After 13 years with the same tractor and without any major changes on it, the Incredible Deere Pulling Team around Edwin Derksen from Beek in the Netherlands have built a brand new John Deere component super stock tractor during the last winter. After 3 European Championship titles and a lot of wild rides during the last 5 seasons, it was time to build something completely new from scratch.
In this 2 part story, we are looking at the history of the team, their successes, and on the technical details of the new Incredible Deere 2.0.
The Incredible Deere Pulling Team was founded by Edwin Derksen at the end of 2008.
Edwin Derksen purchased the super stock tractor called Hydrostop Bits N Pieces from Willem Veldhuizen at the end of 2008. But before he founded his own team, Edwin was already a familiar face in the Dutch and European Pulling sport at the time, so it wasn't a new world for him.
Edwin started with tractor pulling as a team member and mechanic of Willem Veldhuizen's Bits N' Pieces Pulling Team in the mid-90s. At that time, the Bits N Pieces Pulling Team dominated the super stock class with their John Deere called ''Magkal Bits N' Pieces'' on the national and international level.
From 1995 until 1999, the Dutch team around Willem Veldhuizen, Leonard Griffioen, and Edwin Derksen won 4 Euro Cup titles, 2 European Championship titles, and many Dutch Championship titles. Maybe the worst season for the team was in 1999, due to a lot of small problems with the engine, they couldn't win a title that year. The best result was a 3rd place at the European Championship in Bouconville, France, and the runner-up place in the Dutch Championship.
But in 2000, success returned to the team. With a new bigger engine they won European Championship, Euro Cup, and the Dutch Championship title.
A year later, success, and the triple was repeated from 2000. Already in 2000, the Bits N' Pieces Team thought about building a new super stock tractor, but this time as a component.
In the USA, it was already allowed to run in the super stock class with a component tractor. But in Europe wasn't that possible at the time, the rules said it's only allowed to run with an original modified stock rearend and gearbox case from a stock tractor, but no component chassis with a semi-truck rearend and planetaries. An application has been made to the ETPC to allow component tractors in the super stock class for the future.
Already in 2000, Willem Veldhuizen looked over to the USA, what is running in their super stock open class.
For his new component project, he needed a brand-new chassis with a semi-truck rearend and planetaries. The team contacted Brian Diekman of the Rat Poison Pulling Team in Genoa, Ohio, USA if he can build a new component chassis for their new super stock project. Brian already has built at the time for Dennis and Brent Payne's John Deere 7810 alcohol super stock called ''Color of Money'' a component chassis. After Brian had made an offer to the Dutch Team, the team decided to purchase a built tube frame chassis from him.
That chassis was built over the winter of 2001/2002 by Brian in his workshop in Genoa, Ohio. The domination of the old Bits N' Pieces continued through the 2002 season, but already in 2002, the team started in the background their new component super stock project.
That machine should also become later Edwin Derksen's Incredible Deere in 2009. With the new tractor, Willem, Leonard, and Edwin wanted to set a new mark in the European super stock class. The new component tractor got a chrome-moly steel tube frame with a 2 bar chrome-moly roll cage, a shortened Eaton rearend with Franklin magnesium planetary carrier housing and Franklin planetaries, custom-built hitch and drawbar, and a set of Firestone All Traction Puller tires on Midwest aluminum rims cut by Bob Parkes in the USA.
For the hood on the component machine, they decided this time to use not a 4455 John Deere hood like on the old Magkal Bits N Pieces. They received a new John Deere 8520 hood from John Deere in the Netherlands. The new 8520 John Deere hood was much lighter compared to the old 4455 sheet metal hood.
The original 8520 John Deere hood was made out of solid plastic instead of sheet metal. Only the side shields for the hood were made of aluminum sheet metal. At that time, it was the first super stock tractor in Europe with a John Deere 8520 hood of the new 8020 series. The new hood on the tractor could be opened electrically. That also was an advantage for quick checks on the engine at the events. The drive line in the tractor was made like in a modified tractor. The component machine got an SCS 3-speed transmission with a custom-built drive shaft between the transmission and the clutch and a 3-disc Crower centrifugal clutch.
Also, engine-wise, the guys did a step further.
The new component super stock received an inline 6 cylinder John Deere engine with 10l displacement and a 3 turbocharger setup in 2 stages on alcohol. For the new engine, they used the best stuff out of Willem Veldhuizen's shop VSP.
