ONE MONTH AHEAD OF FIRST NISSAN MICRA CUP RACE, NISSAN ANNOUNCES MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE DRIVERS ON THE GRID
Mississauga, Ont. (April 22, 2015) – One month from today, drivers from across Canada, Quebec and as far-reaching as Thailand and India, will meet at Circuit MontTremblant to compete in the first-ever race for the Nissan Micra Cup. The well-rounded group of competitors prove that Canada’s newest racing series is also the most accessible, and appeals to race drivers across a broad skill and experience spectrum.
The GT Academy Comes to Canada
Nissan Team GT Academy will run two graduates from the 2014 Nissan PlayStation GT Academy competition in the 2015 Micra Cup. Indian racer Abhinay Bikkani (25), a Production Manager from Bangalore in India when he won GT Academy, and Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate (19) who hails from Bangkok in Thailand, a student before he hit the jackpot with Nissan. Since winning GT Academy, both Abhinay and Thanaroj have been on Nissan’s intensive driver development program to help them make the switch from virtualto-reality.
Nissan’s groundbreaking driver search and development programme has unearthed some exceptional racing drivers in recent years. The first winner, Spaniard Lucas Ordonez is now racing in Japan in the top class of Super GT, while Jann Mardenborough, the British winner of the 2011 GT Academy, competes in the premier sports car class at Le Mans and in Formula One feeder series, GP3.
Since 2008, the competition focused on Europe and then the USA, but in 2014 the GT Academy went global with the launch of ‘GT Academy International’, which widened the net to include Australia, Mexico, India and Thailand. The winners from India and Thailand will now go head-to-head in the Micra Cup
“Although most of the drivers in the inaugural season of the Nissan Micra Cup hail from the series home of Quebec, we’re delighted by the interest from across the globe and to have two GT Academy winners on the grid,” said Christian Meunier, president of Nissan Canada Inc. “The world will be watching as we kick off this exciting racing series next month.”
Frédéric Bernier – Bringing his racing dream to life
For many drivers, the Nissan Micra Cup is not just another playing field, but an entirely new one they have been waiting years for. This is the case for Frédéric Bernier (41), a business owner, husband and father of three from Quebec City who is starting his racing competition career with the Nissan Micra Cup.
For the past four years, Frédéric Bernier, a former automotive mechanic, decided to take his love of cars and racing to the next level by participating in track days, attending advanced karting schools and taking lessons with the well-known Académie Carl Nadeau. With the encouragement of the racing community and his coaches, Frédéric Bernier realized he hadplateaued in his training and it was time for the next step. As luck would have it, around the same time as this epiphany, Frédéric Bernier read an article about the Nissan Micra Cup while he was at an airport. With the full support of his family and friends and an appetite for adrenalin, Frédéric Bernier enrolled in Canada’s most affordable racing series.
Being well-connected in the automotive industry, Frédéric Bernier has numerous people rooting for him, and the support of Capitale Nissan in Quebec City. Frédéric Bernier’s network of support is reflected on his Micra Cup race car, which he spent countless hours decorating himself. His time and energy paid off, as his car placed third in its category at the Quebec Autosport Show’s design contest.
When asked what his mission is for his debut year in a racing series, the answer comes quickly to Frédéric Bernier, “I’m here to have fun, to enjoy every minute, and see where that leaves me in the standings. It’s all about learning and progressing!”
A TOTAL-LY WINNING TEAM
Total Canada Inc., a subsidiary of the 5th oil and gas integrated company Total SA, is pleased to announce its participation in the first season of the Nissan Micra Cup 2015. "We are delighted to participate in the Nissan Micra Cup, an event that will reaffirm our historic commitment to competition and increase our brand awareness in Canada,” says Franck Bagouet, President and CEO of Total Canada Inc.
The Micra car Total will carry the number 220 and will be driven by two famous Quebec celebrities, Jeff Boudreault and Benoit Gagnon. The third driver for the Total team is a professional racer and instructor Carl Nadeau, who will compete alongside some his present and former students, including Frédéric Bernier. The Total team trio eagerly looks forward to facing their opponents aboard their Nissan Micra Total.
