Race day at the Honda Indy Markham

Sunday, August 16, 2026 is race day as the headliners from NTT IndyCar ramp it up during their afternoon speedfest through Markham. Around 12:30pm the green flag dropped and great news - there is no rain (stupid forecasts). UPDATE: WINNERS (1, 2 and 3) Marcus Ericsson, Romain Grosjean and Will Power.

Cars on their grid during the pit lane displays

Drivers were introduced to the crowd at 11:30am, then they headed to pit lane to await the instructions to start their engines.

Two cars are a little banged up and out of the race

See more photos after the jump.

Saturday at the Honda Indy Markham

Okay, Friday turned out to be a bit of a bust as the remaining track construction wiped out any chance to see some burning rubber on the first day of the three day event, but it will hopefully be completed by the start of Saturday's revised schedule for the second day of the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham. IndyCar driver Will Power, pictured above, scooters around the race site on Friday. Will is a three time winner of the Honda Indy in Toronto (2007, 2010 and 2016) and is racing car #26 as part of the Andretti Global team in this year's race.

Race promoters released a statement on their website at 8pm on August 14 regarding the cancelled track session on Friday;  "We greatly appreciate all the fans who made it out to the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham today and chose to spend the day with us. The attendance and support were
overwhelming. Ensuring the safety of the drivers and the completion of the certification process of
competing on a brand-new racetrack delayed all on-track activities today. Today’s sessions have been rescheduled to Saturday, August 15, to allow for further track preparations." OntarioIndy's instagram did actually say sorry, "We apologize for today’s on track delay. Thank you for a great turnout for Your Ontario Honda Dealers present Free Fan Friday benefiting @makeawish_canada. We hope to get race cars on track soon when it is appropriate to do so. In the meantime, please keep enjoying the activations and great food and beverage selections on site. We will provide an update when we have more information about the schedule." Online comments indicated displeasure with lack of communication so hopefully that will improve as well.

Gates open at 8:30am and while the Honda Indy's website schedule does not currently show it but there is a NASCAR practice and qualifying session to take place before the gates open - from 8:00 to 8:30am.

8:55 a.m. - 9:15 a.m. USF2000 Championship Practice
9:20 a.m. - 9:40 a.m. USF Pro 2000 Practice
10:05 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 1
11:55 a.m. - 12:35 p.m. Radical Cup Canada Practice
1:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. USF2000 Championship Race 1
1:35 p.m. - 2:05 p.m. USF Pro 2000 Race 1
2:30 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Practice 2
4:45 p.m. - 6:05 p.m. NASCAR Canada Series Race
6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. NTT INDYCAR SERIES Qualifying
After INDYCAR Qualifying The Glorious Sons Live in Concert

Pit lane

So all five race series will be on the track today and the excitement of qualifying will lead into three races; USF2000 at 1:00pm, USF Pro 2000 at 1:35pm and NASCAR Canada at 4:45pm, just before the IndyCar qualifying session. A race by the Radical Cup cars was dropped from the Saturday schedule to accommodate most of Friday's schedule into Saturday's compressed schedule.

Around the hairpin

General admission viewing

American chopper in the pits

IndyCar hitting the track

The cottage in Thunder Alley

Friday at the Honda Indy Markham

Fridays hit better when it's FREE Fan Friday at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham! Enter with a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish Canada, sit in a grandstand (for free) or find a general admission viewing, use a PRESTO card to see the IndyCar Paddock and visit the vendors in Thunder Alley. Friday Gates open at 8:30am and cars take to the track at 9am. Gates open Saturday are also at 8:30am while on Sunday they open earlier at 8:00am.

UPDATE: All Friday track action has been moved into Saturday as track construction has not been completed.

Today also has the NTT IndyCar driver autograph session from 12:30 to 1:30pm in the Pan Am Centre. Go early because there are always giant lineups to meet the stars of IndyCar. Track practice and qualifications are almost continuous all day with only a half hour break between sessions. Later in the afternoon IndyCar begins their first practice (3:05 to 4:30pm) followed by NASCAR practice and qualifying (5:00 to 6pm).

The track is quite different than the Toronto setup; Pit Lane is split into two parallel set of pit boxes with the roadway running between them. Turn-5 with its sharp hairpin 180 degree turn will have plenty of action as the cars coming out head into the fastest section of the track. Thunder Alley has less room to spread out than found in Exhibition Place so it might get a little tight in the space. Three corners have run-off sections to contain cars that don't successfully make the 90 or 180 degree turns (Turns 5, 6 and 7). I think the best general admission viewing areas are along Enterprise Boulevard as the road dips under the rail line and bridge and the asphalt curves slightly. 