The engine got a bored-up John Deere 7700 stock cast iron block with Darton sleeves, a billet VSP steel crankshaft, VSP billet aluminum rods, and pistons, a custom-built steel camshaft, a newly developed further improved VSP billet aluminum cylinder head, a homemade stainless steel intake and steel exhaust manifold, 3 billet Holset HX82 turbocharger in 2 pressure stages, an Aviaid oil pump, a homemade aluminum oil pan, a homemade fuel system with a Waterman fuel pump and an MSD 8 dual coil ignition.
Interestingly by the note, 80% of the new component tractor was built by Edwin Derksen in Beek, the Netherlands, and not in the workshop of Willem Veldhuizen in Loosdrecht. After that, it was pretty quickly clear who will be the new driver of the new Bits N' Pieces component machine and yes it was Edwin Derksen.
Compared to the old Bits N' Pieces tractor, the new component Bits N Pieces was around 700 kg lighter, which gave them more possibilities for more moveable weight. Also, the new improved engine had much more power and the power was then already estimated at about 4000 hp.
Besides, the paint job on the tractor was different compared to his older brother with the nice yellow/white/green look on the hood, the 8520 was painted in green and got the name ''Bits N' Pieces Light'' (Light for lightweight built). The new component tractor was ready for the start of the 2003 season in May. But there was a slight problem. The application for component tractors in the super stock class was already through at the ETPC, but the component tractors in the super stock class were only approved for 2004. That meant the team had to drive in an other class like the 3.5t modified or outside the official classification in the super stock class.
So, after some negations, the team decided to register the new Bits N Pieces Light for the 3.5t Modified class in the Dutch A-Division Championship (today Grand National). The maiden voyage of the new Bits N Pieces Light was made at the Dutch A-Division opener in Wierden, the Netherlands in 2003. And the new Bits N Pieces Light ran not badly. Team boss Willem Veldhuizen did the maiden voyage on the tractor and stopped with the Keep Moving at 92.34 m.
That distance was enough for the 7th place in a 14-competitor-strong field.
Another surprise was, tractors like the twin Rolls-Royce Griffon V12-powered Red Diamond or the twin Allison V12-powered Q8 Popeye were behind the component super stock. After that maiden run with Willem Veldhuizen in the hot seat, his team member and builder Edwin Derksen took over the seat for the rest of the season.
Edwin used that season as a learning year to understand how to drive the new component super stock tractor. Edwin finished the season in 9th place in the Dutch Championship point standings. But team boss Willem also decided to start on some pulls outside of the Netherlands with the new tractor.
The team competed at the Euro Cup rounds in Herning, Denmark, and Bettborn, Luxembourg, and on the national events in Edewecht, Germany, and Great Eccleston, England. After that testing season, all the teething problems should be solved for the 2004 season.
For 2004, the tractor should receive small changes, especially in terms of color. At the end of 2003, Willem signed a new sponsorship deal for the component tractor. He signed a 4-year contract with the tool manufacturer Berner. The tool manufacturer with headquarters in Künzelsau, Germany had nothing to do with the sponsorship of the tractor. That sponsorship ran over the Dutch Berner branch office in Kerkrade at the time.
Due to the new main sponsor on the tractor, the John Deere was in white repainted and got the new name ''Berner Bits N Pieces''. The new look of the tractor was officially presented for the first time at the 2004 Indoor Pull in Zwolle, the Netherlands. That also was the first official competition for the John Deere component super stock in the 3.5t super stock class. And it was a good first competition for the new white-painted Berner-sponsored John Deere component super stock. Edwin did two nice runs on the Indoor track in Zwolle and finished 3rd behind Maximum Risk from the Netherlands and Red Alert from Great Britain. Better was the outdoor season for Edwin.
3 wins and some 3rd places at the Dutch Championship rounds brought him the runner-up position in the Dutch Championship, behind his team boss Willem Veldhuizen with Magkal Bits N' Pieces. Edwin was also registered for the Euro Cup with Berner Bits N' Pieces. And Edwin was successful at his first Euro Cup competition in Bernay, France with a win in the class. The rest of the Euro Cup season was an up and down, in Putten, the Netherlands the tractor was way too light at the front end, and the nose of the tractor was sky-high, and the last two rounds in Herning, Denmark, and Bettborn, Luxembourg were not really better.
