By: Nissan Micra Cup
August 29 2016
The second last event of the 2016 season will be presented this weekend at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, just outside of Toronto
Mississauga, Ontario – After a successful first race at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, in Bowmanville (northeast of Toronto) in July, the Nissan Micra Cup will return to the fast Ontario track this weekend. Micra Cup drivers will compete in the thirteenth and fourteenth races of the 2016 season, as part of NASCAR Weekend - the biggest attraction of the year at this venue.
In July, the Nissan Micra Cup made its debut on the fast-paced track formerly known as “Mosport,” which has hosted numerous historic races including the Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada and the popular Can-Am series. Xavier Coupal and Olivier Bédard each won a race that weekend and the two teammates are currently first and second in the drivers’ championship standings. Non-stop action is once again anticipated as drivers like Kevin King, Stefan Rzadzinski - who sit in third and fourth respectively - will be itching to claim victory once again at the wheel of their agile and practically stock Nissan Micra S.
Fifth in the championship is 2014 Nissan GT Academy U.S. winner, Nic Hammann. Nic will attempt to defend his position in the standings as he is chased down by the highest-ranked female driver in the series, Quebecker Valérie Limoges, in sixth place, as well as Marc-Antoine Demers currently in seventh. Only six points separate these three drivers on the championship leaderboard, which will surely set the stage for an intense battle.
Several Ontarian drivers will also take part in this event, which is expected to draw tens of thousands of spectators. Among the drivers will be series newcomer, Staff Sgt. Chuck Kaizer. An Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) Officer, Chuck is one of the people responsible for Project E.R.A.S.E., a program supported by the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and 7 Ontario police agencies with the aim of eradicating street racing. Chuck will take to the track in Nissan Canada’s #23 Micra S with a goal of raising awareness for Project E.R.A.S.E. which was established to show drivers that public roads are not the place for racing. Instead, the proper place for competition is on a track, where people can legally and safely pursue their passion for speed. More details can be found here.
The Nissan Micra Cup drivers will have two practice sessions on Friday between 12:40 p.m. and 1:10 p.m. and again between 3:40 p.m. and 4:10 pm. The following day, on Saturday September 3rd, the day will start with a qualifying session from 8:25 a.m. to 8:45 a.m., followed by the first of two races at 7 pm, right after NASCAR truck qualifying. On Sunday, qualifying for the second race will be from 9:00 a.m. - 9:20 a.m., the autograph session with all the Micra Cup drivers at 1:15 p.m. - 1:45 p.m., and the second Nissan Micra Cup race of the weekend will be held around 5 p.m., right after the NASCAR Camping World Truck race.
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please visit: www.nissan.ca/micracup
Nissan Micra Cup 2016 Season Calendar:
May 13 - 15 Calabogie Motorsports Park, Ontario
May 27 - 29 Spring Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
June 19 Autodrome St-Eustache, Québec
July 8 - 10 IMSA Weekend, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario
July 22 - 24 Summer Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
August 12 - 14 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, Québec
September 2 - 4 NASCAR Weekend, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario
September 23 - 25 Fall Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
About the Nissan Micra Cup
Sanctioned by Auto Sport Québec (ASQ) and presented by JD Promotion & Compétition with the support of Nissan Canada, the 2016 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 has the exact same specifications, resulting in a competition that truly reveals the most skilled drivers. The Nissan Micra Cup race vehicles were 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. In its inaugural season last year, 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 www.nissan.ca/micracup
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.
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. NCI directly employs 306 full-time staff across offices in Vancouver (BC), Mississauga (ON), and Kirkland (QC). There are 191 independent Nissan dealerships, 39 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.