The Ultimate Driver - Go Cart ready to race

By Darren Clayton

The selection of Carter Dalgety for the Ladbrokes Ultimate Drivers Championship may have raised the eyebrows of some pundits.

It even caught Dalgety himself off-guard.

“Yeah, it was definitely a big surprise for me when the team from N40 Racing and Boys Get Paid came to me, I sort of thought they were joking,” Dalgety said.

“But to get the nod for it, I’m wrapped.”

However, Dalgety has proven in the past 12 months that he can mix it with the best in the business in both hemispheres, with the Auckland Cup victory on New Year’s Eve aboard Republican Party paying testament to his abilities.

It was the fitting end to a huge year for Dalgety, who had secured his first New Zealand Junior Drivers Premiership just one day prior with a win aboard Evangalist at Reefton.

Named Cadet of the Year at February’s HRNZ annual awards, in March he became the fastest NZ junior driver ever to get to 100 career wins.

That milestone was registered in the best way possible, with a Group 1 success in the Northern Oaks at Auckland aboard All You Need Is Me.

Dalgety then turned his attention to North America, boarding a plane with no set plans, other than to stay with good friend Dexter Dunn and a rough idea to spend a six-week stint in honing his craft.

“Going to America, he probably taught me everything up there because the style is so different,” Dalgety said.

Keen to further his skills and knowledge, six weeks became three months, and it came with success, driving 12 winners which included a 1.48.8 win at The Meadowlands and a treble at Harrahs Philadelphia.

“America was just like being thrown in the deep end and really opened my eyes to the world of harness racing and a lot of different styles.”

Returning home to the Shaky Isles, Dalgety had slipped 8 wins astern of fellow junior Sam Thornley, a deficit he would ultimately bridge enroute to claiming his first junior driver’s title.

Placing in the New Zealand Cup added another highlight to an already impressive year, with Republican Party finishing third behind Swayzee.

“Even though we didn’t win it, but to run third in the fashion that he did it in was really amazing.

“To run a drum in it, I was over the moon,” the 21-year-old said.

A second Group 1 for the season ensued with an Invercargill Cup, Republican Party posting victory by over two lengths.

That was Dalgety’s second Invercargill Cup victory, following on from his maiden win at the elite level when partnering Krug two years earlier.

The breakout season reached a crescendo on the final night of the year with the Auckland Cup success, with a drive that was calculated and effective in delivering Dalgety his fourth Group 1 victory.

As for 2025, the man they call Go-Cart, is excited about taking on the Ultimate Drivers Championship at The Creek and will be bringing his own cheer squad.

“A whole heap of my friends are coming over, I’d say we will have half a plane load coming over in force.”

Bring on February.

Click here to learn more about the Ladbrokes Ultimate Driver Championship.