Did You Know There’s A Whole Ass Racing Series For Nissan Sentras In Canada?

Sentra Cup Topshot
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As you might expect from the nation that invented the snowmobile, Canada loves small cars and racing. However, we often don’t have the money to run cars like the Nissan Z GT4, which is why Nissan has another track weapon strictly for Canadian racers. It’s called the Sentra Cup car, and there’s one on display at the 2023 Canadian International Auto Show. You know what they say: Few show cars are race cars, but every race car is a show car, so let’s take a look at this slice of Canadian speed.

Rear Three Quarters

Every Sentra Cup car starts with a bone-stock Canadian-spec Nissan Sentra with the six-speed manual gearbox. Yes, you can still get the Sentra with a row-your-own option in Canada, and it’s pretty alright. It’s no Sentra SE-R and it won’t rival the best Hondas for shift quality but it’s reasonably crisp for a shifter in a compact car and it makes any CVT maintenance fears evaporate.

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Aside from a MoTec M1 standalone ECU with a pit speed limiter, most of the spec car’s performance modifications don’t seem too crazy. As far as OEM plus upgrades go, this thing gets four-pot front calipers that look to be right off a Z, rear disc brakes from a Sentra SR, and the rear spoiler off of a Sentra SR. On the aftermarket side of things, these cars get coilovers, upgraded brake pads, an adjustable front anti-roll bar, braided brake lines, a performance exhaust system, Pirelli slicks, engine mounts with urethane reinforcement, and a set of 18-inch Fast FC04 alloy wheels that anyone can buy.

Cage

Of course, race cars also require some safety tweaks over street cars, so into the fab shop this Sentra goes for an FIA-spec six-point roll cage. Add in a six-point harness, an OMP race seat, a window net, a fire system, a battery isolator, and tow hooks, and you get roughly 149 horsepower of wheel-to-wheel fury. Not bad for $41,000 Canadian for last year’s turn-key model, but certainly not as cheap as the old $23,000 Canadian Micra Cup cars.

Sentra Cup Front Clip

The result is properly exciting racing, especially since the old Micra Cup cars are allowed to mix it up with the bigger Sentras. Here’s some video of it:

I’m talking about squeezing three wide down straights, getting two wheels up over curbs, diving into corners side by side, all while being a contact sport. It gives some yet more credence to the slow car fast school of thought.

Sentra Cup Duct Tape

The Sentra Cup car on display at the Canadian International Auto Show is none other than the championship-winning car driven by Valérie Limoges. With twelve races under its belt last season, it proudly shows its battle scars. The right front bumper accent is smothered in duct tape, there are fist-sized dents along the right side of the vehicle, and the plastic chrome grille is cracked in a dozen places. With a brand new race car this cheap, who cares if things get bent?

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I reckon the Nissan Sentra Cup could make it in America. Once you convert currencies, you end up with a proper brand-new race car for about the same price as a loaded Honda Civic Touring sedan, a solid entry point for wheel-to-wheel touring car racing. However, even without branching out to America, the 2023 season looks promising with twelve races across four tracks in Ontario and Quebec including Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (formerly known as Mosport), Circuit Mont-Tremblant, and Complexe ICAR in Mirabel. So, if you happen to find yourself near a Sentra Cup race, why not grab tickets and see some brilliant driving?

(Photo credits: Thomas Hundal)

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25 thoughts on “Did You Know There’s A Whole Ass Racing Series For Nissan Sentras In Canada?”

  1. The use of ‘whole ass’ in the article title makes me wonder if the writer is a fan of the FB gronp ‘Star Trek Shitposting’, which has a much circulated meme involving the phrase ‘whole ass’ w/ consumption of chili dogs and rootbeer…

    1. To be fair, the Sentra cup came first, and the Micra cup replaced it.
      I definitely agree though that the Micra was way cooler, and I wish they were still around.
      In 2015, they cost about $11k Canadian out the door, or about $8200usd.

  4. Great article, hope we can get something like this stateside. I’m still legitimately worried that car culture will die by being priced into oblivion, and cheap manufacturer supported races might keep that alive in non-street locations.

    Unrelated, but am I just blind? Or did the ability to like the article at the bottom just become available?

  5. There are Sentra Cup races available in-full on YouTube and definitely worth a watch if you like slow-car-fast antics.

    With the passing of the Maxima, this generation Sentra will be best overall sedan in the Nissan US lineup.

    I would just as soon see the Altima discontinued and the money shifted toward developing hybrid, EV and Nismo variants for the Sentra (replacing the alphabetical trims with the numerical 210, 510 and 810). The sole powertrain option is it’s Achilles heal.

  6. I believe this is the first use of the Anal Emphatic at The Autopian. Give us a use of Ass Camouflage Construction* and I’ll be really impressed.

    *It’s a real thing.

  7. Back in the day, the U.S. had the SCCA Renault Le Car Cup — they provided roll cage, wheels, suspension beef-ups — which was followed by the Alliance Cup (same mods). For a couple of years, they attracted fairly decent fields. Sold quite a few low-buck, poverty-spec. cars to racers.

    I approve of low-buck racing classes. Sort of like today’s NASCAR, where everyone runs basically the same cars. But a whole lot cheaper.

  9. I have so many questions. What kind of saddle do they use? How do you get the Sentra on top of the donkey? How do Sentras afford the entry fees? Did they have to switch to donkeys after the horses said “Nay?”

  10. Here on the highways we have Spec Altima, and let me tell you that is real excitement. Will Credit Karma Kyle crash into me? Is Dealership Finance Daniel going to make the right hand exit ramp from the left lane?

  12. Probably should be one in Mexico too, the Tsuro, or 1991 Sentra lived on for decades as taxi cabs and basic cheap reliable transpo like the Beetle. I have unfortunately been in a few racing around Monterrey Mexico in the back as I white knuckle my ride from the airport

        1. No.
          But maybe I’m too old (I’m not that old). I don’t understand the use of “ass” or “whole ass” as an adjective. What does it even mean?
          And even then, why isn’t it hyphenated so that we at least know it’s “whole-ass racing” and not “whole ass-racing”.

          Sorry, I guess I’m in a particularly curmudgeonly mood today.

            1. Got it. Half-assed means non-commited, non-thorough. On the edge of the seat ready to move on as soon as possible.
              So “Whole-ass” means fully seated and committed. Dedicated. Got it!

              – This episode of “Explaining Modern Language to jb996” was brought to you by: CRX89, Matt Hardigree, and the number 7

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