A Northern Ireland farmer has won the European tractor drivers' crown, beating off tough competition from farmers representing 13 European countries.
Sam Graham, a farmer from Killinchy in County Down, beat off the competition from farmers and contractors to win the European Drivers' Championship 2017.
The event was organised jointly by John Deere and Michelin.
The runners-up were David Durand from France and Stefan Häkansson from Sweden.
The event was held at the Michelin Technical Innovation Centre Test Circuit in Ladoux, France, and saw farmers and contractors testing their skills behind the wheel of John Deere’s new 6250R tractor.
The test site is one of the world’s largest and has 19 test tracks with a total length of 41km (25½ miles).
Sam earned his place at the final after registering to take part online, and winning hundreds of votes to secure himself the chance to compete at an international level.
Master the challenges
To compete in the challenge each participant had to master the challenges of speed, manoeuvrability, fuel efficiency and soil protection by developing their own winning driving strategy for tasks that are typical for the daily work of a farmer or contractor.
The winner was the driver who adopted the best overall strategy, combining speed with the lowest possible fuel consumption and lowest soil compaction in the field.
Their skills were tested around a carefully constructed 18km long course where even the smallest mistake mattered.
“Winning the competition was a very pleasant surprise, taking into consideration the skill and effort we all put in,” said Sam Graham.
The range of tasks facing Sam and the other competitors in Ladoux was designed to represent the typical daily challenges that today’s farmers and contractors constantly face.
The European Drivers’ Championship took place on 14 June 2017.
