RAPHAEL LESSARD IN LMS AT AUTODROME MONTMAGNY

This very busy driver has just added a race to his program. Raphael Lessard will be on track this coming Saturday, September 14, for a 125-lap LMS race at the Autodrome Montmagny. The young driver will be returning to the #46 L.A.V. Equipment I Petro Canada Jean-Paul Lessard et Fils I FRL Express prepared by the excellent Bilodeau Brothers team with whom he raced and won earlier this season at the Autodrome Chaudiere (Le Langis Caron 150 - 27 juillet).

The key word describing Raphael Lessard's 2019 season is certainly "adaptation," with several team members, management and owners, with spotters, different types of cars and trucks, and various tracks he already knew or adapted to in race conditions. Raphael Lessard usually found himself either in the leading group with a chance of winning or placing on the podium, or actually winning a race outright. Track time is the key factor for the young racer to learn his trade, and Raphael Lessard takes up every opportunity to race and build up his experience.

"Being on the track is what I love, and I am grateful for every opportunity to be behind the wheel. I know the Montmagny track from having run Kamikaze, Sportsman and Super Late races there in the past. The Bilodeau Brothers' car is quick, and I am confident that we will do well," said Raphael Lessard.

Schedule:

• Practice: 1:10 | 2:15 | 3:50 pm
• Qualifying: 5:30 pm (10 laps)
• Race*: 7 pm (125 laps)

*In case of rain on Saturday, September 14, the race will be postponed to Sunday, September 15.

Photo Credit: Sylvain Fournier

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 Monster Energy 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.

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 drivers 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 François 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 BILODEAU BROTHERS

Founded in 2003 in the family garage in Sainte-Marie de Beauce, the Bilodeau Brothers Racing Team competed in various categories on all paved ovals in Quebec since then. The team can count on Crew Chief Germain Gosselin, who has worked for ARCA and NASCAR teams in the United States. Since 2015, the team has focused on a development program of its NASCAR Late Model cars, having achieved several podiums finishes along the way, as well as winning the ACT 2016 Rookie Championship and a first victory in 2017.

ABOUT TOYOTA

Toyota (NYSE:TM), creator of the Prius hybrid and the Mirai fuel cell vehicle, is committed to building vehicles for the way people live through our Toyota and Lexus brands. Over the past 60 years, we've built more than 30 million cars and trucks in North America, where we operate 14 manufacturing plants (10 in the U.S.) and directly employ more than 44,000 people (more than 34,000 in the U.S.). Our 1,800 North American dealerships (nearly 1,500 in the U.S.) sold nearly 2.6 million cars and trucks (2.45 million in the U.S.) in 2016 - and about 85 percent of all Toyota vehicles sold over the past 15 years are still on the road today.