Obrey Motowylo made Grande Prairie Stompede history Sunday night, becoming the event’s first repeat chuckwagon champion in nearly 20 years.
The veteran driver defended his title and claimed the aggregate championship, later saying the outcome was the result of a strong performance from his team of horses in a tightly contested final heat.
“You know what, pretty happy to be here, win the show again, it’s just a lot of luck here and a great performance by my horses,” he said.
In the Championship Dash for Cash, Motowylo raced against Darcy Flad, Troy Dorchester and Luke Tournier, all of whom he said had been among the top competitors throughout the five-day event at Evergreen Park.
“You know what, just crazy great competitors, Troy, Luke and Darcy, they got some tough outfits, it wasn’t going to be an easy race and I knew it,” he said. “Fortunate enough I drew the inside on them, if I had the outside I might have lost, you don’t know, it’s a horse race and just clean, great driving and just a good heat.”
The victory carried added significance for Motowylo as he reflected on the loss of both parents over the past year. He said he felt their presence throughout the day and credited them with helping him stay calm before the race.
“Yeah I did cheat, I’ll admit I cheated, I lost mum July 8th and dad December 15th, they’re married for 60 years and they only spent 5 months apart,” he said. “When I got on the track today I could feel them around the track, everything just felt different, more calm, when I got in the barrels it just, it felt right and I cheated, they helped me.”
Motowylo won the championship heat in 1:15.27. Tournier finished in 1:16.22, while Flad crossed in 1:16.46. Dorchester received a five-second penalty for knocking over a barrel, leaving him with a time of 1:21.77.
Grande Prairie’s Mitch Sutherland recorded the quickest run of Championship Sunday with a time of 1:15.24.