August 14 ends with Ride the Track where you can ride your bicycles around the track in support of The Children's Breakfast Clubs. The event takes place after the race cars have finished for the day and the bikes take over from 6:30 to 8:00pm.

First day jitters as the planned first race practice, scheduled for 9am, and everything that follows has been deferred. It looks like the track safety apparatus is still being completed. It's almost 4 hours from the planned start and there are still no cars on the track. We have heard that they are still on track for the 3:05pm NTT IndyCar Series first practice. Oops, moved from 6:00 to 7:30pm.

See more photos from Friday after the jump. Hopefully Saturday will go a little better.

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham starts tomorrow

It's the last day before the cars take the track at the Honda Indy at Markham 2026 race and finishing touches have been ongoing as time for preparations quickly runs out. Pedestrian bridges were being completed and advertising banners were starting to be placed as the race festival weekend runs from runs August 14-16.

The Toronto Marriott Markham has an IndyCar near the entrance. Fitting as they were the place to get media credentials for the race and they are just a short walk from the track. This is the 38th edition of the race festival and first for the City of Markham as they moved from Toronto.

Looking towards the hairpin at Turn-5 on the west side of the site.

There are five race series taking part in 2026; NTT IndyCar Series, NASCAR Canada Series, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire, USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire and Emzone Radical Cup Canada Presented by Michelin.

IndyCar is of course the premier series taking part throughout the weekend with practices, qualifying with their headlining race on Sunday. NASCAR Canada is our version of the famous stockcar series south of the border and their headlining race is Saturday. Friday is full of practice and/or qualifications for most of the series along with an IndyCar driver autograph session at 12:30pm.

Two of the four IndyCar feeder series will be here (USF2000 and USF Pro 2000) while the Indy NXT, the top feeder for drivers, is sitting it out for the next few weeks.

 

The area is booming and there are a lot of condos under construction near the track. Like Toronto there is a GO station leading into the site (Unionville GO), twelve turns instead of eleven and with a longer track (3.52km to Toronto's 2.87km).

FREE Fan Friday is back on, get into the site with a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish Canada and sit in the grandstands or along the General Admission viewing sections and watch the action on the track. You can also tour the site, check out the paddocks (with a PRESTO Pass) and wander through Thunder Alley.

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy 2026 at Markham starts in 1 week

The 'Roar by the Lakeshore' is now 'Rolling Thunder in Unionville' as the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Markham departs Exhibition Place in Toronto for the City of Markham. For 2026, race weekend is August 14 to 16, the first of the current five year contract. FIFA, transit line construction and CNE prep got in the way of Toronto's long run of hosting the Indy and so Markham stepped up and took over the annual high-speed racing weekend.

From the race's website, "The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham festival features world-class racing, international food, beer gardens, live entertainment and activities with lots to see and do for families and festival-goers of all ages. The on-track action for the 38th edition of this Ontario summer festival moving to Downtown Markham for the first time in 2026 features the NTT INDYCAR SERIES. Additional races from the NASCAR Canada Series, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire, USF2000 Presented by Continental Tire, and Emzone Radical Cup Canada presented by Michelin round out a jam-packed weekend."

A new temporary street course has been built in Downtown Markham, north-east of Highways 407 and 404, right beside the Unionville GO station and near the YMCA and Pan Am Centre. Owners Kim Green and Kevin Savoree of Green Savoree Racing Promotions have constructed a 3.52-kilometre circuit featuring 12 turns (four left and eight right turns), running clockwise through city streets.

Markham features the only 2026 international race in the NTT IndyCar Series. This is 14 of 18 IndyCar races scheduled this year and Sunday's headline event will be a 90-lap, 317km high speed battle beginning with opening ceremonies and driver introductions at 11:30am followed by the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy race starting at 12:22pm.

The entire weekend is chock full of practice, qualifications and racing, mixed with entertainment, driver autographs along with a food and beverage festival. The tradition of Free Fan Fridays sponsored by Ontario Honda Dealers continues in Markham with entrance via a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish® Canada. Saturday's headline is the NASCAR Canada Series Race followed by The Glorious Sons Live in Concert.

Entrances are near the Unionville GO Station or on the north side of the site near the Pan Am Centre, you can see the 2026 race map at the top of this post, or on their website. Visit Thunder Alley, the paddocks or buy Grandstand, Trackside Suites or General Admission tickets for one or for multiple days. The best travel option is via the the Stouffville Train line to the Unionville GO Station.

