2022/08/07

Mississauga - The Nissan Sentra Cup staged this weekend the seventh and eighth rounds of its 2022 season as part of the 52nd edition of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. Action raged in both races and saw Justin Arseneau win on Saturday and Kevin King finish first on Sunday.

Friday's qualifying session, held for the 33 entered competitors (a record in the history of the series!), saw young Justin Arseneau take his seventh pole position in seven races so far this season. Point standings' leader Simon Charbonneau set the fastest time, but got penalized and had to start the first race from the fourth position behind Arseneau, Alexandre Fortin and Valérie Limoges, winner in Trois-Rivières last year.

Staged in front of packed grandstands, Saturday's race was highly spectacular. Pole position holder Justin Arseneau, who celebrated his seventeenth birthday only three days before the event, made a good start and remained in first place all race long. However, he was under tremendous pressure from Simon Charbonneau, Kevin King and Alexandre Fortin. Those three battled hard to dislodge Arseneau from the lead, but they endured different outcomes. Charbonneau, the championship leader before Trois-Rivières, hit the wall and was forced to retire, leaving Fortin and King to compete for second and third places. They crossed the finish line in that order.

Valérie Limoges enjoyed a solid race to finish fourth, a place that propelled her on top of the point standings - a first in the history of the series. André Lapointe, Éric Chaput, Nicolas Miron, Frédéric Chaput, Sylvain Ouellet and Normand Boyer completed the Top 10. These six drivers fought fiercely for positions all race long.

For his first career race in the Sentra Cup, Freddie Hunt finished twelfth, right behind Nicolas Barrette. Jean-Michel Isabelle captured victory in the Micra class which also displayed intense competition. Isabelle was making his return to the series. He finished ahead of Martin Barrette and Samuel Rowe.

Sunday's race was held in front of an impressive crowd and under beaming sun. Kevin King started the race from pole position, with Alexandre Fortin alongside. If Fortin quickly lost touch with King, the latter remained in the lead throughout the race, put under pressure by Justin Arseneau first, and then by Sylvain Ouellet who drove a stunning race.

A collision between Daniel Fortin and Frédéric Chaput sadly forced the officials to neutralize the race. The cars crossed the finish line behind the official Nissan Z (the safety car of the series). Kevin King captured victory ahead of Sylvain Ouellet and Éric Chaput. After a challenging start to the season, Nicolas Barrette earned a well-deserved Top 4 finish, ahead of Simon Charbonneau, André Lapointe and Freddie Hunt. Valérie Limoges finished the event in eighth place and retains the lead in the drivers' championship ahead of Simon Charbonneau.

In the Micra class, this second race of the weekend was hotly disputed again. Jean-Michel Isabelle was the victor for a second time in succession. Frédéric Bernier and radio host Benoît Gagnon took the other two steps on the podium.

In addition to the two scheduled races, fans of the Trois-Rivières Grand Prix could visit the series' paddocks without restrictions, admire the brand-new Nissan Z and meet the drivers and their teammates. They were also numerous to hone their driving skills on the simulator allowing them to drive the Nissan Z virtually.

Actress and Nissan brand ambassador in Québec Karine Vanasse was also onsite on Saturday to cheer on the Nissan Sentra Cup drivers and present the top three drivers with their trophies on the podium.

The next event will take place early September, on Labour Day weekend, when the Cup returns to Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville, Ontario. This will represent the penultimate event of the 2022 season.

To follow the Nissan Sentra Cup on social media:

Facebook: @CoupeSentraCup
Instagram: @nissansentracup
Twitter: @SentraCup
YouTube: SentraCupTV

2022 SCHEDULE - NISSAN SENTRA CUP

May 20-22                Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, Bowmanville, Ontario
June 17-19                Formula 1 Grand Prix du Canada, Montr&eSzacute;al, 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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