MacDonald secured the 2025 World Driving Championship title with a seventh-place finish thanks to Korbyn Newman-trained trotter Alotoftrouble in the 20th and final race of the tournament, which started on Sunday, November 2 and was contested over six days of racing at New Zealand circuits.
Gary Hall Jr. of Australia led the first five races over two stages at the Kaikoura Trotting Club in Kaikoura, with MacDonald climbing from sixth to second in the points standings before taking the lead at the start of the third stage at Cambridge Raceway in Cambridge with his first of two wins on the day.
MacDonald took another win to maintain his place at the top of the standings during the fourth stage at Addington Raceway in Christchurch and almost clinched the title at the end of the fifth stage at Central Southland Raceway in Winton as he consistently earned points throughout the competition.
Back at Addington Raceway Tuesday on New Zealand Cup Day, with just one race scheduled for the final leg of the tournament, MacDonald wrapped up the result to give Canada another World Driving Championship title.
Canadian riders have now won four of the 11 World Driving Championships in the 21st century – the most of any country for that period – and a total of six times since the international harness driving competition was first held in 1970. MacDonald has won two of those titles, having previously won the 2017 World Driving Championship, when Canada last hosted the biennial event. The 39-year-old racer, born on Prince Edward Island and based in Guelph, Ontario, will get the chance to defend his title on home soil when Canada will host the next Driving World Championships in 2027 at tracks across the country.
The reigning four-time O’Brien Award winner as Canada’s Driver of the Year, McDonald has won 4,282 races and nearly $85 million in purses in North America during his career, including 444 races and more than $12.3 million during a career year in 2024.
Below you will find the final ranking of the 2025 World Driving Championships.
Final points classification 2025 World Driving Championships
Rank – Driver – Country – Points
1. James MacDonald – Canada – 168
2.Gary Hall Jr. – Australia – 151
3. Jaap Van Rijn – The Netherlands – 141
4. Blair Orange – New Zealand – 136
5. Mats Djuse – Sweden – 132
6. Pierre Vercruysse – France – 120
7. Michael Nimczyk – Germany – 119
8. Brett Beckwith – United States – 115
9. Giampaolo Minnucci – Italy – 112
10. Santtu Raitala – Finland – 104
Click on the following links for Standardbred Canada’s recaps and replays of the 2025 World Driving Championships.
- First leg (Kaikoura): Saturday, November 1, 7:00 PM EDT / Sunday, November 2, 12:00 PM NZDT – Summary and Recaps / WDC report
- Second stage (Kaiura): Sunday, November 2, 6 p.m. / Monday, November 3, 12 p.m. Summary and Recaps / WDC report
- Third Leg (Cambridge): Tuesday, November 4, 10:30 PM EST / Wednesday, November 5, 4:30 PM NZDT – Summary and Recaps / WDC report
- Fourth Leg (Addington): Thursday, November 6, 10:30 PM EST / Friday, November 7, 4:30 PM NZDT – Summary and Recaps / WDC report
- Stage 5 (Winton): Saturday, November 8, 6:00 PM EST / Sunday, November 9, 12:00 PM NZDT – Summary and Recaps / WDC report
- Sixth/Final Leg (Addington; New Zealand Cup Day): Monday, November 10, 6:00 PM EST / Tuesday, November 11, 12:00 PM NZDT – Summary and Recaps
From Standardbred Canada
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