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De 16. Oktober as d’Roude Léiw Team vun der Gemeng Viichten fir d’sportlich Leeschtung vun desem Joer geéiert gin.

A great season for our team has finished!

Like every year, we had no chance while competing the Bettborn event.
This year, we managed to have a rather good first run, but suddenly the killswitch was activated for any reason. Our pull was stopped just before the full pull at 96,30m.

We were allowed by the ETPC to come back, but as it is very tricky to keep balance on this much too heavy track during the first 20 meters, unfortunately balance was lost this time very early and it got a difficult job to keep the tractor between the lines. Our second run was stopped at 89,61m. So no pull off for us and the worst result for this season! Think we are familiar to do so at home :-)

Nevertheless, we got a really great support from our fans out there! THANK YOU!

The most disappointing fact for the Roude Léiw Team was that hundreds of fans and spectators from Luxembourg, and even from abroad were complaining in the pits that we had to start at 9.30 in the morning this year. Most of them were displeased to have missed our pulls on our "home" event..........

Encouraged from all these people, we decided to ask for a possibility to do one show pull for them and for our sponsors between the 4,5t modified and the Super Stocks. Unfortunately it was not possible to get a suitable sled setting........

Thanks to the LTPF for their support during this season.

Think we will have a big party somewhere, sometime!

We are very happy regarding our performance on the European Championship in Bakel.
16 top tractors throughout Europe were qualified to compete the 2,5t modified class. Unfortunalely a first battle started on the ntto weightbridge. They confirmed us that our tractor was too heavy and that their weightbridge was ok. So no way for us to compete with the same balance as we did the whole year. We had to take off all weight, the starter and as much engine oil as we could afford. It was very disappointed that nearly all other trators had exactly the same problem. Even ntto tractors had to change drivers in order to pass the weightbridge…..We think that’s not the way this problem should be handled in the 2,5t modified class.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mO2iYctvFxE

Anyway, a nice battle started on the track. Together with 9 other tractors we could qualify for the pull off. Green Spirit, the new Eurocup Champion 2009, pulled a good distance of 89,47m. Black Power increased to 90,39m. Then the new Double Screamin put down an unbeatable distance of 98,23m. We had no perfect pull off run, but with 86,80m we finished on the 5th place and confirmed our performance of this season. Finally Herbie managed to pass us with 87,56m.

Results: www.tractorpulling.com/EuropeanChampionship/resultsbakelsunday2009.htm

Now a lot of work is waiting to be done this week in order to prepare the tractor for our home event in Bettborn.

At the moment we are preparing our junior for the European Championship held on the 12&13 september in Bakel (NL). We will compete in the 2,5t modified class which will be battled on Sunday. If we can manage to find balance on that track, a good result should be possible.
For more detail information please look at: http://www.tractorpullingbakel.nl/

We also won the 2,5t mod class on sunday!

We won the 2,5t mod saturday evening session in Bouconville!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhQ8m2o6l_M

For the first time in the history of the Roude Léiw Team we are winner of a Championship!
Although we choose completely wrong air pressure and drawbar settings on the last game in Edewecht, our performance during the first four races were good enough to be winner of the 2,5t modified German Championship 2009!
We are really proud to be on the top with a 100% selfmade tractor.
Thanks to all the people and sponsors who supported us during the last years!
On the next pull in Bouconville (F) we will try to test some new parts and settings.

Again we managed to take the win in the 2,5t modified class!
Although we made less rpm in Krumbach than on the last couple of events, a perfect running engine made it finally possible to get a full pull. Additionnaly our new brake system made it much more easier to keep the tractor on track. The second place was for IsotovII with 98,49m, followed by Le coiffeurVI  98,18m.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JMG_jjx2AhE&feature=related

Hassmoor 2009:  great weather, a really crowded pulling arena with enthusiastic spectators, and a victory in the 2,5t modified class!

It was a perfect weekend for our team, but we had to work hard to take the win. In the first run I was too careful and pulled a distance of 99,8m. Thus we had to go for a second attempt.
With a great running engine we could do a very impressive run and it was no problem to qualify for the pull off. Green Monster opend the pull off with a distance of 85,28m. Le coiffeur VI was back again and pulled 85,20m. Now our strategy was very simple: all or none! The junior hooked well and made an impressive run to the winning distance of 93,73m! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iAc7edeE1ts

Finally I got the badly damaged chassis repaired just in time! The engine is still sitting distorted on the chassis, but the alignement of the driveline is again ok so far. Nevertheless a new chassis has to be build next winter…..

Despite bad track conditions, we managed to put enough power down on the track to qualify rather easy for the pull off. Our Curtiss Wright engine was running very strong!

We took a 1st place with some 8 m advance on IsotovII !!

It was really a great pleasure for us to pull in Füchtorf last weekend! It will be difficult for other promotors across Europe to outclass this top-event. Our compliments to the Green Monster Team!
Obviously, the changes we made last winter on our Curtiss Wright engine worked very well. The engine ran better than during last season and has a little bit more power. But again, big problems to put his power onto the ground. With only 5 kg of movable weight left, it is hard to find balance on different tracks.
We managed to get a full with a lowered drawbar. For the pull off I decided to change this setting to the maximum allowed, an to pull the first 20 meters with less engine rpm. No good idea, the tractor got very difficult to control and this run ended up in a desaster.
Please see the pictures or the video Teil 1 on http://www.tractor-pulling.de/videos.htm
The chassis and drawbar got damaged badly. No weld seam broke off, but the very strong drawbar attachement was bend sideways! Even my helmet got several dents on each side……
Although we managed to finish on a 5th place.

I don’t know if I can fix everything for the next event on the 17 may in Seifertshofen……we’ll see.

Unfortunately a heavy sled setting in the 3,5t mod made it difficult for all the 2,5t mod teams to show good pulls on the Weseke track.
Our pull was stopped only at some 30m when suddenly the kill-switch was pulled! Seems that new parts of the electronic control system on the sledge activated our kill switch automatically. I was told that during the event the same happened with other tractors. We were offered to pull again on last position, but due to a cracked fuel tank we did not want to take any risks and preferred to go back to the pits.

Finally things are coming together! A lot of winter-work has been done. The junior will  be ready just in time to make a test run next Sunday in Weseke. I am very curious to see how the new engine settings will work……This season our Team will concentrate in running the german championship only. Some problems made it unpossible to subscribe for the 2009 Eurocup Circuit.