A Quebec and Thai driver battle for the 2015 championship title

Mississauga, Ontario – The Nissan Micra Cup will take to the track next weekend, September 26th & 27th, as part of Circuit Mont-Tremblant’s Fall Classic. After the two final races of the inaugural season, the 2015 series champion will be crowned. Two drivers are vying for the title: Quebec driver Olivier Bédard and Nissan GT Academy driver, Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate, of Thailand.

Victorious at the last four races of the season in Trois-Rivières and St-Eustache, Olivier Bédard leads the championship and is favoured to win the title. However, Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate is within reach and has previously won two rounds at Circuit Mont-Tremblant this season. The Nissan GT Academy driver, who has had a brilliant first season in Canada and in road racing, must perform well on the track if he wants to thwart Bédard’s chances.

Bédard, like Thanasitnitikate, is a young driver under the age of 20, and the Quebecker’s racing efforts is very much a family affair, with his father coordinating all the team’s activity.

The duel for the overall driver’s title will be intense, but it’s not the only reason to watch the final two rounds of the 2015 Nissan Micra Cup. The team title and the novice driver’s title (currently led by Olivier Pelletier) will both be exciting competitions right to the finish. Among those vying for the team title is Total Canada, who will have Kevin Lacroix behind the wheel, winner of two of his four contested events this year in the NASCAR Canadian Tire series.

After impressing spectators with his participation in the two races at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve in June, veteran driver Richard Spénard will return for these last two events of the 2015 season. He will team up with Marc-Antoine Demers, Olivier Pelletier and Antoine Bessette as part of the ALBI le Géant team.

A number of other drivers will also attempt to climb higher on the championship leaderboard including Stefan Rzadzinski of Edmonton, Alberta. Currently third in the championship, there is still a chance he could finish in the runner-up position, but Radzinski must also watch out for Abhinay Bikkani, the Nissan GT Academy driver from India, currently in fourth. It will also be interesting to follow the battle for fifth place as Valérie Chiasson and Valérie Limoges, fight for that spot.

Tim Hauraney, professional racing driver and TSN race analyst, will join the action in media car #24, and report on his experience on SportsCentre the week of September 28th. With over 15 years racing in series including ChampCar Formula Atlantic Championship and FIA GT Championship in Europe, Tim’s eager to put his skills to the test behind the wheel of the Micra race car.

All the drivers use identical, almost stock Nissan Micra race cars, which have demonstrated their reliability throughout the entire season, with no team abandoning a race as a result of mechanical issues. The fabulous but ruthless sport of racing lends itself perfectly to exhibit the qualities of these small and fun vehicles, enjoyed by the over 30 drivers who have taken part in this inaugural season.

On Friday, September 25th, the drivers will be in action for two practice sessions: 9:35 am and 1:55 pm. The following day, Saturday September 26th, the lone qualifying session at 9:25 am will precede the first 30-minute race scheduled for 1:10 pm. On Sunday, September 27th, the second race will take place at 1:00 pm.

Don’t miss series news and updates on the Coupe Nissan Micra Cup Facebook page and live tweets/results during practice, qualifying, and races on Twitter: @MicraCup.

For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please go to the website www.nissan.ca/micracup.

A list of all entered drivers and current championship standings are attached to this release.

2015 Nissan Micra Cup Calendar:
May 22 to 24             Spring Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
June 5 to 7                Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada
July 25 & 26              Summer Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
July 31 to August1     Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières
August 15                 Circuit Saint-Eustache
September 25 to 27   Fall Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant

About Nissan Motor Co.

Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 247,500 employees globally, Nissan sold 5.32 million vehicles and generated revenue of 11.38 trillion yen (USD 103.6 billion) in fiscal year 2014. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. Nissan leads the world in zero-emission mobility, dominated by sales of the LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle. It is the best-selling EV in history with almost 50% share of the zero-emission vehicle segment.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/.

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. With offices in Vancouver (BC), Mississauga (ON), and Kirkland (QC), NCI directly employs 250 full-time staff. There are 187 independent Nissan dealerships, 38 Infiniti retailers and 45 Nissan Commercial Vehicle dealers 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.