Canadian driver James MacDonald, who just won his second World Driving Championship title in New Zealand last fall, is headed back Down Under for the upcoming Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Championship at Albion Park in Brisbane, Australia.
MacDonald is one of 10 drivers who will be competing in the 20-race series that will be contested over two nights on Friday, Feb. 20 and Saturday, Feb. 21, with $350,000 AUD in prize money up for grabs. Ten heats will be contested each night of the Ultimate Driver Championship, with drivers earnings points in each race based on their finishing position to determine the winner.
The Ontario-based reinsman was selected to represent slot holder Aaron Bain Racing, Summit Bloodstock & The Burke Brigade after missing the application deadline to compete in the inaugural event last year. Jamie Durnberger-Smith, co-founder of Summit Bloodstock, sought out the World Driving Champion to front the group while presenting him with an opportunity to claim a unique Down Under double.
“It didn't come to fruition last year, but then this year, we had some talks about it and I’m just glad to be a part of it,” MacDonald told Trot Insider ahead of his Monday flight to Australia.
“From what I heard last year, it was a huge success. I followed along a little bit last year. The more people they can get from around the world, I think the bigger and better it'll get. And hopefully it just keeps growing from here and hopefully this won't be the last time I compete in it.”
A five-time Driver of the Year, MacDonald knows what it takes to win races at the sport’s elite level. A two-time World Driving Champion, he is no stranger to competing in driving challenges on the international stage.
“I don't feel like a veteran, but I kind of am now, and I can kind of lean on some of my experience from racing around the world,” said the 40-year-old horseman, who has driven winners of more than 4,300 races and $85 million in purses. “And I'll be doing a lot of watching. I'll be watching early on in the tournament and just seeing how everyone's playing it and try and learn their style as quickly as possible. I mean, it's not gonna be perfect. I'm sure I'll make lots of mistakes, but hopefully by the end of the tournament, I'll figure it out and have some success.”
While the Australian programs, horses, rules and racing style are unfamiliar territory for MacDonald, he has proven his ability to adapt with a coolheaded approach in high stakes competition.
And his fellow competitors, all from Australia and New Zealand, aren’t counting him out. Reigning Ultimate Driver Champion Angus Garrard described MacDonald as an “extremely patient driver yet tactically brilliant because his horses always seem to land the right spot.”
“There’s little things and subtle differences, but at the end of the day, you've got a horse, and you're sitting behind it, and you gotta find a way to beat nine other people,” said MacDonald, who will look to some of his new and old connections for support in deciphering the racing programs and analyzing the fields.
“Our programs [in North America] are all I've ever known, so it's very easy for me to get a grasp on what the horse is doing here. When I'm over there, I kind of lean a little bit more on handicappers and friends of mine that I've met along the way, and I'll maybe shoot some ideas off to them, and hopefully make some new friends that are willing to help me out and just teach me as much as I can, as quickly as I can learn it. So, it's a big adjustment.”
While MacDonald will draw on strategy from his previous experiences competing in tournament-style driving challenges, he acknowledged that the World Driving Championship offers a unique racing style of its own with up to a dozen international drivers, all from different countries, mixing it up.
“This is going to be a very Australian style of racing, and I'm going to have to learn it fast and adjust quickly,” he noted.
With a snake-style draft used to determine the horses he will be driving, MacDonald has offered some suggestions on draft strategy that has worked from his experience, but Durnberger-Smith will ultimately be making the selections with input from the other syndicate members.
After speaking with fellow North American reinsman Yannick Gingras, who finished sixth competing for the same slot holders last year, MacDonald said he will rely on an approach to the driving challenge that has worked well for him in the past.
"You're just gonna just take it all in. You're gonna have a blast, and win, lose or draw, it's kind of like the World Driving Championship. You meet a lot of new people and make a lot of new friends, and hopefully, if all goes right and I do well, maybe make a couple of enemies, too,” he said with a laugh.
A bit of a friendly rivalry is already brewing with top Australian driver Gary Hall Jr., who was runner-up to MacDonald in the latest World Driving Championship after finishing second to Garrard in the inaugural Ultimate Driver Championship.
“Gary was talking about there being some unfinished business in an interview,” said MacDonald with a smile. “Anytime you get a little rivalry like that — and it's all in good fun because Gary's a terrific guy and always joking around — it just adds to it. And you can be sure, good guy or not, if we're close for the championship late in the tournament, we’ll probably be less friendly with each other.”
The updated Ultimate Driver lineup also includes Trista Dixon, Zachary Butcher, Cam Hart, James Herbertson, Luke McCarthy, Pete McMullen and Robbie Morris, with reserve drivers Brendan Barnes and Matt Elkins.
While all the drivers participating will have their game faces on, they share a mutual respect for their fellow competitors and the title of Ultimate Driver.
“I know how hard it is to win a race,” said MacDonald. “I know what goes into, you know, preparation and all that. So, at the end of the day, I want to win and do the best I can, but I can still appreciate how hard someone else worked at it and how they mapped out a good trip or things went their way and they did a great job, and I can appreciate that as well. So always happy to see other people do well. I'll be cheering for whoever wins if it's not me, and hopefully, I'll just go there and make a good account of myself.”
(Standardbred Canada)