TASMANIA will host the 2021 Australia Female Drivers Championship in Launceston next month with some of the nation’s most talented reinswomen set to compete for their respective states.
Two drivers from each state will contest a series of heats on a 10-race program with the winners determined on a point-score basis.
Victoria’s representatives, Kate Gath and Kerryn Manning are clearly the most experienced of the 12 drivers to contest the championship.
Manning has racked up over 17,000 drives for just on 4000 wins and 4810 minor placings, while Gath has driven 1670 winners and 2159 minor placings from 7660 drives.
Manning has earned for owners over $29 million and Gath has banked for her owners about $15.5 million.
South Australia’s pair of Dani Hill and Lisa Ryan are the next most experienced with Hill having notched almost 1900 wins and 2522 placings from 9255 drives with Ryan having just passed the 200-win mark from 2622 drives.
New South Wales will be represented by the least experienced of the group with Ashley Hart having had 556 drives for 58 wins, while Stephanie Lippiatt has notched 70 wins from just over 700 drives.
Western Australia’s Emily Suvaljko, 193 wins from 2148 drives, is no stranger to the AFDC with this her second series and she will be accompanied by Jocelyn Young who has amassed 260 winners and 525 placings from 2515 drives.
Queensland’s representatives are Narissa McMullen and her younger sister Dani-Elle Vievers.
The McMullens are from a family entrenched in Queensland’s harness racing fabric and they bring a wealth of experience to the series with Narissa having recently notched her 1000th winner from 8569 drives and Dani-Elle has driven 362 winners from 3249 drives as from this date of publication.
Tasmania’s pair of Sam Gangell and Hannah Van dongen are firmly established as class drivers in their home state with Gangell having notched 78 wins from 1180 drives with Van dongen less experienced in the cart with half the number of drives (598) but she has snared 76 wins.
The AFDC will be held in Launceston on March 21 with a minimum of six heats on what could be as much as a 10-race program.
The AFDC also will run alongside the Team Teal campaign in Tasmania.
2021 AFDC Drivers
| Name | State |
| Kate Gath | VIC |
| Kerryn Manning | VIC |
| Jocelyn Young | WA |
| Emily Suvaljko | WA |
| Lisa Ryan | SA |
| Dani Hill | SA |
| Sam Gangell | TAS |
| Hannah Vandongen | TAS |
| Narissa McMullen | QLD |
| Dani-elle Veivers (McMullen) | QLD |
| Ashley Hart | NSW |
| Stephanie Lippiatt | NSW |