from the North American Amateur Drivers Association

Editor’s Note: Joe Faraldo, the president of the North American Amateur Drivers Association, is accompanying USA representative Kelly Walker as he competes in the prestigious World Cup of Amateur Racing which is being contested at three different racetracks in New Zealand. Faraldo is writing some reports from the trip. The latest is printed below.

On the big track at Motu Karara the day started off well for our man Kelly Walker who finally had some stock and won the first heat with a horse called Maid in Rome. Kelly sat chilly the whole way and down the 400 meter (half-mile) stretch he tipped out and wore down the leader for an easy win.

The band played the national anthem and the on-site Sky Channel interview team was quick to grab Kelly for his post race comments, broadcast live all over NZ. Then Kelly quietly disappeared to ready for the next drive and finished second to the about to be World Cup champ, Germany’s Marian Tux.

So while things were looking up for Kelly, who jumped into fifth place, in the last heat he drew “UL,” an unruly horse, who was assigned the second tier behind the five horse. Little matter at that point because the champ was to come from the ranks of NZ, Spain or Germany.

In the final the German scored another victory and bested the Spainard after Steve Phillips of NZ made a costly break. For the German, who boasted over 500 wins coming into the competition, he handsomely paid those who disregarded the handicappers, returning a hefty $2,400 for a hundred dollars, if one bet when the first wagers were taken on the competition before race one of the ten was ever contested.

The final standings were Germany’s Marian Tux with 87 points edging out Spain’s Damia Oliver by two points. Third went to the Netherland’s Jaap Terstal at 81, followed by Steve Phillips, the hometown favotite, at 78 and our US rep Kelly Walker at 68, capturing the nickel.

Kelly drove well in every event and today’s win and second placing was personal saisfaction for him.

Germany reigns supreme, however, until the next Cup in 2014.

The day started off with some typical NZ weather which oft times boasts multiple changes of seasons in a day. Wet and overcast, changes to cold, back to rainy and now windy, then sunny and warm and the icing on the cake literally came in the form of a hailstorm as evening fell.

The races were, as they say here “rip, tear N bust” but less so than American style.

The night was topped off by a great dinner with the accompaniment of a live quartet and an exchange of gifts, some of which were supplied by our own USTA and the North American Amateur Driver’s Association.

The trip set a new standard of excellence for such World Cup events, thanks mostly to the very great horsemen of NZ, the members, friends and supporters of harness racing here and the personal efforts of two work horses — Gavin and Marie Cook. The people involved in this event earned great respect and admiration for the rugged, tough and wonderfully friendly people who call this little piece of heaven home.

The only snafu was the errant way our motor coach took en route home. Literally a turn for the worse, saw us marooned in the mud up front and anchored on the asphalt behind. Neighbors were aroused, plans were devised and failed as the bus was hopelessly pinned down. After abandoning all hope, reinforcements were summoned in the form of a new and functional bus.

Two hours later, a second bus arrived to save us from having our final memory of this great trip stranded in some unknown place, bedding down amongst foreignors falling into a snoring chorus, increasing in intensity as the choir grew louder. Saved we were and most appreciative was the German who thought he would never see the homeland to show off his beautifully earned trophy.

The delay in our return only meant that the bar would have to stay open longer to accomodate those who had survived one more World Cup and what could have been an undetermined fate on a marooned bus in the middle of, for what to one New Yorker, appeared to be the outback.