Meet the Nissan Micra Cup racecar. A turn-key racer with a full cage, NISMO suspension, upgraded brakes, an FIA-rated seat, fire extinguisher and with a spec series to race it in...for $22,900 Cdn. That's right around $17,500 at the current exchange rate. It's not the fastest thing with 109 hp and 2250 lbs, but everyone's got the same motor and apparently they're a complete riot to drive. The organizers figure an entire year of racing should cost about $40k, and that's assuming you throw the car away at the end.
The car it's based on costs $10k Cdn, a stripped-out little hatch with wind-up windows and a five-speed. Yes, basic cars still exist.
16 races over 8 race weekends and 5 different tracks in Ontario and Quebec, including the ex-F1 Mosport. It's the second year for the series. Does this sound like ridiculous fun?
Lesley, you need to get Nissan to throw you one to test. Or enter you in the series.
Watch the short videos of the race start carnage at Calabogie...
http://www.motorsport.com/nissan-micra-cup/news/kevin-king-and-xavier-coupal-share-victories-in-calabogie-737391/
The power to weight ratio of one of these cars is almost the same as the ITB VW GTI I raced 15 years ago. It was entertaining and I would assume the Micras would be,too.
The Micraspec? Well, they ARE very small!
DeadSkunk wrote:
Watch the short videos of the race start carnage at Calabogie...
http://www.motorsport.com/nissan-micra-cup/news/kevin-king-and-xavier-coupal-share-victories-in-calabogie-737391/
Yeah, I know about that and figured it probably would be the first comment 
Calabogie's pretty narrow, and with a pack like that a chain reaction is pretty much inevitable. Looks like there were two cars that got out of shape to start the fracas, one in front of the camera car and the other that went cartwheeling. With the narrow front straight, there wasn't anywhere to go. From what I understand, that incident is more the exception than the rule although there's lots of bumping.
The fun of racing these wouldn't be due to the ultimate speed of the cars, but the fact that they're all the same. And seriously, the car costs the same as a new Kia Rio EX.
Summer in Canada lasts long enough for 8 race weekends??!?!?? 
Depends on your definition of summer.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
I'd like to see the Mosport race. It would be much like the Honda-Michelin races from 30-35 years ago, freight trains of cars down the turn 2 hill, with a different car leading every lap.
I've never driven Mosport, but I know that's one of the corners that tests your manliness. Would it be flat out in one of these?
In reply to Keith Tanner:
That would probably be Turn 5, and they would most likely be flat out through there in a Micra.
In reply to G_Body_Man:
Turn 5 is Moss corner, nothing goes through there flat out, even a slow racer like these will get light as they come over the top of the hill and turn in.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
They would be pretty close to flat through two, I think. The hump on the inside and the off camber would make it pretty hairy. Gonad size probably would come into play.
In reply to DeadSkunk:
Turn 2! That's it. Sorry, it's been years since I've last been.
This should be the base class for Global Rallycross.
https://www.youtube.com/embed/dJkmAFi0nI4
Obligatory embedding. The backstory on this guy was that his team didn't even have a radio, so he had to make it out of there all on his own. Definitely a code brown moment.
In reply to G_Body_Man:
just threading the needle, like it's no big deal. Some start.
I feel like this is what B Spec could have been and should have been in the States.
For what it's worth, you can find sorted logbooked spec-b cars for $15k now.
Is B-spec still going? Or is the price due to the fact that two or three year old cars are starting to show up? I haven't followed it much.
I told a friend the Micra would be a fantastic Targa Newfoundland car. Not to win - you'd get pasted by the Subarus - but you'd have to drive the freakin' wheels off it. And I'll bet it would need nothing more than a rally computer.
In reply to Keith Tanner:
I really, really enjoy driving a slow car fast - much more so than driving a fast car fast. Sadly, there just aren't enough opportunities for slow cars to be competitive.
Driving a fast car fast just involves more pucker factor 
Snrub
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5/18/16 11:06 p.m.
I'm aware of this, it seems like a very cool series. I've raced at Mosport and Calabogie in Chumpcar, they are amazing tracks. Mont-Tremblant would be amazing to race at too. Last year they raced on the Montreal F1 track. The Micra lap times at Calabogie appear similarish to chumpcar (little slower). The tires appear to be stickier than a chumpcars.
B-Spec is at Mosport this weekend, as a matter of fact.
racerfink wrote:
B-Spec is at Mosport this weekend, as a matter of fact.
A couple guys I know from Texas are going to be driving there.
The shop that preps the Micras seems to do a pretty good job of the cage. I'm guessing this is the car that went cartwheeling into the barrier at Calabogie.
