Local chuckwagon driver Kris Flanagan is weeks away from his sophomore year, a season that will be hard pressed to top his impressive rookie campaign.
Flanagan jumped into the wagon box last year and rode in the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA) circuit after eight years spent as an outrider in the World Profession Chuckwagon Association (WPCA).
His first year as a driver saw him pick up two top-ten finishes en route to the CPCA's Rookie of the Year award.
“Of course every time you win something it is a little bit of a surprise,” said Flanagan.
“I was lucky enough I bought a couple nicer, older horses who were pretty good babysitters for me. I stayed away from the barrels and didn't get too many penalties. I was pretty lucky.”
Flanagan's best finishes came in Little Pine where he placed seventh and in St. Walburg when he rode to 10th place. Other notable finishes included 12th at Onion Lake, 15th at Lloydminister and 16th at Turtleford.
“It was awesome,” said Flanagan of his first year on the tour. “I couldn't have expected it to go any better.”
There were only a few days Flanagan wishes he could get pack as some penalties cost him. In the fourth event of the year down in Wainwright Flanagan rode to a 29th place finish with penalties setting him back. His worst finish came in the eighth race of the season when he placed 35th in Frog Lake. Had he faired a little better in those two events he might have had a chance to reach his main goal; driving at the Calgary Stampede.
“The end goal is always Calgary. That is where the money is,” said Flanagan. “Last year without a few bad days I would have made it.”
He finished in 15th overall in the driver standings, five places behind a spot at the Stampede, as the top ten drivers from the CPCA qualify for the world renowned event.
While this year's goal is to try and make Calgary, his main goal is to just keep it simple and race a clean season.
“I don't want to set a bar that I want to hit or anything like that,” said Flanagan. “I just want to stay clean and keep the horses, myself and the other drivers healthy by not causing any accidents.”
Fellow CPCA driver BJ Carey, a cousin of Flanagan, was the inspiration behind his entrance into the CPCA as a driver.
In 2013, after eight seasons as an outrider in the WPCA, Flanagan was contemplating retirement when Carey came to him and asked him to be his outrider for the first CPCA event in North Battleford.
Flanagan stayed on as an outrider for the 2013 season with the intention of becoming a driver for the 2014 season.
He rode his way to the 2013 CPCA High Points Champion Outrider, while also learning the ropes from Carey to help him make the jump into the drivers box.
He originally got into the wagon business when he was 13-year-old working as a farm hand for CPCA rider Brian Laboucane before going to the WPCA to work for Norm Cuthbertson.
Now at 30-years-old he is gearing up for his second campaign on the CPCA circuit.
Flanagan lives in town and keeps his horses out at the Ringuette farm just outside of Bonnyville on Highway 660. He barns with fellow CPCA driver Danny Ringuette who was also completing his first season on the circuit last year.
“We work together because being new you can't really afford a bunch of hired hands and a large crew,” said Flanagan. “We train in the morning and drive in the afternoon every couple of days and it goes pretty smoothly.
The two drivers have yet to be paired up in the same heat during a race so far on the CPCA. Flanagan says that has allowed the rivalry between drivers to stay pretty tame, but feels it could very well change.
“Hopefully we end up in one of the end heats and drive together,” said Flanagan. “Then I think the competition will begin. Right now it is there, but nothing is really said about it.”
The 2015 CPCA season will kick of on May 29 with the first event in North Battleford.
