It’s the quiet time news wise for the WPCA Dodge Pro Tour, but the WPCA team is already moving forward and executing plans for 2010. Every year the WPCA works toward improving and growing the sport of chuckwagon racing. The WPCA team is excited about the upcoming season and is looking forward to when the wagons and horses are burning around the track once again. With the 2010 race season comes yet another great sponsorship opportunity, action packed excitement and some general improvements and additions.

There will be three new faces making their debut on the 2010 version of the WPCA Dodge Pro Tour — Evan Salmond, Jordie Fike and Sean DeBolt. All three drivers won their first shows on their respective circuits in 2009 and all will be welcome additions to the 2010 version of the WPCA Dodge Pro Tour.

Evan Salmond is 28 years old and comes from Hudson Bay, SK. He earned a spot on the 2010 WPCA Dodge Pro Tour thanks to a third place finish in just his first trip to the WPCA qualification run off in Bashaw this past September. He started running chariots when he was 14 and pony chuckwagons at 16. Evan is from a big racing family, where most family members have run pony chuckwagons and chariots, with his Uncle Ray Salmond and cousin Rod Salmond running the big chuckwagons. Evan started running the big chuckwagons in 2008 and has competed the past two seasons with the Western Chuckwagon Association (WCA). Evan won the WCA’s Rycroft show in 2009.

Joining Evan will be 22-year-old Jordie Fike from Cremona, AB. Jordie is the older brother of current WPCA outrider Chad Fike and the grandson of longtime chuckwagon driver Ron David. A day money run on the final day of the WPCA qualification run off gave Jordie a spot on the Dodge Pro Tour in 2010. It was Jordie’s third attempt at the WPCA qualification run off. He spent the past two seasons on the CPCA circuit where he won his first show championship in 2009 at the Saskatoon Exhibition Derby, won the 2009 CPCA Most Improved Driver award, and received the 2008 CPCA Most Sportsmanlike Driver award.

The final driver new to the WPCA Dodge Pro Tour in 2010 will be 35-year-old Sean DeBolt from Spirit River, AB. Like Jordie Fike, this was Sean’s third attempt at the WPCA qualification run off and he earned the final qualifying spot for on the Dodge Pro Tour in 2010. Sean spent the past three seasons on the CPCA circuit where he won his first show championship in 2009 at the North Battleford Chuckwagon Championship. Sean was the CPCA High Point Rookie Driver in 2007 where his 10th place finish in the CPCA standings made him one of the highest placing rookies in CPCA history. He qualified for the 2008 Calgary Stampede Rangeland Derby where he won the Orville Strandquist Award for Top Rookie Driver.

We hope that all goes well for these three young drivers and we wish them and all the competitors on the 2010 WPCA Dodge Pro Tour the very best.

From all of us at the World Professional Chuckwagon Association, we hope the holiday season was a safe and happy time for all, and we wish everyone a prosperous new year.