After a one-year absence due to the global pandemic, Quebec’s Super Production Challenge series returned to race tracks in Quebec and Ontario. The very popular championship for production vehicles, which debuted in 2011, has attracted large fields as the result of affordable racing, which has, in turn, generated close competition and captured the imagination of fans.

The Super Production Challenge offers amateur drivers a semi-professional environment which Auto Sport Quebec sanctions. Most races range from thirty to forty-five minutes in length. The season was scheduled to start on the Victoria Day Weekend at Canadian Tire Motorsport Park but was cancelled due to government restrictions imposed as a result of COVID-19. The Canadian Tire Motorsport Park date will be replaced with an event a Calabogie Motorsport Park. The first weekend of competition took place in late June at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Next, the series makes its first two visits to Circuit ICAR during the Summer Challenge. In mid-August, teams head to the Grand Prix du Trois-Rivieres. The season ends with rounds eleven and twelve at ICAR.

The series controls costs by limiting performance and balancing the power of different vehicles using various methods – weight, rev limiters, intake manifold restrictions and adjustments to other components. Series rules allow modifications to the engine, brakes and suspensions. All cars in the series are required to compete on BF Goodrich G-Force Rival S tires.

Drivers score points in one of three classes – Super Production, Production or Compact.

  • Super Production – Introduced in 2019, the larger displacement vehicles with no more than 300-horsepower compete in the Super Production group. The performance of these two-wheel-drive vehicles is monitored by GPS. Models in the category must have been produced within the past fifteen years. Cars commonly found in this division include the Nissan 370Z, Scion FRS, Honda Civic Si, Ford Mustang, Chevrolet Camaro and BMW M235i.
  • Production – Performance is also monitored using GPS for vehicles competing in the Production division. They are also limited to models fifteen years of age or newer. The maximum horsepower output for these four or six-cylinder vehicles is 220. Four-cylinder engines up to two-liters may be turbocharged or supercharged. Cars often found in this class include Mini Cooper S, BMW 330i and Honda Civic Si.
  • Compact - The Compact class, introduced in 2012, is for vehicles with less the 100-horsepower. They are also monitored by GPS and subject to the same product year range requirement as the Super Production and Production categories. Included in this group are the Mini Cooper, Toyota Echo, Nissan Micra and Mazda 2.

The 2021 Super Production Challenge season kicked off on the weekend of June 26-27 at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Drivers would collect points in three races. On Saturday, drivers would compete in a thirty-minute race on the Long Track, which incorporates the Nelson and Fabi configurations. The shorter Pro Track would be used for rounds two (twenty-minute race) and three (thirty-minute race) on Sunday.

