Nissan: Intense races ahead for the Nissan Micra Cup in Canada

MISSISSAUGA, Ontario, Canada – This Sunday, June 19 at the Autodrome St-Eustache, northwest of Montreal, the Nissan Micra Cup will present its fifth and sixth races of the 2016 season.  This will be the only time during the season that two races are contested on the same day. In addition, these races in St-Eustache are the first mandatory races of the season and will also be the series debut for former open wheel star driver, Bertrand Godin.

During the series’ inaugural 2015 season, the small and agile Nissan Micras surpassed expectations on the complex Autodrome St-Eustache circuit, with two of the most spectacular races of the year. The return to the 2 kilometre course in the lower Laurentians’ complex will surely please the fans with the participation of almost every championship driver.

Out of the five mandatory events this season, St-Eustache is the first, and will give spectators a chance to once again watch 2014 Nissan GT Academy U.S. winner, Nic Hammann who returns with his NISMO GT Academy Micra. The challenge for Hammann to stay at the front of the pack won’t be an easy one for his first time competing in St-Eustache, up against drivers like Olivier Bédard, 2015 champion and winner of the two races on this track last year. Albertan Stefan Rzadzinski will surely keep the pressure on, as will Valérie Limoges and Jacques Bélanger, both of whom joined Bédard on the podium in 2015 and who have had excellent results to start this season. 

Winner of two of the first four spring races this year, Quebecker Kevin King, will attempt to continue his winning ways in St-Eustache, on a track he knows extremely well. King, in addition to Rzadzinski and Limoges, could take advantage of championship leader Xavier Coupal’s absence to try to claim the top spot in the overall standings. Coupal is being replaced at this event by Bertrand Godin, at the wheel of Albi Nissan’s #572 car for his big debut in the Nissan Micra Cup.

Winner of the Grand Prix du Canada and the Cleveland (Ohio) events in Formula Atlantic in 1997 and a runner-up of FF1800 in France, Bertrand Godin has a long list of achievements, including FIA Formula 3000 Indy Lights and several spectacular years of ice racing. 

Currently fifth in the championship, Marc-Antoine Demers could also benefit from the situation as he looks for a victory in St-Eustache, two years after his moments of glory on the same track as a NASCAR series driver. 

Two rookie drivers will also be in action this weekend; Stéfan Gauthier and Ashley Sahakian. The latter is currently leading the Novice Class Championship by only two points but, during the official pre-season testing, Gauthier also proved to be very fast as he showed he was learning this track and his Nissan Micra S.

Practice sessions, qualifying, and the two races will all be held between the hours of 10:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Each time the Nissan Micra Cup drivers take to the track will be for a duration of 30 minutes.

For more information, please visit the Nissan Micra Cup website : www.nissan.ca/coupemicra.

Overall championship standings after four races :
http://www.coupemicra.com/Resultats_2016_ClassGen.php

Nissan Micra Cup 2016 Season Calendar :

 

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