This is the second of a two part article concerning Kevin Holmes. The first concentrated on a full career resume while this article will focus entirely on his World Drivers Championship (WDC) achievements.
World Drivers Championship – 1978
Kevin Holmes represented NZ in the 1978 WDC in North America, contesting against high class opposition, he became New Zealand’s first WDC winner. This represented the pinnacle of his career.
The eighth edition of the WDC featured nine tracks (ten race days) in the United States and Canada between 27 April and 7 May 1978. Earlier editions of the championships held annually from 1970 – 1975, 1977, 1978, again in 1979 and thereafter every second year. The WDC was principally the brain child of Stanley Bergstein and the American delegation at the inaugural World Trotting Association Conference held at Columbus, Ohio in 1969.
Whilst Kevin Holmes was the first winner representing NZ, five others have since held that honour namely : 1983 Robert Cameron, 1985 Tony Herlihy, 1991 Maurice McKendry, 2003 Mark Jones and in Australia in 2015 Dexter Dunn, the latest NZ WDC champion. The winner of the inaugural WDC in 1970 was Canadian Herve Filion. Of the twenty nine championships to date, New Zealand has had successes with six, Canada five (includes dual winner Jody Jamieson), Norway four (all Ulf Thoresen), United States three, Italy/Germany [Heinz Wewering twice]/Australia two and single victories for the nations of France, Holland, Denmark, Belgium and Austria.
Peter Wolfenden (of Cardigan Bay fame) the leading reinsman in 1978 was originally named as New Zealand’s representative but turned the trip down. Kevin Holmes already having experience campaigning his boom NZ juvenile gelding Testing Times in the USA in the latter half of 1977 and early 1978 proved advantageous in taking on seven of the world’s best drivers. The other contesting drivers were –
Ulf Thoresen (Norway, defending champion), Herve Filion (French Canadian), Preben Kjarsgaard (Denmark) Joe Hodon jnr (Canada), Pekka Korpi (Finland), Kevin Newman (Australia), Donald Dancer (USA).
Although a field of eight took part in 1978, the format changed in later years – NZ, Australia, USA and Canada are each represented plus the leading six European nations (who contest their own championships in the alternate year to the WDC) plus the host European nation if not one of the six from the European championship plus defending champion who represents the World Trotting Association and their country has the option of sending a representative if applicable. This can mean ten, eleven or twelve drivers contest the championships now.
The 1978 contest consisted of an incredible forty seven races spread over eleven days in total. By comparison in 2019 there were twenty four races spread over eight days with twelve competitors. The points were allocated on a 15-10-7-5-4-3-2-1 basis. A day by day/round by round summary of the 1978 WDC follows :
Thu 27 April – Meadowlands, Rutherford, New Jersey : Holmes won the opening race of the series with trotter Les Lobell (2:02.1MR). Defending Champion Ulf Thoresen won this round winning with pacer Baron’s Sensation and leading overall on points
Fri 28 April – Rockingham Park, New Hampshire : a different driver won each of the four championship races with Holmes again winning with a trotter. He outpointed Pekka Korpi thirty points to twenty nine to be tied for the outright lead with fifty five points after two rounds. Canadian twenty two year old Joe Hodon jnr recorded his first ever sub two minute mile when winning on Todaro Hanover
Sat 29 April – Maywood Park, Chicago, Illinois : Holmes won both races, first with former NZ twelve year old General Bachelor (Bachelor Hanover/Santanella) and later with seven year old trotting mare Pat Ti Way
Mon 1 May – Greenwood Raceway, Toronto, Ontario : todays winners were Australia’s Kevin Newman (two), Holmes (trotter), Hudon and Thoresen. Progressive points tally showed Holmes leading with 130 from Newman (98), Dancer (93) with the other five drivers bunched together in lows 90’s and 80’s
Tues 2 May – Buffalo Raceway, Hamburg, New York : Canadian Hodon won two of the five races moving into second place on 139 points, eleven behind Holmes (150) who failed to drive a winner at Buffalo. Newman (one win; 128) was third, ahead of Korpi (125), Filion (123), Dancer (113), Thoresen (104) and Kjarsgaard (102)
Wed 3 May – Vernon Downs, Vernon, New York : twenty five year old Finn Pekka Korpi was the most successful driver that evening but Holmes kept up a good strike rate with several seconds and thirds to retain the lead with 192 points from Hodon (185)
Thurs 4 May – Meadowlands, Rutherford, New Jersey : with the return to The Meadowlands, Korpi won two of the four races to finish this leg on top. Holmes went winless but still held a narrow overall lead
Fri 5 May – Saratoga Raceway, Saratoga Springs, New York : Holmes did well at Saratoga recording the highest daily championship points score of 78 the result of four wins (daily double – pacer and trotter and two further pacing events). In addition he recorded second and third placings while other winners were Korpi, Filon, Newman and Thoresen
Sat 6 May – Freehold Raceway, Freehold, New Jersey : the penultimate leg of the championship was held on the track where legendary NZ pacer Cardigan Bay became the first millionaire standardbred in September 1968. It was therefore appropriate that Holmes should complete a trifecta of a win, second and third placing in the three races run. He finished the day on top with 32 points to Korpi’s 26 to lead the series with 307 points to Korpi’s 280, Hudon (256), Thoresen (248), Newman (239), Filion (235), Dancer (219) and Kjarsgaard (185)
Sun 7 May – Monticello Raceway, Monticello, New York : Herve Filion with two wins and two seconds in the four races run on the final afternoon of the championship easily won this day’s programme moving him from sixth to third position on the final standings. Kevin Holmes had a final winner to retain a clear margin of thirty five points from Pekka Korpi at the conclusion of the championship
At the conclusion of the forty seven race 1978 WDC, the final points tally showed –
World Champion : Kevin Holmes, NZ (333 – ten wins; twenty one times in first three)
Runner Up : Pekka Korpi, Finland (298)
Third : Herve Filion, Canada (285)
Others in finishing order : Ulf Thoresen (282), Joe Hodon jnr (282), Kevin Newman (260), Donald Dancer (240), Preben Kjarsgaard (221).
