Lakeville, Connecticut - The Nissan Sentra Cup series first launched in 2015. It was known at that point as the Nissan Micra Cup, and it was thanks to the automaker’s little Micra subcompact, introduced that year to Canada, that this series became possible.
Until this year, this series has been an all-Canadian affair. It couldn't have been any other way with the Micra, since the model wasn't sold south of the border.
But the retirement of the Micra and the transition of the racing series to the Sentra Cup opened up some doors in that border, since the Sentra IS sold in the U.S. And since this weekend in Connecticut, the Nissan Sentra Cup is now a North American series.
A quick road trip to Connecticut
For the weekend of July 19-2, thus, the Nissan Sentra Cup packed up its things and headed down to Lakeville, Connecticut, to put on two of the 12 events scheduled for the 2024 season.
These were held on the legendary Lime Rock Park circuit.
First steps in 2019
Series promoter Jacques Deshaies started initial discussions in 2019, before Covid-19 struck. The pandemic upended everyone's plans, of course, but in 2022, talks began anew.
“It's a bit of a dream to come and race in the United States and grow the series, make it better known. It wasn’t possible with the Micra, but it is with the Sentra. We're very happy to be here, and we want to come back. We've had an incredible welcome from the people here; you can tell they're happy to have us, and that's heartwarming.”
- Jacques Deshaies
The idea is to repeat the experience in 2025, but organizers hope to add another event on American soil. We'll see if the project comes to fruition, but there's a real sense of excitement on all sides.
Spectators we spoke with during the events were delighted to see “different” cars on the track, certainly different from the big V8-powered cars they’re used to seeing – and hearing – on that track. Said one, “You feel like you could drive this car”.
An accessible series
What makes the series accessible to drivers is the cost of acquiring a track-ready Sentra. All told, we're talking about less than $50,000 CAD. Deshaies confided to us that he had sensed interest from American racers amazed by how little it would cost them to acquire a car (taking exchange rates into account). One told him he would have to pay over $100,000 USD for a Mazda MX-5 race car, almost three times the cost of a track-ready Nissan Sentra.
Something tells us we shouldn't be surprised to see one or two American drivers at future series events.
Another year and a half
The Nissan Sentra Cup is now in its tenth season, with another year and a half scheduled. What happens after that depends on whether there will be a next-generation Nissan Sentra.
From what we hear through the grapevine, and according to our spies, some have seen what the next-generation model might look like. Plans can change quickly in the automotive world, however – we’ll see.
And another question remains: if a possible next-generation model is only offered with an automatic transmission, then that's it. Currently, the Sentra is offered in Canada with a manual gearbox (though not in the U.S.)
Of course, the promoter and manufacturer could turn to another vehicle, but which one? The sporty Z would be interesting, but acquisition costs would no longer be the same. And that wouldn’t fit with the Nissan Sentra Cup’s role as a development series. It allows drivers to enter the world of motorsport without having to pay too much. It's also the ideal place to learn the ropes.
There's a spirit to be preserved here.
Racing at Lime Rock Park
The host for races 5 and 6 of the Nissan Sentra Cup was, as mentioned, Lime Rock Park, a circuit just 2.4 km long but built around a hill, so spectators can move around to watch the race at different points of the track.
And it was crowded this particular weekend. In part due to the Nissan Sentra Cup, but also with the Lime Rock Speed Tour, the circuit's biggest annual event, taking place on the same weekend. A number of motorsport legends were there to get back into the swing of things. The defunct IROC Series was also represented, as it enjoys a relaunch under the guidance of well-known former NASCAR crew chief Ray Evernham. A number of NASCAR drivers who experienced glory in the 1990s were also present, including Mark Martin and Bobby Labonte.
Both of the actual Nissan Sentra Cup races were won by Mathieu Miron, in his first two triumphs in the series. The first race saw the driver withstand a constant onslaught from his pursuers. In the second race, after losing the lead for the first few laps on a soggy track, Miron regained the lead and never looked back.
The final word
In short, it was a successful weekend for all those involved in the series, as well as for Nissan, which continues to benefit from the various spin-offs associated with its participation in the adventure.
The next the Nissan Sentra Cup series race takes place on the second weekend of August, at the Grand-Prix de Trois-Rivières in Quebec.
