NISSAN SENTRA CUP - Located in the picturesque Québec Laurentians, the Mont-Tremblant circuit was the scene this past weekend of the final and intense races of the first-ever Nissan Sentra Cup. The 11th and 12th rounds led to the crowning of the champions, where Kevin King and Alexandre Fortin emerged as race winners.
There was tension in the air as the competitors set-up in the paddock. In addition to the expected duel between Kevin King and Jesse Lazare for the overall title, everything was up for grabs for the trophies in the Senior class, Rookie of the Year and Micra category.
Jesse Lazare captured pole position for the first race of the event held Saturday morning in perfect summer conditions. From the green flag, three drivers battled it out fiercely for the victory. Lazare, King and Simon Charbonneau passed and repassed each other almost every lap of the 40-minute race. The trio crossed the finish line almost as one, with King taking the victory just six tenths of a second ahead of Lazare and one second in front of Charbonneau.
Éric Chaput finished in fourth place overall and was the winner in the Senior class. Jesse Webb, Nicolas Touchette and Alexandre Fortin followed in order.
In the Micra class, Sylvain Ouellet and Nicholas Hornbostel enjoyed a terrific fight for the victory. Hornbostel eventually won the race in front of Ouellet, Frédéric Bernier, François Angers-Routhier and Simon Vincent.
The qualifying session for the second race of the event was held on Sunday morning under grey skies and on a slightly damp track. The start of the season's grand finale begun early afternoon under the eyes of Nissan Canada President, Steve Milette. As it's been the case all year long, the race was highly spectacular.
The duel for the lead between Lazare and King unfortunately ended early as Lazare was forced to retire a third of the way through the race after going off the road. The rest of the race was a fantastic battle between five drivers: Fortin, King, Chaput, Webb and Valérie Limoges. Limoges, the driver of the Gabriel Nissan / Total Canada Sentra was back in action this weekend. Unfortunately, she too was forced into a retirement during Sunday's race. Alexandre Fortin won this final race of year, finishing in front of Éric Chaput and Jesse Webb. Kevin King arrived home in fourth place, claiming the 2021 title in his Nissan Sentra of the Gabriel Nissan / L&P Apparel team.
In the Micra class, Nicholas Hornbostel was the winner again, crossing the line ahead of François Angers-Routhier, Simon Vincent and André Lapointe. Sylvain Ouellet, who finished fifth, secured the class title.
The day ended with the official presentation of the 2021 Champion of the Sentra Cup, Kevin King. Éric Chaput took the honours in the Senior class while Jesse Webb won the prestigious Rookie of the Year title following an intense battle against Alexandre Fortin that lasted all season.
Finally, Sylvain Ouellet won the poleposition.ca Trophy in the Micra class at the end of a very competitive season highlighted by daring passing manoeuvres and several race winners.
After the race, Steve Milette said, "It's a more than satisfactory first year for us, we are very happy with this year, in addition to having been able to present six races this season. The Sentra has performed very well on the track, the drivers really liked it, and with the two classes, Sentra and Micra, there is even more action. All of this makes us very proud of this first season."
"Consistency was the key to the season," said Kevin King. "Thanks to Nissan Gabriel, L&P Apparel, Bain Magique and Cautionnement Expert for their support, it's been a great season. I'm really happy to be the first champion of the Nissan Sentra Cup."
The Nissan Sentra Cup will be back on Canadian road courses next Spring for what is expected to be another sensational season. Next season will once again include events in Ontario and Québec, including the Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix in June on Montréal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve.
For complete race results and championship positions, go to:
https://www.sentracup.com/2021-Results_ClassGen