SUTHERLAND WINS 7TH PONOKA
Kelly Sutherland (centre) poses with his outriders - photo by Billy Melville
Grande Prairie’s Kelly Sutherland has won his seventh Ponoka Stampede chuckwagon championship in a World Professional Chuckwagon Assocation event in the cenetral Alberta city.
He did it Sunday night driving the Red Deer Motors wagon in the $50,000 Sudden Death Championship final against three former Ponoka champions – Obrey Motowylo, Grant Profit and Jerry Bremner.
Sutherland came off the No. 1 barrel and had a penalty-free time of 1:16.20. Profit was second, Motowylo third and Bremner fourth.
Sutherland’s 1:16.20 held up as the day’s fastest time followed by Chad Harden, Luke Tournier, Mark Sutherland and Kirk Sutherland.
Another Grande Prairie competitor, Chanse Vigen, shared in the victory as one of the four winning team outriders. Chance Flad, Reo King and Todd Goodley also shared in the record-tying championship.
Sutherland also ended up with the best aggregate time of 7:42.15 over the six days, followed by Profit, Motowylo, Bremner and Mark Sutherland.
The seventh Ponoka win ties Sutherland with his mentor and now-deceased Grande Prairie driver Ralph Vigen.
The WPCA Dodge Pro Tour will now take a break for the Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby from July 9-18.
