by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — Jason Bartlett has been studying and seeking advice from others as he prepares to carry the red, white and blue of the USA into the 2013 World Driving Championship, which will open in Reims, France this coming Sunday (June 9).

USTA/John Pawlak photo

Jason and Kristen Bartlett pose in the winner’s circle at Bjerke racetrack moments after he won the 20th and final heat of the 2009 World Driving Championship. Bartlett will again represent the USA when the 2013 Championship opens in France this coming Sunday.

“I’ve been looking at a lot of race replays on YouTube,” Bartlett said in an interview conducted this morning, three days before he and his wife, Kristen, board a flight to Paris.

He admitted that the walk-up starts seem “a bit weird,” but says he has no doubt that he’ll figure them out. Bartlett also said that racing the “wrong way,” clockwise around some French tracks, such as Caen, which will host round two on Monday (June 10), won’t cause a problem.

“It really won’t be any different; it’s still horses racing around a track.

“I got used to the long racing distances popular in Europe when I drove in Norway (where Bartlett finished sixth in the 2009 World Championship). I think the experience I gained that year will really help me out.”

Expert advice for Bartlett came from driver Ron Pierce, who won for the U.S. in 1993, when the Championship was last conducted in France: “Ron said, ‘Drive for points.’”

That’s good advice since the 20-race Championship is consistently won by drivers who gather a large number of top-three finishes, rather than drivers who post a number of wins — but finish far out of the money in several races over the course of the week-long competition. More points are given for top-three finishes in the competition.

The two other preliminary legs of the Championship will be raced at Angers (June 12) and Mauquenchy (June 13), and the final heat will be raced at Paris-Vincennes on June 15.

In addition to their racing engagements the drivers will tour various historic and cultural sites during their stay in Paris.