by Anna MacLeod, Standardbred Canada

Mississauga, ON — Standardbred Canada, in cooperation with marketing gurus, race secretaries and horseman’s associations across Canada, is currently in the process of selecting drivers to compete in four Regional Driving Championships that will kick off with the Western Regional Championship on Saturday, March 24 at Fraser Downs.

Recently, Standardbred Canada announced the development of a new format to determine Canada’s representative for the 2007 World Driving Championship to be held in Australia and New Zealand starting in late October.

Traditionally determined by a formula that included earnings, wins and UDRS rating, the new format starts with four Regional Driving Championships. The top two finishers from each Regional Driving Championship will advance to the National Driving Championship. The winner of the National Driving Championship will be Canada’s representative to the World Driving Championship.

One regional event will take place in each region of Standardbred Canada (Western, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic) from March – May 2007. Each region of Standardbred Canada is made up of the following provinces:

Western Region – Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia

Ontario Region – Ontario

Quebec Region – Quebec

Atlantic – Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick

From each province the following numbers of drivers will be invited to participate.

Manitoba – One Representative

Saskatchewan – One Representative

Alberta – Three Representatives

British Columbia – Three Representatives

Western Regional Championship – Fraser Downs, Saturday, March 24

Northern Ontario – One Representative

Eastern Ontario – One Representative

Central Ontario – Six Representatives

Ontario Regional Championship – Western Fair Raceway, April TBA

Quebec – Eight Representatives

Quebec Regional Championship – Hippodrome de Montreal, Sunday, May 27

Newfoundland – One Representative

Prince Edward Island – Three Representatives

Nova Scotia – Two Representatives

New Brunswick – Three Representatives

Atlantic Region Championship – Charlottetown Driving Park, Saturday, May 26

Drivers invited to participate in the regional event are those who meet the following criteria and receive recommendations from race secretaries and horseman’s groups.

• The driver must commit to attending and participating in all eight races of both the regional and national events.
• The driver must commit to attending and participating in the World Driving Championship from October 29 – November 30, 2007.
• The driver must have above average driving skills based on number of wins and UDRS in relation to their driving circuit.

Two drivers from each region, for a total of eight, that have accumulated the most points following an eight-race competition will advance to the National Driving Championship that will be held on Thursday, August 9, 2007 at Charlottetown Driving Park and Entertainment Centre, P.E.I., during Old Home Week.

An eight-race championship, where points are awarded based on the order of finish, will determine the Canadian representative to the 2007 World Driving Championship.