Exhibition Place Street Circuit (Honda Indy Toronto)
Exhibition Place Street Circuit (Honda Indy Toronto) at a glance
- Location
- Toronto, Ontario
- Type
- historic circuit (defunct)
- Length
- 2.824 km (1.755 mi)
- Turns
- 11
- Direction
- clockwise
- Surface
- asphalt and concrete
- Opened
- 1986
- Owner
- Exhibition Place / City of Toronto
- Capacity
- 73,000
- Website
- explace.on.ca
Track map and layout
The Exhibition Place street circuit, best known to fans as the Streets of Toronto or Honda Indy Toronto, ran on local roads through and around the Exhibition Place grounds on the shore of Lake Ontario, just west of downtown. The temporary track combined tight, low-speed corners around the exhibition buildings with a longer run along Lake Shore Boulevard, giving it a distinctive stop-start rhythm typical of North American street circuits. The layout was tweaked between its 1986 debut configuration and the 1996 revision that stood until the track's final race, but the fundamental character, tight and bumpy with concrete walls close to the racing line, stayed consistent for nearly four decades. As a temporary circuit, none of the track surface survives as a dedicated racing facility; the roads are normal public streets and parkland roadways when not closed for an event.
Configurations
| Layout | Length | Used for |
|---|---|---|
| 1986-1995 configuration | 2.87 km | original layout used for the circuit's first decade |
| 1996-2025 configuration | 2.82 km | revised layout used from 1996 until the final IndyCar race in 2025 |
Events and race weekends
The circuit hosted top-level open-wheel racing annually in July from 1986 through 2025, running under a series of names including the Molson Indy Toronto, Honda Indy Toronto and, most recently, the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. IndyCar (and its CART-era predecessor) was the headline series throughout, supported over the years by Indy NXT, the NASCAR Canada Series and various domestic championships. The 2025 event was the final race held at the venue.
Getting there and parking
Exhibition Place sits on Lake Shore Boulevard just west of downtown Toronto, well served by the city's TTC streetcar network even though the circuit no longer hosts racing. The grounds remain an active event and exhibition venue, so the same transit routes fans used for Indy weekend still apply for other events held there.
- Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) · about 30 min drive
- Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport (YTZ) · about 10 min drive
Parking
Event parking at Exhibition Place is normally available with a pass at nearby lots such as Medieval Times and Ontario Place; when the grounds are not hosting a ticketed event, general public parking applies.
Use the TTC streetcar or GO train to Exhibition rather than driving, since parking directly at the grounds has always been limited and pass-controlled during events.
Hotels and camping near Exhibition Place Street Circuit (Honda Indy Toronto)
Visitors to Exhibition Place typically stayed in downtown Toronto, a short streetcar ride away, rather than immediately around the grounds, which are largely parkland and exhibition facilities rather than a hotel district.
Where to look
Downtown Toronto, the Entertainment District and Liberty Village are the closest hotel bases, all a short TTC ride from Exhibition Place.
Track days, driving experiences and lap records
There is no public track-day access to the former circuit; the roads used for racing are ordinary Exhibition Place and City of Toronto streets and parkland roadways outside of any special event, not a permanent motorsport facility.
Lap records
| Category | Time | Driver | Car | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CART/Champ Car | 0:58.806 | Cristiano da Matta | Lola B02/00 | 2002 |
Spectator guide
During its racing years, grandstands and general-admission areas were erected temporarily around Exhibition Place for Indy weekend, with popular viewing along Lake Shore Boulevard and near the hairpin sections closest to the exhibition buildings. None of this infrastructure remains in place outside race events.
Seating
Temporary grandstands were built each year for the race weekend along Lake Shore Boulevard and near the tighter infield corners; no permanent grandstands exist at the site.
Weather
- July: warm Toronto summer, highs typically in the mid-to-high 20s °C (high 70s to 80s °F)
History of Exhibition Place Street Circuit (Honda Indy Toronto)
Molson Indy to Honda Indy
The street circuit at Exhibition Place opened in July 1986 as the home of the Molson Indy Toronto, a CART/Champ Car race run on temporary roads through the exhibition grounds on Toronto's lakeshore. The event quickly became one of the best-attended open-wheel races in North America, drawing large downtown crowds to a circuit known for tight, bumpy corners and unforgiving concrete walls. A revised, slightly shorter layout was introduced in 1996 and remained in use, with minor adjustments, until the venue's final race.
Ownership, naming and sponsorship changes
Over its history the event passed through several sponsors and naming rights deals, running as the Molson Indy, the Grand Prix of Toronto, and later the Honda Indy Toronto after Honda became title sponsor, with the race most recently known as the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto. Through changes in IndyCar's own history, including the CART/IRL split era, Toronto remained a fixture on the open-wheel calendar for nearly four decades, hosting IndyCar, Indy NXT, the NASCAR Canada Series and other support categories.
The end of racing at Exhibition Place
The 2025 edition of the race proved to be the circuit's last, bringing to a close 39 years of top-level racing at the venue. Exhibition Place itself remains an active City of Toronto exhibition, event and parkland site, and its roads continue to be used for public transit, festivals and other events, but the site is no longer configured or scheduled as a motorsport circuit. Fans and historians continue to regard the Streets of Toronto as one of the defining North American street circuits of the CART and IndyCar eras.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Honda Indy Toronto street circuit still active?+
No, the 2025 race was the final event; IndyCar racing at Exhibition Place ended after 39 consecutive years, from 1986 to 2025.
Can you still visit the Exhibition Place circuit?+
The roads themselves are ordinary Exhibition Place and Toronto streets that remain open to the public; there is no dedicated racetrack or trackday facility to visit, since the circuit was always a temporary street layout.
How long was the Toronto street circuit?+
In its final 1996-2025 configuration the circuit was 2.824 km (1.755 miles) long with 11 turns.
What was the Toronto Indy race called over the years?+
It ran under several names including the Molson Indy Toronto, the Grand Prix of Toronto, the Honda Indy Toronto, and finally the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto.
How did fans get to the Toronto Indy race without driving?+
TTC streetcars (509 and 511) and GO Transit trains served Exhibition Loop and Exhibition GO station directly, and remain the way to reach Exhibition Place today.
Other tracks nearby
- Canadian Tire Motorsport Park · 75 km · road course
- Grand Bend Motorplex · 190 km · road course & oval
- Shannonville Motorsport Park · 192 km · road course
- Watkins Glen International · 249 km · road course
- Calabogie Motorsports Park · 286 km · road course
- Nelson Ledges Road Course · 290 km · road course
Facts checked against 3 sources including the official circuit website. Last reviewed 2026-09-11.