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham 2026 tickets now on sale

When one track closes, another opens. Ticket sales have started for the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham race, coming soon to a town near you, especially if you live in the GTA. You can now buy 2-Day Reserved Grandstand or General Admission along with pit and paddock access tickets for the August 14-16 racing event. Free Fan Friday returns for the Markham race with entrance courtesy of a voluntary donation to Make-A-Wish Canada and sponsored by the Ontario Honda Dealers Association.

“It’s an exciting day to be opening up public ticket sales for the inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham," said Jeff Atkinson, president of the event. “This new venue in Downtown Markham will offer expanded sightlines across multiple grandstand locations around the 12-turn track. Some great general admission vantage points are also in store for fans. We cannot wait to welcome everyone to this new festival site on August 14th!”

The temporary street course is a 12-turn, 3.52km winding through the downtown streets of Markham. The race festival also comes with food trucks, displays, activities and other attractions. Eight races will take place during Race weekend from a number of race series, including NASCAR Canada Series, USF Pro 2000 Presented by Continental Tire, the USF2000 Championship Presented by Continental Tire, and the Emzone Radical Cup Canada presented by Michelin.

There are four grandstand locations along with a number of general admission areas, perfect for viewing the new home for the only Canadian race "for the world’s fastest race car drivers from the NTT INDYCAR SERIES".

Ontario Fall Fairs 2025

As the foliage starts to change colours the fun of fall fairs return as destinations that help to unite communities and get the stuffed toy and goldfish in a bowl distribution system going into high gear. While the Canadian National Exhibition has finished for the 2025 the local, small town fairs are putting in stakes and setting up rides even as we speak.

Of course the bookmark of the season is Toronto's Royal Agricultural Winter Fair and Royal Horse Show which also takes place in Exhibition Place November 7-16, 2025.

You can look up local Ontario Fairs at a few sites including the following.

Destination Ontario

Ontario Association of Agricultural Societies

To Do Ontario

2026 IndyCar schedule including Canada's relocated race

After an exciting IndyCar 2025 Season, which just wrapped up with the news that Toronto's Indy race will move to Markham in August 2026, the race org has released the whole 2026 schedule to the world. The new season will come with 17 races the the only race outside of the United States when it heads to the GTA's new course location. Speaking of 2025 it seems that the winner of Toronto, Pato O'Ward, finished second in the Championship standings after Champion Alex Palou.

Indy's website says, "NTT INDYCAR SERIES returns to Canada to race on the new Streets of Markham layout Sunday, Aug. 16. Recently announced, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham continues the series’ rich history of exciting wheel-to-wheel racing in the Toronto area. Major investments from the city are creating a 12-turn, 2.19-mile layout, which will include a double-sided pit lane, a high-speed straight and technically challenging sectors. Markham, as part of the young and diverse York Region of Ontario, is experiencing significant growth at a population of more than 1.25 million. The 2026 race will mark the 38th year the series has competed in Ontario and 40th INDYCAR SERIES race in the province."

Here is the 2026 schedule:

Sunday, March 1 - Streets of St. Petersburg
Saturday, March 7 - Phoenix Raceway
Sunday, March 15 - Streets of Arlington
Sunday, March 29 - Barber Motorsports Park
Sunday, April 19 - Streets of Long Beach
Saturday, May 9 - Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course
Sunday, May 24 - The 110th Indianapolis 500
Sunday, May 31 - Streets of Detroit
Sunday, June 7 - World Wide Technology Raceway
Sunday, June 21 - Road America
Sunday, July 5 - Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course
Sunday, July 19 - Nashville Superspeedway
Sunday, Aug. 9 - Portland International Raceway
Sunday, Aug. 16 - Streets of Markham, Canada
Saturday, Aug. 29 - Milwaukee Mile Race 1
Sunday, Aug. 30 - Milwaukee Mile Race 2
Sunday, Sept. 6 - WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca

Toronto area fall colours 2025

It's early September and the salmon have started their swim upstream and the cool nights have heralded the start of Autumn colours in Ontario. At this point there is about 0 to 10 percent leaf colour change throughout the province and it is estimated that colours will be changing early due to the warm, dry summer we just had, combined with the lowering temperatures experienced since mid-August when summer seemed to suddenly end. The photo at top shows colours from a previous fall in the GTA.

