Ontario Honda Dealers Indy; on my birthday!!

I can vouch personally for the reliability, durability and dependability of a Honda vehicle, having owned one myself.  

Today if it's a Honda, I am looking at a "no fuel", "self recharging" Honda Prologue.  But let's talk about the Indy this weekend. 

The first-ever Ontario Honda Dealers Indy at Markham took place over the weekend of August 14-16, 2026, with Marcus Ericsson crowned the overall winner.. [1, 2, 3]

This historic race marks the official relocation of the Toronto Grand Prix (previously held at Exhibition Place since 1986) to downtown Markham, Ontario, as part of an initial 5-year agreement. [1, 2]

Event summary and results

The inaugural race on the Markham Centre street circuit resulted in a chaotic and spectacular event: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

• Winner: Swedish driver Marcus Ericsson (Andretti Global) took the victory, breaking a drought of 63 races without success. [1, 2]
• Podium: Romain Grosjean finished in 2nd place, followed by veteran Will Power in 3rd. Championship leader Alex Palou finished 4th. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• High retirement rate: The track proved particularly unforgiving. Of the 25 cars that started, only 14 crossed the finish line (11 retirements), resulting in 6 safety car periods. Among those who fell victim to the wall were pole-sitter Louis Foster, as well as Kyle Kirkwood and Mick Schumacher. [1, 2, 3]

Details of the new Markham Centre circuit

The temporary route has unique technical characteristics: [1, 2]

• Length and configuration: A 3.52 km (2.19 mile) urban circuit with 12 turns .
• Special feature: It is distinguished by a very unusual double-sided stand design.
• Streets used: The route uses portions of major arteries such as Enterprise Boulevard, Kennedy Road, YMCA Boulevard, University Boulevard and South Unionville Boulevard. [1, 2, 3]

A hectic start to the weekend

The inauguration was anything but smooth. All of Friday's track sessions had to be cancelled because the newly completed circuit had not yet received its final safety certification. Organizers condensed the entire practice and qualifying program into a single day, Saturday, to allow the race to take place on Sunday. [1, 2]