Goodbye Günter!

On Tuesday the 22nd of February, we got to know something that shocked the whole European pulling scene that day: We were informed about the sudden death of light modified competitor Günter Bals from Rheda-Wiedenbrück in Germany.
Günter was tragically killed in a working accident at the age of 66 on Monday night, the 21st of February.
For me, the message which was released by the Grautvornix Pulling Team and the DTTO, was very shocking and very sad, because I knew Günter very well since I had started actively with my Tractor Pulling picture work in 2010. He supported me from the first day on and also later with my news and article work on the pulling-world.com website. 

Günter was the first active pulling competitor which I had gotten to know personally at his home in Rheda-Wiedenbrück in 2010. On that day in 2010, he told me a lot of stories about the pulling sport which he had experienced and all the successes which he had achieved in the past.  Günter always had something to tell!
Alongside his pulling stories from the past, he always had a funny story to tell from his day job as well. He also told some very funny jokes at home or at the events. In his daily job, Günter was an automotive electrician and mechanic by trade. Günter repaired stranded trucks on German motorways and got them going or at last "off the road":
"I always park my service truck 200 ft in front of the scene. That way, if I hear a crash, I have app 3 seconds to get away..."

Günter was born on the 25th of November 1955 in Rheda, Germany in an ambulance and grew up on a farm with his 3 years younger brothers. There he learned how to work in farming as there was always plenty of work on the farm of his parents. In 1970, he graduated and started an education as an automotive electrician.
After that, he joined the military in the German air force for a while.
Günter Bals started tractor pulling in 1984. His first contact was with Egbert Wortmeier, who at the time owned the modified tractor called ''Le Boef''. Egbert was actually Günter's apprentice at work. In 1985, he built his first own modified pulling tractor, which was called ''Grautvornix''. The tractor was powered by a MAN semi-truck diesel engine with 2 turbochargers. 

With that tractor, he competed in the German Championship until the end of 1987. After that, Günter took over the work of the track marshal in the German Tractor Pulling organization ''DTTO'' for 2 years. After the wall came down and lots of Russian surplus turbines came up for sale and his next town neighbor Martin Ortkrass buying them, Günter was the one to haul them "to the west" and part of the deal was one Isotov turbine for Günter for a new modified tractor project.
For that project, Günter teamed up with the brothers Sigi and Burkhard Willmann from the Tractor Pulling Team Verl. That new project was a light-modified tractor with a Klimov Isotov TV3-M117 turbine. The new project was started in 1995 and was ready before the first competition in Füchtorf in 1996. The new single turbine-powered tractor was called ''Isotov 1''.

At the first events in 1996, the tractor was unpainted but during the season got a red yellow paint job. At that time the class wasn't as high-powered as now and most of the tractors had only one power plant on the chassis. So they had good chances to be competitive in this class in Germany. The tractor was competitive right from the start and Günter was in the fight for the German Championship title that year. The Championship was decided at the very last round in Erkelenz-Holzweiler. But in the end, Günter finished in runner-up position in the 1996 German Championship behind Tobias Hörstkamp and the Green Monster. 

Another runner-up place in the German Championship followed in 1997. In that season, Günter was beaten by Holger Lang with the single Allison V12 tractor called ''Money Pit'' but beat the Green Monster!
That runner-up position meant Günte was qualified for the 1997 European Championships in Erkelenz-Holzweiler, Germany. 

For that pull, Günter and the team put a faster gear ratio into the turbine tractor. These changes on the tractor brought the team, and him, 6th place at the EC on home soil.

For 1998, the team signed a sponsor contract with the Hohenfelder brewery from Langenberg. The tractor had already ran at the EC with small Hohenfelder stickers on the fenders. 

Like 97, the 98 season was finished in the top 3 of the German Championship. But after those 3 successful seasons in Germany, Günter and the rest of the Isotov Team decided to build a brand-new tractor for the light modified and modified class to keep up with their contenders. This time it was a tractor with 2 Klimov Isotov TV3-117M turbines. For that new tractor, they also received help from neighboring modified competitor and turbine puller Martin Ortkrass from Langenberg.  The new twin turbine-powered mod was then called ''Isotov 2''. That first season with the brand new modified ride was a learning year, in which they had highs and lows during the season. 

Already the first podium place Günter achieved with Isotov 2 in the light modified class was at the second round of the season in Eschach-Seifertshofen. Günter got another 2 runner-ups in the light mod class in Verl and in Lübbenau during the season. Those strong results brought him the runner-up position in the German Championship of the 2.5t/5500lbs light mod class and the ticket to the 1999 EC in Bouconville in France. In 1999 Günter and the team not only competed on the pulling tracks in Germany with the new tractor but also went abroad and that was very successful. 

In Herning, Denmark, Günter finished again in the runner-up position behind the multi European champion Black Power from Denmark and the first win in the light mod class followed a couple of weeks later in Windenhof, France. But already, between the events in Herning and Windenhof, Günter won the 3.5t modified competition at the German Championship event in Weseke. That was the first official win for the new Isotov 2 on German ground.

After those 2 victories, the team and Günter looked forward to the '99 EC in Bouconville, France. But that weekend in France wasn't great for him and the guys. 

When he backed to the sled with Isotov 2, something went wrong.
Unfortunately, in the pits, they found out the transmission brake of the tractor was broken. So the second attempt in front of the sled wasn't possible either. After the 1999 season, Günter and the team did some changes and improvements on the Isotov 2 during the winter. Those improvements helped quite a bit and the tractor was better drivable on the pulling tracks. The 2000 season was one of the best seasons for Günter. With very strong results and 4 events with maximum points in the 2.5t light modified class, he won his first German Championship title, 7 points ahead of their longtime rival Markus Obermüller and Money Pit. 

