Nissan: One month ahead of first Nissan Micra Cup race, Nissan announces more detail about the drivers on the grid

Mississauga, Ont. – One month from today, drivers from across Canada, Quebec and as far-reaching as Thailand and India, will meet at Circuit Mont-Tremblant to compete in the first-ever race for the Nissan Micra Cup. The well-rounded group of competitors prove that Canada’s newest racing series is also the most accessible, and appeals to race drivers across a broad skill and experience spectrum.

The GT Academy Comes to Canada

Nissan Team GT Academy will run two graduates from the 2014 Nissan PlayStation GT Academy competition in the 2015 Micra Cup. Indian racer Abhinay Bikkani (25), a Production Manager from Bangalore in India when he won GT Academy, and Thanaroj Thanasitnitiket (19) who hails from Bangkok in Thailand, a student before he hit the jackpot with Nissan. Since winning GT Academy, both Abhinay and Thanaroj have been on Nissan’s intensive driver development program to help them make the switch from virtual-to-reality.

Nissan’s groundbreaking driver search and development programme has unearthed some exceptional racing drivers in recent years. The first winner, Spaniard Lucas Ordonez is now racing in Japan in the top class of Super GT, while Jann Mardenborough, the British winner of the 2011 GT Academy, competes in the premier sports car class at Le Mans and in Formula One feeder series, GP3.

Since 2008, the competition focused on Europe and then the USA, but in 2014 the GT Academy went global with the launch of ‘GT Academy International’, which widened the net to include Australia, Mexico, India and Thailand. The winners from India and Thailand will now go head-to-head in the Micra Cup.

“Although most of the drivers in the inaugural season of the Nissan Micra Cup hail from the series home of Quebec, we’re delighted by the interest from across the globe and to have two GT Academy winners on the grid,” said Christian Meunier, president of Nissan Canada Inc. “The world will be watching as we kick off this exciting racing series next month.”

Frédéric Bernier – Bringing his racing dream to life

For many drivers, the Nissan Micra Cup is not just another playing field, but an entirely new one they have been waiting years for. This is the case for Frédéric Bernier (41), a business owner, husband and father of three from Quebec City who is starting his racing competition career with the Nissan Micra Cup.

For the past four years, Frédéric Bernier, a former automotive mechanic, decided to take his love of cars and racing to the next level by participating in track days, attending advanced karting schools and taking lessons with the well-known Académie Carl Nadeau. With the encouragement of the racing community and his coaches, Frédéric Bernier realized he had plateaued in his training and it was time for the next step. As luck would have it, around the same time as this epiphany, Frédéric Bernier read an article about the Nissan Micra Cup while he was at an airport. With the full support of his family and friends and an appetite for adrenalin, Frédéric Bernier enrolled in Canada’s most affordable racing series.

Being well-connected in the automotive industry, Frédéric Bernier has numerous people rooting for him, and the support of Capitale Nissan in Quebec City. Frédéric Bernier’s network of support is reflected on his Micra Cup race car, which he spent countless hours decorating himself. His time and energy paid off, as his car placed third in its category at the Quebec Autosport Show’s design contest.

When asked what his mission is for his debut year in a racing series, the answer comes quickly to Frédéric Bernier, “I’m here to have fun, to enjoy every minute, and see where that leaves me in the standings. It’s all about learning and progressing!”

A TOTAL-LY WINNING TEAM

Total Canada Inc., a subsidiary of the 5th oil and gas integrated company Total SA, is pleased to announce its participation in the first season of the Nissan Micra Cup 2015. “We are delighted to participate in the Nissan Micra Cup, an event that will reaffirm our historic commitment to competition and increase our brand awareness in Canada,” says Franck Bagouet, President and CEO of Total Canada Inc.

The Micra car Total will carry the number 220 and will be driven by two famous Quebec celebrities, Jeff Boudreault and Benoit Gagnon. The third driver for the Total team is a professional racer and instructor Carl Nadeau, who will compete alongside some his present and former students, including Frédéric Bernier. The Total team trio eagerly looks forward to facing their opponents aboard their Nissan Micra Total.

To-date, 25 cars are registered with a very well-rounded competitor group representing a variety of ages, backgrounds and experience on the grid. More information on the full roster of Micra Cup drivers will be released soon. Stay connected to news about the Micra Cup and its drivers by visiting: www.nissan.ca/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.

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.

*Excludes taxes.

About GT Academy 2015

GT Academy is a collaboration between PlayStation® and Nissan that uses the virtual world of the Gran Turismo®6 game to unearth real-world racing talent. Now in its seventh year, GT Academy includes separate competitions for Europe (France, Italy, UK, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg, Hungary, Poland and Czech Republic), International group (Australia, North Africa, Middle East and Mexico) and Asia (India, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia and Japan).

The GT Academy qualification round will be part of a free Gran Turismo®6 update on PlayStation®3 (terms and conditions apply). The fastest gamers in each participating territory gain access to their region’s National Final event. A number of competitors can also gain access via a series of Live Gran Turismo events organised locally. The National Finals add driving, fitness and a media element to the gaming.

From National Finals, the action moves onto the legendary Race Camp, where the competitors are put through their paces on track in Nissan sports cars under the watchful eyes of high profile judges and mentors. Winners from each competition will be invited to take part in the intensive Driver Development Programme. They could qualify for an international race license and race for Nissan professionally, with the chance to potentially join Nissan’s elite Nismo Athletes.

Previous winners of GT Academy are now regular racing drivers. In 2015, Jann Mardenborough (UK, winner in 2011) will be racing in the World Endurance Championship for Nissan in the top LM P1 category and in GP3, a feeder series to Formula One, with the championship-winning Carlin team. Lucas Ordoñez (Spain, winner in 2008) will be racing in the Le Mans 24 Hours this year in the Nisan GT-R LM NISMO LMP1 entry, alongside Mardenborough. The 2014 Champions, Gaetan Paletou (Europe) and Ricardo Sanchez (International) are competing in the Blancpain Endurance Series with the Nissan GT Academy Team RJN.

News and views on GT Academy 2014 and the progress of all the GT Academy drivers can be followed on various platforms including: www.facebook.com/GTAcademy | www.twitter.com/GTAcademy | www.youtube.com/gtacademyeurope | www.flickr.com/photos/gtacademyeurope.

 

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