Winton getting ready for WDC

Winton is beginning to buzz with the World Drivers Championships less than a month away.

On Sunday 9^th November the Winton HRC will host three heats of the series, each one run over 1609 metres and featuring ten of the best drivers from all over the harness racing globe.

Winton couple Trevor Proctor and Diane Dynes have been part of the subcommittee charged with organising the event and ensuring the Central Southland Raceway is in good shape to host the event.

A primary task has been painting both the interior and exterior of the public stand.

“I think Trevor and I have been over there every day for the last two months. The thing about it is, it’s such an old building that once you improve something it makes something else look bad,” Diane said.

She says the Club has mainly been concentrating on decorating the two sponsors areas in the public stand.

“We’ve virtually painted the whole public stand inside and out. The only area we haven’t been in is the cafeteria.”

As part of the big day the Club will have a 200 person marquee as an entertainment area for sponsors.

“They will be catered for on the day and into the evening. We’ve got musician John McCabe from Oamaru and MASH will be doing the catering. We’ll also have food caravans, fashion in the field and Kidz Kartz.”

The WDC runs for nine days across the country with other heats at Kaikoura, Cambridge and Addington. The final day of the series will be held on Cup Day at Addington.

“When I first found out about it I was excited, but it has been all consuming. It’s the fact that we have got that deadline. Anything we don’t get done is going to be so much harder to go back and get done. Once we leave there, life will take over again.”

Some old treasures have been uncovered during the renovations.

“I found an old picture of the 1946 Winton committee under the stairway and the photo had been eaten by rats. I had the photo re-copied, put it in an old original frame and we’re putting it up the stairway.”

Drivers competing in the Series are as follows: James MacDonald – Canada, Gary Hall Jr – Australia, Giampaolo Minnucci -Italy, Santtu Raitala – Finland, Michael Nimczyk – Germany, Jaap Van Rijn – Netherlands, Mats Djuse – Sweden, Blair Orange – New Zealand, Pierre Vercruysse – France and Brett Beckwith – USA.

The visit by Gary Hall Jnr will have special significance. He’ll be driving in a region which bred two outstanding horses that gave him some of his biggest wins in harness racing.

The superstars Im Themightyquinn and Chicago Bull were born in Southland – Chicago Bull in Winton and Im Themightyquinn twenty minutes from Winton at Bayswater.

From 113 starts Chicago Bull won 62 races including six Group Ones – The Freemantle Cup twice, WA Cup, Four Year Old Classic, Golden Nugget and WA Derby and he earned $2,417,890.

Im Themightyquinn was bred by Dave Kennedy and from 111 starts he won 58 races and earned $4,567,456.

His eleven Group One wins included two Interdominion Finals, three Freemantle Cups, three WA Cups, the Four Year Old Classic, the Cranbourne Cup and the Blacks A Fake.

Hall drove him in 45 of his 58 wins.

All the best to the Winton Trotting Club as it plays it’s part in hosting the World Drivers Championship.

by Bruce Stewart, for Harnesslink