What a night!
So.. grap the towel, soap and toothbrush, wash, get new jeans and shirt on - and back to the track!
They were already pulling stock tractors and modified diesel garden pullers there.
On the right hand track the southern dutch / belgian "B-Division" got ready to pull though and gave us a little wake up show.
Their competition is a little more relaxed and the tractors are maybe not always that powerful as in the A-Division, but with plenty of variety and unique concepts they are worth watching, too.
Like Boomer:
This modified tractor is powered by a HUGE V8 Mercedes diesel tank engine and for me it's always hard to believe something with so few rpms can turn the tires as quick as this machine.
Another impressive machine is the Bloody Mary, powered by a turbocharged V12 Continental Tank engine.
That thing screams and runs like any good turbo charged Allison. Actually I would love to see what these two tractors would do in an outlaw competition in the USA. They'd fit right in weight wise.
Anyhow - the main attraction for this sunday was Euro Cup Competition in the light mod and pro stock classes. The 2.5t guys were already lining up at the scales, to battle out the first Euro Cup champion in the light modified class ever.
First one on the track was Frank Bartholomé with the Le Coiffeur. He was runner up at the 2004 European Championships, totaled the tractor with the transmission coming loose, turning around and cutting his frame apart in the beginning of 2005. Then he had a great start into the 2006 season until his MSD 8 ignition box blew up. Since the middle of summer 2005 he had not been back to the old power. He tried with various Magneto ignitions but only got a few good runs out of that set up. It worked ok at the first Euro Cup in Denmark, where he finished 3rd but made nothing but trouble after that again. So he finally mounted the old MSD 8 back on, trying to get a top 3 finish here to qualify for the European Championships.
He got the green flag, hammered the throttle down and 4000 hp were on their way:
What he didn't know by then was the thrust washers in his left hand planetary were smashed (see the pictures in the gallery), blocking the left hand wheel and he headed out of bounds.
Of course he got the red flag for crossing the boundary line, tried to get back into the track, backed out of it but in that moment the right hand rear tire lifted up and the front end came down hard and the front wheel broke off.
The nose came back up, kill switch got pulled and then the nose went back into the ground and the whole thing went on it's side.
For luck except for a blue elbow Frank didn't suffer any injuries and the tractor chassis, except for the wheely bars, remained in perfect shape, too. So they'll be back...
After the mess was cleaned up, it was on Stefan Kronvall to have the next hook. The swed bought the old Humpco built Empty Pockets from Scott Tedder a while ago and has transferred it into an pretty much up to date light mod with two KB Hemis. After some bouncing problems caused by too much tire pressure at Herning he already left a good impression at Bernay and also here at Made things ran well: Picture perfect Full Pull!
The Little Giant team seems to be in trouble this season. Breakage at Herning, electrical failure in Bernay and again a broken transmission at Made. On top of that out of bounds and the driveshaft for the supercharger of the big Griffon engine broke into pieces. They've decided that's enough for now and will retire the little tractor and concentrate on getting their new twin Griffon machine ready within the season.
Then everybody expected the next Full Pull as Poul Ager Jensen drove onto the track with his triple V8 machine.
But already after the start the right hand engine spit oil out of the block and just a little over 90m was all Poul could reach with only two engines running. Seeing the hole in the block he kicked the chassis and was really upset. Looking at the points it became clear why: If he would end up with anything worse than 7th and Green Spirit 7 would win here, they'd be tied in points - and then the best performance at the last points pull would determinate the winner - which would then be Green Spirit!
From the top of the competition to bottom of the pack and the unlucky ones. Poul Liefhoge from Belgium for sure deserved better than what he reached his season. His DAF 1260 Diesel is one hell of a nice powerplant with all the latest electronic gizmos. Well, I should say was: After the injection didn't do what it was supposed to do at Herning and Bernay, he switched back to a mechanical pump for Made, but the tractor just didn't keep the boost up. A methanol conversion of the engine is already planned. Maybe this is the time to get started on it and then show the competition what this inline 6 cylinder with 4 valve head can do.
Showing what it can do was the Viper. After over 25 years pulling with Chrysler engines the Wouters family should know what they are cabable of, if this Hemi stuff just wouldn't be so damn expensive...
Anyhow, the two KBs were running well and Viper made a Full Pull with the front wheels high off the ground.
