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The Nissan Micra Cup series made its debut in 2015.
The championship was designed to provide racers with the most affordable new race vehicle in Canada.
To keep costs down and to ensure all the Micras were equal the cars prepared by a single performance shop – Motorsports in Action.
The Micra is powered by a 1.6-liter DOHC 4-cylinder engine which produces 109-horsepower. For safety purposes, much of the interior (seats, door panels, etc.) is removed and a safety cage, five-point harness, window net and FIA-approved racing seat are installed. To improve the performance of the cars they are fitted with a racing suspension kit, high-performance brake pads, Pirelli racing tires and modified exhaust system. In the first season, there were six race weekends - all being held in Quebec. The popularity of the series grew and in 2016, there were three events held in Ontario and five in Quebec. Now in its fourth season, the series opens in May on the Victoria Day Weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. This event is followed by races at Calabogie Motorsport Park and Circuit Mont-Tremblant in June and July. The championship then competes at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. The penultimate round is at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and the season finale will be held at Circuit Mont-Tremblant. Rounds nine and ten of the 2018 Nissan Micra Cup series were held at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park. Drivers would compete in two thirty-minute races around the ten-turn 2.459-mile road course during the Chevrolet Silverado 250 weekend. After this event, there would be just two-point scoring races in the season finale at Circuit Mont-Tremblant. Competitors had to balance risk with reward in order to maximize their points and earn the Driver’s title.
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It was a very wet start to Saturday’s round nine for the Nissan Micra Cup championship. Leading the field of fifteen starters through Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s Moss corner is the pole-sitter, Olivier Bedard. Behind Bedard is the second-place starter, Valerie Limoges. Trailing Limoges is the title contender, Kevin King, veteran Normand Boyer and Jake Exton. |
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Valerie Limoges has competed in the Nissan Micra Cup since its inception and is always competitive but had yet to win a race. That changed in round nine when she was declared the winner after the top-three finishers were each penalized for exceeding the track limits. Limoges also made history by becoming the first women to claim a series victory. The following day, she qualified and finished third. |
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Veteran, Normand Boyer had competed in many racing series before joining the Nissan Micra Cup in 2016. Boyer’s best results to date were a pair of runner-up finishes at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park and Calabogie. On Saturday, he was first to the checkered flag but a penalty dropped him one position - adding another second place result to his 2018 total. On Sunday, Boyer started seventh and finished fourth. |
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Olivier Bedard has dominated the series since it debuted in 2015. Bedard has won the title every season except for 2016. He entered the penultimate rounds with a comfortable lead in the championship and could secure the title this weekend. In the Saturday’s race, he qualified on the pole and finished fourth after being penalized. Bedard grabbed the runner-up spot in round ten – it was not enough for the title. |
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Sunday’s round ten was held in more favourable conditions. Sixteen drivers prepare to enter Canadian Tire Motorsport Park’s final turn in anticipation of the Starter’s flag. Pacing the field is the pole-sitter, Jake Exton in the Moovit sponsored Micra. Sharing the front row with Exton is the second fastest qualifier and championship contender, Kevin King. The series points leader, Olivier Bedard was in the fourth row. |
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On Sunday, Jake Exton redeemed himself. The highlights of Exton’s season included second-place finishes a Circuit Mont-Tremblant and the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres. Round nine at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park would be one of the low points in his year. Exton qualified fifth but was the races first retirement. The following day, he was the fastest qualifier and won his first race of 2018. |
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2018 marked the fourth season that Kevin King had participated in the Nissan Micra Cup series. This year, King had two race victories and as the season came to an end, he was the only driver that could prevent Olivier Bedard from claiming another championship. In the weekend’s first event, King started and finished third – one place ahead of Bedard. On Sunday, he qualified second but was seventh at the checker. |
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Nissan Gabriel Racing’s, Fadi Mourad was the favourite to secure the rookie title. Mourad failed to finish the season’s first race but since that initial outing, he has scored three top-five finishes with his best result being a fourth place at Calabogie Motorsport Park. In rounds nine and ten at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Mourad was back on form and captured sixth and fifth place finishes. |
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| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | ENTRANT | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Valérie Limoges | Nissan Micra | Total Racing Team | 15 |
| 2 | 4 | Normand Boyer | Nissan Micra | Belvédère Nissan | 15 |
| 3 | 3 | Kevin King | Nissan Micra | King Motorsports / L&P Apparel | 15 |
| 4 | 1 | Olivier Bédard | Nissan Micra | SolidXperts | 15 |
| 5 | 8 | Sylvain Ouellet | Nissan Micra | Automobiles S.Ouellet | 15 |
| 6 | 6 | Fadi Mourad | Nissan Micra | Nissan Gabriel Racing | 15 |
| 7 | 7 | Mike Ogren | Nissan Micra | Lombard Bros Gaming | 15 |
| 8 | 9 | Eric Chaput | Nissan Micra | Équipe de course Chaps racing team | 15 |
| 9 | 14 | Austin Riley | Nissan Micra | Racing with autism | 15 |
| 10 | 15 | Peter Cohen | Nissan Micra | Perry Performance / Hull Nissan | 15 |
| 11 | 12 | Mario Berthiaume | Nissan Micra | MB Performance | 15 |
| 12 | 16 | Nicolas Barrette | Nissan Micra | Barrette Racing | 15 |
| 13 | 10 | Alex P Habrich | Nissan Micra | SolidXperts | 15 |
| 14 | 11 | Peter Dyck | Nissan Micra | NRW Rennsport | 15 |
| 15 | 5 | Jake Exton | Nissan Micra | Team Moovit | 15 |
| DNS | 13 | Michael Habrich | Nissan Micra | SolidXperts | 0 |
| FINISH | START | DRIVER | CAR | ENTRANT | LAPS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jake Exton | Nissan Micra | Team Moovit | 15 |
| 2 | 8 | Olivier Bédard | Nissan Micra | SolidXperts | 15 |
| 3 | 3 | Valérie Limoges | Nissan Micra | Total Racing Team | 15 |
| 4 | 7 | Normand Boyer | Nissan Micra | Belvédère Nissan | 15 |
| 5 | 6 | Fadi Mourad | Nissan Micra | Nissan Gabriel Racing | 15 |
| 6 | 4 | Sylvain Ouellet | Nissan Micra | Automobiles S.Ouellet | 15 |
| 7 | 2 | Kevin King | Nissan Micra | King Motorsports / L&P Apparel | 15 |
| 8 | 9 | Mike Ogren | Nissan Micra | Lombard Bros Gaming | 15 |
| 9 | 10 | Eric Chaput | Nissan Micra | Équipe de course Chaps racing team | 15 |
| 10 | 11 | Peter Dyck | Nissan Micra | NRW Rennsport | 15 |
| 11 | 16 | Alex P Habrich | Nissan Micra | SolidXperts | 15 |
| 12 | 14 | Peter Cohen | Nissan Micra | Perry Performance / Hull Nissan | 15 |
| 13 | 13 | Mario Charette | Nissan Micra | Equipe Charette | 15 |
| 14 | 5 | Austin Riley | Nissan Micra | Racing with autism | 15 |
| 15 | 15 | Michael Habrich | Nissan Micra | SolidXperts | 15 |
| 16 | 12 | Nicolas Barrette | Nissan Micra | Barrette Racing | 15 |
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