Victorian young gun James Herbertson missed the one person who would have mattered most when he thrashed some of the world’s best drivers to win the Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Championship.
The 25-year-old’s thoughts immediately turned to his mate, mentor and idol, the late Greg Sugars, as he held the trophy aloft at Albion Park last night.
Sugars, who had been the biggest influence on Herbertson’s career, died in his sleep aged 40 in April, last year.
This time last year, when Herbertson was emergency for the series, he and Sugars watched the series together at Albion Park and so wanted to be part of it.
Part in honour of Sugars, a champion driver with over 4000 career wins, Herbertson returned this weekend and toyed with nine elite rivals to win the $350,000 Ultimate Driver Championship.
“I lost my best mate and I’ve been able to go and win races around the world and pick up a couple of things along the way, including this,” Herbertson said. “This is pretty cool. It’s something else.”
The crown capped a remarkable 12 months in the sulky for Herbertson.
Last year he created history by being the only driver to win the Australian Drivers’ Championship and Australasian Young Drivers’ Championship in the same season.
He also romped to his second successive Australian Drivers’ Premiership with a 83-win margin over Queensland’s Nathan Dawson, despite spending almost two months travelling through Europe and the US.
During his travels, Herbertson drove winners in the US and Sweden.
He was in hot demand during his time in the US and most expect he will move across to continue his career in the US next year.
“I’m (turning) 26 this year and it’s time to look at the bigger picture. I feel like I’ve done the hard yards and am reaping the success and creating some opportunities,” Herbertson said.
“I’m also someone who doesn’t like to stand still. I’m always trying to be better, continually raising the bar, if you like.
Last night’s win will further enhance his profile and reputation globally given the beaten brigade included five-time champion Canadian driver James MacDonald, who many say is the best driver in the world.
Premier NZ driver Zachary Butcher was another in awe of Herbertson’s dominance.
“He’s a special talent, a bit of a freak really,” he said. “You can see he’s really going places.”
Herbertson finished the first 10 heats on night one (Friday) with a nine-point lead and effectively cemented the crown when he won the opening race of night two.
He won six of the 20 races in the series, two more than Angus Garrard did last year, and won by a staggering 52 points.
“It’s pretty surreal. It’s why I’m in the game. My mum and dad, they couldn’t make it tonight, and all my family, without them I wouldn’t be here. They got me started in the game and I owe it all to them,” Herbertson said.
“This is just such a fantastic concept. I’m here holding the trophy, but it’s been such a team effort. Ryan (Spice) did such a great job picking the right horses for me in the draft.”
“You’ve got people from all walks of life in the biggest slot (The Herb Factor slot) of all of them. Great people who have backed me from early on and have backed me the last couple of years and it’s just great. You can’t ask for much more. It’s what harness racing is all about.”
ULTIMATE DRIVER CHAMPIONSHIP – FINAL STANDINGS
194 James Herbertson (Vic)
142 Angus Garrard (Qld), Gary Hall Jr (WA)
138 Cam Hart (NSW)
127 Pete McMullen (Qld)
119 Robbie Morris (NSW)
117 Luke McCarthy (NSW)
115 James MacDonald (Canada)
103 Trista Dixon (Qld)
102 Zachary Butcher (NZ)
PHOTOS: Dan Costello
