Why Scotland is going full throttle for tractor sports

The Herald Scotland

3 days ago

Early roots
MHAIRI grew up under the watchful eye of her dad Ewan Cameron, an agricultural engineer whose five British championship titles between 2003 and 2019 set the bar high.
'Dad started in a Fordson Major in 2003, then Smokey II came along in 2005. He drove it to five British titles – three of those back to back,' she said.
She would help in the family workshop from an early age, handing tools to her dad as he tweaked carburettors or re jetted the turbo. She explained: 'You've got to understand the machine inside out if you want it to perform – the drag can achieve the equivalent of 100t.'
Passing the helmet
WHEN she turned 17, Mhairi officially took over Smokey II. 'I should have started at 16, but lockdown held everything up,' she said. Since then, she's finished third in the British championship every year.
'It's getting tougher as teams are putting more money into tractors,' she added. 'We run on standard Shell V Power diesel. We tried race fuels but found they corroded the fuel pump if it was left in.'
Under the hood sits a 6.6 litre six cylinder Ford engine, breathing through a custom-built turbo. A TW gearbox transfers torque to a 97/TW rear end, all Ford made parts. Over winter, the Camerons re jigged the intercooler for better airflow and installed a higher flow turbo. 'We skipped Scorton this spring rather than haul 300 miles and risk testing new parts under pressure,' said Mhairi.
At BA Stores in Aberdeenshire in late June, wet Friday conditions meant no grip off the line. 'I just couldn't get traction – these conditions are out of our control though,' she recalled.
Saturday brought a drier track and a podium finish. 'We placed third, and I was chuffed. It shows our winter changes work.'
(Image: Rob Haining)
A tight knitted crew
IT'S a true family operation. Ewan drives their 2012 Iveco articulated lorry, which doubles as a mobile workshop and living area when at events. Mhairi's brother James, 30, assists with mechanics; sister Anna, 24, handles track side logistics; and mum Wendy sorts logistics, meals and morale. Family friend Eric Robertson has engineered the most recent clutch and helped for the past five years.
'We're up at dawn on event days, prepping, checking tyre pressures, topping up,' said Mhairi. 'Between events, the tractor might never leave the transport lorry. We'll inspect seals and look for leaks. Prevention is better than cure when you're on the track.'
Off season and between events, Mhairi works at a neighbouring arable farm. She's on her way to getting a shot of driving the combine harvester this year.
Bringing in the next generation
MHAIRI is passionately committed to widening the sport's appeal. At Brechin – her favourite venue – the public can wander right up to Smokey II in the pits. 'Kids see the tractors up close and their eyes light up,' she said.
'They run 'garden pullers' for ages 8-12 on ride on mowers, limited to 350kg. From age 12, they graduate to 600 kg compact diesels – think car engines in little tractor frames.'
She's clear about the barriers newcomers face. 'People look at the cost – frames, engines – and bail before they even begin. But you can start small, learn the ropes, and build up. The community's welcoming – there's always someone ready to help you out.'
As the lone woman in Scotland's pulling circuit, Mhairi encounters occasional underestimates. 'Often people judge you initially but when they see you out on the track, they realise it doesn't really make any odds that you're a woman,' she admitted.
She hopes her presence will encourage more women to suit up. 'We need diversity out here. I think more people, including women, need to be introduced to the sport. Women, men, kids – it's all about the tractor in the end.'
Tech on the horizon
LOOKING ahead, Mhairi expects tractor pulling to embrace advanced analytics: 'In the future, I see the sport including a lot more data handling and technology being used to identify issues sooner and workout where things need improvement. It will make it a lot more competitive and allow more people to attend the events,' she said.
Xtreme Force
KEVIN Carnegie's foray into tractor pulling is rooted in a lifetime of farming and family enterprise. 'I left school at 16 and went to Elmwood College in 1986 to study agriculture,' he recalled.
'When I left college, I went and worked on the family farm under the DM Carnegie name, based here at Brechin.'
By 21, Kevin had secured his HGV licence and spent five years driving a fuel tanker for the family firm, Carnegie Fuels. 'Then, at the age of 25, I took on the running of Carnegie Fuels. At the start we only had two lorries delivering fuel and today we have 13. We also run Carnegie Transport and farm 40 pedigree Highland cows, with around 120 in total including youngstock at Balrownie Farm.'
