, it was announced that Hinchcliffe would join Schmidt Peterson Motorsports for the 2015 season and drive the No. Arrow McLaren SP sided with two young, relatively unproven drivers over veteran James Hinchcliffe for their 2020 campaign. I work really well in it, and Im excited to bring her in and experience that. "Oh yeah, I remember it being the morning of," said Dalton. He is an American sportscaster and former professional American football wide receiver who spent eight seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals in the National Football League (NFL). I think its a more family friendly way to go racing. This season, for instance, Penske driver Josef Newgarden won the IndyCar championship and teammate Simon Pagenaud won the Indianapolis 500. However, after the 2011 IndyCar season it was announced that Newman/Haas Racing would not be returning to IndyCar making Hinchcliffe a free agent. James Hinchcliffe's hobbies are Reading, photography, learning, traveling . During a recent episode of his Off Track podcast, Rossi noted the Thermal test hit some snags as the IndyCar team learned to communicate with McLarens software systems in England. As Hinchcliffe told the outlet, the pair had immediate chemistry. His charisma and quick wit made him one of IndyCar's most popular drivers and a runner-up on "Dancing with the Stars." Speaking in the lead-up to that disappointment, Hinchcliffe said his inability to win is not weighing too heavily yet. He then joined A1 Team Canada in A1 Grand Prix. To order copies of I thought I was going to pass out, said Jeremy. James Douglas Meredith Hinchcliffe (born December 5, 1986) is a Canadian race car driver and commentator best known for competing in the IndyCar Series. Lester James Hinchcliffe 1888 - 1888. In 2016, he appeared on season 23 of the ABC series Dancing with the Stars, finishing in second place. In addition to Grace Hackenberg, Gundlach also played a role in the teams acquisition of systems engineer Lizzie Todd, who came from previous roles at Andretti and Penske. Come Sunday, Jameswill have the chance to win the Indy 500 making one of the greatest comebacks in the sport. I think Gavin kind of feeds off that and has a similar style as well.. He was 20th in the series standings. "Our first date, 12-13 years after we met or whatever, literally we were like crying laughing for half the dinner," said Hinchcliffe. Desperate, he asked the friend of a friend from an acting class they all took together. As his second season in the IZOD IndyCar Series makes a turn for his hometown race, the Honda Indy Toronto on Sunday, Hinchcliffe remains hopeful that the sponsor that helped elevate Patrick to mainstream fame will work some of its magic on him. Not really, though. Hinchcliffe and Dalton at the 2016 Indianapolis 500. "I personally have known James, Jeremy (his father), Arlene (his . "It was just the most fun I've ever had. Death Notice for Today February 11. It helps, too, that hes not a stoic, and is gifted with a genuine knack for self-deprecating jokes that most denizens of the sporting realm do not possess. And that was awesome for a nerd like me.". He sees himself as 80 per cent businessman, 20 per cent driver. Im excited to see how it goes.. To order Im going to hang by the bar, put out the vibe pic.twitter.com/KXFXETtnxx, James Hinchcliffe (@Hinchtown) December 14, 2021. Hinchcliffe had a rough season in his return to Andretti this past year and scored just one podium finish, a third on the street course at Nashville. "She was pretty much the prettiest girl in school. We'll sometimes talk about it and refer to that person as the character's name. 1 staffing priority wasnt hiring. "There's no way. Gundlach, who recently was announced as a finalist for Indys Best and Brightest, previously worked cars that won two championships with Scott Dixon at Ganassi. On race day, Hinchcliffe overtook pole-sitter Ryan Briscoe on the first lap, and ended up leading five of the 200 laps on his way to a creditable 6th-place finish. But were also pretty realistic that you cant rob Peter to pay Paul, so were not always going to be able to hire from motorsports and especially other IndyCar teams. James Hinchcliffe calls the business and marketing side of racing a "very unfortunate biproduct of the sport.". Jeremy Hinchcliffe, James' father, told Autoweek he fully expects to return home to Toronto on Monday along with Hinchcliffe's Mother. James Hinchcliffe calls the business and marketing side of racing a very unfortunate biproduct of the sport. Still, theres no denying the size of the biproduct. Hinchcliffe instead danced with Jenna Johnson. Her many credits include the current series Good Witch on the Hallmark Channel. The Mayor of Hinchtown is a two-time most popular driver in IndyCar and was a runner-up on the 2016 season of Dancing with the Stars. Hes a six-time IndyCar winner and started on the pole for the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016, a year after he was nearly killed in a crash at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. He went on to finish 13th in the season standings. The pair shared the track back in 2013 in the. Ward said the schedule was among the reasons that engineer Ryan Kelly chose to join Rossis car after multiple seasons in the NASCAR Cup Series. Dalton recently moved to Indianapolis with her cockapoo, "Lucy.". Schmidt, during a midweek media conference that made Hinchcliffes exit official and introduced Pato OWard and Oliver Askew as the teams drivers, said that he and his partner, Peterson, want to win the Indianapolis 500 and the series championship in that order. New hires have come from Fortune 500 companies, major brands and other professional sports an eclectic roster of past employers that includes Disney, SalesForce, the Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Rays, Republic Airways and Boeing Defense, Space & Security (to name a few). "Apparently, the way he tells the story, maybe I drove a little spiritedly on to