The huge machines really flattened the ground at the Tractor Pulling Cup: there were more participants than ever before in the international competition in Hajdúböszörmény this year, where 22 teams from European countries arrived this weekend.
The competition is part of the annual exhibition and fair presenting the economy of Hajdúság, which, in addition to the presentation of the companies, also includes an Eastern Hungarian agricultural forum.
After Friday afternoon's tractor carnival and parade sufficiently set the mood and spread the word about the Hajdú International Tractor Pulling Competition on the Hajdúböszörmény boulevard, the two-day cup began on Saturday morning.
The stands were already full early on despite the hot sun, and until the arrival of the planes, many people found a cooling shelter at the tents, filled with pints for the competition that was part of the weekend event, in which they were looking for the most beautiful beer belly in Hajdúböszörmény.
The sound of the helicopter zigzagging wildly over the tractor pulling track, the roaring rock music and the festival atmosphere already made the audience sufficiently excited.
Mayor Attila Kiss said in his welcome speech that the tractor pulling competition is unique in Hungary and is only organized in Western Europe and the United States. However, Hajdúböszörmény, which has been famous for its agriculture for centuries, has been organizing the cup regularly for twenty-three years now.
László Ficsor, the president of the tractor pulling association, recalled the antecedents of the competition after seeing the three heavy modified monsters. He said that the people of Böszörmény have been building the foundations of the event since 2003, but a Dutch cup 12 years ago gave the impetus to bring a similar competition to the city.
- The good reputation and power of Hajdúböszörmény is shown by the three competition tractors lined up, because the Italian and Dutch champions traveled thousands of kilometers to participate in the cup. The agricultural miracles with almost ten thousand horsepower are among the eight best irons in Europe, the president introduced the audience.
László Ficsor announced: closer cooperation with foreign partners is planned so that the tradition of tractor pulling moves even more towards our country.
He predicted: one of the goals of the association is for the Hajdú Tractor Pulling Competition to become a member of the Hungarian Motorsport Association, because - as he put it - tractor pulling has a serious right to exist, since the Formula 1 of agriculture is the strongest motorsport in the world.
After that, the ground beneath the tractors trembled, as if sensing the force it would soon face as the tires of the huge implements dug their furrows into it. Meanwhile, the weight bench brought from Italy was already red in color, ominously waiting for the competitors to drag it one by one over the 100-meter distance. Completing this task is called a full pull in competition.
This is not easy, as the load is not immediately transferred to the tractors: the bench gradually clings to the ground, posing an increasing challenge to the machines, and especially to the person sitting in the cab of the vehicle.
Tractors played the main role during the weekend, but an agricultural forum was also held.
According to deputy mayor István Sőrés (Fidesz-KDNP), this is of great importance, since Hajdúböszörmény is the region with the second largest agricultural area in the country. The city's top 10 taxpayers include three significant agricultural enterprises, he added.
At the forum, the experts discussed in separate sections the problems of the pig and poultry sectors, crop cultivation and mechanization, vocational training, and the industrial development of Hajdúság, with particular regard to the role of research and development.
MTI
