July 21 2015
The Mont-Tremblant Summer Classic marks the mid-season point for the Nissan Micra Cup
Mississauga, Ontario – With four races completed to date, including an exhilarated crowd at the Grand Prix du Canada, the Nissan Micra Cup returns to the Circuit Mont-Tremblant this weekend for the fifth and sixth rounds of the 2015 season. This weekend, half the drivers in the series have the opportunity to take over one of the top three positions in the overall series.
After a seven-week break, the Nissan Micra Cup competitors are returning to the Circuit Mont-Tremblant, the host track of the series' debut last May. For this doubleheader, 26 drivers are expected to compete with their Nissan Micras, a car that is reliable and enjoyable to drive both on the road and on the tracks.
Leading the drivers' championship is Quebecer Olivier Bédard. Winner of one of two races on the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve last June, Bédard is ahead of Nissan GT Academy driver, Thanaroj Thanasitnitike of Thailand. Only six points separate the two young drivers (with 148 and 142 points, respectively) but Thanasitnitike, nicknamed "Mister T", will attempt to retake the top of the leader board at Circuit Mont-Tremblant, where he won his first two Canadian races.
Third place in the championship is held by Stefan Rzadzinski, with 114 points. The young Albertan driver is the most recent winner after claiming victory in the Formula 1's Sunday support race in Montreal. Behind him in the standings with 98 points is Valérie Chiasson, who is moving up the leader board and will attempt to claim her first victory this weekend. Chiasson made history last month when she became the first female driver to earn an overall podium at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve.
The Top Five is rounded off by the second Nissan GT Academy driver, Indian Abhinay Bikkani (71 points). These five drivers have made an impressive mark in the championship, but it will still be interesting to follow rookie driver Metod Topolnik's rise. He is currently in seventh place in the overall championship and was top rookie in three of the four initial races.
This upcoming event at Circuit Mont-Tremblant will also give an opportunity to see karting champion Kevin King on the track, who had a promising debut at the Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve, as well as Valérie Limoges and Jacques Bélanger, who will all try to earn their first Top Five finishes of the series.
On Friday, the drivers will be in action for an open practice from 4:00 to 4:55 p.m. This will be followed by one qualification session on Saturday from 10:40 to 11:00 a.m. The first race will take place at 2:25 p.m. and will last 30 minutes. On Sunday, a warm-up is scheduled from 9:40 to 9:55 a.m., ahead of the weekend's second race, held that afternoon at 1:40 p.m.
Do not miss out on the series' news and updates on the official Facebook page, Coupe Nissan Micra Cup, which has live messages and results during the practice, qualifying, and races on Twitter: @MicraCup.
For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please go to the website www.nissan.ca/micracup.
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 August Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières
August 15 Circuit Saint-Eustache
September 25 to 27 Fall Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
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. 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.
2015 Point Standings
1 96 Olivier Bédard 148
2 2 Thanaroj Thanasitnitike 142
3 69 Stefan Rzadzinski 114
4 26 Valérie Chiasson 98
5 3 Abhinay Bikkani 71
6 88 Marc-André Bergeron 70
7 78 Metod Topolnik R 59
8 61 Richard Spénard 48
9 220 Carl Nadeau 46
10 4 Valérie Limoges 45
11 5 Olivier Pelletier R 42
12 86 Jean-Michel Isabelle 36
13 422 Marc-Antoine Demers 34
14 86 Pierre Clavet 30
15 29 Jacques Bélanger 28
16 29 Paul Dargis 28
17 28 Frédéric Bernier R 27
18 55 Nicolas Touchette R 26
19 40 Kevin King 18
20 17 Yves Aubé R 17
21 220 Benoit Gagnon 16
22 8 Martin Gray 15
23 9 Chris Sahakian R 13
24 572 Claude Leclerc R 11
25 75 Alex Abrich 8
26 7 Mario Berthiaume R 6
27 11 Martin Husar 6
28 86 Carl Wener 5