RAPHAEL LESSARD CONFIRMS HIS PARTICIPATION IN THE GRAND PRIX DE TROIS-RIVIERES
NASCAR Pinty's Series - "Le 50 tours Hotel Le Concorde"
Raphael Lessard Racing announced today the presence of the Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce driver at the 50th edition of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres on August 10 and 11, where he will drive the #07 Sociétés Louis Jacques | Groupe Isolofoam | Hotel Le Concorde car, prepared by Dumoulin Competition. This will be Raphael Lessard's second appearance in the NASCAR Pinty's series this year after winning the race held at the Autodrome Chaudiere on June 29.
The Beauce driver is racing mainly in the United States this season, in various NASCAR series, and has acquired a solid experience and maturity to face this new challenge. "It will be an honour to run this legendary event near home and compete with the best drivers in Canada. Especially with the same team and John Fletcher as crew chief, as we ran at the Autodrome Chaudiere in June. It'll be quite a show!" mentions the driver of the #07 Sociétés Louis Jacques | Groupe Isolofoam | Hotel Le Concorde car.
#07 Sociétés Louis Jacques | Groupe Isolofoam | Hotel Le Concorde car
Raphael Lessard's participation in the "Les 50 Tours Hotel Le Concorde" has created a buzz among racing fans and supporters of the young Beauceron, as well as his partners who have rallied so that Raphael Lessard can be part of the action of this major event.
"We have developed a winning formula to efficiently support the career of Raphael Lessard, a young man from our region in Beauce. With the significant support of Groupe Isolofoam, Hotel Le Concorde Quebec and other key partners, we have amassed the budget to rent a car prepared by Dumoulin Competition and secured the services of John Fletcher as crew chief. Raphael Lessard mastered the track in 2018 in the CSCC series in a Claude Leclerc car, and I expect another interesting show this year," explained Louis Jacques, owner of Sociétés Louis Jacques.
A new partner has joined us for this race which always offers an exciting and unpredictable show, Hotel Le Concorde Quebec. "We, at Festidrag Development, are proud to help the next generation of motorsports young drivers develop their careers, as in the case of Raphael Lessard here at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres for "Les 50 Tours Hôtel Le Concorde". "We would like to acknowledge and thank one of our major partners, Hotel Le Concorde and its owner Jean-Guy Sylvain, for their participation in this major project," said Martin D'Anjou, owner of Festidrag Development.
Preparation of the car by Dumoulin Competition
Jean-Francois Dumoulin, driver and general manager of Dumoulin Competition also did everything possible to ensure that Raphael Lessard would be back with the team and in a competitive car for the home event.
"We are delighted at Dumoulin Competition to be back on track with Raphael Lessard, who convinced everyone of his talent when he won the NASCAR Pinty's race last June at Autodrome Chaudiere. Once again, we have gathered the best elements possible and expect Raphael to run with the lead pack," added Jean-Francois Dumoulin.
Raphaël Lessard joins "The Race Against Cancer" once again for the benefit of the Quebec Cancer Foundation
Since 2016, the Dumoulin brothers have been involved for the cause and inviting racing fans to sign the trunk of their car at each NASCAR Pinty's Series event. On August 10 and 11, Raphael Lessard will join them again to raise funds for the "Grand défoulement à ma façon" of Dumoulin Competition "The race against cancer". To make a donation online: The Race Against Cancer.
NASCAR Pinty's
- Schedule and Live Timing: https://hometracks.nascar.com/international/pintys-series/race-center-nascar-pintys-series/
- The race will be broadcast LIVE on RDS2 on Sunday August 11 at 2 pm and on TSN on Sunday August 18 at 1 pm.
- Also live on TSN App & FansChoice.tv
Photo Credit: Raymond Vigneault
High resolution images: http://bit.ly/2Kq2bN8
ABOUT RAPHAEL LESSARD
Born on July 5, 2001, in Saint-Joseph-de-Beauce, Quebec, Canada, Raphael Lessard is one of the most promising prospects in North American oval racing. Raphael made his debut in stock-cars in 2013, on local tracks in the Quebec City area. His exceptional talent quickly allowed him to climb the ladder and attract the attention of David Gilliland, a former NASCAR MonsterEnergy Series driver and now a team owner, in 2015. An agreement then allowed Lessard to participate in the last four races of the season in the PASS North Tour Series; a Late Model series on paved ovals, at the wheel of a David Gilliland Racing team car.
In 2016, his first full-time season with Gilliland Racing, Lessard won the CARS Super Late Model Tour title with four wins, 8 top five and 9 top ten in his No. 99 Toyota Camry, and thus becoming the youngest Canadian driver to win a major stock car series title in the United States. Since 2016, Lessard has been part of the Toyota Racing Development (TRD) prestigious driver development program. To date, he is the only Canadian to have been recruited into this program.
Highlights
2018 - 16 races - Super Late Model with Kyle Busch Motorsports
- Two wins, seven top-5s and 13 top-10s
- Wins the U.S. Short Track Nationals race at Bristol Motor Speedway
- Wins the Red Bull 400 at Anderson Speedway
- Leads 60 laps at the famous Snowball Derby in December, before a mechanical problem puts him out of the race with only six (6) laps to go.
2017 - Competes in 20 Super Late Model races and two ARCA series races
- Two wins and eight top-5 finishes in the Super Late Model category
- A top-10 from two races in the ARCA series
- Voted the most popular driver in North America by Speed51.com
- Voted as one of the top 10 drivers to watch in 2017 by Speed51.com
- Named by Speed51.com Short Track Power Ranking as 7th best driver in the United States
2016 - Participates in 10 races
- CARS Super Late Model Series Champion
- Youngest Canadian driver to win a prestigious stock-car series in the United States
- Four wins, eight top-5s and nine top-10s in 10 races
ABOUT FRL EXPRESS Inc.
F.R.L. Express Inc. is a general transportation company founded in 2004 by Francois Lessard. Its main field of activity over the last 15 years is general transport in closed trailers over short and long distances in Canada and the United States. FRL currently have about 50 employees in addition to about ten tow carriers. FRL owners are proud of the progress made in recent years thanks to the FRL team members and wishes to continue on this positive note. "Our employees, customer service and satisfaction are our priorities. We are all proud to be partners in the success and achievements of our son Raphael Lessard," state the proud parents.
ABOUT DUMOULIN COMPETITION
Jean-Francois and Louis-Philippe Dumoulin founded the Dumoulin Competition, a racing-service organization. Over the years, they have partnered with experts in finance, marketing, logistics and sports management to build a solid organizational structure. Their motto: "Passion - Performance - Partnership" expresses the will to perform on the track and to offer their partners maximum visibility and profitability in line with their involvement. Their vision: To become the leader in motorsports in Canada through track performance, entrepreneurial initiatives and human values.