His passion for tractor pulling grew over two decades, but everything changed in 2018. He said: 'I knew of a tractor for sale in Holland which we now call Xtreme Force – originally it was called Red Impact. In my first season with Xtreme Force in 2019, I ended up winning the British Super Sport 4.5 tonne Championship, so we were off to an absolute flyer.'
Under Kevin's guidance and with performance tweaks, Xtreme Force became a powerhouse. 'My son Ryan now drives that tractor and this will be his third season. Last year, Ryan was 2024 Super Sport British Champion with Xtreme Force so we have had good success with it.'
Introducing Xtreme Green
THE team's second machine, Xtreme Green, competes in the Pro Stock category. 'We purchased it in December 2022 from Holland – originally it was called Neighbours Nightmare,' explained Kevin. 'I was crowned British Pro Stock Champion with it in my first season in 2023,' he added.
The tractor pulling season typically kicks off in May and wraps up at the end of August. At the most recent BA Sports Scottish Championship Tractor Pull in late June, the team put in a staggering effort. During the first British championship points round at Scorton, Kevin put a conrod through the engine block and, alongside his crew, tore down, rebuilt and reassembled the engine in just 28 hours.
'We only had around five hours' sleep that night,' he laughed, 'but by Friday afternoon we were up and running again, competing that evening.'
Operating under the banner of the Xtreme Tractor Pulling Team, Kevin's right hand man is his son Ryan: 'Ryan is heavily involved in day to day running of Carnegie Fuels and I'm more in the background assisting him. We both drive the tractors.'
Youngest son Dylan (26) also plays a vital role, 'helping to get the tractors ready on the day of pull events'.
Martin Ross of Ross Agri Services Ltd, a long time fixture in the sport and director of both the British Tractor Pulling Association (BTPA) and the Scottish Tractor Pullers Club (STPC), has been 'a big part of my success' by sharing technical know how.
Bruce Birnie serves as head mechanic, while mechanics Ryan Irvine, Rhys Bailey and John Allison keep the machines in peak condition.
Long time Carnegie Fuels driver Alan Adam doubles as a mechanic and tyre pressure guru.
'Even with the sun, tyre pressures change, Alan also takes the sledge to the events with our articulated lorries under the name Carnegie Transport.'
Between the pulls
MAINTENANCE between pulls is a finely-tuned ritual. 'Depending on how the tractor performs, we may need to replace parts, most of which come from Holland,' said Kevin.
Each between pull service involves topping up fuel, refilling the water injection tank and intercooler with 100 litres of cool water, and changing three to four litres of engine oil – a process that takes around 30 minutes.
On Xtreme Green, which features unlimited RPM, engine over revving is a constant risk, as with any pulling tractor. After every pull, Kevin emphasised: 'We take off the oil filter to check for metal filings. If I find any, that's game over for the day.'
How far it's come
'EVERY year the sport develops,' Kevin reflected. 'This is our seventh season with Xtreme Force and that tractor probably produces 400-500hp more than when we started, but everyone's doing the same. We're limited only by litre capacity – how you tune the tractor, the size of the turbo, tyre pressures, weight distribution… those are the secrets.'
Track conditions add another layer of complexity: clay circuits are watered and rolled to be hard yet pliable, with no pulling allowed in rain. Events often span two days to accommodate weather delays, but 'we go there with the intention of winning the British Championship'.
A real community
TRACTOR pulling thrives on camaraderie. 'The Scottish Club, run by Martin Ross and Alex Rearie, is very approachable and keen to encourage new entrants,' Kevin noted.
'While it's fierce competition on the track, everyone helps each other off it. The more competitors we have, the sweeter the win.'
He praises Martin's ambassadorial role and believes the sport has a 'great family feel' – an outlook echoed by every team member who pitches in.
Jim Whitecross caught the bug for tractor pulling back in 2016 when he and partner Suzanne attended the Eurocup finals at Great Eccleston. What started as a day out quickly became a life-changing obsession.
'I'm no engineer on paper, but I've been modifying things all my life – cars, motorbikes, quads, you name it,' said Jim.
'That's what drew me in – this sport is very much about modifying.'
By the time they'd driven home, he was hooked. 'We had to give this a go,' he recalled.
With nothing suitable for sale in the UK, he spotted a listing in Denmark. 'Within a month of spectating, we were on our way to Denmark to buy our first tractor.'