In the 3.5t modified class, Günter achieved one victory in Eschach-Seifertshofen and finished 4th in the German Championship point standings.

For the 2001 season, Günter Bals shared the drivering duties on Isotov 2 with Tobias Willmann, the son of Tractor Pulling Team Verl founder Burkhard Willmann. Günter was now the main driver of the tractor in the 3.5t modified class, and Tobias drove the tractor in the 2.5t light mod class. Günter and the tractor were in top form in the 3.5t modified class in 2001. He battled the whole season against Enrico Vollerthun with the twin Allison V12 powered mod tractor called ''Challenger'' (now Green Fighter) for the title in this class. The title was decided at the final round in Edewecht. 

With a good run and some luck in the finals, Günter won his first German Championship title in the 3.5t Modified class with Isotov 2 in 2001. That meant, he again was qualified for the European Championships, which were held in Hörby, Sweden in 2001. The track conditions at the EC were very difficult due to a lot of rain, but not for Günter. He did a very nice Full Pull in 3.5t modified class and was qualified for the finals. In the finals, he was on the best way with Isotov 2 to a place on the podium, but unfortunately, he couldn't keep the tractor in bounds and was disqualified.

During the next years until 2010, Günter achieved many victories and top 3 finishes in the German Championships together with the Isotov Pulling Team . 

His teammate at the time Tobias Willmann won the German Championship title with Isotov 2 in the 2.5t light mod class twice. That was in 2004 and 2008. The team with Günter also achieved many victories on international events in Europe, like the runner-up position at the 2003 European Championship in Alahärmä, Finland and the third place at the 2004 European Championship in Füchtorf, Germany in the 2.5t light mod class.
Also, as the ETPC introduced the 2.5t light modified class in the Euro Cup in 2007, Günter and the Isotov Team were there from the first year on. In the Euro Cup, Günter was the main driver of Isotov 2 and did a great job for the team at that time. He positioned Isotov 2 in 2007 and 2008 in 5th place in the Euro Cup point standings.

But the luck of the Isotov Team ran out during the summer of 2010. 

At the Euro Cup pull in Zele, Belgium, Günter had bad luck. Isotov 2 was usually a very reliable modified tractor, but that luck ended here and there in Belgium with a costly run in the finals. After a great Full Pull in qualifying, something broke in the drivetrain of the tractor and the front end hit the ground very hard. Not only did something break in the drivetrain also the frame was massively bent by the hard hit on the pulling track. But was that crash the end for the successful light modified and modified tractor?
No, it wasn't the end for the tractor. It took a while, but in 2015, Günter started to rebuild the Isotov 2 tractor after he purchased the remaining shares from the old team members of the Isotov team. 

The plan also was to build a new chassis for the tractor, but after some considerations, he decided to repair the damaged chassis, and he did some changes to the tractor to get it lighter to gain more moveable weight. Between 2011 and 2015, he competed with Isotov 1 (now Rental Leih Fix) just for fun on the German pulling tracks.

The rebuilt Isotov 2 debuted at the Indoor Pull in Riesa, Germany in 2016. During the rebuild, the tractor got a new paint job and a new name. The Isotov TV3 powered tractor was renamed into Grautvornix, like his first pulling tractor in the mid-80s. Also, with the company Weka and Höner Technic (who supported him with driveline and gear parts for the rebuild), 2 sponsors returned to the tractor from the past. 

It was a joy to see him back with the twin turbine-powered tractor on the circuits in Germany. Like in the past, Günter did some spectacular and nice runs with the Grautvornix in the light mod class between 2016 and 2019.  His best seasons with the Grautvornix in the light mod class were in 2018 and 2019. In both seasons, you would find  Günter within the top 3 at the pulls in Germany. The reward was the runner-up position in 2018 and the 3rd place in 2019 in the German Championship point standings of the light modified division. He was very pleased and happy with those results. Günter also competed at the European Championships in Alphen, the Netherlands, and in Brande, Denmark.

By the way: The European Championship in Brande, Denmark in 2019 was the last event Günter has competed in with the Grautvornix.
In 2020 and 2021 Günter Bals and the Grautvornix Team didn't compete in any pulls in Germany and Europe due to the covid situation. For 2022, the plan was to return to the track with Grautvornix and the Rental Leih Fix in Germany.
 But that will unfortunately not happen anymore because Günter was torn from our midst far too early.
Alongside being a competitor, he also was the driver's representative in the DTTO for many years and he also helped many other teams at the events if they had problems with the tractor in the pits.
And more than once Günter picked up stranded teams, fixed their trucks, or picked up their tractors alongside the road and hauled them to the event - and back.
So Günter
Günter made friendships with many Tractor Pulling teams from all over Europe in those 38 years.

Günter always was a fair competitor at the pulling events in Germany and in Europe and was appreciated and respected by all competitors
Another positive point about Günter was you could also always have a good chat and exchange something at an event with him.
With Günter, the German and European pulling sport has lost another great competitor and sportsman who is gone way too soon.
Günter was always good and fair to me in the past, which I have very appreciated about him. When I had a question, he always took the time to answer my question, and he was always very hospitable to everyone. We will sorely miss him at the tractor pulling events as a competitor and person in the future.

Günter Bals will always be in the mind of the people and will never be forgotten.
Thank you, Günter, for everything in the past, and it was a pleasure to have met you!

Our thoughts are with the whole family and the Grautvornix Pulling Team.
We wish his wife Ilona, his 3 daughters Melanie, Michaela, and Stephanie, his entire family, and the Grautvornix Team a lot of strength to cope with this terrible loss.