The pressure has officially mounted in the 2019 World Driving Championship, which has been delighting racing fans across Sweden all week. The top of the leaderboard is jammed heading into the WDC’s final leg, as multiple reinsmen have legitimate shots at the title after Wednesday’s fifth leg.
Leg Five of the 2019 WDC was contested in Rättvik on Wednesday (May 29), as the picturesque course played host to five heats of the global tournament. In addition to ten other reinsmen that are representing their countries, Canadian entrants Doug McNair, the 2018 National Driving Champion, and James MacDonald, who claimed the 2017 World Driving Championship on Canadian soil, have been mixing it up with some of the world’s best pilots.
No single driver dominated Leg Five, as each of the heats were won by different reinsmen. After having recorded back-to-back two-win legs – both in which he was named ‘Driver of the Day’ – McNair failed to notch a victory in Leg Five, but he was right there with the best of them. The resident of Guelph, Ont. accrued 41 points in Leg Five and currently sits second on the leaderboard, just two points behind Sweden’s Ulf Ohlsson, who has looped McNair from second.
Ulf Ohlsson (Sweden) is now leading the 2019 WDC with 166.5 points, followed in second by Doug McNair (Canada) with 164.5 and in third by Mika Forss (Finland) with 154. Norway’s Eirik Höitomt (151) and the United States’ Yannick Gingras (149.5) round out the top five. McNair’s fellow Canadian representative, James MacDonald, has experienced some poor racing luck and is currently sitting eleventh with 109 points.
“I would be really happy with top-three finish, but I’m going for the win,” McNair told Trot Insider after Leg Five was officially in the books.
McNair’s top result from Leg Five was a second-place finish, where he made a strong move at the leader to get into contention, but didn’t have any horse left in the stretch.
“Each race day I was getting more comfortable with the racing style and the horses,” McNair explained. “It’s been a very well-organized event with a great group of drivers. Everyone is competitive, but we have a lot of fun when we aren’t racing.
”I’m looking forward to Friday and hopefully I can make Canada proud.”
The final leg of the 2019 WDC will be contested on Friday (May 31) in Gävle, Sweden. Five heats are scheduled to head postward during the final. Gävle’s first post has been slated for 12:45 p.m. local time, but only early risers will be able to catch the action live in North America, as the program is set to kick off at 6:45 a.m. Eastern Time. For more information, click here.
Drivers in the WDC earn points based on their finishing position and the top point-earner will be declared the 2019 World Driving Champion and win $25,000 (USD) in prize money. Points for the championship are awarded in each of the legs’ heats according to the official order of finish. The winner of the race receives 19 points and then in descending order 14 (2); 11 (3); 9 (4); 8 (5); 7 (6); 6 (7); 5 (8); 4 (9); 3 (10); 2 (11) and 1 (12).
The leaderboard after Leg Five of the 2019 WDC appears below.
1. Ulf Ohlsson (Sweden) – 166.5
2. Doug McNair (Canada) – 164.5
3. Mika Forss (Finland) – 154
4. Eirik Höitomt (Norway) – 151
5. Yannick Gingras (USA) – 149.5
6. Rick Ebbinge (The Netherlands) – 146.5
7. Matthew Williamson (New Zealand) – 135.5
8. Michael Nimczyk (Germany) – 125.5
9. Franck Nivard (France) – 121
10. Rodney Gatt (Malta) – 111
11. James MacDonald (Canada/ITA) – 109
12. Todd McCarthy (Australia) – 103
.jpg)
A shot of the leaderboard after Leg Five of the 2019 WDC (SC Photo).
Brief race recaps from the fifth leg of the WDC appear below.
Race Recaps
WDC Race 1 – After having started from Post 4, Yannick Gingras and his charge, Livi Mistress, closed down the middle of the track to be well-timed winners.
The duo had laid off the early tempo, but Livi Mistress was up to the challenge when Gingras asked in the lane. Livi Mistress looked very fresh coming for home and impressed the crowd in attendance.
