Tractor Girl completes polar epic

Manon Ossevoort has completed her polar adventure, returning to base camp after successfully driving a tractor to the geographic South Pole

Dutch adventurer Manon 'Tractor Girl' Ossevoort has successfully returned to Russia's Novo Station on the Antarctic coast, after driving a Massey Ferguson MF 5610 tractor from the remote base to the geographic South Pole and back.

Ossevoort and her support team took 28 days to complete the punishing Antarctica2 polar epic, which recreated the journey undertaken by Kiwi adventurer Sir Edmund Hillary in 1958.

Successfully completing the 5000 kilometre journey is the realisation of a 12-year dream for 38-year-old Ossevoort, who had previously driven a tractor from her home in the Netherlands to South Africa.

Ossevoort and her team reached the geographic South Pole on December 9, before retracing their steps to Novo Station.

The Massey Ferguson MF 5610 withstood some of the most inhospitable conditions on the planet in completing the journey, which saw it clock up 760 hours of operation.

Campbell Scott, Massey Ferguson Director Sales Engineering and Brand Development, said Ossevoort and her team had achieved a remarkable feat.

"We send our warmest congratulations to Manon Ossevoort and the Antarctica2 crew on their magnificent achievement," he said.

"They have shown extraordinary teamwork and fortitude on this epic trip.

"In one of the most barren places on earth, we hope that the Antarctica2 expedition has served to highlight to a non-agricultural audience the way farmers are rising to the challenge of feeding the world. Modern farm equipment and appropriate technology can help make the most of the world’s cultivable land and create sustainable farm business for our long-term food security."

The Antarctica2 MF 5610 expedition tractor will now be displayed at the upcoming SIMA Show in Paris, France, over February 22-26.

Tractor Girl completes polar epic

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