Twenty-nine Super Production Challenge competitors prepare to enter the final corner at Shannonville Motorsport Park for round one of the championship. On the pole is the No. 11 8Legs Racing BMW 330i of Eric Hochgeschurz. Beside Hochgeschurz is Olivier Bedard in the No. 96 Xtreme Motorsports Nissan 370Z. The second row is occupied by Super Production drivers James Houghton and Charles-Andre Bilodeau.
The winner of round one for the Super Production category was Olivier Bedard, driver of the No. 96 Xtreme Motorsports Nissan 370Z. Bedard is a success story from the Nissan Micra Cup. He won the title in 2015, 2017 and 2018. Bedard captured the victory in race one at Shannonville when James Houghton made an error. In Sunday morning’s contest, he finished third and grabbed the runner-up spot in the afternoon.
Leaving the first three-rounds at Shannonville Motorsport Park with the Production class championship lead was Nelson Chan. The Ontario competitor has been a familiar sight the past couple of seasons in the Canadian Touring Car Championship, campaigning a Mini Cooper JCW prepared by Equipe Octane. During the weekend, Chan collected a runner-up result on Saturday and two victories the following day.
Another Ontario driver leaving Shannonville Motorsport Park with the points lead was Super Production championship contender James Houghton. He was driving the No. 83 RySpec Racing Honda Civic Si. Houghton moved to the front early in round one, but an error led to a runner-up result. After finishing second in the Sunday morning event, he grabbed the victory in the finale.
Super Production class competitor, Eric Cote, led Sunday morning’s contest flag-to-flag. Cote started on the pole in the No. 16 GT Racing prepared Pontiac Solstice GXP and held off challenges from James Houghton and Olivier Bedard to take the victory. The previous day, he finished fourth overall and in class. In the final race of the weekend, Cote earned a third-place result.
The pole-sitter, Eric Cote, in the No. 16 GT Racing Pontiac Solstice GXP, leads the field around the final corner at Shannonville Motorsport Park. On the outside of the front row is the No. 6 Lombardi Honda Racing Honda Civic Type R of Quebec road racing veteran Carl Werner. Behind the leaders are the Super Product class entries of Charles-Andre Bilodeau in a Mustang and the Honda Civic of James Houghton.
Sharing the Compact class No. 23 Legris Racing Toyota Echo Cup was the father and son team of Yves and Mathieu Legris. Yves competed in round one at Shannonville Motorsport Park and despite starting at the rear, he charged through the field for the category victory. Not to be outdone, Mathieu captured a pair of Compact wins in the events on Sunday morning and afternoon.
Another veteran of the Super Production Challenge series competing at the opening rounds of the season was Sylvain Laporte. He was sporting new colours but still driving the No. 50 LAPSE Motorsports Mini Cooper Challenge in the Production category. Laporte opened the weekend by finishing eighth overall and first in class. The next day, he collected fifth and second-place results.
Patrick Wittmer, the father of some very well-known racers, Kuno, Nick and Karl, entered the season opener driving the No. 93 Kunick Autosport Honda Fit in the Compact category. In Saturday’s event, he finished behind the class-winning Toyota Echo of Yves Legris. In the first race the next day, Wittmer finished a distant fourth in the Compact category, but he redeemed himself in round three with another runner-up result.
The start of the final race of the weekend for the Super Production Challenge series at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Leading the charge into corner one is the pole-sitter, Charles-Andre Bilodeau, in the No. 44 GT Racing Ford Mustang Ecoboost. Pulling up beside Bilodeau is Carl Werner in the No. 6 Lombardi Honda Racing Honda Civic Type R and the No. 11 8Legs Racing BMW 330i of Arek Wojciechowski.
Super Challenge Production series Compact class rookie Marc-Andre Bourdages had an impressive debut. Bourdages was driving the No. 95 Picotti Racing Honda Fit. In the opening round of the championship, he finished twenty-fifth overall and third in class. On Sunday, Bourdages would collect another pair of third-place results, which left him third in the title chase heading to the Summer Challenge at ICAR.
The second member of Equipe Octane is Paul Gravel. Gravel was another series regular from the Canadian Touring Car Championship, who drives the No. 48 Mini Cooper JCW in this Super Production Challenge series. He collected a third in the Production category on Saturday. The next day, Gravel was second to his teammate, Nelson Chan and he ended the weekend with another third-place result.
Minis swept the Production class podium in the opening rounds of the 2021 Super Production Challenge series at Shannonville Motorsport Park. Contributing to the sweep was Yannick Lupien. Lupien piloted the No. 34 Lupien Racing Mini Cooper JCW. His weekend got off to a slow start with a sixth-place in round one, but on Sunday morning, Lupien earned the final spot on the class podium. Unfortunately, he was eleventh in the finale.

POS.PICCLASSDRIVERCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
11Super ProductionOlivier BedardNissan 370Z15-
22Super ProductionJames HoughtonHonda Civic Si15-
33Super ProductionEric HochgeschurzBMW 330i15-
44Super ProductionEric CotePontiac Solstice GXP15-
55Super ProductionCharles-Andre BilodeauFord Mustang Ecoboost15-
66Super ProductionCarl WernerHonda Civic Type R15-
77Super ProductionMarc HerouxChevrolet Camaro RS15-
81ProductionSylvain LaporteMini Cooper S15-
92ProductionNelson ChanMini Cooper JCW15-
108Super ProductionEric LaporteBMW M235i15-
113ProductionPaul GravelMini Cooper JCW15-
124ProductionMac KorinceHonda Civic Si15-
139Super ProductionPaul MorinPontiac Solstice GXP15-
145ProductionBenoit LaporteHonda Civic15-
156ProductionYannick LupienMini Cooper JCW15-
167ProductionToka MurphyHonda Civic Si15-
1710Super ProductionAlex HabrichNissan 370Z15-
188ProductionAlexandre BrosseauToyota FRS15-
199ProductionCrystel CharestMini Cooper S14-
2011Super ProductionMario CharretteNissan 370Z14-
2112Super ProductionMichael HabrichNissan 370Z14-
2210ProductionGhislain TheriaultBMW 330ci14-
231CompactYves LegrisToyota Echo Cup14-
242CompactPatrick WittmerHonda Fit14-
253CompactMarc-Andre BourdagesHonda Fit14-
2611ProductionMarie-France GagneToyota FRS14-
27-CompactSteven ScalaToyota Echo Cup6Did Not Finish
28-Super ProductionShelby MillsVolkswagen Jetta GLI3Did Not Finish
29-Super ProductionFrederick MagnyMazdaspeed 31Did Not Finish

