WHEEL TO WHEEL
Permit Drivers BY BILLY MELVILLE
Cruise Bensmiller racing in Medicine Hat, Alta.
PHOTO COURTESY SHELLIE SCOTT PHOTOGRAPHY
F
ormer U.S. President Ronald Reagan said, “Inflation is as violent as a mugger, as frightening as an armed robber and as deadly as a hit man.” When you have to feed as many horses and drive as many vehicles as an average chuckwagon driver needs, it makes it almost unbearable at today’s inflated prices for feed and fuel. So as a way to combat inflation in the chuckwagon world, the World Professional Chuckwagon Association has made some adjustments to their formats to keep as many wagons running as possible. The answer — Permit Drivers. In a normal year, the WPCA would have 36 full member drivers, and each driver would have to commit to racing at every day of every show. It’s a big commitment, but with drivers spread all over Western Canada, it wouldn’t make financial sense
cowboycountrymagazine.com
for most. So, they elected to go with 34 full members who do not have to commit to every day of every show, with the balance of the wagons coming from drivers competing on permits where space was available.
“Inflation is as violent as a mugger…” And so far, the permit drivers have caught the attention of the full member drivers. At the opening show of the year in Grande Prairie, permit drivers Jamie Laboucane and 18-year-old sensation Cruise Bensmiller won two out of the five-day
monies, while Kale Lajeunesse made the championship final heat. The following week in Bonnyville, Rae Croteau Jr. won a day money, and Cruise Bensmiller became the second permit driver in as many shows to qualify for the championship final. In Medicine Hat, it was Croteau Jr. who again took a day money and moved into the top five in the World Standings. If the intention was for the permit drivers to simply fill out the field and not win all the money, nobody informed the permit drivers. But this new concession has boosted young drivers like Lajeunesse and Bensmiller, who have gained confidence knowing they can run with the best. Maybe it’s the permit drivers that might be harder on the pocketbooks and more frightening than inflation. c
15