At the final round in Bettborn, he also lost his almost safe 3rd place to Gert-Jan Pauly with D'n Aerdvruter. In the end, Edwin finished his first Euro Cup season in 4th. The first outing for the Berner Bits N' Pieces at the European Championship in Füchtorf 2004 was not as successful as Edwin and the Bits N' Pieces Team had hoped. In his first attempt, he missed the full pull by just 5 cm. For the second attempt, they made some changes on the tractor and Edwin managed the Full Pull in the second attempt. In the finals, Edwin had to correct the tractor with the brakes a few times and missed the leading distance by around 7 m and the distance of his Team captain Willem Veldhuizen with Magkal Bits N' Pieces by 3 m.
In the end, it was only the 5th place at the EC in Füchtorf.
The big revenge by Edwin came in 2005. Edwin won with Berner Bits N' Pieces incredible 7 Dutch Championship events, 3 of them in a row, and at the end of the season the well-deserved Dutch Championship title. Also, the Euro Cup season was a big success for the men from Beek in the Netherlands. He won 3 of the 4 Euro Cup rounds, except the final round in Bettborn, Luxembourg, where he finished runner-up behind Geoff Ashcroft and Red Alert from Great Britain. Those 3 wins and that 2nd place finish meant he won the 2005 Euro Cup title in the super stock class.
The triple was done at the European Championship in Great Eccleston, England. Edwin could beat the reigning European Champion Heart of The Eagle from Rob Van der Waal by 1 m and 1 cm, and he could achieve his first EC title for the Bits N' Pieces Team.
The 2006 season became even more dominated by Edwin Derksen and Berner Bits N' Pieces in the super stock class. His appearance in the Dutch Championship by him was already scary. Edwin won with Berner Bits N' Pieces 9 of the 11 Dutch Championship events and won the championship by almost a 100 points lead over the runner-up placed tractor.
The same again was the Euro Cup, he won 4 of the 5 rounds and the Euro Cup title with a 15 points gap over Willem Veldhuizen and the Hovertrack Bits N' Pieces. But the surprise of the year was, Edwin as the reigning European Champion didn't compete at the EC in Lubersac in France. Due to different reasons, the whole Bits N' Pieces Team stayed at home and decided not to start at the 2006 EC in France.
In 2007, the dominating time of Edwin Derksen and Berner Bits N' Pieces came to an end. Maybe the luck wasn't on his site that year. He could win a couple of rounds in the Dutch Championship, but he lost his title to his team boss and teammate Willem Veldhuizen and Hover-Track Bits N' Pieces.
But the runner-up place wasn't bad for Edwin and the Team. Also, the Euro Cup was dominated by others. In the end, Edwin could win the final round in Bettborn, Luxembourg, but the title also went to Willem Veldhuizen and Hover-Track Bits N Pieces. The 3rd place in the final round also brought Edwin the 3rd place in the Euro Cup point standings.
Also, the European Championship in Herning, Denmark became a fight between Edwin Derksen and Willem Veldhuizen, or better said Berner Bits N' Pieces vs. Hover-Track Bits N' Pieces. But again Willem had the better day and won over Edwin in Herning. It was a double EC victory for the Bits N' Pieces Team from the Netherlands.
For the 2008 season, something changed on the tractor.
After 4 years with Berner as the main sponsor on the tractor, the sponsor contract ran out and wasn't renewed for 2008. With the company Hydrostopp brake systems, a new main sponsor came on board of the tractor and the new name of the tractor now was Hydrostopp Bits N' Pieces. But that 2008 season was a year with highs and lows. Not so bad was the Dutch Championship. Over the year, Edwin had a fight against his teammate and team boss Willem Veldhuizen. Edwin Derksen won the first 2 rounds of the season in Wierden and Emmeloord, but then Willem Veldhuizen and Magkal Bits N' Pieces really got going and won the next 3 rounds.
Edwin was right on his tail all the season, but in the end, it wasn't enough. With another 3 wins at the end of the season, Willem Veldhuizen and Magkal Bits N' Pieces won the Dutch Championship with an 8 point gap over Edwin Derksen and Hydrostopp Bits N' Pieces. The biggest disappointment for Edwin Derksen and Hydrostopp Bits N' Pieces was the European Championship in Bryne, Norway. Already as test puller, one of his 3 turbochargers on the John Deere engine broke and damage couldn't be repaired there. Simply said, a long trip for nothing. Also, disappointing was the Euro Cup for him. With three 4th places and one 5th place, he wasn't really happy about it.
