RAPHAEL LESSARD UP TO THE CHALLENGE BRILLIANT SEVENTH PLACE AT THE GRAND PRIX DE TROIS-RIVIERES
NASCAR Pinty's Series - "Le 50 Tours Hotel Le Concorde"
Raphael Lessard, at the wheel of car #07 Sociétés Louis Jacques | Groupe Isolofoam | Hôtel Le Concorde, once again demonstrated his talent yesterday on the urban track of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières. The weather played havoc with the early part of the event by forcing NASCAR officials to cancel the Saturday practice and qualifying sessions (August 10). Fifteenth on the starting grid (as per the car owners' series ranking), Raphael Lessard took up the double challenge of climbing back up the field, on a track where he had raced once last year in a slower NASCAR Late Model car rather than in a quicker Pinty's car this year. A series of clean and strategic passing moves on veteran drivers, allowed him to cross the finish line in seventh place.
The bar was high for the 18-year-old NASCAR Pinty's series rookie. Raphael Lessard has moved from one step to a higher one almost easily so far this season. During the race, his pace stayed at his highest level and he was quicker and quicker as he discovered the track and the car. He stuck to his race strategy throughout race distance: to make the most of the car prepared by Dumoulin Competition, never ease up, and take advantage of every opening to pass people, without forcing his way through and risking an incident that would ruin his run, especially at the start and on restarts after caution periods. At one point, a series veteran tried to "welcome him to the series", but the sharp response from Raphael Lessard came back immediately, showing his experience from oval racing. Raphael Lessard finished the race right behind two experienced drivers, showing how well he had managed his tires and brakes.
"We would have liked to have had more time to test on the track, but the weather decided otherwise. On Saturday we did two laps on the track in the rain to make sure that the car's handling was adequate and yesterday we took advantage of the 30-minute session in dry conditions. We started in 15th position and I surprised myself by feeling more and more comfortable, especially in the last part of the race, and overtaking the great drivers of the series. I can't wait to get back on a road circuit as I really enjoyed my race and I believe that a good driver must perform well on all types of tracks," explains the driver, and showing his grateful to his partners: Sociétés Louis Jacques | Groupe Isolofoam | Hôtel Le Concorde.
Next event - Bristol Motor Speedway - Gander Outdoors Truck Series (August 15)
Right on the heels of the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières weekend, Raphael Lessard flew to Mooresville this morning (Monday) where he will join the Kyle Busch Motorsport team and be back on track on August 15, for the third scheduled race with them on the famous Bristol Motor Speedway (Tennessee, USA).
"I am very excited to get back on this technical track, which is synonymous with success for me and which I really appreciate. Even more, behind the wheel of the Kyle Busch Motorsport No. 46 FRL Express | Spectra Premium truck. I won the "US Short Track Nationals" race there in 2018 on a Super Late Model prepared by KBM, and I feel comfortable on this track. We'll have a great race! "says the young driver.
Schedule for Thursday, August 15 below:
- 9:05 to 9:55 am - UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series
- 1st test session
- 11:05 to 11:55 am - UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series - 2nd test session
- 4:35 pm - UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series -
- Qualifying (2 rounds)
- 8:30 pm - Start UNOH 200 Presented by Ohio Logistics NASCAR Gander Outdoor Truck Series
- (200 laps, 106.6 Miles - Stages : laps 55/110/200)
NASCAR Pinty's
- Results: https://hometracks.nascar.com/international/pintys-series/race-center-nascar-pintys-series/
- The race will be broadcast on TSN on Sunday August 18 at 1 pm.
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.
