from Western Fair Media Relations

London, ON — Simon Allard, one of Ontario’s up and coming young drivers, guarantees that next Friday night’s (March 11) Ontario Driving Championship at Western Fair will be an exciting one for the participants and the fans alike.

photo courtesy of Western Fair Raceway

Simon Allard has used a rather unorthodox method to train trotter Tag Master, which he co-owns with his girlfriend Sophie Desroches, as he snowboards behind the horse.

“I’m really looking forward to it. I think I’m as good as those guys but we’re all pretty equal in ability. It should come down to who gets the best horses and some racing luck,” noted the 28-year-old Quebec native.

Allard will be competing against Gord Brown, Scott Coulter, Trevor Henry, Jody Jamieson, John MacDonald, Doug McNair and Scott Zeron. McNair is currently the leading driver at the London, Ontario track.

“I know Doug is the King over there right now, but I won’t be scared to park him,” Allard joked. “The fans will see some action that night for sure.

“I’ve done quite a bit of driving at Western Fair, so I think I know the track pretty well. Driving on a half-mile is different than the bigger tracks, but we all have plenty of experience. I think anyone could win it, it’s a very competitive group of guys.”

The top two drivers from the eight races on the program, determined by points, will go on to represent Ontario at the National Driving Championship in Prince Edward Island in early May. The winner of that competition will represent Canada at the World Driving Championship in the United States in the summer.

Western Fair has launched a contest on their Facebook page which allows fans to select the driver they think will win next Friday night’s event. Fans may only select one driver to be eligible for one of three prize packs compliments of Western Fair and Standardbred Canada.

At the conclusion of the Drivers’ Championship, every fan who selected the correct driver will be entered into the draw for a 2010 Dodge Challenger SXT which will be drawn on May 17 as part of the track’s 50th anniversary celebrations.

To vote in the contest go to the Facebook page through this link and click on the photo of the driver you wish to vote for and select ‘like.’