TORONTO, ON, July 14, 2014 – Organizers of the 2014 Honda Indy Toronto have announced that Ryan Merchant and Sebu Simonia of Capital Cities and Tim Warmels, the new bachelor for Season 2 of The Bachelor Canada, will serve as the Grand Marshals for the festival, taking place July 18-20.

The Capital Cities duo along with Ontario-native Warmels will perform the standard Grand Marshal duties, which include giving the famous “drivers, start your engines” command to start the afternoon races: Warmels on Saturday, July 19 and the indie pop duo on Sunday, July 20.

"We are honoured to have Capital Cities and Tim Warmels as the grand marshals for our event," said Charlie Johnstone, President of the Honda Indy Toronto. "Each member of talent our roster enjoys international recognition and respect, and we are thrilled to have them involved in Ontario's largest sporting event to make the famous call."

Taking centre stage at the Honda Indy Toronto to sing the Canadian national anthem on Saturday, July 19 will be Toronto native and three-time MMVA winner, Danny Fernandes. His chart-topping 2008 debut Intro and its follow-up, 2010’s AutomaticLUV, generated thirteen MMVA nominations and three wins, along with five #1 MuchMusic videos. To sing the American national anthem on the Saturday will be Canadian Jazz singer Barbra Lica, who in 2012 released her debut album titled That's What I Do and was the 1st runner-up at the 2013 Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Competition in the United States.

Gracing the stage on Sunday, July 20 to sing both the national anthems will be Douglas Tranquada, who has been a long-time part of Toronto's local opera scene with Opera Mississauga, Opera York, Opera Kitchener, Toronto Operetta Theater, internationally renowned Tafelmusik Baroque Chamber Choir and has had many collaborative efforts with the McMaster University Choir and orchestra under Philip Sarabura. Fans may recognize Tranquada as he has sung many anthems for the Toronto Maple Leafs, Toronto Blue Jays, Toronto Raptors, and Toronto Rock. He is also a member of the accapella singing group The Mistletones. 

The ceremonial parade laps for the races will have a healthy dose of Canadian hockey pride with appearances from Nazem Kadri from the Toronto Maple Leafs along with Natalie Spooner and Meaghan Mikkelson from the Women's Canadian Olympic Hockey Team, who are also current competitors on The Amazing Race Canada.

“The ceremonies before each race are an important piece in staging a memorable event for our fans,” said Johnstone. “We are excited to have such a great roster of talent this year as they play such an important role in firing up the energy and excitement for the races.”

Opening ceremonies for the Verizon IndyCar Series races will begin at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Tickets to the 2014 Honda Indy Toronto are available online at hondaindy.com/tickets or by phone at 1-877-503-6869 and can also be purchased on site at Exhibition Place during the event weekend.

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