The U.S. Hall of Famer is confirmed for the Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Championship.

by Adam Hamilton

Hall of Famer Yannick Gingras has snapped up the chance to become the second North American driver in Australia’s new Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Championship.

Gingras, who was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2022, will join former New Zealander Dexter Dunn in the innovative and much talked about 20-race series at Brisbane’s Albion Park on Feb. 21 and 22, next year.

“It created quite a buzz over here when word first got out about it,” Gingras said. “It’s the sort of thing you just knew a lot of drivers from here, and anywhere in the world I guess, would want to be part of.

“It sounds very exciting and it’s something new and different. It’s also a great time of year in Australia and fits our schedule really well. I love supporting people trying to do new things.”

When 35-year-old Dunn was announced as the first driver with a confirmed slot in the series early this month, the plan was already being hatched for Gingras to join him.

“I’d had a few approaches,” Gingras said. “But it was Mark Weaver who asked seriously and it was the perfect fit. He’s a big owner over here and is close with Ron Burke. We all go way back. We all sort of came up through the ranks together.

“I’ve got a great relationship with them.”

Weaver and Burke are part of the syndicate formed by the Australian-based Aaron Bain Racing and Summit Bloodstock (Jake Webster), who united to secure one of the 10 hotly contested slots in the Ultimate Driver Championship.

Gingras, 45, is the just the second confirmed driver.

Between him and Dunn, they have combined to win six Dan Patch Awards for Driver of the Year. Gingras’ two wins came in 2014 and 2017 and followed his Rising Star Award in 2003. Dunn won Driver of the Year four-straight years (2019-2022)

Gingras has also been the leading driver by stake earnings on a remarkable five occasions.

This won’t be Gingras’ first trip Down Under.

“I went down in March, 2016 and had a great time,” Gingras said. “It’s a big reason I’m so keen to go back.”

That was for an International All Stars Driver series in Victoria where Gingras, Corey Callahan and Brett Miller made the trip down from North America. They were joined in the “World” team by Dunn, who was then still based in NZ, and decorated Kiwi driver Anthony Butt.

Gingras finished sixth in the 21-race series which was won by the Victorian-based global trailblazer Kerryn Manning. The “Victorian” team, which also included the likes of Chris Alford, Greg Sugars and the late Gavin Lang, narrowly won the series.

“It was a terrific trip and I met so many great people… many of them my wife [Vicki] and I are still in regular contact with, like Chris and Alison Alford,” Gingras said. “I’ve won a few of these driver series in different parts of the world over the years and by far the best part is meeting new people and catching up with some you’ve haven’t seen for so long. I’m really hoping we can swing it to get some time with Chris and Alison when we come across next year.

“The other exciting part is driving against other guys and girls. We largely drive against the same group of guys here all the time and getting outside of that is fun for a change.

“I know Dexter is going, but I’m hoping this series has a real mix of drivers from different places.”

Gingras said he planned to “make a real trip of it” given the lengthy travel to get to Australia for the Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Championship.

“We stayed on and had a few days in a beautiful place called Hamilton Island back in 2016, but Vicki and I would like to see some different places this time.

“I was chatting with Carter [Dalgety, young NZ driver spending time in the U.S.] the other day and I think we’ll actually fly into NZ first and then go across to Australia for the series.

“It could be something like flying into Christchurch, visit some stables there, go down to Queenstown for a few days, which everyone says is amazing, and fly to Australia for a few days on the Gold Coast before the series starts in Brisbane.

“It might be two weeks or so all up. We’ve got three kids and the oldest is 12, so we can’t be away from home much longer than that.”

Australia loves a nickname — Alford is called “The Puppet” and Sugars known as the “Candy Man” — so Gingras’ nickname “The Green Hornet” is sure to quickly catch on.

“Yeah, that one obviously comes from my green [and white] colors and was given to me by a journalist, Ken Weingartner, about 20 years ago,” Gingras said.

Racing Queensland’s David Brick, the man behind the Ultimate Driver Championship, was thrilled to hear Gingras was headed Down Under.

“It’s all coming together,” Brick said. “Our aim was for a truly international series with the best from around the world. You can’t get much better than Dexter Dunn and Yannick Gingras as the first two locked in.

“It’s not just great for Australians to see these guys race here, but hopefully it’ll create interest in North America for the series, too. It would be great for the series to showcase our great racing.”

Summit Bloodstock’s Jamie Durnberger-Smith, who has been in North America spending time with Gingras, shared the excitement.

“We got our man,” he said. “It’s awesome. You know we’re huge supporters of harness racing back home, taking slots in as many new races and concepts as we can. This series is one of the most exciting concepts yet. We were desperate to be involved.

“We’ve got really strong business ties to the U.S., so it brings out worlds together.

“Yannick is a genuine superstar and we’re thrilled he’s so eagerly jumped at the chance to be part of this.”

The Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Championship carries $250,000 in prize money with $100,000 going to the winner. Slot holders will also receive $1,000 for each race winner.

There is growing speculation a leading European driver will fill a slot, while the best from around Australia and New Zealand are pushing their cases.

The only other “certain” driver looks to be Australia’s most successful Group 1-winning female driver, Kate Gath.

Gath and husband, top trainer Andy Gath, successfully bid for a slot and will partner with the fundraising cause “Team Teal,” which raises money for ovarian cancer.