@MicraCup • @nissancanada • @NissamMotorCo • MISSISSAUGA, ON – After a spectacular weekend to open the season at Ontario’s Calabogie Motorsports Park 10 days ago, the Nissan Micra Cup returns to Quebec this weekend.
The Nissan Micra Cup’s third and fourth races of the 2016 season will take place at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant, for the traditional Spring Classic race weekend.
It’s a symbolic return for the Nissan Micra Cup family, as it was on this track in the Laurentians where everything started last year, with two races that introduced an exciting new series to the world of Canadian motorsport. Since then, series drivers have had the opportunity to thrill spectators and demonstrate the qualities of the agile and practically stock Nissan Micra S cars at many other tracks.
Following the first two races of the 2016 season at Calabogie Motorsports Park on May 14th and 15th, Quebecker Xavier Coupal (Albi Nissan Team), leads the drivers’ championship ahead of Albertan Stefan Rzadzinski (Ici Pneu Team). These two drivers are expected to be at the head of the pack for another close battle, along with other drivers including: Kevin King (Sorel-Tracy Nissan), winner of the first race of the season, and 2015 champion Olivier Bédard (Albi Nissan). Both King and Bédard were unlucky at Calabogie as they were involved in a multi-vehicle collision. In addition to King and Bédard, Normand Boyer, Frédéric Bernier, Valérie Chiasson, Nic Hammann and Chris Sahakian were also involved in the incident (all drivers were uninjured) at the start of the second Calabogie race.
King, Bédard, Sahakian, Bernier and Boyer will be back on the track at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant, while Chiasson and 2014 Nissan GT Academy U.S. winner Nic Hammann will not return, as those drivers had not intended to participate in this event, even prior to the collision. The Spring Classic at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant is not part of the five mandatory events this season, and therefore will not impact the drivers’ final 2016 standings.
Despite the fact that, like Calabogie, the Spring Classic is not a mandatory event – between 20 and 25 drivers will compete – many of whom are from Ontario. After the unseasonably harsh weather experienced at the first event of the season, everyone is hoping for sunny skies this weekend!
Quebec motorsport veteran of nearly 30 years, Jacques Bélanger, competed in the Nissan Micra Cup last year for fun. However, he was quickly bitten by the racing bug and after making the podium in the second race of the season earlier this month, he finds himself sitting in third place in the drivers’ championship. On a track that he knows like the back of his hand, Bélanger is expected to once again do very well.
At the other extreme end of the driver age spectrum is someone who is still active in karting and will be making his debut in the Nissan Micra Cup this weekend. Cédrik Lupien is only 18-years-old and normally competes in the FR 125 Rotax-Max Senior. As part of his inclusion in the Club École Albi Nissan program this year, Cédrik will be taking his first drive at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant, in an enclosed car, and on a road course! Initiated by 2015 champion Olivier Bédard, the Club École Albi Nissan program selects three of the best karting drivers in Quebec to participate in a Nissan Micra Cup race at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant this season. These three young hopefuls recently had a training opportunity at the Andrew Ranger driving school in order to obtain their racing license, followed by a full day at the wheel of a Nissan Micra with professional driver Jean-François Dumoulin. This weekend, Cédrik Lupien will be the first of the three in action.
On Friday at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant, the drivers will take to the track for two 25-minute practice sessions. Saturday’s 20-minute qualifying session will take place at 9:30 a.m., followed four hours later by the first of two races at 1:30 p.m. Sunday’s qualifying session is scheduled for 9:00 a.m., followed by the race at 1:40 p.m. Each race will be 15 laps, or 30 minutes.
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please visit: www.nissan.ca/coupemicra.
For overall championship standings after two races, please visit: http://www.micracup.com/Results_2016_ClassGen
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.
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please go to the website www.nissan.ca/micracup.
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 at http://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 at www.nissan.ca and www.infiniti.ca.
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