Stampede safety report clamps down on risky chuckwagon drivers

The Calgary Stampede will dramatically increase penalties for aggressive chuckwagon drivers after a review of a crash last summer that killed three horses and injured a driver.

A safety review committee, including a veterinarian and a retired world champion chuckwagon driver, on Thursday released its findings about the July 14, 2007 incident.

The review committee made several recommendations, which are being endorsed by the Stampede. They include:

• Increased penalties, suspensions and fines of up to $10,000 for wagon interference.
• A code of conduct for all participants in the GMC Rangeland Derby.
• A three-person commission to enforce the code of conduct.
• A unified set of rules for the sport of chuckwagon racing.

The committee felt no further sanctions were necessary against drivers Kelly Sutherland and Ray Mitsuing who were found to have caused the crash.

Sutherland, a 10-time champion, was suspended from the final day's race, costing him a shot at the $100,000 grand prize, after officials found he pushed a wagon into another team, which flung driver Tyler Helmig onto the track.

Helmig needed surgery on a hip and elbow and is still recovering from his injuries.

Mitsuing was given a 25-second interference penalty.

In calling for a code of conduct, the report acknowledged the unprofessional behaviour of some competitors who carry grudges based on earlier derby experiences and use aggressive driving to intimidate opponents.

After the crash, Helmig and his family said they felt Mitsuing was to blame for the chain of events. 

"I'm still kind of disappointed in that driver. He's still saying he's not at fault and I can't believe that," Helmig said Thursday from his home in Leduc, Alta.

"I'm really hoping it does improve safety, as long as the judges stick with their guns and a call is a call," he said, commenting on the report's recommendations. "It's up to the judges to enforce it."