Levelling a Micra field
New series uses identical Nissan Micras as event taps into Quebec’s racing roots
MONT-TREMBLANT, QUE.— My former Targa Newfoundland teammate Jacques Deshaies from Trois-Rivières has raced a variety of cars in a variety of series over the years.
He learned the best way to determine the talent of drivers is to put them all in identical cars and let them have at it. May the best man or woman win the inaugral Micra Cup.
That’s not an entirely novel idea. The Honda Michelin series originated in Quebec back in the mid-1970s. It became the longest-running “single marque” racing series in the world, the spawning ground for a couple of generations of great Canadian race car drivers.
The trick is to find a car that can be made into a proper race car at an affordable price, and to get the manufacturer thereof to support a series through the inevitable growing pains. About a year and a half ago, Deshaies thought he had found the answer to at least the first part of that question.
Just about every media review of the Nissan Micra said something to the effect that the car drove far better than it needed to in order to compete successfully in the entry-level segment. Customers buying a sub$10,000 car — the base price for a Micra is $9,998 — can’t honestly expect much. But the Micra actually handles decently well.
Deshaies figured with a roll cage, racing seats and other safety modifications, a fully race-ready car could roll out the door for under 20 grand. He made a phone call to Didier Marsaud, senior manager corporate communications for Nissan Canada and a real motorsport fan. Marsaud went straight to the office of his boss, Nissan Canada president Christian Meunier.
Deshaies pretty much had the pair at “bonjour,” but they didn’t let him know that right away. They made him go through a full presentation of how the car would be built and the series administered. The green flag was dropped on the project.
Apart from being stripped of most of the interior, the addition of safety equipment, a racing seat, a suspension kit from NISMO, Nissan’s motorsports division, Pirelli high-performance tires on spec FAST wheels, and high-performance brake pads, these cars are about as dead-stock as race cars get.
OK, they have opened up the exhaust system to make them sound racier.
The cars have all been built by Motorsport in Action in Saint-Eustache. The major components have been sealed, and the series organizers say they will be ever diligent to make sure there is no cheating.
Cheating? In motorsport? Perish the thought.
Out the door, the cars cost $19,998. Deshaies estimates the entire series can be run for about an additional $20,000, including entry fees, transportation, fuel, meals, accommodation, etc.
Atotal of 40 grand might not sound inexpensive to those unfamiliar with racing budgets, but believe me — for a six-event series, each event consisting of two races of 30 minutes duration, at such fabled tracks as MontTremblant, and as a supporting event to the Formula One Canadian Grand Prix at Le Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal, that’s a bargain.
For now, the series runs only in Quebec. If it succeeds, they are considering Ontario in the near future.
About 25 cars are expected to show up at Mont-Tremblant this weekend for the first two races in the series. Some of the drivers will be old hands, looking to find a way to keep their skills honed. Many will be rookies, some looking for the Micra Cup to be a stepping stone from karting to car racing.
Acouple of journalists will also participate in each event. My turn comes here at Tremblant in late July.
The two most interesting drivers will probably be Abhinay Bikkani from Bangalore, India, and Thanaroj Thanasitnitiket from Thailand. These young men won the 2014 Nissan Team GT Academy competitions in their respective regions, which involve competing against all comers in the PlayStation Gran Turismo 6 racing video game. An entry in this series is part of their prize.
There is not always a correlation between success at a gaming console and success behind the wheel. But with the increasing use of simulators for driver training, this boundary is beginning to fade. Other graduates from this program have advanced very rapidly in racing series up to and including Le Mans.
I have had a couple of shots at a Micra Cup car, one last fall in parking lot near the Toronto airport, the other last week at Le Circuit MontTremblant.
The car is fun to drive. With just109 horses in stock trim, it isn’t that fast. But the key to a good race is close competition.
I expect each race will be like most of the old Honda Michelin races. There will be a five-way fight for first place among the more talented, more experienced drivers. Probably another five-way fight for sixth, a five-way fight for eleventh and so on down the field. Everyone will find someone to race with, and it should be a hoot to watch.
I’m predicting that at the Formula One Grand Prix weekend in Montreal, where the main event will surely be the usual Mercedes-led procession, the Micra Cup will provide by far the best entertainment.
Deshaies and his team and Nissan Canada have bitten off a big chunk here. It all seems to have come together remarkably well in a little over a year. Probably as you read this, the pudding will be being proofed for the first time.