Drivers' champs for Perth

Press, 16 July 1977, Page 20

Drivers' champs for Perth

jNZPA Perth! • The World Trotting Drivers’’ Championships will return to* Australia and New Zealand in' jlate 1979. ’ Special races to determine the world champion will be run on tracks In New Zealand. Brisbane. Sydney, Melbourne and Adelaide, with the final leg at Gloucester Park, in Perth. Perth will also be host city to the World Trotting Conference in 1979, and the two events will highlight the fiftieth anniversary of night trotting in Perth and the 150th anniversary celebrations of the foundation of Western Australia. News of the moves to bring: both occasions to Perth was! phoned yesterday to Ern Perry.! Western Australian Trotting As-i sociation manager by Australian' [Trotting Council vice-president.! Mr Jim Leahy, who is attending! •the current World Trotting Con-' ference in New York. “Perth has already been granted the Australian Pacing! Championships for November.: 1979, and the public will see the’ best horses in Australia and the 1 world’s best drivers now?’ said! Mr Perr>. Tlie pacing championship stake is expected to be in excess <»fj SIOO.OOO. as that figure has! already been allocated for the! earlier Benson and Hedges Cup .in January. 1978. Drivers from Europe and North America have competed in Australia and New Zealand before .when the 1975 series World i Championshins were staged in Brisbane. Sydney. Melbourne and on three New Zealand I tracks. t The title was won by the Queenslander, Keith Addison. All races win be contested on .pacers drawn by the drivers by i ballot, a disadvantage to the European drivers, w’ho compete jin their home countries on trotters. a different-gaited standardbred horse. Norway’s Ulf Thoresen. dual ■ championship winner, is again ! expected to be in Australia for i the series.