To-date, 25 cars are registered with a very well-rounded competitor group representing a variety of ages, backgrounds and experience on the grid. More information on the full roster of Micra Cup drivers will be released soon. Stay connected to news about the Micra Cup and its drivers by visiting: www.micracup.com
Nissan Micra Cup 2015 Season Schedule:
May 22-24 Classique de printemps, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
June 5, 6, 7 Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada
July 24-26 Classique d’été, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
July 31-August 2 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières
August 15 Circuit St-Eustache
September 25-27 Classique d’automne, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
ONE MONTH AHEAD OF FIRST NISSAN MICRA CUP RACE, NISSAN ANNOUNCES MORE DETAIL ABOUT THE DRIVERS ON THE GRID
- Two Nissan GT Academy winners join impressive list of drivers in the inaugural season -
Mississauga, Ont. (April 22, 2015) – One month from today, drivers from across Canada, Quebec and as far-reaching as Thailand and India, will meet at Circuit MontTremblant to compete in the first-ever race for the Nissan Micra Cup. The well-rounded group of competitors prove that Canada’s newest racing series is also the most accessible, and appeals to race drivers across a broad skill and experience spectrum.
The GT Academy Comes to Canada
Nissan Team GT Academy will run two graduates from the 2014 Nissan PlayStation GT Academy competition in the 2015 Micra Cup. Indian racer Abhinay Bikkani (25), a Production Manager from Bangalore in India when he won GT Academy, and Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate (19) who hails from Bangkok in Thailand, a student before he hit the jackpot with Nissan. Since winning GT Academy, both Abhinay and Thanaroj have been on Nissan’s intensive driver development program to help them make the switch from virtualto-reality.
Nissan’s groundbreaking driver search and development programme has unearthed some exceptional racing drivers in recent years. The first winner, Spaniard Lucas Ordonez is now racing in Japan in the top class of Super GT, while Jann Mardenborough, the British winner of the 2011 GT Academy, competes in the premier sports car class at Le Mans and in Formula One feeder series, GP3.
Since 2008, the competition focused on Europe and then the USA, but in 2014 the GT Academy went global with the launch of ‘GT Academy International’, which widened the net to include Australia, Mexico, India and Thailand. The winners from India and Thailand will now go head-to-head in the Micra Cup
“Although most of the drivers in the inaugural season of the Nissan Micra Cup hail from the series home of Quebec, we’re delighted by the interest from across the globe and to have two GT Academy winners on the grid,” said Christian Meunier, president of Nissan Canada Inc. “The world will be watching as we kick off this exciting racing series next month.”
Frédéric Bernier – Bringing his racing dream to life
For many drivers, the Nissan Micra Cup is not just another playing field, but an entirely new one they have been waiting years for. This is the case for Frédéric Bernier (41), a business owner, husband and father of three from Quebec City who is starting his racing competition career with the Nissan Micra Cup.
For the past four years, Frédéric Bernier, a former automotive mechanic, decided to take his love of cars and racing to the next level by participating in track days, attending advanced karting schools and taking lessons with the well-known Académie Carl Nadeau. With the encouragement of the racing community and his coaches, Frédéric Bernier realized he hadplateaued in his training and it was time for the next step. As luck would have it, around the same time as this epiphany, Frédéric Bernier read an article about the Nissan Micra Cup while he was at an airport. With the full support of his family and friends and an appetite for adrenalin, Frédéric Bernier enrolled in Canada’s most affordable racing series.
Being well-connected in the automotive industry, Frédéric Bernier has numerous people rooting for him, and the support of Capitale Nissan in Quebec City. Frédéric Bernier’s network of support is reflected on his Micra Cup race car, which he spent countless hours decorating himself. His time and energy paid off, as his car placed third in its category at the Quebec Autosport Show’s design contest.
When asked what his mission is for his debut year in a racing series, the answer comes quickly to Frédéric Bernier, “I’m here to have fun, to enjoy every minute, and see where that leaves me in the standings. It’s all about learning and progressing!”
A TOTAL-LY WINNING TEAM
Total Canada Inc., a subsidiary of the 5th oil and gas integrated company Total SA, is pleased to announce its participation in the first season of the Nissan Micra Cup 2015. "We are delighted to participate in the Nissan Micra Cup, an event that will reaffirm our historic commitment to competition and increase our brand awareness in Canada,” says Franck Bagouet, President and CEO of Total Canada Inc.
The Micra car Total will carry the number 220 and will be driven by two famous Quebec celebrities, Jeff Boudreault and Benoit Gagnon. The third driver for the Total team is a professional racer and instructor Carl Nadeau, who will compete alongside some his present and former students, including Frédéric Bernier. The Total team trio eagerly looks forward to facing their opponents aboard their Nissan Micra Total.
