On Monday, shortly after Christmas, we were hit by a sad news in our pullingworld Facebook group. On the 27th of December, we were informed by the death of the former German super stock competitor Claus Radtke from Tostedt. Claus passed away on the 26th of December 2021 at the age of 76. Claus competed in the 80s and in the 90s with a Ford super stock tractor in the German Championship. The Ford super stock machine was called ''Blue Chicken''. He was known as a fair competitor and also helped other pulling teams when they had troubles with the technic of their pulling tractors. Another point which was Claus known, he built all his parts for his Blue Chicken by himself. But he also built parts or engines for other teams in the past. Claus had rebuilt the turbocharged Rolls Royce V12 Merlin engine for the German modified pulling tractor called ''Gold Digger'' or built the turbochargers for the mod tractor called ''Osterdoc''. That was only two of his many projects at that time.
The development of his own diesel fuel injection pump for his super stock tractor Blue Chicken was another exciting project by Claus. He, together with the Stratmann brothers (owners of the super stock tractor Little Red Rooster) developed this own fuel pump. Claus also received the nickname ''Diesel Papst'' in the German pulling sport.
What few people know, Claus Radtke already tuned diesel engines to the point of vomiting before tractor pulling. That was his daily job. He developed and built diesel engines for boats. At the time he developed and built the most powerful diesel engines for the marine sector. For example, he had equipped Sheikh Fahad Al Thani's yacht with engines in the late 70s / early 80s.
Then he also equipped yachts and racing boats for Tullio Abbate. But back to his hobby tractor pulling. After the engine blew up at Blue Chicken in Anholt, Germany 1998, he disappeared from the super stock class and the German pulling sport as an active competitor.
But he wasn't completely away from the pulling sport, Claus was always to find as a spectator on the pulling events in the north of Germany, like in Haßmoor. At the beginning of the new century, he started to rebuild his Blue Chicken, but not as a super stock again.
He wanted to return with the Ford tractor as pro stock on the German pulling tracks.
He spent many hours in the workshop on the pro stock project and he was almost ready with the tractor, but due to his high age, he decided to selling the tractor to the ABC Pulling Team from Cloppenburg in Germany.
After the sale, he still supported the ABC Pulling Team with the rest of the work on the tractor.
The Ford tractor finally returned to the pulling track as Wild Turkey in 2012.
The pulling sport in Germany has lost a great man with a lot of passion for the sport. For sure he will be missed by the German teams and the people in the sport.
We wish his whole family a lot of strength to cope with this loss.
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