Hanover Raceway and Dresden Raceway have announced they will be holding the OLG Ontario Women's Driving Championship — a new partnership initiative for 2021 that will see top female drivers from Ontario compete over two days.
The first day of the event will take place at Hanover Raceway on Saturday, July 17, followed by races at Dresden Raceway on Sunday, July 18.
Drivers will donate their driving earnings to the Canadian Cancer Society (for Cervical Cancer) at Hanover Raceway and to Harness For Hope at Dresden Raceway. There will also be fundraising initiatives taking place at each track for their respective charities.
Eight Ontario drivers will be participating in the event, including Marie-Claude Auger, Natasha Day, Maggie Jones, Britt Kennedy, Andrea Leon and Julie Walker. There will also be two special guest drivers from other jurisdictions rounding out the field — if allowed under COVID-19 travel restrictions.
Hanover Raceway General Manager, Steve Fitzsimmons was happy to introduce this initiative.
"This championship will put a spotlight and showcase many of the best female drivers in the province and give them a chance to compete for the Ontario title. Down the road we hope to have stops at most race tracks in Ontario for this event. I'm thrilled that OLG has come on board as our title sponsor. They saw the value of this initiative from the start and we're very happy to have them partnering with us. I also want to thank Jonathan Zammit and Ontario Racing for their strong support of this event," said Fitzsimmons.
Natasha Day, one of the participating drivers, is excited to be part of the event.
"I’m looking forward to showcasing our women drivers in Ontario and I’m proud to be a part of an incentive to get women out on the race track and give opportunities to those who may not get a chance otherwise," said Day.
Although the competitors will be donating their driving earnings to the respective charities, the event will have a $2,000 purse, with the prize money being awarded to the top five in the championship, on a 50-25-12-8-5 basis.
Julie Walker, participating driver. Photo provided by Hanover Raceway General Manager, Steve Fitzsimmons.