And all of a sudden at the final pull of the season in Bettborn, Luxembourg, the crankshaft of his John Deere engine broke right at the start of the finals. Already at the end of the season, team owner Willem Veldhuizen had announced that he would like to separate from Hydrostopp Bits N' Pieces and want to sell it. The 2 reasons for that step were simple. The first reason was already in March came the first consideration to build a modified tractor with 2 John Deere alky super stock engines for the 3.5t class. The trigger for this was the US guest puller Double Stuff with his 2 alky IH super stock engines in Ahoy, Rotterdam.
When he saw the tractor of the Roberts Pulling Team, his thoughts were, I can do that too. So the only way out was to sell one of his John Deere super stock tractors. The 2nd reason was the main sponsor Hydrostopp stopped their 2-year sponsorship on the white John Deere a year earlier than expected.
But Edwin didn't want to stop driving in the super stock class, and his interests in the modified class weren't that big either. So Edwin asked Willem what he wants for the Hydrostopp Bits N' Pieces. After an offer was made by Willem, he had to think about that. After a couple of days of thinking, he decided to purchase the white John Deere super stock from Willem Veldhuizen.
After the tractor was his, he founded his own team called ''Incredible Deere''. The reason for that name was very simple. Due to his incredible successes in the past with the component super stock, he has chosen the name, Incredible Deere. Also, a new main sponsor for the tractor was quickly found. With the Dutch transport company called ''BE-Combi'' was a 6-year deal signed, and the tractor was named ''BE-Combi Incredible Deere'' for the next 6 seasons until the end of 2014.
The 2009 season was the first year for Edwin with his own super stock team, and he wanted to fight with a refreshed tractor for the 2009 Dutch Championship and Euro Cup title.
The 2009 Dutch Championship in the super stock class became a real cracker. It was a 4 way fight for the title between Zapo, DeGraaf Bits N' Pieces, Incredible Deere, and the new Zeinstra New Born Deere. Willem Veldhuizen and DeGraaf Bits N' Pieces won 3 rounds in the first half of the season, but a string of poor results cost him so many points that he was out of the title race before the championship finals. The same was with Sjors Zeinstra and his new Zeinstra New Born Deere, 2 wins in the first half of the season and then a string of bad results. In the end, it became a 2 way fight for the title between Zapo and Incredible Deere.
Before the finals in Meerkerk, the New Holland Zapo of Bennie Harmelink and Theo Broekhuis led the championship by 5 points over the white John Deere Incredible Deere of Edwin Derksen. The fight went down to the wire, in the finals in Meerkerk, Edwin could beat the distance of Zapo by more than 3 m and won the final Dutch competition of the super stocks in 2009. That meant Zapo and Incredible Deere were equal in the point standings. Due to the win at the final round and the better result, Edwin Derksen could win his 3rd Dutch Championship title and his first for his new own formed team in the super stock class.
Only 4 weeks later, the next big success was achieved with the white 8520 John Deere. Like in Meerkerk at the Dutch Championship finals, Edwin Derksen and Incredible Deere beat Zapo again and won the 2009 European Championship title in Bakel in the Netherlands.
That victory was pretty special for Edwin and his team, because it was in his home country. Also, the 2009 Euro Cup season ended successfully for Edwin and his team. With an early win in Bernay, France, and 3 runner-up places in Putten, the Netherlands, Herning, Denmark, and in Bettborn, Luxembourg he won the Euro Cup title with a 23 points gap over his former teammate and team boss Willem Veldhuizen and his DeGraaf Bits N' Pieces.
It was, until now, the most successful season for the Incredible Deere Pulling Team in their Team history.
That was part one about the history of Edwin Derksen and the Incredible Deere Team. In part 2 we will continue with the history of the team and then we will reveal all the technical details of the new John Deere component super stock tractor of the Team!
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But the runner-up place wasn't bad for Edwin and the Team. Also, the Euro Cup was dominated by others. In the end, Edwin could win the final round in Bettborn, Luxembourg, but the title also went to Willem Veldhuizen and Hover-Track Bits N Pieces. The 3rd place in the final round also brought Edwin the 3rd place in the Euro Cup point standings.
