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Australia
Race report

King and Bédard share victories in the Nissan Micra Cup

Rounds five and six of the 2016 Canadian Nissan Micra Cup were held Sunday on the 2km road course of the Autodrome St-Eustache located near Montreal.

Kevin King

Kevin King

René Fagnan

Nicolas Hammann
Olivier Bédard
Valérie Limoges
Valérie Limoges
Olivier Bédard
Stefan Rzadsinski

For the first and only time this season, the drivers competed in two qualifying sessions and two races on the same day. It was almost 30 degrees C when the cars took to the track for the first qualifying session of the day.

Kevin King (Micra No. 40) qualified on pole ahead of the reigning series’ champion, Olivier Bédard in the No. 1 car.

At the green, the field went through the first chicane without problems. At the end of lap 1, King was running in first place in front of Bédard, Stefan Razdzinski [No. 69), Marc-Antoine Demers (No. 422) and Valérie Limoges (No. 4).

Behind them, the battle raged between Jacques Bélanger, Bertrand Godin (racing Xavier Coupal’s car), Chris Sahakian and American Nicholas Hammann, who was contesting this first race of the season.

Unfortunately, a black flag penalty caused Rzadzinksi to lose a few places.

King crossed the line in first place, finishing first in front of Bédard, Demers, Razdzinski (who recovered well) and Limoges. Jean-Michel Isabelle, Jacques Bélanger, Nicholas Hammann, Bertrand Godin and Chris Sahakian completed the top 10.

Race 2

It was still extremely hot when the cars lined up on the false grid for the second qualifying session of the day. Again, King captured pole position ahead of Bédard, Razdzinski and Xavier Coupal, back in the No. 572 Micra.

King led the early part of the race, but was under extreme pressure from Bédard. Several great battles took place on the track, including Bertrand Godin who proved he has not lost his touch after finishing ninth in his first ever Nissan Micra Cup race. He fought with the young Chris Sahakian, as well as with veteran Jacques Bélanger.

Out in front, King managed to pull away slightly from Bédard. But when the leader came to put a lap down on a back marker, he missed the first chicane, went straight into the grass, and came back on the race track just in front of Bédard.

Meanwhile, Coupal was a man on a mission. He passed Valérie Limoges and pick up one place when Marc-Antoine Demers was forced to come into the pits.

On the last lap, Bédard took the carrousel glued to King’s rear bumper. At the last chicane, he outbraked King in spectacular fashion and went on to win the race.

King finished second in front of Coupal, Razdzinski, Limoges and Hammann. Jean-Michel Isabelle, Normand Boyer, Chris Sahakian and Mario Berthiaume completed the top 10.

In the drivers’ championship, Kevin King is first with 170 points, ahead of Xavier Coupal (168 points), Stefan Rzadzinski (163 points), Valérie Limoges (152 points), Olivier Bédard (143 points) and Marc-Antoine Demers (115 points).

The next meeting of the Nissan Micra Cup will be on July 8, 9 and 10 in Ontario. The seventh and eighth rounds of the season will be held at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville during the IMSA SportsCar weekend.

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Edition

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