Two germans up next. Günter Bals showed he by now knows how to handle the 4000 hp turbine machine "Isotov 2" in the light mod (he usually only drives in the 3.5t /77), and even though he backed out in the end, made a Full Pull.
Toine de Jong on the De Jong Special hammerd his supercharged Continental as bad as he could and also made a Full Pull.
Dirk Wessel with the Green Monster also parked the sled way past the 100m and Poul Ager already hoped for the single Allison machine to win the Pull Off and help him become champion.
Anyhow - Dirk was happy for now.
But the one who would decide it all was still to come and needed a Full Pull to stay in the points game. Jeffrey Constanje on the Green Spirit 7!
The Full Pull was no problem at all for the V12 and Poul Ager was already joking to the Green Monster guys back in the pits: "Damn - DO something!"... Poul.. not that easy with just a single Allison in this competition!
Next one up was the big radial engine mounted into the chassis of Herbie:
They must have lowered the hitch quite some, because the nose finally stayed more or less low - still the big radial was overgeared. It had enough low end tourque to join the Pull Off though.
So Poul Ager would only get 5 points and the Green Spirit guys could turn things around in the points now.
But there was more tractors to come, running for local points in the same class. One that everybody was curious about, is the Rocket Science of Jack Stijnen. He converted a 6cyl DAF 4 valve semi diesel to methanol and put three big Holset Turbochargers on top. He had already won a few local pulls and when running well should be capable of joining the European top of the class.
Unfortunatly today he had to fight some foul plugs and with one dead cylinder couldn't get anywhere near the rpms and tires speed he needed to get the nose up early enough and ended up just shy of the Full Pull distance. But there's hope in!!!
One of the pioneers of the light mod competition in Europe and always good ambassedors of this class is the Smidje team. Their current creation is powered by two GAA8 Ford tank engines with blowers. The tractor is a really low budget operation but does well on it's day. Today it just didn't wanna go right though. The left hand brake calliper broke off and the tractor ended up out of bounds.
On top of it, the calliper must have hit one tire badly and caused a puncture... I hope they can get that tire fixed. If not - we as well as the Eager Beaver team still have "single" tires for sale.
The Black Danger, another DAF Diesel unfortunatly failed to reach the Pull Off, but the Asterix with it's 5 Small Blocks joined in.
Then we had the chance to see what stupid politcs can cause. On the other side, on track 3, the ITTC was running it's 2.5t mod competition and the guys were really doing well! Especially the Road Runner with it's turbocharged Rover Meteor laid down a real nice pass over there.
Should be possible to just invite them over to come pull with us. But the problems between various associations fighting over territory just seem to be impossible to overcome...
But back to the competition. We were to have one fine Pull Off!!!
Stefan laid down a good run, maybe a little low on revs, and put the sled to 82.5 7m.
The Viper also ran well, but you could tell Stefan has a little more money invested into his engines. The pink black twin KB machine stood still at 79.27m already.
Günter Bals again did everything right on the Isotov and placed exactly between the two V8 machines (running on Good Year tires, just by the way).
Now it showed that the De Jong Special team needs to get their new tractor finished. As well as the Conti is running - it just doesn't have the power to be in the top. But reliable it is (and for sale... 20,000 $ and you can have it).
73.94m was distance. Enough for 7th place in the end and WELL in the money again!
Back to Mr. Poul Ager Nervous Jensen and the Green Monster. Dirk Wessel really did all he could and the single Allison laid down a new distance to beat with the nose high in the air and no more weights to place on the nose.
84.62m. That was 2m (or 7ft) ahead of the twin Hemis - but would this be enough for a RR Griffon in the end?
We were to find out very soon.
Jeffery nailed the big V12 and... well pictures are worth a 1000 words:
85.02m - 42 cm farther. What a close battle again!
Herbie couldn't make any changes anymore with a distance of 79.01m.
Asterix was not running for Euro Cup Points and with 78.38m was 4th in the local points.
In the end a well deserved win for the dutch guys. They had put this tractor on the track for the first time at Herning, finished 3rd there, then 4th at Bernay and with a victory at Made turned it all around and are the first "2.5t Euro Cup Champion" ever.
But WHAT a competition this class had put onto the tracks! A big THANK YOU to all the 2.5 modified teams! Now keep it going like that!
part 3
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