2017 Championship Title for Olivier Bedard in the Nissan Micra Cup

MISSISSAUGA, ON--(Marketwired - September 24, 2017) - The 2017 Nissan Micra Cup championship ended this past weekend during the Fall Classic, held at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant. Two races took place, and all eyes were on the overall championship duel between Olivier Bédard and Kevin King. Under intense heat and constant sun, the two races brought together thousands of motorsport enthusiasts and fans of Nissan Canada and the Nissan Micra Cup.

After earning pole position on Saturday, Olivier Bédard led from the start to the finish of a race that stopped momentarily following Kevin King's incident, which ended King's hopes of claiming the title. Stefan Rzadzinski and Valérie Limoges rounded out the podium after a tight battle for third place between Limoges, who started on the first line, Stéfan Gauthier, Jean-Michel Isabelle and Xavier Coupal. After multiple position changes throughout the race, they finished in that same order.

Seventh overall and winner of the senior class following Saturday's race, Metod Topolnik diminished the senior class drivers' championship gap between himself and Normand Boyer, who finished the race behind Topolnik and Frédéric Bernier. As a result of this finish, Boyer claimed the senior class' championship title. Among the rookies, Fadi Mourad earned his first victory of the season, ahead of Englishman Jake Exton and Vincent Doyle.

"I would have obviously preferred to win the title at the end of another great battle with Kevin King, but unfortunately incidents are part of racing," said Olivier Bédard. "I also had issues during the season and I'm very pleased with this title. It's my second win in the Nissan Micra Cup, after my win in 2015. For me, it's a special moment that I'll never forget."

The last race of the 2017 Nissan Micra Cup took place the following day, once again under unseasonably high temperatures. The race concluded without any pauses, setting the stage for a number of exciting battles amongst all three classes. The fight for victory played out between Olivier Bédard, who once again qualified in pole position, Valérie Limoges and Xavier Coupal. The latter claimed the win after passing Bédard on the last lap, which, with the fastest lap bonus points, gave him the runner-up title, just one point ahead of King. In fourth place, Rzadzinski finished ahead of Gauthier, Isabelle and Topolnik, who was at the top in the senior class.

The biggest battle of the weekend took place between 10 drivers, who were fighting for eighth place neck and neck. Fadi Mourad eventually succeeded, while also finishing first among the rookies. A special mention also goes to Austin Riley, the young autistic racer who put up a strong fight in the rookie championship after qualifying second. Overall, Austin finished in thirteenth place in Sunday's race.

It was at the Fall Classic at the Circuit Mont-Tremblant where 2017 champions Olivier Bédard, Normand Boyer and Jake Exton were crowned, but all Nissan Micra Cup participants, drivers, officials, and team members were celebrated as the series' third season came to an end. A season that was intense, action-packed, and highlighted by the achievements of about 40 drivers on the track, also allowed hundreds of Canadian Nissan Micra owners to discover and appreciate the series and its events.

For full race results, visit:

http://www.micracup.com/2017-Results_Race?RID=31 (race 11)
http://www.micracup.com/2017-Results_Race?RID=32 (race 12)

Overall championship standings after 12 races: http://www.micracup.com/2017-Results_ClassGen.

For more information on the Nissan Micra Cup, please visit: www.nissan.ca/micracup.

2017 Nissan Micra Cup Season Calendar

May 19 - 21 Victoria Day Weekend SpeedFest, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario
May 26 - 28 Spring Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
July 21 - 23 Summer Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
August 11 - 13 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, Québec
September 1 - 3 NASCAR Weekend, Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Ontario
September 22 - 24 Fall Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec

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., Ltd.
Nissan is a global full-line vehicle manufacturer that sells more than 60 models under the Nissan, Infiniti and Datsun brands. In fiscal year 2016, the company sold 5.63 million vehicles globally, generating revenue of 11.72 trillion yen. Nissan engineers, manufactures and markets the world's best-selling all-electric vehicle in history, the Nissan LEAF. Nissan's global headquarters in Yokohama, Japan, manages operations in six regions: Asia & Oceania; Africa, Middle East & India; China; Europe; Latin America; and North America. Nissan has a global workforce of 247,500 and has been partnered with French manufacturer Renault since 1999. In 2016, Nissan acquired a 34% stake in Mitsubishi Motors. Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is today the world's largest automotive partnership, with combined annual sales of almost 10 million units a year.

For more information about our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit nissan-global.com. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn and see all our latest videos on YouTube.

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 200 independent Nissan dealerships, including 45 that also act as Nissan Commercial Vehicles dealers, and 42 INFINITI retailers 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.

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