@nissancanada • @MicraCup • @MontTremblant • Mississauga, Ont. (July 18, 2016) – The Nissan Micra Cup returns to Circuit Mont-Tremblant this coming weekend and two races will take place as part of the Summer Classic, an event that signals the second half of the 2016 season. Four drivers are within 30 points of each other in the overall standings, a gap smaller than the number of points awarded for a win. Nothing is decided in the championship yet and there are multiple drivers in the top 10 counting on this event to launch them into contention for the title.
This race weekend at Circuit Mont-Tremblant finds itself sandwiched between two of the most publicized events of the season. This includes the IMSA SportsCar weekend which took place just over a week ago at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, which allowed thousands of Endurance race fans a chance to discover and appreciate the Nissan Micras’ performance, and the annual Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, which takes place mid-August.
The Summer Classic at Circuit Mont-Tremblant is nonetheless a very important part of the championship. This exciting race weekend often sees thousands of spectators as they take advantage of their summer vacation and the warm weather. On a track that most of them know very well, the Nissan Micra drivers will surely enjoy themselves. Will Xavier Coupal maintain his lead for the title? Will 2015 champion Olivier Bédard come out on top for the first time this season? Is this where Kevin King will claim his fourth win of the year? Albertan Stefan Rzadzinski sits in fourth place in the standings just ahead of Valérie Limoges, will he finally get to stand at the top of the podium?
Marc-Antoine Demers, winner of the last race of 2015 at this same track, and 2014 Nissan GT Academy U.S. winner, Nic Hammann, are also on the list of potential winners for the two races on the program this weekend.
For Marc-André Perreault, sports journalist for the Montreal Canadiens professional ice hockey team with TVA network, the challenge will be even bigger as he makes his grand motorsports debut. As one of the two “Volant Coupe Nissan Micra” winners from last season’s Pro-Pulsion auto show on TVA, Marc-André will be at the wheel of a media car entered by Nissan Canada. No doubt his job will be a tough one among a group of seasoned drivers but after showing impressive abilities during the competition, which won him this spot, it will be interesting to follow his progress throughout the weekend.
The Nissan Micra Cup drivers will take to the track six times this weekend at Circuit Mont-Tremblant. Two practice sessions, each lasting 25 minutes, will be held on Friday, followed on Saturday by a qualifying session (20 minutes) at 9:30 a.m. prior to the first race at 1:30 p.m. On Sunday, the day will start with a qualifying session at 9:00 a.m. for the second race, which will take place at 1:40 p.m. Each race will be 30 minutes, or approximately 15 laps, long.
Real time race information and updates will be available on the series’ Twitter account: @micracup.
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please visit: [www.nissan.ca/micracup]www.nissan.ca/micracup
Nissan Micra Cup 2016 Season Calendar :
May 13 – 15 Calabogie Motorsports Park, Ontario
May 27 – 29 Spring Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
June 19 Autodrome St-Eustache, Québec
July 8 – 10 IMSA Weekend, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario
July 22 – 24 Summer Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
August 12 – 14 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, Québec
September 2 – 4 NASCAR Weekend, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario
September 23 – 25 Fall Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
About the Nissan Micra Cup
Sanctioned by Auto Sport Québec (ASQ) and presented by JD Promotion & Compétition with the support of Nissan Canada, the 2016 Nissan Micra Cup exclusively features the stock Micra 1.6 S M/T model with minor modifications, including NISMO suspension – to render it race-ready.
Unlike most motorsport events, each competing Nissan Micra race vehicle has the exact same specifications, resulting in a competition that truly reveals the most skilled drivers. The Nissan Micra Cup race vehicles were equipped with the Nissan Micra’s stock 1.6-litre DOHC 4-cylinder engine with dual fuel injection and Twin CVTC (Continuously Variable Timing Control) and stock 5-speed manual transmission. In its inaugural season last year, more than 25 Nissan Micras competed on each race weekend which included two hours of track time consisting of: a 30-minute trial, a 30-minute qualifying session and two 30-minute races.
Young karting drivers, the average Canadian looking for an entry point into motorsport competition, or anyone who wants to experience the rush of adrenaline inherent with racing cars are all well-suited to this series. In summary, the Nissan Micra Cup is for people who are passionate about motorsports, want to experience all the fun and thrills of racing, but without spending staggering amounts of money.
About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan’s operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized annually by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year since 2010. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at www.NissanUSA.com and www.InfinitiUSA.com, or visit the U.S. media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.
About Nissan Motor Co.
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan’s second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal year 2014. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.
For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website athttp://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.
About Nissan Canada Inc.
Nissan Canada Inc. (NCI) is the Canadian sales, marketing and distribution subsidiary of Nissan Motor Limited and Nissan North America, Inc. NCI directly employs 306 full-time staff across offices in Vancouver (BC), Mississauga (ON), and Kirkland (QC). There are 191 independent Nissan dealerships, 39 Infiniti retailers and 45 Nissan Commercial Vehicle dealers across Canada. A pioneer in zero emission mobility, Nissan made history with the introduction of the Nissan LEAF, the first affordable, mass-market, pure-electric vehicle and winner of numerous international accolades including the prestigious 2011 European Car of the Year and World Car of the Year awards.
More information about Nissan in Canada and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online atwww.nissan.ca and www.infiniti.ca.
Media contacts:
Didier Marsaud/ Director, Corporate Communications- Nissan Canada
Tel: 905-629-6400
Email: didier.marsaud@nissancanada.com
Stephanie Ronson/ Cohn & Wolfe
Tel: 647-259-3278
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