War on Cars Claims Victim: HONDA INDY TORONTO

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The key to Formula 1’s recent expansion into the United States was ‘destination races’ rather than just revisiting old race tracks.

Locations like Miami were already popular tourist destinations, but combining top-tier motorsport with a glamorous city like that creates an unbeatable fan experience. Seeing race cars speed past Las Vegas landmarks is breathtaking and has made the Las Vegas Grand Prix a “can’t miss” event on the calendar after only two years.

There are even some events such as the iconic Monaco Grand Prix which can actually be boring, processional races on narrow city streets. But by combining world-class motorsport with luxury lifestyle and vibrant nightlife, the event has transcended racing.

Canadian brewery Molson’s understood this ‘destination’ idea as far back as 1985, and proposed an IndyCar race in downtown Toronto centered around Exhibition Place with its historic Princes’ Gates, shimmering lakeside straight, iconic CN Tower in the background, and inside Exhibition Stadium for the start-finish line with fans in the baseball bleachers. The race was sarcastically called the most expensive beer commercial in the world by naysayers, but it presented Toronto as a world-class city, shaking off it’s backwoods image. The IndyCar race put Toronto on the global map; a destination.

The Indy Toronto race has lasted for 40 years, with various title sponsors, because it’s part of Toronto in the summer. The city buzzes with street festivals, sporting events, concerts and outdoor activities. Exhibition Place is completely transit accessible, and within walking distance of the vibrant King West area with its nightlife, dance clubs, and restaurants. The Indy Toronto is the marquee event of summer, bringing in 140,000-150,000 spectators and generating massive economic benefit for the Greater Toronto Area. While the race is sometimes exciting, the event itself is never disappointing.

For 2026, the Indy Toronto was in a scheduling conflict with some World Cup soccer games to be played at BMO Field, within Exhibition Place. Rather than changing the date, Green Savoree Racing Promotions looked at alternative venues. Historic racetrack Mosport was considered, as was a temporary circuit at the 572 acre Downsview Park, a former military airfield in central Toronto. Instead, during a press conference this week it was announced that the historic Indy Toronto would move out of town to a suburban office park hellscape.

Words don’t adequately explain how much of a downgrade the town of Markham is from the Toronto skyline and historic location at Exhibition Place. Markham isn’t a destination; it’s a cultureless, soulless, suburb with nothing to offer other than adequate parking. The big events in Markham are an agricultural fair, and ‘vibrant nightlife’ is limited to strip malls.

The race track in Markham, which doesn’t exist, is supposed to be ready in one year, and Canadian winter will eat up a quarter of that timeline. The location is the space between a GO Train station, York University campus, the YMCA building, and Hwy 407. There are no landmarks, there is no skyline, just office buildings and parking lots. Some claim that top-level motorsports today are mostly a vehicle for B2B companies to advertise to each other, and allow their executives to mingle, rather than creating a fan-focused event. Just look at what a disaster the IndyCar race at the Thermal Club was last year. A private club hosting a race preventing ‘non-member’ spectators was completely exclusionary and not inclusive at all.

Some racing series bank on street circuits in downtown cores to bring world-class racing to the people. Yet, street circuit races are volatile and prone to being eliminated from schedules because of local government upheaval. Just look at Toronto city council this year, which didn’t ‘approve’ the July scheduled IndyCar race until March. Tickets went on sale late, race fans became skeptical, and it impacted attendance. That’s not support.

The conflict with the the World Cup events was just an excuse to eliminate a race that an anti-car city hall wanted gone years ago replaced by dog parks, and yoga-fests. The city’s refusal to invest in the race by repaving the notoriously bumpy surface, or providing an alternative pit road after Hotel X ate up much of the final corner and pit lane. Those factors ultimately led to this situation where IndyCar and the promoters had no choice but to look elsewhere. In doing so, Toronto has lost an incredibly popular race and historic event which has been a staple of the city’s summer vibe for decades.

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