Thursday, November 01, 2007 - by John Manzi

Quelle: http://www.ustrotting.com/

2008 World Cup of Amateur Racing slated for USA
Thursday, November 01, 2007 - by John Manzi

Monticello, NY --- The members of the North American Amateur Drivers Association are preparing to host the 2008 World Cup of Amateur Racing, set to get underway in mid-May 2008, which will mark 20 years since the international races have been contested on American soil.

The World Cup features the top amateur drivers from each of the participating countries of which this year there will be 12. The event is considered the world championship of amateur racing.

The World Cup races are run under the auspices of the Federation Europeenne des Gentleman Amateurs et Cavaliers du Trot (F.E.G.A.T.) and all contests will be trotting events.

According to Claes Ljung, the president of F.E.G.A.T, the first World Cup was held in Germany in 1976. However, it was a system where everyone’s own horses were transported to one country. The first "modern" version was the one in the Netherlands in 1984.

In the 2006 season, the World Cup was raced in Italy and Lon Frocione was the United States representative.

Others who drove for the red, white and blue in previous World Cup competitions included Bob Krivelin, Bud Hatfield, Joe Faraldo, Frank LaVigne, and Alan Schwartz (twice).

Bob Krivelin’s third place finish in Italy in 2000 is the best World Cup showing by a United States amateur driver.

However, in deference to the American -- and Canadians -- there is a greater opportunity for amateur drivers in Europe, where amateur races are always part of every race program and many amateurs have hundreds, sometimes thousands, of driving victories. This usually puts the North Americans at a disadvantage, since most American and Canadian amateurs rarely drive more than 100 times during a season.

According to NAADA president Joe Faraldo, the participants in World Cup 2008 will convene in Chicago, Ill., on or about May 15, with the first two contests in World Cup 2008 slated in the greater Chicago area.

“On May 16 the races will be at Balmoral Park in Crete, Ill., followed the next evening at Maywood Park, in Maywood, Ill.,” Faraldo related. “May 18 will be an off day and on May 19 and 20 the races will be either at Monticello Raceway or Yonkers Raceway, though which dates will be where are still not yet finalized. Then on May 21 the World Cup amateurs will do double duty with races in the afternoon at Freehold Raceway in Freehold N.J., and in the evening at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J.”

Faraldo is now awaiting the names of the participants, which he expects he’ll be receiving in the near future.

 

Friday, September 28, 2007 - by John Manzi,

U.S. to host the World Cup of Amateur Driving 2008
Friday, September 28, 2007 - by John Manzi, for the North American Amateur Drivers' Association  
Quelle: http://www.ustrotting.com

Monticello, NY --- The North American Amateur Drivers’ Association (NAADA) will host the 2008 World Cup of Amateur Driving, and although the events are still a long way off, NAADA president, Joe Faraldo is beginning to plan an itinerary for the countries that will participate.

Faraldo

“We last hosted the World Cup of Amateur Racing in 1988, and it was a huge success because of the high quality of the competitors,” Faraldo said. “Some of the competing amateurs had as many as 2000 European wins.”

Faraldo already has commitments from Balmoral Park and Maywood Park to host competitions, and he is seeking -- though not limiting -- participation from Yonkers Raceway, Monticello Raceway, Freehold Raceway, and The Meadowlands, racetracks that hosted legs of the 1988 World Cup.

According to Faraldo, up to 16 countries will participate, including Australia and New Zealand, and all the amateurs will compete in six races.

The World Cup is raced under the auspices of the Federation Europeenne des Gentleman Amateurs et Cavaliers du Trot (FEGAT), and at least 50 percent of the World Cup races in the United States next year must be conducted on the trot.

Drivers in the World Cup will be matched to their horses by lot, and no horse shall be assigned to a driver.

“We have the cooperation of the United States Trotting Association, and all drivers in the World Cup will be of “A” license caliber,” Faraldo added.