David Malukas set the pace during practice at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy in Markham, clocking a top time of 1 minute and 14.194 seconds in the second training session of the day. The upcoming qualifying rounds are scheduled for the evening.
Following Malukas, Alex Palou secured the second-best time with a lap of 1:14.560, while Dennis Hauger claimed the third spot with a time of 1:14.592 on the Markham downtown road course.
The event faced a setback on the initial day as organizers had to cancel track sessions due to incomplete course construction and pending safety inspections.
This year marks the debut of the race in Markham, relocating from Toronto’s Exhibition Place, its home since the inaugural race in 1986. Palou had earlier topped the time charts in the morning’s first practice session, completing the circuit in 1:14.9915.