By Scott Fisher
A lot of drivers may have thrown in the towel.
And lived to fight another day.
Logan Gorst decided to take a different road and decided to fight EVERY day.
And his relentless strategy ended up paying off with his miraculous inaugural Ponoka Stampede championship.
Let’s be honest. How many chuckwagon drivers can say they were sitting in 34th place after the first run, and then holding the oversized winner’s cheque a few days later?
“I started 34th, penalty free, jumped up to 26th, then 13th,” Gorst says of his meteoric rise.
But with only one night of qualifying left Gorst still had five spots — and nearly two seconds to make up — to climb into the semifinals.
A pipedream?
Not for the veteran Meadow Lake driver.
“I needed a big run off the two (barrel), so I sent the good outfit again just to get in (to the semis),” Gorst says. “It was pure luck.
“I’ve never done anything like that, especially against really good outfits.”
From there, the 43-year-old driver advanced to the $75,000 Tommy Dorchester Championship heat. And while Chance Vigen crossed the line first, the 2023 champion picked up a one-second penalty for starting ahead of the horn and Gorst took home the hardware.
“It was luck but it could happen (against) me the next time.”
Gorst, who jumped from 13th to 10th in the WPCA word standings after the Ponoka win, is rolling into the Calgary Stampede rightfully feeling pretty good about his barn.
But, as is always the case in wagon racing, there are too many variables involved for a driver to feel like he can carry momentum from one show to the next.
“Everything is new to a lot of these horses,” Gorst says. “I’ve got a few horses who have been here before going back to 2019, but this is the first time we’ve been back since then.
“So seeing the big crowds (at Calgary) or the Cattle at Ponoka, everything is new to them.
“So, in Calgary with the crowds, driving horses on pavement, everything is new. Basically, anything can happen.”
Whether momentum is real or not, the 2019 Rangeland Derby Safety Award Winner, is certainly feeling confident about one of his rookie horses.
Gorst picked up left wheeler Prairie Dollar off a racetrack in Oklahoma over the off-season.
And it appears to be money very well spent, although there may still be some work to be done in the infield.
But once he hits the track, look out.
“He doesn’t start very hard, and doesn’t know the routine but he obviously did enough to help me win.”
Gorst’s outriders Nolan Cameron and Ryan Martin also earned championship buckles.
The WPCA tour takes a break as the top drivers in the world compete at the Rangeland Derby.
Two-time champion Jason Glass will be gunning for his third Calgary Stampede title.
CHAMPIONS: Chance Flad won last week’s rain-shortened Wainwright Stampede. Before that, Vigen won the Medicine Hat Exhibition & Stampede for the second consecutive year. Previously, Jamie Laboucane won the Bonnyville Chuckwagon Championship and Obrey Motowylo took the season-opening Grande Prairie Stompede.
MOVING ON UP: Despite finishing just short of winning the Ponoka Stampede, Chance Vigen took a massive 10-step jump in the standings and now sits 11th in the world standings. Mitch Sutherland also turned in an impressive performance and leapt from 29th to 24th overall.
ON THE AIR: Day 1 of the Calgary Stampede’s Rangeland Derby can be viewed on Sportsnet One (8:30 p.m.), or listened to on The Ranch at 96.5 FM (7:15 p.m.). Streaming options are also available through the WPCA website at wpca.com, iHeart Radio website/app or the RadioPlayer Canada website/app.
