Mississauga, Ont. – This coming weekend, the Nissan Micra Cup will present its ninth and tenth races of the 2017 season, at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park (CTMP), northeast of Toronto. This penultimate outing of the season will see the drivers of this popular series unite on the track as part of the most important event of the season, presented on the legendary Canadian circuit as part of the famous American NASCAR World Truck series. Despite the clearly visible differences between the imposing NASCAR vehicles and the small, agile, and almost stock Nissan Micra S, the show is promising to be an exceptional one.
On the track, the gaps are tight between the 2017 championship title contenders, with this weekend’s two races potentially playing a big role in this year’s battle. A great show is in store for the thousands of spectators anticipated to attend including dozens of Canadian Nissan Micra owners hosted by Nissan Canada, who will benefit from two free entry tickets and access to parking.
On-site activities, both in the Nissan Micra Cup paddocks and in the track’s entertainment area, will also be offered by Nissan Canada, specifically for the fans. Included in the festivities is a time for the fans to meet the drivers in the paddock, as well as an autograph session that will take place on Saturday from 10:15 to 10:45 a.m. and again on Sunday from 10:30 to 11:00 a.m.
After taking the top championship spot from Kevin King at the previous event (Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières), Olivier Bédard will attempt to claim his second victory of the season this weekend at CTMP, helping him further pull away from his immediate challengers. For the 2015 champion, nothing is decided yet as only five points (266 vs 261) separate Bédard and Xavier Coupal, his Total Canada teammate and last year’s season champion.
Sitting in third place with 241 points, Kevin King of the Sorel-Tracy Nissan team has not given up hope to claim the title, but he needs a victory this weekend to remain in the hunt. Jean-Michel Isabelle is in a similar situation, sitting in fourth place with 196 points.The Perry Performance/Hull Nissan team driver had won the first two races of the season, on this very track, and will be one to watch. The only female driver in the series this year, Valérie Limoges, rounds out the Top 5 in the championship, ahead of senior class leader, Normand Boyer.
This second-last outing of the season will also be an opportunity for spectators to see several Ontario drivers in action including Austin Riley, a young driver with autism who is competing in the entire season and is currently sitting in fourth place among the novice competitors. Other Ontarians include Peter Dyck, currently third in the senior class, and Alta Nissan teammates Vic Simone and Eddy Wong.
In the novice category, the championship is dominated by Nicolas Barrette who is only four points ahead of Jake Exton and Vincent Doyle, who are currently tied for second. Also of note, this will be the first time that Quebec actor and comedian Michel Barrette will compete on this track, previously known as Mosport and former host circuit of the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada. His sons Nicolas and Martin will have an advantage over him this weekend as both participated in the first round of the season on this track back in May.
For the first time this season the popular series will welcome Canadian driver Jesse Lazare. American Porsche Cup Champion last year with a winning record under his belt, this season Lazare is one of the official drivers for the MIA (Motorsports in Action) team in the IMSA Continental Challenge series, at the wheel of a McLaren GT4. Lazare will take to the track for a taste of what the Nissan Micra Cup has to offer.
The twenty-six Nissan Micra Cup drivers entered into this major Canadian motorsport event will be in action six times over the course of the weekend. Two half-hour practice sessions will take place on Friday, followed by qualifying on Saturday from 8:25 – 8:45 a.m., ahead of the first race which is scheduled for 3:50 p.m. On Sunday, the day will kick-off with the second qualifying session from 9:00 – 9:20 a.m, with the second race taking place at 5:00 p.m., immediately after the completion of the NASCAR Camping World Truck race.
Twitter users can obtain real time information live from the track by following the series @MicraCup. The two races will also be broadcasted live on the series’ Facebook page.
Overall championship standings after four races:
http://www.micracup.com/2017-Results_ClassGen.
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please visit: www.nissan.ca/micracup.
2017 Nissan Micra Cup Season Calendar
May 19 – 21 Victoria Day Weekend SpeedFest, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario
May 26 – 28 Spring Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
July 21 – 23 Summer Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
August 11 – 13 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, Québec
September 1 – 3 NASCAR Weekend, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario
September 22 – 24 Fall Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
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Media contacts:
Didier Marsaud
Director, Corporate Communications
Nissan Canada
Telephone: 905-629-6400
Email: didier.marsaud@nissancanada.com
Stephanie Ronson
Cohn Wolfe
Telephone: 647-259-3278
Email: stephanie.ronson@cohnwolfe.ca