The winner of the tractor tournament which held on June 4 for the first time in 15 years of history did not become a representative from Rostov region. Don agrarians until this day, holding the leadership in tractor races, could not resist the experience and the will to win of a farmer from the Stavropol region.
The promise to make the sports track of the jubilee tractor competitions as difficult and extreme as possible was kept by the organizers. The machine operators and their equipment were checked for strength by fire, water, high-speed sections. In the first stages of the race 5 tractors came down. Spectators could see coups, broken wheels and stalled motor from overload. The tractor drivers got out of the cabins of the cars which lying on the ground, they greeted the audience, as if apologizing for the annoying mistake. Their technique was evacuated and the race continued again. Often the track was left by experienced rural racers — favorites.
Risky tests equalized the chances of beginners and venerable tractor drivers. The total length of the route has been increased up to 15 km and individual stages up to 2.5 km. Instead of two circles were three, moreover with a dilemma of a choice of their order. Along with the usual pair arrivals, there were starts for three and four arrivals as well. Tractor battle took place under the scorching sun in front of 40 thousand spectators. Four of the best machine drivers came to the final stages. Peter Vydrenko confidently winning in two races took away «bronze» from the veteran of the race — Melkon Hochkiyan in the fight for the third place. The culmination of the tractor tournament was the Super Final.
The favorite race Ali Akhmetov who was two-time champion Bizon-Track-Show (2015, 2016) and an athlete who still did not show high results — Yuri Arkhiptsev fought for the first and second place. The race for 2 laps with the change of tracks, 1.3 km. If you want to win, you need to come twice to the finish line first. To complicate the task, one of the water obstacles was abundantly flavored with foam.
The first lap-forward broke out Akhmetov. He kept the lead for most part of distance. However, after the foamy ford, the initiative was unexpectedly intercepted by Arkhiptsev and never lost it until the finish. The second lap — trying to take revenge, Akhmetov is again ahead! And yet, to overcome water obstacles, his tractor suddenly left to the side and stopped. The racer accelerated in seconds. But time is lost and Yuri Arkhiptsev again crossed the finish line first. 2:0.On the top of the podium — a farmer from the Stavropol region. -The windshield wipers stopped working, -Ali Akhmetov explained. — After overcoming the water obstacle the review was limited, I lost the track and drove the turn. — A very difficult victory, difficult rivals, but the route was interesting, — said Yuri Arkhiptsev. — I’m playing for the seventh time and never made my way to the top three. Only one time the fifth came. But today — such a success! Every year I bring something new to the tractor. And he did not disappoint me!
Three of the best riders were awarded to the tractors, for the fourth place was given to the harrow. The main prizes for the agrarians were provided by the Government of the Rostov region. Interesting, whether the Don machine operators will be able to return the title of the Champion of tractor competitions, we find out on the Bizon-Track-Show 2018. To be continued…
Tournament table
| Place | Driver | Farmer | Experience |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yuri Arkhiptsev | IE Arkhiptsev,Kirovskiyi area, Stavropol region | 7 years |
| 2 | Ali Akhmetov | CJSC name of Lenin, Veselovskiyi area, Rostov region | 10 years |
| 3 | Petr Vydrenko | CJSC name of Lenin, Cimlyanskiyi area, Rostov region | 4 years |
| 4 | Melkon Hochkiyan | Farm name of Myasnikyana, Myasnikovskyi area, Rostov region | 14 years |
