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Match report Saturday 27 February 2010
The 32nd edition of the European Indoor Tractor Pulling Championship, held Saturday 27 February 2010, was a resounding success. The fans in the well-filled grandstand were treated to an exciting competition, in which the American guest rider Kathy Archer took a prominent position with her 13,000 horsepower Black Widow. However, this was far from certain after the events of that afternoon...
Who could have imagined this? After travelling 7,000 kilometres with your tractor for an international competition, you drive 60 metres on the track, and your rear axle drive falls to pieces. That’s probably what Kathy Archer was thinking after her first pull during the afternoon session. Her performance in the Netherlands seemed to come to as an abrupt end as her pull did. Luckily, this was not the case. Thanks to th e assistance of many and with the offer of several parts from Bandit, her machine was repaired in no time. “I didn’t understand a word of what they said, but those guys were a fantastic help,” expressed an emotional Dave Archer, speaking into commentator Arco Sterk’s microphone. This quick repair allowed his daughter Kathy to demonstrate two fantastic pulls in the evening session, with the thousands of fans in the grandstand thoroughly enjoying the spectacle.
Trucks
Again this year, the trucks put on a show at the European Indoor Tractor Pulling Championship. In the context of the ‘Pulling with the Stars’ campaign, organised in cooperation wit h Truckstar, several lucky people took their spot alongside the driver to experience a truck pull as a passenger. The trucks reared up high with their front wheels in the air, which clearly thrilled the smiling new passengers as they stepped out of the vehicles afterwards. The reigning Dutch and European champion Herman de Heus emerged as the strongest with the DAF from Team Van Heugten. The truck lovers were treated to even more excitement, as the company Van Lier-Van der Lans gave a demo with the imposing Faun 8x8 puller during the intermission. Originally built to transport heavy army tanks, this truck clearly demonstrated its ability to do far more than that.
Two Wheel Drives
Like last year, this year’s competition was again at a very high level and well worth watching, as the machines were extremely well matched. With the top four vehicles ending with just one meter distance between them, the Two Wheel Drives final was hair raising. Vict ory was claimed by Marcel Kraai with Heart2Beat, and second and third place went to Screamin’ Bobcat and Inter-Techno Predator respectively.
Super Stocks
In the Super Stocks, the UK’s Case Internationals have always put in a good perfor mance on Ahoy’s 60-metre track, and this was also the case during the 32nd edition of the European Indoor Tractor Pulling Championship. Geoff Ashcroft emerged as the strongest with Red Alert, while teammate Peter Clarke took third place with Red Fever. Jurrian Dekkers claimed second place with Terminator. The 16-year-old Manon Kools stood her ground with Interaction, but came just a metre too short for a place on the podium.
3.5 tons Modified
In the 3.5 ton free class, everyone was looking forward to the first real duel between the European champion in this class, Inter-Techno Lambada, and the newcomer Doub le Screamin’. The candidates were neck-in-neck, but the former showed it was the more powerful of the two. The victory, however, did not go to one of these giants, but to Bandit. With a masterly final pull, Couzijn van Heuvelen outperformed his two opponents.
Pro Stocks
 The evening sessions started out with a bang with the Pro Stocks, but the excitement soon had to be put on hold. The smoke ventilation system required for the diesels malfunctioned, which meant that the Pro Stocks pull-off was unable to continue. This was a pity for both the public and the competitors. Daniël Vriends and his teammates had worked day and night during days prior to the Rotterdam event so that they could debut Neighbours Nightmare. We will have to wait for the next match to see how this component tractor compares to the competition.
950 kilos Modified
 The 950 kilo free class put on an enjoyable – and fast – show. The reigning Dutch champion René Geerts successfully kept the 2200 horsepower of his Reny Mission Impossible under control and emerged as the strongest in the final. Second place went to Little Rascal, and the bronze was won by the UK’s Little Dan.
4.5 tons Modified
This time, 4.5 ton free class, with the Jan van Alphen Trophy at stake, actually took place in two different classes. While most of the tractors weighed in at the maximum 4500 kilograms, the American Black Widow and the Dutch Inter-Techno Lambada were much lighter: only 3640 kilos, the weight at which the American unlimiteds compete. This was a test for the Inter-Techno Lambada, which will take part in the American competition in the coming season. Despite a major backfire, Kathy Archer surged ahead of the Zwolle machine, although it should be noted that Gert Dingerink had to ram on his b rakes to stay within the lines. These two machines were unable to better their much-heavier competitors on the relatively short track in Ahoy. Peter de Regt won the match with Green Spirit VI, but the difference with the surprising number two Desperate Dan was unexpectedly small. The French Ouragan took third place. In addition to being awarded the Jan van Alphen Trophy, de Regt was presented with a cheque from the American manufacturer Kent Enderle.
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