(Submitted photo/Layne MacGillivray)

By Ben Tompkins

Greatest outdoor show on earth

Local product becomes world champion chuck wagon racer

Oct 20, 2022 | 10:01 AM

Layne MacGillivray was born and raised in Melfort, learning the art of chuckwagon racing from his father.

Now, he resides in Alberta and has just become the 2022 chuckwagon racer World Champion.

MacGillivray told northeastNOW they had a “strong year come together for them.”

“It means a lot to myself and my family. We put a lot of hard work into it and a lot of money was invested in the horses, getting up and down the road and helping everyone else, so it’s very rewarding to watch what we accomplished this year, for sure.”

He won his first-ever World Professional Chuckwagon Association (WPCA) title after 18 years of competition, by collecting the most points throughout the entire season.

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According to MacGillivray, whose previous best seasons were two third-place finishes, the goal is always to be the best and when you’re close toward the end of the year, you have to take advantage.

“Kind of became, seeable, that we could maybe get it done around Calgary Stampede time. That was a kind of turning point in our season. When we came out of there, I felt pretty confident, as, at that time, we were sitting second in the world standings. We had still a lot of work ahead of us, everything had to go our way and we were lucky enough to get it done.”

MacGillivray won his 2022 WPCA title by a healthy margin, totalling 1,500 points, topping second-place finisher Obrey Motowylo who had 1,410 points, and third-place finisher Kurt Bensmiller who had 1,395 total.

He is set to receive his championship buckle, as well as a one-year lease on a one-ton truck, next weekend at the awards banquet.

“It’s gonna be a pretty special night, we got a lot of friends and sponsors and help and everyone coming so it’s going to be one to remember, for sure. Hopefully, we can continue to win here in the future years and keep everything going in the right direction.”

The WPCA season included races at Grande Prairie, Bonnyville, Medicine Hat, Dewberry, Ponoka, the Calgary Stampede, High River, Strathmore, Dawson Creek, Rocky Mountain House, and Calgary’s Century Downs.

While Alberta is now his home and where he competes, he explained his hometown is what started it all.

“My wife and I spent all our young years living in Melfort and we’ve got a lot of ties and family there, so it still means a lot to us. That’s where we got our start from.”

MacGillivray said he plans to come back to Melfort to help his dad move off his farm and that he will be travelling with his new truck and championship buckle.

That will be on the Remembrance Day long weekend this year and he hopes to catch up with some familiar faces around the area.

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Ben.Tompkins@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter @BenTompkins_8