the street and into the driveway," said Hinchcliffe. This copy is for your personal non-commercial use only. 2021James Hinchcliffe's father Jeremy Hinchcliffe hasdied, according to the follow. He raced next at the Beijing round, finishing fourth in the sprint race and 10th in the feature race which he could have won but for a team pitstop strategy error and then returned after two races out at the New Zealand round, where he finished sixth in both races. I think that it is very important to see that the company emphasizes bringing the right people in, and the right people are women.. He also added the adorable hashtag, "#BeckyGetsHinched.". "It was all these kind of freaky coincidences. Arrow McLaren was known as Schmidt Peterson Motorsports before McLaren Racing gradually became the majority owner in mid-2021. My hair cant blow in the wind! he bellows. James Hinchcliffe, one of IndyCar's most popular drivers, says he is stepping away from full-time racing in the series and will be an analyst for NBC Sports in 2022. Anyone can read Conversations, but to contribute, you should be a registered Torstar account holder. Kate Gundlach, a performance engineer at Arrow McLaren, was leafing through a sports car magazine a couple years ago when she stumbled upon a story about Grace Hackenberg, an Oregon-based racing engineer. Hinchcliffe sustained serious injuries in a crash caused by a suspension failure during practice for the 2015 Indianapolis 500, on May 18. John Percy Hinchcliffe 1888 - 1917. 1 Score given by guest judge Pitbull. They will pay him his salary (estimated in the neighbourhood of $500,000 U.S. a year) but to earn it he will have to go to the races and be in their hospitality unit and shake hands with people and talk about racing and be a personality. 2023 CIRCLE CITY BROADCASTING I, LLC. INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) By the time he was 12, he was going to be an IndyCar driver and there was no doubt in his mind whatsoever that he was going to make it, said Jeremy Hinchcliffe. Competing in the series allowed the driver to develop skills in performance that racing didn't offer, he said now, reflecting. It was a very mutually beneficial partnership.. Weve expanded our operations pretty significantly, she said. The rising stars in two different worlds of entertainment did not see or talk to each other after high school for almost 12 years. ET, NBCSN). James Hinchcliffe's birth sign is Sagittarius. So its a gut-wrenching decision, but we were faced with an opportunity to pick up these two young guns coming out of Indy Lights that already have 13, 14, 15 years worth of experience and it was just an opportunity that we couldnt pass up. "I'm not driving anymore, but calling all the Indy car races, calling all the sports car races in between," Hinchcliffe told PEOPLE. We needed to fill the car communicator role, and Alex was pretty happy with (Barnhart) previously, Ward said. Make "She thinks that it was much closer to the actual date," said Hinchcliffe during an interview in the basement of his home in Indianapolis. I knew it was going to be weird not having him at the track, so I wanted to do something to make sure he was with me every race, Hinchcliffe said. Gutted for my @GoDaddy boys. "It was just the most fun I've ever had.". "I don't think that's going to be a good idea for this one," he laughed. Whether its grabbing a badass mechanic out of World of Outlaws and introducing them to IndyCar. Over the past year, the team has received tens of thousands of resumes sometimes hundreds specifically for an open position while transforming its staff. Though rivals such as Penske, Ganassi and Andretti Autosport hold pretty tight to their total rewards packages, Scott said Arrow McLaren annually surveys its employees about benefits. We started from a team that had always been competitive and hungry to find the very last bit, and that is still the backbone here that came from the small, really hungry team. Though casting a wide recruitment net dovetails with McLarens progressive outlook, Ward said its also by necessity because for sure, the whole paddock has been in a fight to get the best people.. WATCH - Was IndyCar Driver James Hinchcliffe Nervous to Come Back After His Near-Fatal Crash? He debuted in the IndyCar Series in 2011, winning his first series race, the Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, in 2013. Its a big focus to get the McLaren brand out in the world and do good content, which I think were probably the leading team in that sense now. We still have time, he said. That is still here fueling this and educating all the new people coming in to continue that mentality. Maximizing and encouraging people to bring ideas to the table is so often overlooked in motorsports, Rossi said. Its a tough thing to win an IndyCar race. Hinchcliffe led much of the Firestone 600 later that year, only to finish second in a photo finish to Graham Rahal. Well, its easy to get the sense that Hinchcliffe would find a way to pull it off. This is simply our next fight. He was partnered with professional dancer Sharna Burgess. Her name is Rebecca Dalton, a Canadian actress. When you visit this site, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. Hinchcliffe, 35, spoke to PEOPLE about making the transition from the track to the broadcast booth, and how his successful stint on Dancing with the Stars helped him get there. Gracie is a rock star and can do anything, Gundlach said. With the explosive growth and importance of computer-based simulation in racing, theres as much emphasis on software engineering now as there once was on traditional mechanics. The engineering is growing more slowly but continuously. Its been a time of tremendous growth for the team, and most of that growth has come since the end of last season, Ward told NBC Sports as many of the new team members scurried past him with fresh parts and data during a break from preseason testing at The Thermal Club in Southern California last month.