Photo courtesy Grande Prairie Stompede Facebook

By Erika Rolling

Chuckwagons

WPCA season kicks off at Grande Prairie Stompede

May 29, 2024 | 12:00 PM

Forty drivers are ready to start racing again this week at the first event of the chuckwagon season in Grande Prairie.

The Grande Prairie Stompede kicks off Wednesday, May 29, at Evergreen Park.

World Professional Chuckwagon Association GM Paul Ryneveld says the start of a new season is always exciting.

“Get to see where is for the year and how they’ve wintered and what the competition is going to look like.”

Ryneveld says being in the barn area for a few days, he says everybody is “raring to go.”

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Hometown driver, Chanse Vigen won the Grande Prairie Championship in 2023 and Ryneveld says the others aren’t going to let him run away with it again this year.

“With the very first heat they drive, it kinda sets the tone for the rest of the year.”

He notes the competition is always “top-notch” in Grande Prairie.

2023 World Champion Outrider Ethan Motowylo hopes for a good start to his season.

“Your spring training, and a lot of days on your horse coming up to here… you hope everything goes well.”

Twenty-three-year-old Motowylo has been in the Top 3 standings since 2019. He started outriding at the age of 16.

WPCA Pro Tour Driver Evan Salmond says the GP Stompede is one of his favourites on the circuit.

“Nice facility, great track, and a good town to start things off.”

Salmond ranks third going into the 2024 season.

$80,000 is up for grabs for this year’s championship heat winner, along with a brand-new truck. The WPCA Pro Tour heats start tentatively at 7:15 p.m. through Sunday.