Drivers announced for Australasian Young Drivers’ Championship

Victoria will host the return of the series, which was cancelled the past two years due to the pandemic, during the upcoming Inter Dominion series.

New Zealand’s Sarah O’Reilly will return as the defending champion, having won it in 2019.

The AYDC consists of nine heats across four meetings during the second week of the Inter Dominion Carnival.

The schedule is:

Tuesday, December 6 (Melton): Two heats

Wednesday, December 7 (Ballarat): Two heats

Thursday, December 8 (Maryborough): Two heats

Friday, December 9 (Bendigo): Two heats

Saturday, December 10 (Melton): Final heat

O’Reilly is one of three Kiwis in the series, alongside Sam Thornley and Crystal Hackett.

Further showcasing the proud diversity of harness racing, six of the nine selected drivers are females. They are: Victoria’s Tayla French, SA’s Samantha Pascoe and WA’s Emily Suvaljko, Tasmania’s Jordan Chibnall and the Kiwi pair O’Reilly and Hackett.

Females have won the past three AYDC’s with O’Reilly’s 2019 victory following Sheree Tomlinson (NZ) in 2018 and Queensland’s Narissa McMullen in 2017.

The in-form Brendan Barnes will represent Queensland.

2022 Australasian Young Drivers Championship Competitors

Tayla French – Victoria

Cam Hart – NSW

Samantha Pascoe – SA

Emily Suvaljko – WA

Jordan Chibnall – Tasmania

Brendan Barnes – QLD

Sarah O’Reilly – NZ

Sam Thornley – NZ

Crystal Hackett – NZ

from Harness Racing Australia