The third-time proved to be the charm for John Walters at the Bonnyville Pro Rodeo and Chuckwagon Championships.
From July 27 to 30, fans packed the grandstand at the Bonnyville Rodeo Grounds where 36 chuckwagon drivers on the World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) tour were battling it out for the Bonnyville title.
A good first day had Iron River's Doug Irvine within striking distance of first place. Things took a turn on day two with a slower run, knocking the local favourite out of contention.
“The first day went well, then on Friday (July 28) I switched it up with some new horses,” explained Irvine. “For some reason they just changed how they usually drive. I've been using them and they've given me some big runs, but they didn't come through Friday night.”
Track conditions played a factor nightly. Normally, having the inside position along the rail is an advantage. Drivers found out early that wouldn't be the case this time around.
“The rail is really heavy. I got down there Friday night and it was just too much for my guys,” said Irvine.
In his final appearance in Bonnyville, chuckwagon legend Kelly Sutherland took home third place. Fans awarded Sutherland a standing ovation for all he's done in the sport after his final race.
Not even a senior racer like Sutherland could catch Walters, who was hungry for a win. Walters has been runner-up on two separate occasions in Bonnyville.
His time of 5:26.20 would earn him the sought after victory. Walters was all smiles when explaining what a win in Bonnyville meant to him.
“I finally broke that barrier,” laughed Walters. “It's very special to win any award, but especially this one. When you look at who was here before me, George (Normand) was a heck of a wagon driver himself.”
Walters noticed how slow the rail was early on and reacted accordingly. Before the horn sounded on the first heat, he had a game plan worked out.
“I had a good look at the track the first night, and I figured out where I wanted to run. Anybody who has been on the rail has not made it through. I knew coming into heat one I didn't want to get caught on that rail.”
The win moves Walters into seventh in the WPCA standings, with 737.5 points.
He and the rest of the field are chasing Kurt Bensmiller who sits atop the leader board with 982 points.
Bensmiller added to his commanding lead in the standings with a strong fifth place showing in Bonnyville. He'll look to add to that lead when the wagons roll into Strathmore from August 4 to 7, 2017.
