‘Win on Sunday, buy on Monday’ is back
Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler went drag racing in the early 1960s to enhance their sales. The automakers produced some very limited stock-appearing cars, believing if they were successful at the track, the fans would head into the showrooms to buy their product.
By the end of the decade, these factory race cars morphed into today’s Funny Cars and Pro Stocks which are pure race cars, but road racing ventures took over with the “win on Sunday, buy on Monday” approach.
In Canada, the Honda Michelin Series started its showroom stock series with two-door Civics to showcase its name.
This series started in the mid-1970s and toured the country for the next 17 years with bonestock Civics thrashing around the road circuits (and occasional oval). The premise was successful in brand marketing, so successful that Player’s hooked up with GM and Rothmans with Porsche to develop their own racing with stock, off-the-shelf cars.
But over the past 25 years, automakers became too busy with safety and engine pollution requirements to promote their product in a competitive situation using stock automobiles.
Then in 2014, Nissan introduced its smallest car, the Micra, to Canada. In an effort to encourage sales of this car, Quebec motorsport promoter Jacques Deshaies met with Nissan Canada officials and developed the Micra Cup.
Since that time, this series has become the go-to venue for budding and budget-minded race drivers. After three successful seasons, the Micra Cup will begin its 2018 campaign at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park in Bowmanville this weekend as part of the track’s Victoria Day Speedfest presented by Castrol.
“The series has done everything we thought, and more,” noted Nissan’s Didier Marsaud in an interview recently. “We originally agreed to be involved for three years but we have just renewed for another three. It is very cost-effective and we have found that it has been a big benefit to not only Micra but the Nissan brand generally.”
The Micra Cup is comprised of 12 races at six events, competing at circuits in Ontario and Quebec. The cars are stock 1.6-litre powered Micras with five-speed transmissions, and 25 to 30 racers will compete. The cars are affordable, with a base Micra starting at $9,998.
Along with the actual racing, Nissan has embraced the series off-track with fan involvement
and brand awareness. Live videos and reports will be available through the new Nissan Cup Facebook page as well as YouTube.
In the opening round at CTMP this year, owners of Micras, and the iconic Nissan “Z” sports cars as well, will be able to take tour laps around the road course after registering, and each Micra owner who registers will be offered two free tickets to each race of the season.
“When you add all this up,” Marsaud said, “when you add the TV activation, social media activation, media invitations, the test drive with journalists where we put journalists behind the wheel of a Micra Cup car, the Micra owners parade, this involvement is high for the Nissan brand.”
“Win on Sunday, sell on Monday” has returned.
Micra Cup racing will be just one of several events at the track north of Bowmanville this weekend.
Three other Canadian race series will hold their first events of the season, as the Canadian Touring Car Championship, the IMSA Ultra 94 Porsche GT3 Cup Challenge Canada by Yokohama, and the NASCAR Pinty’s Series take to the 2.48-mile, 10-turn course.
The Pirelli World Challenge Series will also get underway for 2018 at CTMP.