Can Jamieson Maintain His Momentum?

Following a remarkable three-win night in the third leg of the 2011 World Driving Championship, Canadian Jody Jamieson says he's ready for the huge challenge that he faces tonight at Yonkers Raceway in the final round of the five day, 20 race competition held in the United States

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"I thought if I didn't win at least two [last night], I didn't have a shot,” Jamieson told Trot Insider. “But I wasn't ready to concede yet.”

Jamieson jumped from sixth place to first in the point standings thanks to his triple at the Meadowlands Racetrack on Thursday night. He currently leads with 133 points – six more than his nearest rival, Spain’s Juan Antonio Riera-Rossello.

“I talked to my mom on Wednesday -- my mom's my biggest supporter. I needed to hear her support because my lip was dragging pretty good,” said the 34-year-old resident of Moffat, Ont., who had slipped from second in the early standings to sixth after a tough leg at Monticello Raceway the previous day. “You can't have one of those days with 12 points and still expect to win.”

Jamieson will drive Avaricity (PP8, 12-1), Strong Hall (PP8, 12-1), Sun Of A Victory (PP1, 8-5) and Up Front Cruiser (PP7, 4-1) in the final leg of the competition at Yonkers Raceway tonight, and admits to hitting the books to ensure he is able to put forth the best performance possible for his country.

“I've done a lot of preparation, studied race lines, watched videos of the last two or three starts of each of the horses I'm driving at Yonkers,” he said. “I have two eights and a seven [for post positions]. I was talking to some guys about the flow at Yonkers. The problem is that there are 10 horses so with two trailers, guys won't be afraid to hold you out three-wide from the eight-hole. It'll be tough, but I've got some good horses.

“I think for the most part, at the start of the competition, people were looking at Corey Callahan, Jody Jamieson and Dexter Dunn,” he continued. “Is there pressure? Yes. I'm the guy with the Canadian flag on my back. I'm happy to have it, but there is pressure.

“I don't think I expect to win, but I'm going to give it my all and try to win,” added Jamieson.

First race post time is 7:10 p.m. tonight at Yonkers Raceway with the WDC events scheduled for Races 1, 2, 4 and 5.

Here is a look at the current standings heading into the fifth and final leg of the 2011 World Driving Championship:

1. Jody Jamieson - Canada (133 pts)
2. Juan Antonio Riera-Rossello - Spain (127 pts)
3. Dexter Dunn - New Zealand (121 pts)
4. Corey Callahan - U.S.A. (115 pts)
5. Birger Jorgensen - Denmark (110 pts)
6. Bjorn Goop - Sweden (99 pts)
7. Enrico Bellei - Italy (92 pts)
8. Franck Nivard - France (79 pts)
9. Chris Lewis - Australia (78 pts)
10. Michael Nimczyk - Germany (74 pts)

For those following at home, points for the WDC are awarded in each race according to the official order of finish, on the following basis:

Number of Starters – 10:
17 (1); 12 (2); 9 (3); 7 (4); 6 (5); 5 (6); 4 (7); 3 (8); 2 (9) and 1 (10)

Number of Starters – 9:
16 (1); 11 (2); 8 (3); 6 (4); 5 (5); 4 (6); 3 (7); 2 (8) and 1 (9)

Number of Starters – 8:
15 (1); 10 (2); 7 (3); 5 (4); 4 (5); 3 (6); 2 (7) and 1 (8)