2023 Strathmore Stampede Champions
Premium Ag Solutions Outfit
(L-R): Premium Ag Solutions Mike Hira, Outrider Jory Bronken, Strathmore Town Councilor Richard Wegener Presenting, Outrider Chance Flad, Driver Ross Knight
Photo By Billy Melville
It was an outstanding weekend as the Strathmore Stampede wrapped up on a hot and sunny Monday afternoon. Racetrack conditions wee very good over the four day show, capacity crowds and great chuckwagon racing was the order for the entire event. When everything finally wrapped up, Ross Knight, driving the Premium Ag Solutions Outfit, and along with outriders Jory Bronken and Chance Flad, who captured the 2023 Strathmore Stampede Championship. It’s the first win on the season for Ross Knight, and the first time he has won the Strathmore Stampede.
Postmedia sportswriter Laurence Heinen caught up to Ross Knight immediately following the win. “The boys really went good the first night and gave us a nice jump on the show,” said Knight, who alternated using each of his main two outfits during the four-night show in Strathmore. “They’re really running three wide, so I’m pretty happy with them. It’s always great to win and Strathmore’s such a good show to win.”
For rookie outrider Jory Bronken, it was his first ever show win in just his third show appearance after competing in Dewberry earlier on in the year and the last two weekends in High River. The 17 year-old rookie told Laurence Heinen “It is unreal. I don’t know how to compare it to anything. Obviously having Chance Flad riding with me, Casey Knight as my mentor and Ross, it definitely paid off really well.”
Knight was crowned the Strathmore Stampede Champion after posting the best 4-day aggregate time of 5:02.06. That gave him a large 2.65 second margin of victory over Chad Fike. Two-time Strathmore Champion Jason Glass grabbed third, four-time and defending Strathmore Champion Kurt Bensmiller was fourth and another former Strathmore Champion Obrey Motowylo rounded out the top five overall for the four-day show.
On the day, from barrel number 4 in the opening heat, Brad McMann and his JT Equipment Corp. outfit posted the fast time of the entire show with a very rapid 1:14.47 and won the day money by 25 one-hundreds of a second over Wade Salmond and Rae Croteau Jr. who were involved in a dead heat in heat number 7. 2023 Strathmore Stampede Champion Ross Knight had the fourth best time on the afternoon, with Jason Glass making out the top five fastest wagons on the day.
The WPCA Pro Tour will now have a quick one day turnaround prior to embarking at the Battle of the North in Dawson Creek, British Columbia. Racing starts on Wednesday August 9, 2023 and runs through to Sunday, August 13, 2023. Catch all the live action on WPCA Radio at 9:30pm Eastern, 8:30pm Central, and 7:30pm Mountain time on Real Country 910. Plus, race fans can watch the races live on the watch.wpca.comstreaming platform.
Billy Melville
