Cousineau Aiming for Two Coupe de Montreal Championships in Tremblant

This weekend’s Coupe de Montreal finale in Mont-Tremblant is going to be an exciting one for Mathieu Cousineau as the young pilot enters the event leading not one, but two class championships, and he’s aiming for more.

It has been an exciting season, which started all the way back in January for the driver from the South Shore of Montreal. Competing in the Florida Winter Tour, Cousineau entered races in Fort Lauderdale, Ocala and St. Petersburg and earned two impressive race wins. Those wins helped him secure the FWT Briggs Junior championship in March, which finished just before the COVID-19 global pandemic brought the world and the karting season to a halt.

Finally getting back on track in June with the first round of the Coupe de Montreal, Cousineau stepped up to compete in Rotax Junior alongside his Briggs Junior duties and has been a quick learner in the two-cycle division under the guidance of Ben Cooper Racing. He raced his way onto the podium in only his second race, in Mont-Tremblant, with a second-place finish and has since earned three straight wins to take over the points lead.

Heading to the Jim Russell Karting Academy, a track Cousineau knows very well, he holds a 110-point advantage in the Rotax Junior standings.

As an added bonus this weekend, the event will double as the Canadian Open, which means Cousineau is also racing for an invitation to join Team Canada at the Rotax Max Challenge Grand Finals, be held in Portugal in early 2021.

In the Briggs Junior division, Cousineau is aiming to stand atop the championship podium after finishing third last season. Just like in Rotax, Cousineau has enjoyed a great season thus far, finishing on the podium in four of the five races and leads by 60 points after drops going into the final race. With a full grid of racers in town this weekend, he will need to ensure he stays upfront in order to drive home the title, but he is pushing hard to do so.

We reached out to Mathieu leading up to the race this weekend and got his feelings about the season so far.

“It’s a great feeling to be leading in two categories! I’ve had a great year so far, which started with the Florida Winter Tour Championship title. Now, being the leader in both Junior categories for the Coupe de Montreal Championship, I hope I can bring it home this weekend at Tremblant. The cherry on top would be to win the race in Rotax Junior and qualify for the Grand Finals in Portugal next January!”

In addition, Cousineau was quick to note those who have supported him throughout the season.

“I think the fact that I raced this winter in Florida and won the championship helped me in my development and got me some confidence. I also have to thank Ben Cooper and the BCR team of coaches and mechanics including Raimo Tagliani, for their help, support and experience, which is so valuable for me. I would not be in this position without them.”

The race will be held over two days this weekend in Mont-Tremblant with Qualifying beginning on Saturday and Finals on Sunday.