Nissan Sentra Cup and NASCAR Pinty’s Series champions Valérie Limoges and Marc-Antoine Camirand were honored Thursday night at the Gilles-Villeneuve Museum’s annual banquet at a downtown Montreal hotel.
Limoges has been awarded the Gilles-Villeneuve Trophy for the second time in three years. This recognition symbolizes a Quebec driver’s willingness to fight and on-track excellence.
Camirand is the winner of the Bertrand Fabi Trophy, awarded annually to the Quebecer who has excelled at national or international level. The driver from Saint-Léonard-d’Aston had already been the recipient in 1999 and 2000.
Initiated by the Auto Sport Québec organization in the early 1980s, these two trophies have in the past rewarded well-known drivers, including Alexandre Tagliani, Andrew Ranger, Richard Spénard and, in particular, Patrick Carpentier.
Photo courtesy of Mélanie Drolet – pole position
“Proud of this honor”
Limoges succeeds Kevin King, who also won the Nissan Sentra Cup last year.
“I’m proud of this honor, but to be honest I’m also a little surprised. Consistency has been key to my success in 2022 and I hope this championship will motivate other women to take up motorsport,” said Limoges.
“The idea isn’t to win against men, it’s just to win, plain and simple. I don’t discriminate,” she added.
After Nathalie Richard, winner of 2009 (Bertrand-Fabi) and 2012 (Gilles-Villeneuve), Limoges is only the second woman to win one or the other trophy. This rally co-driver was honored along with her competition partner Antoine L’Estage.
As a reminder, Bertrand Fabi, originally from Sherbrooke, was considered one of the most promising drivers of his generation. However, his promising journey came to an abrupt end in February 1986 when he lost his life during private Formula 3 testing at the Goodwood circuit in England. He was only 24 years old.
“A dream year”
Photo courtesy NASCAR Pinty’s Series
The 2022 season will forever be remembered by Camirand.
“I had a dream year. I knew we would be competitive but to win three races and win the championship exceeded our expectations,” he says.
“It is with great pride that I accept this trophy, but first I must thank everyone who has contributed to my success on the circuit. Starting with Jean-Claude Paillé, my sponsor who believed in me. Thanks to him we have formed a new, very competitive team.”
Camirand, who won the 1997 Gilles-Villeneuve Trophy, recalls starting his NASCAR Pinty’s Series adventure at the Grand Prix de Trois-Rivières in 2013.
“The General Manager of the GP3R, Dominic Fugère, approached me to attend a support event [Sportsman] and the winner was awarded a ride at NASCAR Pinty’s for the weekend.
“I won the race when I thought it was over for me. I probably would have continued driving BMW cars prepared by my father, but I didn’t believe in a professional career.
In his first qualifying session on Saturday, he set the third fastest time of the 30 entries before having to retire the next day after a collision.
Photo courtesy NASCAR Pinty’s Series
A thought for the White Brothers
Camirand owes much to brothers Derek and Brandon White for supporting him in his early days.
“They were the artisans from the start. They didn’t have to help me in this way, but they did. Without forgetting Robin McCluskey, my team leader, who was there in 2013 and was by my side again this year. I had a thought for Brandon [décédé d’un cancer il y a deux ans]. I wanted to win this championship for him.”
Camirand, 43, will be back with the Paillé team next year as he seeks to win a second straight title in the Canadian stock car series, something no driver has managed since its inception in 2007. In the meantime, he will travel to Indianapolis in mid-December to attend the annual NASCAR banquet, where he will be presented with his championship ring.
It was also announced that Paillé has renewed his contract with three-time NASCAR Pinty’s Series Champion Andrew Ranger for the 2023 season.
Photo courtesy of Paolo Pedicelli
Patrick Carpentier, analyst and former driver, and Andrew Ranger, three-time NASCAR Pinty’s Series Champion, attended the banquet at the Gilles-Villeneuve Museum on Thursday evening.
Tribute to Gilles… Villeneuve and a young hope
The evening was also an opportunity to pay tribute to Gilles Villeneuve, who not only has a famous name but has also been involved in motorsport for 45 years. In recent months he has made three humanitarian visits to the Ukrainian war zone. This contribution earned him the Claude-Giroux Trophy, which has been awarded since 2014 to a personality from the motorsport world whose exceptional contribution is highlighted.
In addition, Alexis Baillargeon was awarded the Espoir Mention for his outstanding on-track performance in the Karting discipline. His recent performances on the circuit have secured this young driver, barely ten years old, a place in the World Karting Championship, which will be held in Portugal in a few weeks.