Brett Beckwith, representing the U.S. in the World Driving Championship in New Zealand, ended the opening round of the competition in fourth place after picking up a second-place finish from two drives on Sunday at the Kaikoura Trotting Club.
Beckwith’s horse in the first of the day’s three WDC races was scratched, resulting in Beckwith being credited with points equivalent to a sixth-place finish, in this case four. In the next race, Beckwith guided Judy J to a runner-up finish behind Midnight Diamond, driven by Gary Hall Jr. of Australia, to earn 11 points. An eighth-place finish in the day’s final WDC dash netted Beckwith three points, giving him a total of 18.
Hall dominated the opening day, posting two wins and a second to come away with 44 points. Italy’s Giampaolo Minnucci had the remaining victory and was second in the standings, with 29 points. Pierre Vercruysse, a past WDC champion, was third, with 21.
Canada’s James MacDonald, also a past winner of the event, had a best finish of third in three drives and ended the day with 17 points.
The WDC returns to Kaikoura for two more races, with action beginning noon Monday in New Zealand (6 p.m. EST Sunday in the U.S.). From there, the WDC will visit Cambridge on Nov. 5, Addington on Nov. 7, and Winton on Nov. 9 before concluding with a single dash back at Addington on Nov. 11, New Zealand Cup Day.
To watch replays of the first day, click here.
Complete information regarding the WDC can be found at the website wdc25.nz.
WORLD DRIVING CHAMPIONSHIP
Points after three heats:
Gary Hall Jr. (Australia) – 44
Giampaolo Minnucci (Italy) – 29
Pierre Vercruysse ( France) – 21
Brett Beckwith (USA) – 18
Santtu Raitala (Finland) – 18
James MacDonald (Canada) – 17
Blair Orange (New Zealand) – 17
Mats Djuse (Sweden) – 9
Michael Nimczyk (Germany) – 7
Jaap van Rijn (Netherlands) – 5