Officially summer continues until September 22, 2025 (at 2:19pm) when the fall equinox ushers in Autumn. The colours typically peak from the end of September into mid-October and you can track the southward migration of peak fall foliage on this Ontario Parks website or this ToDo Ontario Fall Colour Report website.

At this time (September 11) the GTA is starting to experience the occasional tree experiencing colour change as the rest of the overall forest average change is very low, but as we approach the end of September that will change very rapidly.

You can find some of your own locations with great views along hills, parks, near bodies of water and sometimes along winding roads. Some of the best places to see fall colours in the GTA include the following locations.

CN Tower gives a great overhead view

High Park

Scarborough Bluffs

Riverdale Park

Don Valley Trail

Rouge National Urban Park

Cheltenham Badlands

Spencer Gorge and Dundas Peak

Update: October 21, 2025 and peak colours seem to be breaking out everywhere and the leaves have just started falling like a winter snowfall.

Looking down towards the GTA from the escarpment

Ontario Honda Dealers Indy race moves out of Toronto

Wow, that's big news for the Canadian racing scene as the former IndyCar Toronto race in Exhibition Place will be moved to the City of Markham, beginning in 2026 for a period of 5 years. Moving made sense with the planned construction taking place in and around Exhibition Place along with the impact from the 2026 FIFA soccer games that will be held in Toronto and the lack of multi-year contracts with the City of Toronto. If they cancelled one year in Toronto, the event may not recover sponsors, attendance or fan interest, so keep it going somewhere close. So now it is known as the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Markham.

Rumours of moving to Downsview airport were going around along with the problems of moving to Canadian Tire Motorsports Park in Bowmanville. But going around the streets of Markam Centre in the city's downtown core near Kennedy and Highway 401 (northeast of Toronto, see draft track at top) was kind of a surprise but at least it is in the GTA. And instead of the usual July race, the 2026 version will be held August 14-16.

"We are excited to welcome the exhilarating experience of INDYCAR SERIES racing hitting our streets in 2026," said Markham Mayor Frank Scarpitti. “We are proud to welcome this world-class event to our community. I want to thank Green Savoree Toronto, Penske Entertainment Corp., NTT INDYCAR SERIES, the Ontario Honda Dealers Association and the Province of Ontario for their trust in our city. Markham is ready to build on its strong sports legacy and offer a new home where this celebrated summer tradition can thrive. I am extremely proud of our team at the City of Markham for bringing this initiative across the finish line in just a matter of months."

From the race organizer's, "The temporary track will be built in the eastern precinct of Markham’s downtown, between Kennedy Road, Enterprise Boulevard, Unionville GO tracks and Highway 407. Renowned track designer Tony Cotman of NZR Consulting has led the design process of the temporary circuit which features a 12-turn, 3.52-kilometre (2.19-mile) layout including a double-sided pit lane, thrilling straightaways and technically challenging sectors. The City of Markham has begun early works on the track and festival site in coordination with Metrolinx and other area partners."

Thundersnow to gorgeous spring day

The evil Thundersnow hit the GTA hard Wednesday, then the next day temps went all the way up to 20 degrees Celsius. Now the weather forecasts are calling for a lot more rain over the weekend followed by more snow possibly for Monday, April 7, 2025.

So the lesson is when it actually gets sunny out and the temps are comfortable, get out there and enjoy nature. And we went waterfall chasing and found Hilton Falls in Milton with the rain and melted snow from the storm sending the creek into overdrive.

Pretty badlands in Caledon

The hills that were wild and free, then fenced and barred from visitation, now the exposed soil can be visited, if you have the money. Known as the Caledon or Cheltenham Badlands, the site is along Olde Base Line Road (1739) northwest of Toronto and the cost of entry is per car. A 90 minute visit during the week (dusk to dawn) is $10 while a weekend or holiday visit is $20 and reservations are required.

What makes the hill special is that livestock stripped the hills cover and left the dirt exposed. The dirt was then eroded by the rain and left a spiderweb of small gullies and rounded mounds, or hummocks, of reddish brown clay, streaked with grey shale - all of it is Queenston Shale.

It's beautiful on the Bruce Trail heading towards the badlands

@jmhcet Fall in the #gta is better when you are at the #cheltenhambadlands in #caledon. #badlands #erosion #fall #autumn ♬ sonido original - sing this song - power_ballads&more

I bought a ticket for a weekday because weekends in Autumn are way too busy. And this was the first time I kept off the road (250m) and took the Bruce Trail route (320m) in through the forest and up to the viewing stand. The trail is a bit up and a bit down and in rain will become a little slippery, so be careful.