To-date, 25 cars are registered with a very well-rounded competitor group representing a variety of ages, backgrounds and experience on the grid. More information on the full roster of Micra Cup drivers will be released soon. Stay connected to news about the Micra Cup and its drivers by visiting: www.micracup.com
Nissan Micra Cup 2015 Season Schedule:
May 22-24 Classique de printemps, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
June 5, 6, 7 Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada
July 24-26 Classique d’été, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
July 31-August 2 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières
August 15 Circuit St-Eustache
September 25-27 Classique d’automne, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
Mississauga, Ont. (April 22, 2015) – One month from today, drivers from across Canada, Quebec and as far-reaching as Thailand and India, will meet at Circuit MontTremblant to compete in the first-ever race for the Nissan Micra Cup. The well-rounded group of competitors prove that Canada’s newest racing series is also the most accessible, and appeals to race drivers across a broad skill and experience spectrum.
The GT Academy Comes to Canada
Nissan Team GT Academy will run two graduates from the 2014 Nissan PlayStation GT Academy competition in the 2015 Micra Cup. Indian racer Abhinay Bikkani (25), a Production Manager from Bangalore in India when he won GT Academy, and Thanaroj Thanasitnitikate (19) who hails from Bangkok in Thailand, a student before he hit the jackpot with Nissan. Since winning GT Academy, both Abhinay and Thanaroj have been on Nissan’s intensive driver development program to help them make the switch from virtualto-reality.
Nissan’s groundbreaking driver search and development programme has unearthed some exceptional racing drivers in recent years. The first winner, Spaniard Lucas Ordonez is now racing in Japan in the top class of Super GT, while Jann Mardenborough, the British winner of the 2011 GT Academy, competes in the premier sports car class at Le Mans and in Formula One feeder series, GP3.
Since 2008, the competition focused on Europe and then the USA, but in 2014 the GT Academy went global with the launch of ‘GT Academy International’, which widened the net to include Australia, Mexico, India and Thailand. The winners from India and Thailand will now go head-to-head in the Micra Cup
“Although most of the drivers in the inaugural season of the Nissan Micra Cup hail from the series home of Quebec, we’re delighted by the interest from across the globe and to have two GT Academy winners on the grid,” said Christian Meunier, president of Nissan Canada Inc. “The world will be watching as we kick off this exciting racing series next month.”
Frédéric Bernier – Bringing his racing dream to life
For many drivers, the Nissan Micra Cup is not just another playing field, but an entirely new one they have been waiting years for. This is the case for Frédéric Bernier (41), a business owner, husband and father of three from Quebec City who is starting his racing competition career with the Nissan Micra Cup.
For the past four years, Frédéric Bernier, a former automotive mechanic, decided to take his love of cars and racing to the next level by participating in track days, attending advanced karting schools and taking lessons with the well-known Académie Carl Nadeau. With the encouragement of the racing community and his coaches, Frédéric Bernier realized he hadplateaued in his training and it was time for the next step. As luck would have it, around the same time as this epiphany, Frédéric Bernier read an article about the Nissan Micra Cup while he was at an airport. With the full support of his family and friends and an appetite for adrenalin, Frédéric Bernier enrolled in Canada’s most affordable racing series.
Being well-connected in the automotive industry, Frédéric Bernier has numerous people rooting for him, and the support of Capitale Nissan in Quebec City. Frédéric Bernier’s network of support is reflected on his Micra Cup race car, which he spent countless hours decorating himself. His time and energy paid off, as his car placed third in its category at the Quebec Autosport Show’s design contest.
When asked what his mission is for his debut year in a racing series, the answer comes quickly to Frédéric Bernier, “I’m here to have fun, to enjoy every minute, and see where that leaves me in the standings. It’s all about learning and progressing!”
A TOTAL-LY WINNING TEAM
Total Canada Inc., a subsidiary of the 5th oil and gas integrated company Total SA, is pleased to announce its participation in the first season of the Nissan Micra Cup 2015. "We are delighted to participate in the Nissan Micra Cup, an event that will reaffirm our historic commitment to competition and increase our brand awareness in Canada,” says Franck Bagouet, President and CEO of Total Canada Inc.
The Micra car Total will carry the number 220 and will be driven by two famous Quebec celebrities, Jeff Boudreault and Benoit Gagnon. The third driver for the Total team is a professional racer and instructor Carl Nadeau, who will compete alongside some his present and former students, including Frédéric Bernier. The Total team trio eagerly looks forward to facing their opponents aboard their Nissan Micra Total.
To-date, 25 cars are registered with a very well-rounded competitor group representing a variety of ages, backgrounds and experience on the grid. More information on the full roster of Micra Cup drivers will be released soon. Stay connected to news about the Micra Cup and its drivers by visiting: www.micracup.com
Nissan Micra Cup 2015 Season Schedule:
May 22-24 Classique de printemps, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
June 5, 6, 7 Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada
July 24-26 Classique d’été, Circuit Mont-Tremblant
July 31-August 2 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières
August 15 Circuit St-Eustache
September 25-27 Classique d’automne, Circuit Mont-Tremblant