Mississauga, Ont. – The Nissan Micra Cup returns to the popular Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières on August 12, 13 and 14, giving spectators the chance to see the drivers in action as they compete in the eleventh and twelfth races of the season. For the first time ever, fans from around the world will also be able to join the excitement as the races will be webcast live on FANSCHOICE.tv. Nissan’s involvement in the 2016 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières extends above and beyond the two races. This year, on-site spectators will have the opportunity to participate in a number of Nissan-related activities both on and off the track.
When the event doors open on Friday, August 12, the public will be invited to take part in a number of exciting activities organized by Nissan Canada, one of the major partners of the event. Those who show a Nissan car key will gain free access to a VIP tent all weekend long. They will also have the opportunity to meet Nissan Micra Cup drivers, enter contests and experience many other surprises. The Nissan VIP tent will be located next to the Nissan Micra Cup paddock and the pool entrance (behind turn #1).
On the track, the 2017 Nissan GT-R will make its Canadian public debut as the official pace car of the event. It will lead the pack for each series being held at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières (excluding NASCAR), before the start of their respective races. In addition to its presence on the track, a GT-R show car will be on display next to the Nissan VIP tent.
After the initial formation lap behind the new GT-R, the Nissan Micra Cup drivers will be on the track for two races, one on both Saturday and Sunday, prior to the NASCAR races. Trois-Rivières is once again expected to play a key role in the battle for the championship title this year, just before the last two race weekends this September.
Current championship leader, Xavier Coupal, returns to Trois-Rivières two years after an accident that ended his journey with NASCAR. This bad memory has since been replaced by his successful participation in the Nissan Micra Cup, where he has once again found pleasure in motorsports with five victories in ten races thus far.
Coupal knows that things won’t come easy for him in Trois-Rivières. Olivier Bédard, the 2015 champion and winner of the two GP3R races last year, has his eyes set on defending the title. Albertan Stefan Rzadzinski and Quebeckers, Kevin King and Valérie Limoges, will also be hunting down victories, as the remaining drivers in the top five are within reach of the leader.
Among the approximately 30 drivers participating in the 2016 season of the Nissan Micra Cup, Trois-Rivières is where television hosts Tim Hauraney (TSN) and Gabriel Gélinas (TVA) will compete in the Nissan Canada media cars. Actor Jeff Boudreault will also compete in the Total Team’s race car (#220), in the Groupe Touchette’s second car. Richard Spénard and former open-wheel star Bertrand Godin will also take part. After competing in his first race of the series in June, Godin will be at the wheel of the United Auto Team’s third car (#27), a number that was held by the legendary Gilles Villeneuve and is sentimental to a lot of passionate motorsports fans, including Godin!
After participating in the city parade on Thursday, August 11, the Nissan Micra Cup drivers will step foot on the track a total of four times. The single practice session will take place on Friday from 3:15 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. On Saturday, the qualifying session will be held between 9:35 a.m. and 10:05 a.m., followed by the first race at 4:15 p.m. On Sunday, the 2017 Nissan GT-R will lead the pack for the start of the second race at 11:15 a.m. After this event, the public will be invited to the front of the Nissan VIP tent for an autograph session with the Nissan Micra Cup drivers.
Real time race information and updates will be available on the series’ Twitter account: @micracup. In addition, the Trois-Rivières races will be webcast live on FANSCHOICE.tv. Details will be announced on the Facebook page: Coupe Nissan Micra Cup.
Overall championship standings after ten races:
http://www.micracup.com/Results_2016_ClassGen.php
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please visit : www.nissan.ca/micracup .
Nissan Micra Cup 2016 Season Calendar :
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