McGregor powers to second place in Drak Challenge

Just 30 seconds separated Drak Challenge winner Andy Birkett from Salt Rock paddling legend, Hank McGregor, at the weekend.

It was one of the closest fought races in recent memory, with East London’s Birkett claiming the narrow victory after 2 days of intense one-on-one competition.

The win extended Birkett’s record for the most Drak Challenge wins to 8 – achieved consecutively – while McGregor extended his record for the most podium finishes in the event, which he has also won 3 times.

After the Drak was cancelled in 2021 owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the paddlers were keen to once again take on the mighty Umzimkulu.

“It was great to be back out on the river, which always throws up unique challenges. In the space of just an hour and a half on the Friday before we started, the river went from almost too low to race, to almost too high with heavy rains inland. It ended up being a technical, but good level on the weekend and it produced top quality racing,” said McGregor.

At the end of the first day, there was nothing between the top 2 paddlers, and the pair battled for over 2 hours on Sunday, with their contest matching the ebb and flow of the river.

The race changed when Birkett took an unusual line through the Heaven and Hell rapid, but the gamble paid off, earning him a 2-boat length lead over McGregor which he never relinquished.

“Typically, the faster line is the Hell side of the rapid which I took again this year. I was leading Andy at the time but got caught and almost stopped dead. He was able to take the Heaven line and it basically sealed the win. By the time I was free I had burnt too many matches to catch up.”

Although he finished second in the overall standings, McGregor (43) finished first in the K1 veteran age bracket.

The race proved to be a perfect training weekend for the upcoming Dusi Canoe Marathon which will be held from February 17 – 19.

McGregor is competing in the K2 category with youngster Matt Millward and will be hoping to deliver another win in KwaZulu-Natal’s premier canoeing competition.

For a full list of Drak Challenge results, visit drak.co.za/results.

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