The tractor had 2 RR meteor engines running on alcohol, so Suzanne named it Gator, after Burt Reynolds' moonshine-running character in the film of the same name.
From 2016 to 2021, Jim developed Gator, changing the fuel and ignition systems and gradually improving performance. His efforts paid off as he and Suzanne won the British Championship title at the end of the 2021 season.
From tanks to turbines
HIS current machine, Gator 2 Lynx Edition, runs in the Light Modified class. 'They call it 'light' based on weight, not modification,' Jim explained. 'There are three categories: Light Modified (2500-2700kg), Modified (3500-3700kg), and Heavy Modified (4000kg). Some of the heavy modifieds can generate over 10,000hp.'
After their 2021 championship win, Jim sold off the old tractor – much of it went to Germany – and began his most ambitious project yet: building a turbine-powered tractor from scratch.
'When I first decided to build a jet engine tractor, I knew I wanted four engines, though I hadn't even picked which ones yet,' he said. 'Everything on this build is bespoke. I did all the drawings and calculations myself.'
The result: four Rolls-Royce Gem turboshaft engines, originally developed for the Westland Lynx helicopter in the 1970s until decommissioned in 2019. The four engines are linked through two custom-designed gearboxes. The gearboxes components were manufactured by Ross Agri Services and Philip Engineering machined the gearbox casings based on Jim's own specs and drawings.
'I sourced the engines from Harry at Jet Engine Trader in Derbyshire,' he explained. Once the military decommission an aircraft they sell off the spare engines. This gave Jim the chance to purchase engines which cost £1 million when new – reliability is key. 'And using Rolls-Royce engines doesn't get any better.'
Each engine weighs around 220kg. For safety, the turbines are encased in 30 layers of Kevlar, as mandated by the rulebook. 'It's the same material used in bulletproof vests. If anything goes wrong, the casing contains potential debris.'
It took Jim two-and-a-half years to complete Gator 2 Lynx Edition. 'I just don't understand why more people don't build something like this. Most people are gobsmacked when they see it, but for me it's just normal.'
Helping at the events are Jim's son Kevin; turbine specialist Marc Buchan who refurbishes jet engines professionally; and Rob Ingles and Harry Thomson, who handle all the electronics.
'Once a tractor is built, the next challenge is improving performance and reducing weight to create movable weight to improve balance,' Jim said.
Testing on track
HE describes 2024 as his 'training year', running the tractor at about 94% power while learning the start procedures. 'We're on a timer. Most tractors get three minutes from the nod from the track marshal to be hooked and ready to pull. Turbines get six, but we do it in just over three. We don't like the crowd waiting,' he added.
To streamline the process, Jim starts one engine in the pit and uses it to drive on to the track, then once hooked to the sledge he starts the other three. 'The day before the opening 2024 event at Scorton in Lancashire, none of the engines would start – turned out all the circuit boards were fried,' he recalled. 'I had a black-tie event that night. Once I got back late, I threw the boilersuit back on, and the next morning we set off early to Harry who made the boards, got them fixed, and made it to the event just in time.'
Once scrutineers gave the green light, Jim managed a couple of steady runs. 'There's no way to practise beforehand. We can't simulate the sledge – it's not like you can just drive this near 5000hp machine down the road!
'So the first time I drove the tractor was in front of the Scorton crowd.'
Surprisingly, he didn't have to put a spanner on the tractor all season.
'That's unheard of in this sport. Reliability-wise, it's been great.' Tyres last about two to three years, depending on wear. 'I sharpen them before every event – the treads are small to allow for high wheel-speed friction. If I used standard tractor tyres, I'd just shear the drivetrain.'
Much of the fabrication was done locally. Ross Agri Services produced components, and Philip Engineering in Elgin machined the gearbox casings. Tractor pulling may be a hobby, but it ties closely with Jim's family business.
'We love competing in Scotland – Brechin and BA Stores are favourites because we get to catch up with locals and customers,' said Jim, who runs Power Washing Services Ltd Laurencekirk alongside sister Liz. The business was started by their dad, Jack, in 1983.
Today Jim's children – Nick, Kevin and Rebecca and Liz's son Callum – are also involved.
Jet-fuelled ambitions
LOOKING ahead, Jim sees a bright future for the sport nationally, and with increased spectator numbers at every Scottish event, the Scottish Tractor Pullers Club events are the favourite ones on the calendar for most competitors.