The World goes Down Under
The World Driving Championship kicks off in New Zealand on Sunday.
by Adam Hamilton
Down Under champions Blair Orange and Gary Hall, Jr. can’t wait to fly their countries flags against some of the world’s best in the World Driving Championship starting in New Zealand on Sunday (Nov. 2).
Orange, an eight-time leading New Zealand driver, will represent the host country for the second time in the series which spans five different race meetings, four varying venues, and 20 races between Nov. 2 and 11.
He is bursting to improve on an eighth placing in 2023 when the series was shared between Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium, and won by Rick Ebbinge of The Netherlands.
Remarkably, this is 43-year-old Hall, Jr.’s first time representing his country in the series. He’s dominated his home state of Western Australia for almost two decades and shown his skill and class around the rest of Australia and New Zealand as well.
Hall, Jr.’s biggest New Zealand wins rank with the most memorable of his stellar career when he teamed with the great pacer Im Themightyquinn — the best horse he’s driven — for victories in the 2011 Auckland Inter Dominion and Auckland Cup of the same year.
“I’ve had a few trips to New Zealand and loved every one of them, but I’ve never driven at Kaikoura,” Hall, Jr. said. “I’ve watched in amazement like everyone else at what a beautiful place it is… how cool the first two meetings in the series are there.”
Kaikoura is a harness track like no other in this part of the world. A couple of hours north-east of Christchurch on New Zealand’s South Island. The town is one of the whale-watching capitals of the world and the track is literally on the edge of the beach.
When the horses race down the back straight, they almost look to be running on water.
Kaikoura only races those two meetings each year and people set-up tents and camper vans in the middle of the track days in advance to get their vantage point.
Hall, Jr.’s excitement around Kaikoura soared even more this week when the fields were drawn. Across the five heats on Sunday and Monday, he’s snared five terrific drives.
It saw him crunched into a clear favoritism to win the series. He was $6 (for a $1 bet) last week and is now $2.60.
“That’s a plus,” he said with a laugh. “I haven’t had a good look at it all yet because we’ve got a huge Group 1 night of racing here [Perth’s Gloucester Park on Friday] before I fly out, but a few friends who know the form said I should be chuffed.
“Even though there’s 20 heats in the series, your luck with drawing good drives is still a huge part of it. I’ll take all the help I can get.
“But I also know what looks good on paper doesn’t always turn out that way, especially in these types of series.
“The honor [of representing Australia] certainly isn’t lost on me. It’s exciting and a privilege.
“While I’d love to do well in the series because I’m a competitive bugger, I’m looking forward as much to seeing a few of the drivers I’ve met before, spending time with them and meeting new people.
“Whether it was a junior driver series when I started out, or things like the Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Challenge I was part of and loved so much back in February, these things are great.
“It was awesome having Dexter [Dunn], Yannick [Gingras] and Bjorn [Goop] here for that series earlier this year and now look at the great drivers competing in this series.”
Brett Beckwith is representing the U.S., while James MacDonald is flying the Canadian flag.
The other drivers are the man who drove the incomparable trotter Varenne, Giampaolo Minnucci (Italy), Santtu Raitala (Finland), Michael Nimczyk (Germany), Jaap Van Rijn (Netherlands), Mats Djuse (Sweden), and Pierre Vercruysse (France).
MacDonald won the series when it was held on his home patch in Canada in 2017, while Vercruysse did the same in France back in 2013.
Those back again from the 2023 series are Orange, Raitala (fourth in 2023) and Nimczyk (fifth).
Jaap Van Rijn has big shoes to fill with his compatriot, Rick Ebbinge, having won the past two titles for The Netherlands in 2023 and 2019.
Orange has history on his side.
Four of the past five World Driving Championship winners have come from the host country. Ebbinge (2023), MacDonald (2017), Dexter Dunn (2015), and Vercruysse (2013).
Go back further to 2011 and Jody Jamieson (Canada) and Corey Callahan (U.S.) ran first and second in the U.S.-based series.
It only makes sense the drivers competing on their own patch, knowing horses and the tracks, have a decided advantage.
“Of course, it’s a help being here [New Zealand],” Orange said. “I know how much harder it was with the language barrier [in Europe] last time for me. And not knowing the form so much made it hard too. Knowing that here will hopefully make it easier and hopefully everything will work out.
“To represent your country at anything is a big achievement and hopefully I can do the fern [New Zealand’s symbol] proud.
“While being in New Zealand helps, it also brings a bit more pressure, hometown thing, but there’ll be a lot of support.
“But I know these tracks and most of the horses like the back of my hand, so I’m going to use that to my advantage.”
While the series covers four tracks and both New Zealand Islands, fittingly the last of the 20 heats will be held on the biggest stage.
There’s probably no bigger harness racing stage Down Under than the 25,000 or so fans who pack Addington in Christchurch for the iconic New Zealand Cup Day.
Our heroes of the sport deserve that.
Let’s hope it’s a close series and the result comes down to that last heat on the afternoon of Nov. 11.
THE SCHEDULE
Sunday (Nov. 2): Kaikoura
Monday (Nov. 3): Kaikoura
Wednesday (Nov. 5): Cambridge
Friday (Nov. 7): Addington (Christchurch)
Sunday (Nov. 9): Winton
Tuesday (Nov. 11): Addington
