Sunny races ahead

Sunny races ahead

Nissan Sentra Cup driver Marie-Soleil Labelle defies stereotypes and her disability while taking the wheel of her racing career.

Jul 17, 2024
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Marie-Soleil Labelle — aka Sunny (soleil means sun in French) — began pursuing her dream to race at age 12 with indoor go-karting. Overcoming personal challenges and societal barriers, she transitioned to road racing and just three years later — in 2020 — became the youngest driver in the Nissan Micra Cup (now the Sentra Cup).

Following her hero's footsteps

Twenty-year-old Sunny has long been inspired by her hero, fellow Canadian Formula One driver Gilles Villeneuve — who won the hearts of fans with his skill and tenacity before his untimely passing in 1982.

In 1977, Villeneuve raced a Ferrari at Ontario's Mosport Park. Forty-seven years later, Sunny piloted her Nissan Sentra around the same circuit — now Canadian Tire Motorsport Park — in the Season 10 opener of the Nissan Sentra Cup.

"Gilles is my hero," said Sunny. "He never became a world champion, but he shared his determination to never quit with generations. I think a lot about how I race in the same physical space, and with the same determined spirit, as Villeneuve."

Challenges off the track

Sunny's path hasn't been without obstacles. She has Developmental Language Disorder (DLD), a condition that makes it difficult to understand what others say and to articulate ideas and feelings.

"When I was younger, I was super shy," says Sunny. "I would hide in the trailer so I didn't have to talk to the cameras after a race. I was not talking properly or with the right words."

Racing has helped Sunny be her true self. After the Sentra Cup opener in May, she confidently signed T-shirts and took photos with a stream of fans — many of them young girls.

She's now a spokesperson for the international Raising Awareness of Developmental Language Disorder (RADLD) committee. She also works with the Make a Wish Foundation, known as Rêves d'enfants in French-speaking Canada. She's a junior ambassador and raises donations to help make wishes for seriously ill children come true.

"I want to show young kids that just because you are different does not mean you cannot achieve your goals," says Sunny. "If you have a dream, and at the same time you have a challenge, don't stop yourself because you're different. It may take you a little longer, but at the end of the day you will get it and you will be proud of yourself."

Overcoming challenges on and off the track
Overcoming challenges on and off the track 00:58

Challenges facing female drivers

DLD isn't the only challenge Sunny has overcome. Getting to the top requires skill, financial backing and luck — with female drivers facing more challenges and barriers than their male counterparts.

According to a report by More than Equal, the barriers women face contribute to them making up a tiny percentage of the top ranked drivers — currently just 4%.

More Than Equal says there's no single barrier preventing women from racing at the highest level. Rather, it's a multitude of factors: too few women and girls participating, few female role models, a lack of dedicated training and development, difficulty accessing funding, inferior track time and stereotypes within motorsport.

Sunny is a member of Women in Motorsports North America (WIMNA), a group whose mission is to support women across all areas of racing.

"Sunny is one of the most passionate and selfless drivers I have had the pleasure of knowing," said Cindy Sisson, executive director of WIMNA. "Her dedication to supporting women in motorsports comes from the heart. She is both creative and caring towards her fellow females in the industry, making her a true champion of the cause."

Clockwise from top left: A teenager in the early days of Nissan Micra Cup; hosting the TDL Quebec Group, which promotes a better understanding of developmental language disorder (DLD); (right to left) Sunny, Nissan Canada president Steve Milette, and 2022 Sentra Cup champion Valérie Limoges; maintaining her Sentra at Dormani Nissan; supporting Women with Drive, an event from WIMNA that advances a more diverse and inclusive environment to grow motorsports for women; and ready for her next race with a positive outlook.

Clockwise from top left: A teenager in the early days of the Nissan Micra Cup; hosting the TDL Quebec Group, which promotes a better understanding of DLD; (right to left) Sunny, Nissan Canada President Steve Milette and 2022 Sentra Cup champion Valérie Limoges; maintaining her Sentra at Dormani Nissan; supporting Women with Drive, an event from WIMNA that advances a more diverse and inclusive environment to grow motorsports for women; and ready for her next race with a positive outlook.

Sunny's custom Sentra

While racing in both the Micra and Sentra Cups, Sunny has purchased three Nissans – two Micras and one Sentra. Her family has owned nine Nissans in four years (five street cars and four race cars). It's a complementary relationship as Nissan's DNA — "Dare to do what others don't" — echoes Sunny's personal motto, "Born to make a difference."

Her Sentra racecar has a few special touches. It's #27, the same as Villeneuve's racecar. An outline of an alpha wolf (chosen for its ability to claw its way to the top) sits above the number and her initials, MSL. The Canadian flag's signature maple leaf outlines the wolf's eyelids, and the lack of a mouth represents Sunny's verbal challenges. Cogs represent her engineering prowess.

Sunny's custom Sentra

Nissan's Sentra Cup is an affordable grassroots race series with over two hours of heart-pounding racing taking place in six of the main Canadian motorsports events — and in the United States for the first time this year — from May to September. This year marks the 10th season of the competition, which began in 2015.

Making a difference on and off the track

Sunny takes her Sentra to Quebec's Dormani Nissan — where she and service manager Isabelle Otis instantly bonded — for maintenance. Sunny also works on her racecar there.

"When I met Sunny she was only 15 years old," said Otis. "As a woman who works and plays sports that are usually done by men, I recognized a lot of myself in her. She's dedicated to the community, to giving back. Her gentleness, determination and passion won me over. This young woman is a complete athlete and an inspiring person who deserves to be known."

What's next for Sunny? In between balancing school and preparing for the next Sentra Cup race, she just re-signed a multi-year spokesperson contract with RADLD, which means she'll continue sharing her story and helping others with non-visible disabilities worldwide. A future goal is to become an engineer for a motorsport team.

Sunny believes promoting diversity and women in motorsport is critical. As a woman in motorsport, she feels it's her role to encourage girls to get involved and find their place, just as she has.

"From my beginnings in karting, I've been involved in causes," said Sunny. "It's my goal to keep giving back."

Sunny
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