Prizemoney of $10 per point was allocated throughout the championship with the winner pocketing a further US$2,500 (Holmes collected US$5,800), second placed US $1,500 (Korpi US$4,480) and third placed US$1,000 (Filion US$3,850).
World Driver Championship – 1979
The following year Kevin Holmes defended his World Drivers Champion title in New Zealand and Australia. The ninth edition of the WDC featured eight tracks in New Zealand (3; twelve races) and Australia (5; fifteen races) between 3 and 16 November 1979 with all twenty seven races being penalty free. Commencing in New Zealand, the championships clashed with the New Zealand Cup carnival at Addington, in particular depriving NZ ‘s leading driver Peter Wolfenden of a number of important chances at that event.
Apart from defending champion, Kevin Holmes, the remaining drivers were –
Ulf Thoresen (Norway), Peter Wolfenden (New Zealand), Giles Gendron (Canada) Bea Faber (United States**), Heinz Wewering (West Germany), Pekka Korpi (Finland), Jim Schrader (Australia).
** first female driver to contest a World Drivers Championship
A day by day/round by round summary of the 1979 WDC follows :
Sat 3 November – Masterton TC, Hutt Park Raceway, Wellington : Ulf Thoresen commenced with two victories behind trotter Smithie’s Lad and pacer Out Of Beau, just outscoring defending champion Kevin Holmes thirty four points to thirty three (a sign of things to come). Holmes had scored with pacer Chet Hanover while the other day’s winner was Australian Jim Schrader (31 points) with future leading trotting mare Special Pride. Other drivers points were : Farber (24), Wolfenden** (19), Wewering (18), Korpi (15) and Gendron (13).
** Wolfenden won three non-championship races on the night
Mon 5 November – Cambridge Raceway, Cambridge : winners of the four championship events on the Cambridge programme were Thoresen, Holmes, Wolfenden (all twenty eight points) and Wewering. Thoresen took evening honours again on countback based on performances over Holmes and Wolfenden. Thoresen won with trotter Spring Baker, Holmes with trotter Scot’s Crockett, Wolfenden with pacer Watbro Will and Wewering his first ever pacing success with McGarrett
Tuesday 6 November – non WDC race day as drivers took in the 1979 New Zealand Cup Day proceedings at Addington, Christchurch (NZ Cup winner : Lord Module).
Wed 7 November – Ascot Park Raceway, Invercargill : Thoresen tallied thirty seven points from a win on Zaravshan, two seconds and a fourth for an overall points tally of ninety nine. Holmes winner was Mark Anthony, with a fourth and fifth leaving him thirteen points adrift on eighty six. Wolfenden (winner Hey Byrd) moved into third (73), followed by Farber (71) and Gendron (winner Bronze Beard) on 68. Racing now switched to Australian shores
FrI 9 Nov – Harold Park Raceway, Sydney : Thoresen earned another twenty one points with a win (Valley Spring) and two sixths on the first nights racing in Australia advancing his points tally to one hundred and twenty. Holmes with a win (Tidy Beau), a third and a sixth edged nearer closing the gap to Thoresen to nine points (111). Schrader (Kotare Charger) was the other winner together with two thirds moving into third place overall (95) followed by Wolfenden (93), Gendron (81), Farber (79), Wewering (66) and Korpi (60)
Sat 10 Nov – Globe Derby Park, Adelaide : Holmes won two of the three races (Beltania/Wharfinger) earning thirty four points to Thoresen’s twenty one to take the outright lead (145 to 141). Schrader again won the evening’s third event as at Sydney to retain third place (114) followed by Wolfenden (102), Farber (97), Gendron (92), Korpi (78) and Wewering (76)
Mon 12 Nov – Geelong, Victoria : in Geelong’s three races, Thoresen won two (Samuel/Warren Chief) and placed fifth taking a fifteen point lead over Holmes (175 to 160). Finn Pekka Korpi recorded his only series win with Mount Cole
Wed 14 Nov – Moonee Valley, Melbourne : the two leading drivers had disappointing nights with winners being Bea Farber and Brer Rabbit in an Australian record 2:00.4MR for 2,000mM, Gendron on trotter Hilton Adios and Schrader on Lone Vale Lad. Points leading into the final round with Thoresen still leading (187) from Holmes (171), Farber (152), Schrader (142), Gendron (135), Wolfenden (127), Korpi (121) and Wewering (93)
Fri 16 Nov – Gloucester Park, Perth : Holmes three Gloucester Park drives were all “duck eggs” – last, last and second last (four points). Winners on the night were Giles Gendron with two wins meaning a late point’s rally (Good Bye Mary/Roe John) with Perth local Jim Schrader second on both occasions (Badardi Adios/Caprideau) and West German Heinz Wewering finally tasting some success with Coral’s Hope in the final race of the championship
At the conclusion of the twenty seven race 1979 WDC, the final points tally showed –
World Champion: Ulf Thoresen, Norway (199 – seven wins, two seconds, four thirds)
Runner Up : Kevin Holmes, NZ (175)
Third : Giles Gendron, Canada (172)
Others in finishing order : Bea Faber (167), Jim Schrader (163), Peter Wolfenden (141), Pekka Korpi (136), Heinz Wewering (116).
For Norway’s thirty three year old Ulf Thoresen, it was his third WDC of four (1973; 1977; 1979; 1981).
Peter Craig
2 September 2020
Approved By Dean Baring www.harnessbred.com
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