2012 Champion Troy Dorchester Shows What A $150,000.00 Smile Looks Like After Being The Top Seller At The 2019 GMC Rangeland Derby
Photo By Ed Wittchen
It looks like times could be improving in the Calgary economy if the 2019 Calgary Stampede GMC Rangeland Derby Chuckwagon Canvas Auction is any indication. The 2019 Calgary Stampede Chuckwagon Canvas Auction was a tremendous success with the 5th highest total in the 41-year history of the event, bringing in just shy of 3.3 million dollars. Fifteen drivers eclipsed the $100,000.00 mark.
$2,488,500.00 was bid on the 26 drivers that will compete on the 2019 World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) Pro Tour, with $800,000.00 bid on the remaining 10 drivers who will compete on the Canadian Professional Chuckwagon Association (CPCA) circuit in 2019.
A total of $3,238.000.00 was bid on the 36 participating wagons. It was the 9th consecutive year the Calgary Auction crossed over the 2 million dollar mark. 2012 GMC Rangeland Derby Champion Troy Dorchester received the high bid of $150,000.00, $20,000.00 above 2018’s top bid of $130,000.00 for defending champion Kurt Bensmiller. The low bid for the sale was $52,500.00 was down slightly from 2018, the median bid on all 36 wagons was $90,000.00, up slightly from the median bid of 2018.
The next chuckwagon auction will be on Friday, May 3, 2019 in Ponoka, Alberta for another of chuckwagon racing’s iconic events – the Ponoka Stampede.
Billy Melville
| Driver | Sponsor | Amount Bid | 2019 WPCA Drivers |
| Troy Dorchester | Graham Group Ltd. | $150,000.00 | x |
| Kurt Bensmiller | Versatile Energy Services | $120,000.00 | x |
| Jason Glass | Friends of Jason Glass | $120,000.00 | x |
| Mark Sutherland | Friends of Sutherland Racing | $105,000.00 | x |
| Gary Gorst | Painted Pony Energy Ltd. | $105,000.00 | x |
| Evan Salmond | Excel Projects | $105,000.00 | x |
| Codey McCurrach | iON United | $105,000.00 | x |
| Vern Nolin | Dentons Canada LLP | $100,000.00 | x |
| B.J. Carey | Carey’s Cartel | $100,000.00 | |
| Logan Gorst | Century Downs Racetrack & Casino | $100,000.00 | x |
| Ray Mitsuing | Border Tribal Council/MLTC/Larry Iron | $100,000.00 | |
| Luke Tournier | The Mob Squad | $100,000.00 | x |
| Obrey Motowylo | League Projects | $100,000.00 | x |
| Chanse Vigen | The Mavericks Chuckwagon Team | $100,000.00 | x |
| Doug Irvine | B & R Eckel’s Transport Ltd. | $100,000.00 | x |
| Kirk Sutherland | Ghostpine Environmental Services Ltd. | $95,000.00 | x |
| Darcy Flad | PBR Bullriding | $90,000.00 | x |
| Jordie Fike | The Brakemen Foundation | $90,000.00 | x |
| Layne MacGillivray | Spray Lakes Sawmills | $90,000.00 | x |
| Dustin Gorst | BD&P Put the Boots to Hunger | $90,000.00 | x |
| Chance Bensmiller | Western Refrigeration & Beverage Equipment | $87,500.00 | |
| Barry Hodgson | West Industrial Ltd. | $87,500.00 | |
| Jamie Laboucane | Friends of the Mavericks | $85,000.00 | |
| Chad Harden | MNP/Kubota/Spartan Controls | $85,000.00 | x |
| Mitch Sutherland | Eagle Builders | $82,500.00 | x |
| Ross Knight | The Cowboy’s Casino Posse | $82,500.00 | x |
| Kris Molle | Big Hearted Mavericks | $80,000.00 | |
| Chad Fike | La Maison Simons | $80,000.00 | x |
| Roger Moore | PCL & Partners | $80,000.00 | x |
| Cody Ridsdale | The Can Wagon | $75,000.00 | x |
| John Walters | Shaw GMC Chevrolet Buick | $70,000.00 | x |
| Todd Baptiste | Manteo Group | $70,000.00 | |
| Dallas Dyck | United Rentals | $70,000.00 | |
| Curtis Morin | PBR Bullriding | $68,500.00 | x |
| Kris Flanagan | The Legends | $67,500.00 | |
| Danny Ringuette | National Motor Coach/Friends of the Brakemen | $52,500.00 | |
| Total Amount Bid | $3,288,500.00 | ||
| Average Bid | $91,347.22 | ||
| Median Bid | $90,000.00 | ||
| High Bid | $150,000.00 | ||
| Low Bid | $52,500.00 | ||
| 2018 Total | $3,238,000.00 | ||
| Difference Over 2018 | $50,500.00 |
