What to know
- The inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in Markham cancelled its Friday track activity after the new 12-turn street circuit had not yet received its required safety certification.
- Organizers said the decision was made to prioritize driver safety and complete certification.
- The cancelled activities were moved to Saturday, creating a packed schedule that included IndyCar practice in the morning followed by qualifying in the afternoon. The first scheduled race, USF2000 Race 1, remained at 8:50 a.m.
- The event moved from Toronto’s Exhibition Place, where it had been held since 1986, to a temporary 3.52-km circuit around Markham Centre as part of a new five-year agreement. The Indy is scheduled to continue through Sunday, Aug. 16.
The inaugural Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in Markham saw a delayed start after organizers cancelled all scheduled track activity on Friday, as the new street circuit awaited completion of its safety certification process.
Free Fan Friday went ahead, but spectators waiting to see the cars take to the newly resurfaced circuit were left without any expected track practice, with Friday’s scheduled sessions instead moved to Saturday.
In an announcement on Friday, organizers said that despite a successful Free Fan Friday, which had many fans waiting for practice runs to begin, no cars were able to race down the newly resurfaced track.
They said the decision was made to ensure “the safety of the drivers and completion of the certification process” for the new circuit.
“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 organizers stated in part.
Friday’s scheduled sessions were moved to Saturday, creating a condensed lineup of practice and qualifying on the racetrack.
The NTT IndyCar Series was scheduled to practice Saturday morning before qualifying later that afternoon, according to the official event schedule.
Friday’s cancellation also meant fans who had arrived and waited for the event’s Free Fan Friday were left with no track action.
The race’s cancellations and final preparations came after the long-running event was moved from its original location at Exhibition Place in Toronto.
The move was north to downtown Markham Centre as part of a five-year agreement that began this year, taking place on a temporary 12-turn, 3.52-kilometre street circuit that rounds the Unionville GO Station, the Markham Pan Am Centre and York University’s Markham campus.
Originally, the Indy has run consistently at Exhibition Place since 1986, only having been cancelled twice during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The City of Markham said it’s responsible for ensuring the roads are safe enough for racing ahead of the event, while Green Savoree Toronto ULC is the operator responsible for organizing it.
The first race on Saturday remained unchanged, with the USF2000 Race 1 underway at 8:50 a.m. The new additions brought Friday’s first practice race over, with the IndyCar Practice 2 at 10:05 a.m.
On-site fan reaction
Following Friday’s disappointing outcome, fans took to social media to share their frustrations.
“There is no sight of ANY Indy cars, couldn’t access the paddock or pit area, no sign of any drivers present. And worse of all, they just cancelled the practice laps, something people have been sitting here for all afternoon,” one Reddit user expressed. “What an embarrassing start to Markham Indy.”
Other fans who were on-site agreed, saying the event felt unorganized in the new location.
“The fest area was a disaster; everything closes at 5. Feels like the whole event was thrown together in a day,” another fan wrote.
With some fans having cleared plans for the day to attend, the outcome was not welcomed.
“I took a vacation day for this and got rinsed $80 on lunch. I paid to sit in the sun for 5 hours doing nothing. Amazing,” one fan on Reddit said.
“Took the day off to sit in the sun, baking and waiting to hear it’s cancelled… I just wanted to see the cars and drivers, but it was a waste of time,” another shared. “I was optimistic at first- lots of space and parking, but the experience wasn’t accessible and was poorly organized. I’m not paying for tickets for this nonsense.”
“I almost passed out from heat stroke, and not a single racing car in sight the entire time we were there (noon to almost 5 pm). And the practice race moved to 6, and the shuttle buses stop running at 6:30; what a joke,” another fan shared.
Overall, the turbulent day for fans seemed to be a disappointing one.
The Ontario Honda Dealers Indy is scheduled to run through Sunday, Aug. 16.