“The trainer told me that my horse would be good if I took and inside route, which I did,” Gingras said in a post-race interview. “I was able to get out late and I had a lot of trot coming home.”
The second-place finisher, Moa Margunn, who was driven by Sweden’s Ulf Ohlsson, had been on the engine through the heat. The pair was unable to hold off Gingras late, but they still trotted well through the lane and held on to secure second.
The Franck Nivard-driven Bombibitt SIR, who staked just back of the leaders through the race, closed up well and was able to finish third.
Doug McNair finished sixth in the race, while James MacDonald's horse was disqualified.
WDC Race 2 – After having stalked throughout the majority of the contest, Germany’s Michael Nimczyk, who had started from Post 9 with Fast Food Hanover, fanned wide through the lane and got up to post a slight victory over some game foes.
The race saw active outer flow. Canada’s James McDonald raced second on the inside for much of the contest, but was unable to convert in the stretch. Fellow Canadian Doug McNair was active on the outer tiers. McNair raced third-over and three-wide on the final turn, but came up short in the lane.
Driver Rick Ebbinge, who was in rein to Bottnas Fantom, raced second-over on the final turn and then tipped three-deep before heading into the stretch. Ebbinge was able to sustain his drive through the homestretch, but was just defeated by Nimczyk in the final strides.
There was a dead-heat for third, as the Mika Forss-driven Happy Romeo and the Eirik Höitomt-steered Winnertakesitall both closed from the backfield in the stretch and were inseparable at the wire.
Yannick Gingras' horse was scratched from the race just before post time.
McNair finished seventh, while MacDonald finished eighth.
WDC Race 3 – After having started from Post 1, Finland’s Mika Forss sat the pocket with Faks Nils and ultimately converted the drafting trip when it was ‘win’ time.
Yannick Gingras and his charge, Björs Viking, did the heavy lifting on the point, as they pulled the train through the fractions and kept the outer tier of attackers at bay throughout. The outer flow backed up on the final turn, which left Forss in great striking position.
Faks Nils was up for the challenge when Forss asked for more in the lane. The duo tipped out and sped off to a convincing victory.
Gingras and Björs Viking were able to hold on for second. Håksätter Svarten, who was driven by New Zealand’s Matthew Williamson, raced third along the inside throughout the festivities and finished third when all was said and done.
McNair finished fourth and MacDonald finished eighth.
WDC Race 4 – Eirik Höitomt, who fought for the lead in the opening stages of the race, was able to cross over to the lead early in the proceedings, and it was ‘game over’ from there on out.
Höitomt and his drive, Fagur, would end up pulling way from the field in the lane, and the duo opened up a ton of daylight on their rivals in the stretch before cruising under the wire.
Canada’s Doug McNair was aggressive when he made his move. After having raced third-over, McNair tipped his mount, Optimum Terminator, for a three-deep move at Höitomt. The leader sparred with McNair for a bit on the final turn. McNair opted to slip into the pocket turning for home, in hopes that he would have more horse left in the stretch. McNair’s charge was empty in the lane and could not mount another shot at the under-wraps winner.
Mika Forss, who had also come calling from the backfield, finished third.
WDC Race 5 – Ulf Ohlsson, who is representing the host country, employed a professional steer to capture the last of the card’s five heats.
Ohlsson, who raced his charge first-up for the majority of the day’s final clash, was able to sustain his drive into the stretch and be first under the wire.
The field got settled away rather early, and there was little movement after that. Ohlsson, who was aboard Spickleback Face, was able to rate his charge while in the first-over position, and when he called for a closing kick, Spickleback Face was able to respond.
Australia’s Todd McCarthy, who had been positioned in the second-over slot through the race, was able to close in the stretch to get up for second.
Super Photo Bood, who had raced on the engine for Malta’s Rodney Gatt, had enough left to hold on for third.
Important Links: