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The Honda Indy is back in action this weekend, with a new location that promises fun for the fans and unpredictability on the track.
After decades of the Roar by the Lakeshore, the Indy is moving north to Markham. A street circuit has been built around the Markham Pan Am Centre and York University Markham campus, which will be just as new to the drivers as it will be to the fans.
Events schedule
Things get started with the return of Free Fan Friday on Aug. 14. With a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish Canada, fans get access to the grounds where a number of other racing series will be running practice and qualifying sessions.
Off-track entertainment will also be in full gear, with an autograph session with Indycar drivers slated for 12:30 p.m. at the Pan Am Centre.
On Saturday, qualifying for the big race will take place from 2:25-4 p.m. This process sets the order in which the cars will start on Sunday. After qualifying, NASCAR’s Canada Series will take over the track, followed by a concert from Kingston country music group The Glorious Sons.
Sunday is race day, with driver introductions starting at 11:30 a.m. The green flag flies roughly an hour later at exactly 12:22 p.m. The cars will do 90 laps before one driver will take the checkered flag.
How to get there
Event organizers are urging race fans to take the GO train. Unionville GO Station is just steps away from the track, and Metrolinx is stepping up service on the Stouffville Line in accordance with the big event.
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, three additional trains will travel from Union Station to Unionville GO in the morning, and then back again in afternoon and early evening. Exact times for those trips can be found on the GO Transit website.
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Parking is available near the track, with the largest lots located to the west of the event space off of Enterprise Boulevard.
Honda Indy Markham festival map.
Honda Indy Markham
What it means for Markham
The Honda Indy made its home at Toronto’s Exhibition Grounds for nearly 40 years. So, it came as quite a surprise when Indycar announced the move to Markham, an as-yet untested host for auto racing.
Frank Scarpitti has been the mayor of Markham since 2006 and was integral in bringing the race to the city. “This is our moment to shine,” he said. “We’re extremely honoured to host this world-class event.”
Scarpitti says talks between Indycar and the city of Markham about relocating the Honda Indy began in January 2025. By July, the deal was done.
“When we made the announcement, many people in our own community asked ‘is this real? Is the Indy actually coming to the city of Markham?’” Scarpitti said.
“I don’t think any [other] city in Canada could have pulled off getting this agreement.”
One of Scarpitti’s stipulations was that Indycar had to make a long-term commitment to Markham. “The Indy race was looking for a new home, and one of the things we made very clear is if we were going to make the investment in the infrastructure, we needed them to come to the city of Markham for five years,” he said.
Since inking the five-year deal, Scarpitti said Indycar executives have indicated that they are looking to stay in Markham for the long haul.
Mayor Scarpitti estimates this weekend will generate $50 million in economic activity. “All the municipalities in York Region are benefitting from this in one way or another,” he said. “We don’t have enough hotels in the city of Markham, so that means all the other communities in York Region will see benefits.
“Restaurants, even in the north end of Toronto, places like Scarborough and North York will see the benefit of having the race in the city of Markham.”
One of the sticking points for many Toronto residents was the sheer volume of the race, which rattled windows in Liberty Village all weekend long.
“The benefits to our community far outweigh some of the disruption,” Scarpitti said. “The disruption is temporary, but the impact is going to go on for many years to come.”
Drivers still figuring out approach for new track
Kyffin Simpson is one of Indycar’s rising stars. The 21-year-old is entering his third season in the sport, and said he’s logged long hours on his racing simulator in an attempt to try and decipher the brand new track.
“It seems like it’s gonna be tricky,” Simpson said. “It looks like a technical track which isn’t usually my kind of track, but I love all sorts of challenges.”
Simpson added the layout might lend itself to some gambles.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what the passing opportunities are like,” he said. “It looks like it’s going to be difficult to pass, but you might just have some big sends in the race.”
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