A hair-raising final
Saturday 27 February was witness to an exciting event, the 32nd edition of  the European Indoor Tractor Pulling Championship. All the fans were kept at the edge of their seats watching the well-matched participants fight for the finish. The competition was so fierce that there was only one metre difference among the top four of the Two Wheel Drives. In a thrilling final, Marcel Kraai and his Heart2Beat managed to claim the prize in this division. Rivalling this in excitement was the final in the 3.5 ton free class, especially during the duel between the European Champion Inter-Techno Lambada and the newcomer Double Screamin’. The two candidates were neck-and-neck, but the European champion emerged as the strongest. However, Bandit claimed victory after a masterly final pull in which Couzijn van Heuvelen outperformed his two opponents.  The American guest driver Kathy Archer was one of the audience favourites. With her charming appearance, strong determination and impressive machine, she succeeded in making the fans her own. During the afternoon session, an unfortunate Kathy ran into serious problems. After only 60 metres, her rear axle drive fell to pieces. As soon as the technical setback occurred, her competitors rushed to her side offering assistance. In no time, several essential parts were taken out of the tractor Bandit and used to repair the American machine. “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 an amazing pull in the evening session. What a wonderful example of solidarity in the tractor pull world!
Click here for the match report
The next European Indoor Tractor Pulling Championship is planned for 12 March 2011.
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