Horse Racing blog

Tioga Downs Drivers Championship

Following the success of the 2007 Drivers Championship that was held at Tioga Downs; harness racing fans are again getting ready for a showdown between the industry’s highest earning drivers. The championship brings the best drivers from across the world to Tioga Downs, in a battle of driving skills and abilities. This spectacular event will take place on the 27th of July 2008, and is guaranteed to be a thrilling harness racing extravaganza.

For those who are not familiar with the rules and regulations of the Drivers Championship, the formalities are as follows: There are nine drivers that take part in the championship. Seven are selected in regard to their earnings, the eighth driver is a sponsors’ exemption and the ninth driver is the highest earning driver from Tioga Downs. The championship consists of six to eight races, and drivers are allocated points in regard to the finishing positions. First place will receive ten points, second place receives seven points, third gets five points, and so forth. If a horse is scratched, causing a driver to sit out of an event, he is automatically given three points. At the end of the racing event, drivers’ points are added up and the winner is then announced.

To ensure fairness to all drivers, the horses that are being used in the racing events are allocated starting positions by way of random draw. Another random draw is then done to match drivers to the respective horses. Each driver will receive $1000 for their participation in this racing event and their 5% for the races. Drivers who choose to donate their five percent to a charity have been promised that their donation will be matched by Chairman Jeffrey Gural of American Racing and Entertainment. The winner of the Drivers Championship will receive $25 000, while second and third place will receive $5 000 and $4 000 respectively.

A lot can happen between now and the final nomination selection day, but at present the top drivers include Yannick Gingras, David Miller, Tim Tetrick, Eric Goodell, Andy Miller, Anthony Morgan and Brian Sears. The sponsor’s exemption will be announced closer to the race, while the current leading driver at Tioga Downs is Jim Morrill.

The Drivers Championship has been organized for a weekend that no major racing events are taking place on, freeing up drivers to participate and to give spectators the opportunity to see these drivers in action. Drivers will also be available for autographs and interacting with the public before getting serious and taking each other on.