MISSISSAUGA:- Nissan Canada and JD Promotion & Competition announced today, the launch of the Nissan Sentra Cup, building on the Nissan Micra Cup’s six years of success in Canada.
The Nissan Sentra Cup will be a one-make racing series exclusive to Canada, and like the Micra Cup, it offers drivers with one of the most affordable ways to participate in motorsport.
The Sentra Cup will launch in May of 2021. Nissan will once again partner with J.D. Promotion and Competition, having signed a three-year contract, marking an extension of the collaboration which began with the Nissan Micra Cup’s inception.
Created in 2015, the Nissan Micra Cup quickly emerged as the new benchmark for accessible motorsport in Canada, as well as a proving ground for burgeoning racing talent, with many drivers coming from karting, and advancing to other areas of racing after establishing themselves on the Micra Cup grid.
The opportunities for passionate drivers continue to abound with the Nissan Sentra Cup, which can foster the driving talent of all ages, including the ever-popular seniors’ category, for which the number of participants steadily increased from 2015-2020.
Product evolution
In line with usual product lifecycles, Nissan Canada and JD Promotion and Competition are keeping the momentum of its popular one-make series modern by updating the vehicle to a current model in the Nissan portfolio.
The Sentra compact sedan, which was introduced as an all-new model for model year 2020, is the sleekest and most aerodynamic Sentra to-date, making it a vehicle well suited to advance the series.
“Nissan has a rich pedigree in small, fun-to-drive cars dating back to the 1930s. What better way to demonstrate a vehicle’s capability than to push these cars – in stock form – to their limits on the race track?” says Steve Milette, president of Nissan Canada Inc.
“The Nissan Micra reminded Canada and the world about Nissan’s commitment to durability. The new Nissan Sentra is wider and lower than the previous generation and has the athletic stance to devour the most difficult race tracks in Canada – it was the natural next step to evolve one of Canada’s most exciting grassroots racing series.”
Sentra Cup racecar
All Nissan Sentra Cup vehicles are built from the Nissan Sentra “S” base model with the 6-speed manual transmission. The team at Motorsports In Action based in St. Eustache – which handled the development and modification of all Micra Cup vehicles – embraced the challenge to transform the tech-laden Sentra into a racing machine.
However, the Sentra Cup racecar’s engine and transmission remain stock.
When it comes to safety, the Sentra Cup race car has: an FIA Spec 6 point Roll Cage; FIA- Homologated Racing Seat; FIA- homologated 6 point restraint harness; FIA-homologated window net; FIA-approved Electric 4L Fire Suppression System AFFF.
On the exterior, Sentra’s existing strong stance has been enhanced with a rear spoiler from the sporty Sentra SR model, as well as rear calipers and rotors from the Sentra SV and SR.
A racing machine in the guise of a sedan – stock Sentra components Sentra’s top-level driving dynamics start with its independent rear suspension, which is matched to a MacPherson strut front suspension.
The Sentra Cup race car will have the stock 2.0-litre 4-cylinder engine, which replaces the previous generation’s 1.8-litre design. Horsepower is rated at 149, an increase of 20 per cent over the previous generation.
The powerplant’s 146 lb.-ft of torque represents a 17 per cent increase. In addition, the center of gravity has been lowered for the current Sentra versus the previous generation, in part, through use of the 2.0-inch wider track and 2.2-inch lower overall height.
The Sentra’s coefficient of drag is 0.29, which is the same as the 370Z Sport Coupe. Professional NASCAR driver, Jean-François Dumoulin from Quebec, was instrumental in the
development and testing of the Micra Cup racecars in 2015, and got behind the wheel of the Sentra Cup racecar to perfect its track performance.
After driving the Sentra Cup racecar prototype extensively, Dumoulin attested to the performance of the Sentra compact sedan, saying: “The new Sentra with its longer wheelbase, wider track and lower center of gravity looks and feels amazing. The handling characteristics are excellent due to all the work that went into designing the suspension package. Sentra is very agile, very stable, and the turn-in is crisp and precise.”
The Nissan Sentra Cup will see the gradual phase-out of Micra race cars. As the Sentra Cup ramps up, both Sentra Cup and Micra vehicles will share the grid, separated in two classes.
The 2021 schedule will be announced early next year. Those interested in participating in the Nissan Sentra Cup may contact Jacques Deshaies, president of JD Motorsport and Competition at: jacquesdeshaies@coupesentra.com or +1 514 298 6537