2016/08/14

Mississauga, Ont.– This weekend at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, which once again attracted thousands of spectators, the Nissan Micra Cup held its eleventh and twelfth races of the 2016 season. The two races were action-packed and included a number of position changes. In the end, Albertan driver Stefan Rzadzinski claimed his first victory of the season on Saturday, while Xavier Coupal earned the win on Sunday.

Official partner of the 2016 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, Nissan was very involved on-site with numerous guests and celebrities in the paddocks and a variety of activities for the public. The most anticipated activity for the fans was naturally the two Nissan Micra Cup races on the schedule and the spectators were not disappointed.

Qualifying in pole position for the first race, championship leader Xavier Coupal hoped this weekend in Trois-Rivières would increase his lead in the overall standings.  But following the formation lap behind the event's safety car, the 2017 Nissan GT-R, the green flag was waved to mark the start of the race and Coupal was passed by Rzadzinski and veteran Richard Spénard, who made his return to the series much to the delight of the fans. Spénard gave up his position shortly after and Coupal moved up, one by one, to reclaim the lead after a fantastic duel with Rzadzinski.

At the end of the race, Xavier Coupal crossed the finish line first but after analyzing the race, officials penalized him for driving outside of the track's limits as he overtook Rzadzinski, dropping him to seventh place. This handed the victory to Stefan Rzadzinski, who was declared the winner for the first time this season. Kevin King finished in second place after a great battle with 2015 champion Olivier Bédard, the third place finisher. 

Jean-Michel Isabelle recorded a fantastic fourth place finish after fending off Nismo GT Academy driver Nic Hammann during the first part of the race. Valérie Limoges completed the top six, followed by Xavier Coupal, Marc-Antoine Demers, Jacques Bélanger, Chris Sahakian, Frédéric Bernier and the top novice, Stéfan Gauthier.

On Sunday, the twenty-five Nissan Micra Cup drivers took to the track for the second race. After qualifying once again in pole position, Xavier Coupal controlled the event from the start to the finish, albeit under pressure from Olivier Bédard the entire time.

Kevin King completed the podium in third place ahead of Hammann and Rzadzinski, who both started farther back in the pack at the start but benefited from a three-car crash near the end of the race between Isabelle, Limoges and Spénard. Only Spénard was able to finish the race, ahead of Demers, Bélanger, novice Stéfan Gauthier and Normand Boyer.

Two local drivers from Trois-Rivières took part in this event. A regular in the series, Mario Berthiaume finished 13^th on Saturday and 11^th on Sunday. Paul Dargis, Bertrand Godin's teammate in the United Auto car (#27), was only competing in Saturday's race and finished 20^th. Godin gained eight places in Sunday's race to finish 13^th.

Another highlight of the weekend was the presence of popular comedian and actor Michel Barrette, guest of series promoter Jacques Deshaies. After trying a Nissan Micra S on Friday, Barrette announced his intentions to compete in the 2017 Nissan Micra Cup with his son, Nicolas.

In the drivers' championship, Xavier Coupal remains solidly at the top of the standings with 390 points, ahead of Olivier Bédard (361), Kevin King (331), Stefan Rzadzinksi (330), Nic Hamman (246) and Valérie Limoges (242). For the rookies, Stefan Gauthier claimed victory on both Saturday and Sunday, taking the lead of this class with 67 points.

This weekend at the Grand-Prix de Trois-Rivières was a huge success for Nissan and spectators were kept engaged throughout the entire event. The next race weekend is being held at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park during NASCAR Weekend on September 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th, during which the Nissan Micra Cup drivers will compete in the thirteenth and fourteenth races of the season.  

For full race results, visit:
http://www.micracup.com/Results_2016_Race?RID=11Opens in a new tab.(race 11)
http://www.micracup.com/Results_2016_Race?RID=12Opens in a new tab. (race 12)

General overall championship standings after 12 races:
http://www.micracup.com/Results_2016_ClassGenOpens in a new tab.

For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please visit: www.nissan.ca/micracupOpens in a new tab.

Nissan Micra Cup 2016 Season Calendar :

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