(Montréal, Québec, Canada) – Team Octane announced today that Michel Sallenbach is returning for a third consecutive season behind the wheel of one of the team’s GENUINE MINI PARTS Cooper S John Cooper Works MINI.

Michel will be part of the team’s Touring class effort as one of the four team drivers, in the Touring class. Michel finished third in the 2011 Driver Championship. “We proudly will return for a complete season in 2012, in the hope of improving our final championship results” commented Sallenbach.

“We are super-excited to have Michel back with us again” commented Team Principal Alain Lauzière. “Michel embodies the team’s determination and dedication values which have brought us so many successes in the past. We have no doubt that his will to win will bring us many more podium finishes this year”.

Behind the wheel of the #46 MINI Cooper S, Sallenbach will lead the team’s Touring class charge and will join P.J. Groenke and Andre Rapone who will make their debut behind the wheel of their new B-Spec class Durabond MINI Cooper, as announced in a prior communiqué.

Team partners include MINI GENUINE PARTS, Castrol, Bully Clutch, Revolution MINI Works, Perry Auto, Carrosserie Touchette, La Clinique du Pneu Granby, Lettrage Raoul and ASG Accessoire de Soudure Granby.

Team Octane will make further announcements before the beginning of the season about their other cars and drivers.

The 2012 season of the Canadian Touring Car Championship presented by Continental tire will start next week on May 19-20 at Mosport International Raceway in Ontario for the Victoria Day Speedfest. The Championship competes throughout 8 weekends of racing.