Two victories and the title for Xavier Coupal

- Spectacular races at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant conclude the 2016 season -

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Sept. 25, 2016 /CNW/ - The 2016 season of the Nissan Micra Cup came to an end this weekend at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant as part of the Fall Classic, attracting thousands of spectators. Under sunny autumn skies, they were treated to two spectacular races, both won by Xavier Coupal, who earned the first title of his career in this, the second season of the Nissan Micra Cup.

Following the qualifying session leading into the first race, the anticipated duel between 2015 champion Olivier Bédard, and his teammate Xavier Coupal, caused a lot of excitement at the front of the pack. The only two drivers to break the two-minute and three second lap time, Bédard and Coupal found themselves side by side for the start of the race that afternoon. Longtime leader, Bédard, eventually conceded the front spot to Coupal, who was on his way to his eighth victory of the season. 

Behind them, the battle for third place kept spectators on their toes right from the start until the very last lap.  Kevin King completed the podium, ahead of Stefan Rzadzinski and Bruno St-Jacques, who made his series debut. The former Canadian Formula 1600 champion crossed the finish line moments ahead of Valérie Limoges, who was slightly slowed down after making contact with Bertrand Godin on the last turn. Penalized following this incident, Godin gave up a Top 10 finish, therefore advancing Jean-Michel Isabelle (seventh), Normand Boyer, Yves Aubé and Marc-Antoine Demers. For the rookies, Ashley Sahakian finished first, followed by Peter Dyck and Stefan Gauthier, who was forced to retire before the race finished after a multi-vehicle accident.

The following day, it was an almost identical scenario at the front of the pack as Olivier Bédard earned the pole position and led for the first laps, before St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Quebec native Xavier Coupal took over, en route to his ninth victory of the season and his first title in this series. Kevin King finished third, ahead of Stefan Rzadzinski, Valérie Limoges, Jean-Michel Isabelle, Normand Boyer, Chris Sahakian, Stéfan Gauthier and Mario Berthiaume.

In the final drivers' championship standings, Xavier Coupal wins over Olivier Bédard, Kevin King, Stefan Rzadzinski, Valérie Limoges and Nic Hammann. In the rookie standings, Stéfan Gauthier, class winner of the second race, was crowned champion ahead of Peter Dyck and Ashley Sahakian. Lastly, in the team championship, the title goes to the #572 Albi Nissan Team, ahead of Perry Performance/Hull Nissan (#86) and Total Canada (#220).

"It was an exhilarating finale to the 2016 Nissan Micra Cup with a tight race on the track and excitement filling the paddock," said Joni Paiva, president of Nissan Canada Inc. "At the podium ceremony we crowned a new champion, Xavier Coupal, who I'd like to congratulate, once again, for his perseverance and success throughout the season. But it's not just the champion who is a winner in this series. Everyone involved, from the drivers and their teams, to the sponsors and the fans, are part of the excitement and adventure this series offers."

The Nissan Micra Cup will return in 2017, with its calendar and other news to be announced during the winter.

For full race results, visit:
http://www.micracup.com/Results_2016_Race?RID=15 
http://www.micracup.com/Results_2016_Race?RID=16

Final championship standings : 
http://www.micracup.com/Results_2016_ClassGen.php

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.

SOURCE Nissan Canada Inc.

Image with caption: "Final championship podium, from left to right : Stéfan Gauthier (rookie of the year), Kevin King (third), Xavier Coupal (champion) and Olivier Bédard (runner-up) (CNW Group/Nissan Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160925_C1305_PHOTO_EN_781033.jpg

Image with caption: "Xavier Coupal with Joni Paiva, president of Nissan Canada Inc. (CNW Group/Nissan Canada Inc.)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160925_C1305_PHOTO_EN_781035.jpg

Media contacts: Didier Marsaud, Director, Corporate Communications, Nissan Canada, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]; Stephanie Ronson, Cohn & Wolfe, Tel: [phone], Email: [email protected]