2022/08/02

Mississauga – An exceptional starting-grid awaits Nissan Sentra Cup fans this weekend, during the 52nd edition of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. The event, which will be contested on August 5, 6 and 7, will see two Nissan Sentra Cup races with some of the best current Canadian drivers, in addition to the Briton Freddie Hunt, the son of the 1976 Formula 1 world champion, the legendary James Hunt.

Hunt, who usually competes in the Le Mans Cup series in Europe at the wheel of a Nissan-powered LMP3 prototype, will make his North American racing debut, on the site where his father had competed against Gilles Villeneuve. It was during the 1976 Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. James Hunt finished third and Gilles Villeneuve won the Formula Atlantic race.

To celebrate his father's unique participation in the event, Freddie Hunt will drive the number 96 Nissan Sentra, the number his father had at the 1976 edition. He will have to face the regular Nissan Sentra Cup drivers, in addition to the reigning champion Kevin King, who is only competing a partial season this year. But after having getting a win at the F1 Grand Prix du Canada last June, there is no doubt that King remains one of the favorites this weekend in Trois-Rivières, the city where he resides.

Championship leader and mid-season champion after the races presented at the end of July at Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Simon Charbonneau will try to win for the first time in his career on the famous temporary urban circuit of Trois-Rivières. A racetrack that his main rival for the title, Valérie Limoges, knows very well, as she is the only female driver to have ever won twice in the history of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. It was in 2019 in the Nissan Micra Cup and then last year, in the Nissan Sentra Cup.

Third in the standings and already winner three times in six races this season, Alexandre Fortin will try, like Charbonneau, to win for the first time in his career in the GP3R.

Let's not forget either the young Justin Arseneau, rookie in the series and who has accumulated exploits (pole positions and lap records) since the beginning of the year. Only one victory is currently missing from his 2022 season but it is only a matter of time before he gets there. If we add Sylvain Ouellet, leader of the Senior class and actually Top 5 in the standings, veteran Normand Boyer, Éric Chaput and his son Frédéric, Nicolas Barrette, or Olivier Bédard, whose participation remains to be confirmed, these are nearly a dozen drivers who can legitimately claim victory in both races contested this weekend.

In the Micra class, François Angers-Routhier will try to maintain on top of the standings. In this category, several drivers will make their comeback at the GP3R, such as Jean-Michel Isabelle and Frédéric Bernier. Martin Barrette and the popular radio host Benoît Gagnon will be at a second event in 2022 in this class, after the Grand Prix du Canada.

In addition to on-track action, fans will be able to enjoy the return of multiple entertainment and an open paddock with no restrictions this year. In the Nissan Sentra Cup section, it will be possible to drive the all-new Nissan Z on a simulator. A model which will also be used by the series as the Official Safety-Car and which it will be possible to admire in the Nissan Sentra Cup paddock.

Karine Vanasse, actress and Nissan brand ambassador in Quebec, will be there on Saturday to cheer on the Nissan Sentra Cup drivers. She will reconnect for the occasion with the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, an event who had discovered last year. She was also present at the 2022 Grand Prix du Canada.

Nissan Sentra Cup drivers will take the track four times during the weekend, with a free practice session and qualifying on Friday, ahead of the first 40-minute race on Saturday at 2 p.m. The second race will take place on Sunday at 11:35 a.m.

Both races will be presented live on the Nissan Sentra Cup Facebook page as well as on giant screens for spectators in the grandstands. Later in the year, these two races will be broadcast on a Series special program on RDS network. Fans of the series are also invited to follow all the news on the social medias of the Nissan Sentra Cup.

To follow the Nissan Sentra Cup on social media:

Facebook: @CoupeSentraCupOpens in a new tab.
Instagram: @nissansentracupOpens in a new tab.
Twitter: @SentraCupOpens in a new tab.
YouTube: SentraCupTVOpens in a new tab.

Nissan Sentra Cup on-track activities

- Practice session: Friday August 5, 12:10 pm to 12:30 pm
- Qualifying session: Friday August 5, 3:35 pm to 3:55 pm
- Race 1: Saturday August 6, 2:00 pm to 2:40 pm
- Race 2: Sunday August 7, 11:35 am to 12:15 pm

2022 Schedule - Nissan Sentra Cup

May 20-22                Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario
June 17-19               Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada, Montréal, Québec
July 22-24                 Summer Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec
August 5-7                Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Québec
September 2-4          Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario
September 23-25      Fall Classic, Circuit Mont-Tremblant, Québec

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