CHAMPION driver Gary Hall Jr’s quest to win the World Drivers’ Championship was almost over before it started.
Just hours before the Hall Jr was due to fly to Perth to Christchurch, via Sydney, he lost his passport.
If not for a woman at the passport office working a remarkable two hours past closing time, he would have been out of the series, which starts at Kaikoura tomorrow.
“When I get home, I’ll be straight back to the office with a big gift for her, she was amazing,” he said.
“Imagine the panic about three hours before I had to leave home when I went to the drawer where we keep the passports and Madi’s (Maddison Brown, Hall’s partner), but mine wasn’t.
“It’s a mystery. I got a new passport just for this trip because my old one was close to expiring.
“I sent a photo of it to Andrew Kelly (Harness Racing Australia CEO) to book my flights in August and put it back in the draw.
“I almost cried. I’ve waited my whole life to be part of this series and I thought it was over.”
It was 2pm when Hall Jr knew his only option was to try and get a replacement and the passport office closed at 4pm.
“And I live an hour from the passport office,” he said. “I rang them, explained the urgency. One woman gave me hope, the other said I was no chance.
“It wasn’t as simple as just rushing to them. First I had to go to births, deaths and marriages to get a birth certificate and then I got some new passport photos done.
“I’m watching the minutes go by thinking the passport office is about to close.
“I got there not long before closing time, but the woman was unbelievable. She said she’d stick around and get it done.”
But even that had complications because Hall Jr had to get to Gloucester Park for a big night of Group 1 racing.
“We got there, but only thanks to that amazing woman and the help of others, including Madi,” Hall Jr said.
“I just had to bolt from the house to get the new passport, so left Madi to pack my bags for the NZ trip and all my driving gear for Gloucester Park that night.”
It’s one of the few nights Hall Jr has gone winless at Gloucester Park and then he and Brown got the “red eye” from Perth to Sydney.
Then it’s a flight from Sydney to Christchurch and the bus trip on to Kaikoura for the first five heats (across Sunday and Monday) of the 20-race World Drivers’ Championship series.
“It’s not as if I could just fly a day later, is it? And miss that first meeting,” Hall Jr said.
Hall Jr firmed into a clear favourite for the series after landing five good winning chances in the first five heats.
“It’ll be a great story to tell if I win it … the series I almost missed,” he laughed.
