MISSISSAUGA, Ont. – The fourth-annual Nissan Micra Cup officially launched its 2018 season, this past weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, northeast of Toronto, Ontario. Despite Mother Nature forcing the drivers and spectators to manage some extreme weather conditions, it did not stop the Nissan Micra Cup from presenting two hotly contested events, won by two-time champion Olivier Bédard, (2015, 2017) on Saturday and by Kevin King on Sunday.
Friday’s sunny qualifying session set the tone for the weekend, when the top five drivers finished within three-tenths of a second. Olivier Bédard was the fastest qualifier, ahead of Normand Boyer, the reigning Senior Class champion, followed by Kevin King, Fadi Mourad and Valérie Limoges.
On Saturday, a very different scene awaited Nissan Micra Cup fans at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Despite a mix of hot sun, rain and dense fog throughout the day, drivers forged on with the first race of the season.
Olivier Bédard set the tone from the start, on his way to an indisputable victory. There were several battles behind him, most notably, the duel between Normand Boyer and Kevin King for second place. Boyer eventually overtook King, who finished third last season.
Novice champion Jake Exton earned a fourth-place finish after a close fight with Peter Dyck, the top finishing Ontario driver. Frédéric Bernier, Michael Habrich, Edward Wong, American Mike Ogren and Austin Riley, rounded out the Top 10.
With the sun back out and after several fan activities, including autograph sessions and a parade lap for Nissan Micra and Z owners, the second race of the weekend and of the 2018 season once again saw Olivier Bédard and novice Mourad share the start line.
As soon as the race began, King, Bédard, Limoges, Boyer and Mourad exchanged positions in one of the best battles the series has ever seen. The race concluded in this same order, after contact between Edward Wong and Peter Dyck forced a neutralization in the last five minutes of competition. Jake Exton, Frédéric Bernier, Mike Ogren, Austin Riley and Sylvain Ouellet rounded out the top 10.
In the drivers’ championship, Olivier Bédard leads ahead of Kevin King and Normand Boyer, who is also in the top spot of the Senior Class standings. With his fifth-place overall finish on Sunday, Fadi Mourad is the highest-ranking novice.
The two races, which aired live on Facebook, are available for replay on the Micra Cup TV YouTube channel. All the weekend’s interviews by Antoine Joubert can also be found there.
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup and its drivers, please visit the site www.micracup.com. Don’t miss series news on the Nissan Micra Cup Facebook page, as well as live information and results during practice sessions, qualifying and races on Twitter @micracup. All official videos will be available on the Micra Cup TV YouTube channel.
Next Event:
The third and fourth rounds of the 2018 season will be contested on Saturday, June 2nd and Sunday, June 3rd at Calabogie Motorsport Park, southwest of Ottawa, Ontario.
For full race results, visit: https://www.micracup.com/2018-Results_Race.
Overall championship standings after two races: https://www.micracup.com/2018-Results_ClassGen.
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About the Nissan Micra Cup
Sanctioned by Auto Sport Québec (ASQ) and presented by JD Promotion Compétition with the support of Nissan Canada, the 2015 Nissan Micra Cup exclusively featured the stock Micra 1.6 S M/T model with minor modifications, including racing suspension – to render it race-ready.
Unlike most motorsport events, each competing Nissan Micra race vehicle had the exact same specifications, resulting in a competition that truly revealed the most skilled drivers. The 2015 Nissan Micra Cup race vehicles were equipped with the Nissan Micra’s stock 1.6-liter 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, 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 Nissan.ca/MicraCup.
About the Nissan Micra
In 2014, the Nissan Micra returned to Canada after 23 years as an all-new model, offering Canadians unbeatable value with the lowest starting Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) in Canada at $9,998. One item that sets the 2015 Micra apart is its agility. Micra is easy to drive and park, thanks to excellent all-round visibility and turning radius, electric power steering and a power to weight ratio that surprises. Powering the front-wheel drive Micra is a DOHC 1.6-litre 4-cylinder engine rated at 109 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm and 107 lb-ft. of torque @ 4,400 rpm.
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., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, INFINITI and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2017, the company sold 5.77 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.9 trillion yen. On April 1, 2017, the company embarked on Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, a six-year plan targeting a 30% increase in annualized revenues to 16.5 trillion yen by the end of fiscal 2022, along with cumulative free cash flow of 2.5 trillion yen. As part of Nissan M.O.V.E. to 2022, the company plans to extend its leadership in electric vehicles, symbolized by the world’s best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan’s global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia Oceania; Africa, the Middle East India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999 and acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors in 2016. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is today the world’s largest automotive partnership, with combined sales of more than 10.6 million vehicles in calendar year 2017.
For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.
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 200 independent Nissan dealerships, including 45 that also act as Nissan Commercial Vehicles dealers, and 42 INFINITI retailers 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.
Media contacts:
Didier Marsaud
Director, Corporate Communications
Nissan Canada
Telephone: 905-629-6400
Email: didier.marsaud@nissancanada.com
Roxane Barry
Specialist, Corporate Communications
Nissan Canada
Telephone: 905-629-6461
Email: roxane.barry@nissancanada.com