Montréal, Quebec – This weekend, the Nissan Micra Cup presented the second event of its inaugural season as part of the biggest Canadian sport event of the year, the Grand Prix du Canada on the circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in Montreal. Two races, won by Olivier Bédard and Stefan Rzadzinski, were intense from the first lap to the last keeping the tens of thousands of spectators on the edge of their seats. For many, this was their first exposure to the series and the 25 Nissan Micra drivers in full action.
After Friday’s erratic weather with the practice session on a dry track and the qualification session on a very wet track, the first race took place in full sun on Saturday afternoon, only two hours after the F1 race’s qualification session. Qualified in pole position, Quebec’s Olivier Bédard led the whole race, creating a gap of almost five seconds on the duo composed by Nissan GT Academy driver Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate and the professional hockey player Marc-André Bergeron, who fought a fierce battle with both drivers crossing the finish line separated by only tenths of seconds.
Back in competition after 16 years of absence, veteran and driving instructor Richard Spénard ranked himself fourth, after a very nice ascent. Following the lead of the best drivers in practice session, where he climbed to second position, he showed that he did not lose his immense talent. Spénard ranked ahead of Pierre Clavet, Valérie Chiasson, Indian Abhinay Bikkani – the second driver of the GT Academy, Paul Dargis, Benoît Gagnon and best rookie, Olivier Pelletier.
Sunday morning, in front of a massive crowd, the Nissan Micra Cup presented an exceptionally intense second race. In the track sections that are equally as mythical as the famous Senna, East hairpin or the breaking zone at the “Wall of Champions” turns, there was numerous over takings. Leading the race, Olivier Bédard and Stefan Rzadzinski traded the first position multiple times. At the end, Rzadzinski had the best of Bédard, winning the race by a nose.
In terms of a perfectly executed race, Valérie Chiasson ends in third position. Thus, she re-writes Canadian motorsport modern history, as she is the first female driver to clinch an overall podium spot on the circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
Behind the wheel of these almost stock Nissan Micra S vehicles, Richard Spénard, drivers from the GT Academy, Thanasitnitikate and Bikkani, Jacques Bélanger and Marc-André Bergeron brought the crowd on its feet in their battle for the fourth spot. Abhinay Bikkani and Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate managed to take this highly coveted position from Richard Spénard. Bélanger, Bergeron, Kevin King and rookie Metod Topolnik complete the “Top 10.”
In the driver’s championship, Bédard leads with 148 points, in front of Thanasitnitikate (142), Rzadzinski (114), Valérie Chiasson (98), Bikkani (71) and Bergeron (70). Metod Topolnik still leads the rookie championship.
After this exceptional event at circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, the Nissan Micra Cup will now take a break of seven weeks before the third meeting of the season, at Circuit Mont-Tremblant for the Summer Classic, on the 25th and 26th of July.
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup and its driver, please visit www.nissan.ca/micracup . Don’t miss the series news on the Facebook page Coupe Nissan Micra Cup and the posts/live results during practice and qualifying sessions, and races on Twitter: @micracup
Nissan Micra Cup 2015 Season Schedule:
About the Nissan Micra Cup
Sanctioned by Auto Sport Québec (ASQ) and presented by JD Promotion Compétition with the support of Nissan Canada, the 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 will have the exact same specifications, resulting in a competition that truly reveals the most skilled drivers. The Nissan Micra Cup race vehicles remain 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. More than 25 Nissan Micras will compete on each race weekend which will include 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.
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