POS.PICCLASSDRIVERCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
11Super ProductionEric CotePontiac Solstice GXP16-
22Super ProductionJames HoughtonHonda Civic Si16-
33Super ProductionOlivier BedardNissan 370Z16-
44Super ProductionCarl WernerHonda Civic Type R16-
55Super ProductionEric HochgeschurzBMW 330i16-
66Super ProductionCharles-Andre BilodeauFord Mustang Ecoboost16-
77Super ProductionEric LaporteBMW M235i16-
81ProductionNelson ChanMini Cooper JCW16-
92ProductionPaul GravelMini Cooper JCW16-
103ProductionYannick LupienMini Cooper JCW16-
118Super ProductionAlex HabrichNissan 370Z16-
124ProductionMac KorinceHonda Civic Si16-
139Super ProductionMario CharretteNissan 370Z16-
145ProductionSylvain LaporteMini Cooper S16-
156ProductionToka MurphyHonda Civic Si16-
167ProductionCrystel CharestMini Cooper S16-
1710Super ProductionShelby MillsVolkswagen Jetta GLI16-
1811Super ProductionMichael HabrichNissan 370Z15-
198ProductionGhislain TheriaultBMW 330ci15-
2012Super ProductionPaul MorinPontiac Solstice GXP15-
2117ProductionPhilippe CorbeilHonda Civic15-
2210ProductionMarie-France GagneToyota FRS14-
2311ProductionAlexandre BrosseauToyota FRS15-
241CompactMathieu LegrisToyota Echo Cup14-
252CompactSteven ScalaToyota Echo Cup6-
263CompactMarc-Andre BourdagesHonda Fit14-
274CompactPatrick WittmerHonda Fit14-
--Super ProductionMarc HerouxChevrolet Camaro RS-Did Not Start

POS.PICCLASSDRIVERCARLAPSRETIREMENTS
11Super ProductionJames HoughtonHonda Civic Si22-
22Super ProductionOlivier BedardNissan 370Z22-
33Super ProductionEric CotePontiac Solstice GXP22-
44Super ProductionCarl WernerHonda Civic Type R22-
55Super ProductionEric LaporteBMW M235i22-
61ProductionNelson ChanMini Cooper JCW22-
76Super ProductionPaul MorinPontiac Solstice GXP22-
82ProductionSylvain LaporteMini Cooper S22-
97Super ProductionAlex HabrichNissan 370Z22-
103ProductionPaul GravelMini Cooper JCW22-
117Super ProductionMario CharretteNissan 370Z22-
124ProductionPhilippe CorbeilHonda Civic22-
138Super ProductionMichael HabrichNissan 370Z22-
145ProductionCrystel CharestMini Cooper S22-
156ProductionAlexandre BrosseauToyota FRS22-
169Super ProductionShelby MillsVolkswagen Jetta GLI22-
177ProductionMac KorinceHonda Civic Si22-
188ProductionToka MurphyHonda Civic Si22-
199ProductionGhislain TheriaultBMW 330ci21-
2010ProductionMarie-France GagneToyota FRS21-
2111ProductionYannick LupienMini Cooper JCW21-
221CompactMathieu LegrisToyota Echo Cup20-
232CompactPatrick WittmerHonda Fit20-
243CompactMarc-Andre BourdagesHonda Fit20-
2510Super ProductionArek WojciechowskiBMW 330i19-
2611Super ProductionCharles-Andre BilodeauFord Mustang Ecoboost2Did Not Finish
(*)-CompactSteven ScalaToyota Echo Cup20Disqualified
--Super ProductionMarc HerouxChevrolet Camaro RS-Did Not Start


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