Noel Baldacchino, the current Maltese Champion horse-racing driver is on his way to Hamburg, Germany, where he will compete in the prestigious European Drivers’ Championship organised by the European Trotting Union (UET) in the weekend of the 15th and 16th September. 

It is an honour for Malta to participate in this championship, among the best trot racing countries of Europe.

Forty-one year old Noel, who hails from Zejtun, has 22 years experience and has won the national drivers’ title no less than six times. 

His domestic record is impressive: 678 wins and 1,360 places from nearly 4,500 races.  In 2008, 2009 and 2012 he also led his charges to victory in the blue riband of Maltese trot racing, “It-Tazza l-Kbira”. 

Noel’s experience goes even beyond our shores, participating in races in various racetracks across Europe, such as Vincennes, Cabourg and Cagnes Sur Mer in France, Solvalla, Mantorp and Eskilstuna in Sweden, as well as in various other countries, such as Italy, Russia, Slovenia and others. 

He managed to win his last international race, in Russia at the beginning of this month, representing Malta  in the Mediterranean Horse Racing Union championship.

In Germany he will face very tough opposition, with 12 countries being represented by a top driver. 

World-famous drivers such as Enrico Bellei of Italy, Bjorn Goop of Sweden, Eric Raffin of France, Eirik Hoitomt of Norway and many others, will all be striving to win the European Championship for their country, based on the results of the 8 races being held over the Championship weekend.

Noel commented: “The quality of the competition makes this an extremely tough challenge, possibly the toughest in my career.  However, I am extremely focused and will do my very best to achieve a respectable result  for Malta, further demonstrating the quality of Maltese drivers at the highest continental level.”

We wish Noel all the best in this challenging international assignment.