Canada’s James MacDonald captured his second World Driving Championship title Tuesday afternoon in New Zealand (Monday night in the U.S.) when he finished seventh with Alotoftrouble in the WDC’s final race at Addington Raceway. Italy’s Giampaolo Minnucci won the dash, with America’s Brett Beckwith finishing second.
Entering Tuesday, MacDonald held a 15-point lead over Australia’s Gary Hall Jr. after 19 of the event’s 20 races. The only way MacDonald could lose the title was to finish last while Hall finished first. Hall was ninth.
MacDonald won the 2017 World Driving Championship in his home country of Canada. He is Canada’s second two-time winner of the event, joining Jody Jamieson, who took home the crown in 2001 and 2011.
The only other drivers to win multiple WDC titles are Norway’s Ulf Thoresen (four), Germany’s Heinz Wewering (two) and the Netherlands’ Rick Ebbinge (two).
Following MacDonald and Hall in the final standings were The Netherlands’ Jaap Van Rijn, New Zealand’s Blair Orange, Sweden’s Mats Djuse, France’s Pierre Vercruysse, Germany’s Michael Nimczyk, Beckwith, Minnucci, and Finland’s Santtu Raitala.
World Driving Championship
Final Standings
1. James MacDonald – Canada – 168
2. Gary Hall Jr. – Australia – 151
3. Jaap Van Rijn – The Netherlands – 141
4. Blair Orange – New Zealand – 136
5. Mats Djuse – Sweden – 132
6. Pierre Vercruysse – France – 120
7. Michael Nimczyk – Germany – 119
8. Brett Beckwith – United States – 115
9. Giampoalo Minnucci – Italy – 112
10. Santtu Raitala – Finland – 104