Honda Canada raises money at Indy Race events in support of Wounded Warriors.ca

    Paul Tracy Sponsored by Ontario and Edmonton Area Honda Dealers Who
    Donated Their Sponsorship Signage to Wounded Warriors.ca

    EDMONTON, July 26 /CNW/ - Honda Canada today presented a cheque, prior to
the start of the Rexall Edmonton Indy, in the amount of $56,021 to Wounded
Warriors.ca from donations collected at the Honda Indy Toronto and the Rexall
Edmonton Indy this month. On hand for the cheque presentation was Canadian
race driver Paul Tracy who wore the Wounded Warriors.ca logo on his race suit
and the side pods of his KV Racing Technology race car.
    The donations from race fans in Toronto and Edmonton were matched dollar
for dollar by Honda Canada. Wounded Warriors.ca is an all-volunteer,
not-for-profit charity that assists Canadian troops wounded overseas through a
variety of ways and programs. To date, more than $400,000 has been raised by
Wounded Warriors.ca in their effort to support injured Canadian soldiers.
    "We're pleased to match the monies raised by Canada's race fans for
Wounded Warriors.ca," said Jerry Chenkin, executive vice president, Honda
Canada Inc. "We wanted to show our support for the courageous Canadian
soldiers serving overseas, and to support the Wounded Warriors.ca cause to
help fund their many programs assisting our injured soldiers and their
families."
    Paul Tracy was sponsored at the Honda Indy Toronto by the Ontario Honda
Dealers Association and was sponsored at the Rexall Edmonton Indy by the
Edmonton Area Honda Dealers Association. The dealers donated the prime space
on the sides of the race car and Paul Tracy's race suit so that the Wounded
Warriors.ca logo would be prominently displayed.
    Tracy, the 2003 Champ Car World Series champion, is one of the most
successful and exciting drivers in the history of open-wheel racing. The
native of Scarborough, Ontario, raced the No.15 Honda Dealers - Wounded
Warriors.ca - KV Racing Technology Honda/Dallara/Firestone car in both Toronto
and Edmonton.
    "To represent Wounded Warriors.ca has been an incredible honour for me,"
said Canadian IndyCar driver Paul Tracy. "I sincerely thank Honda's dealers in
Ontario and the Edmonton area for supporting me in the two Canadian races, and
applaud them for generously offering their dominant sponsorship placement on
my race suit and car to Wounded Warriors.ca. My hat's off to Honda Canada and
its dealers for being world-class corporate citizens."
    Donations were raised through various activities in Toronto and Edmonton,
such as a tire change competition and the opportunity to sign Paul's race suit
with a donation to Wounded Warriors.ca.
    Captain George W. Johnston, president and founder of Wounded
Warriors.ca., said, "It really is an honour for Wounded Warriors.ca to be
selected by Honda's dealers as the charity of choice for the Honda Indy
Toronto and Rexall Edmonton Indy. This, combined with the support of a true
Canadian icon and hero, Paul Tracy, has been particularly exciting. The
dollars raised in Toronto and Edmonton, and matched by Honda Canada, will go a
long way to help our wounded heroes.
    "While the medical care that our military members receive is second to
none, when you're wounded and away from home, a little bit of Canada goes a
long way in the healing process. This is where the work of Wounded Warriors.ca
begins. We facilitate the funding of programs that assist military members
suffering from both visible and non-visible wounds."

    About Wounded Warriors.ca:

    Wounded Warriors.ca is an independent not-for-profit charity that
supports Canadian soldiers wounded overseas. It is primarily a fundraising
mechanism that supports existing programs that tend to soldiers. Wounded
Warriors.ca recognizes the priority to treat visible and non-visible injuries,
like that of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. In three years, Wounded
Warriors.ca has raised more than $400,000 and, as an all-volunteer
organization, is able to keep its administration costs well below 5 per cent.
The health of this fund is a credit to the benevolence of Canadian
corporations and citizens alike.

    About KV Racing Technology:

    KV Racing Technology was established in 2003. The Indianapolis-based team
is contesting its seventh open-wheel season and second in the IndyCar Series
in 2009. KVRT is owned by successful venture capitalist Kevin Kalkhoven and
1996 Series Champion, Jimmy Vasser. Veteran motorsports manager Mark Johnson
is the team's General Manager. KVRT has earned two victories the first by
Cristiano da Matta in Portland in 2005 and the second by Will Power at Long
Beach in 2008. They have captured two poles, Tristan Gommendy at Mont
Tremblant in 2007 and Vasser at Milwaukee in 2005 (Will Power captured the
pole at the 2008 Surfers Paradise, Australia exhibition race).

    /NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available on
    the CNW Photo Network and archived at http://photos.newswire.ca.
    Additional archived images are also available on the CNW Photo Archive
    website at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited
    members of the media/

For further information: Richard Jacobs, (416) 543-6593