Tractor Girl conquers polar epic

Manon 'Tractor Girl' Ossevoort and her team have successfully reached the South Pole with a Massey Ferguson tractor

A Dutch woman has successfully recreated Sir Edmund Hillary's 1958 feat of journeying to the South Pole by tractor, with Manon 'Tractor Girl' Ossevoort and her team reaching their destination on December 9, some two-and-a-half weeks after setting out from Russia's Novolazarevskaya Station.

As previously reported by trucksales.com.au, Ossevoort's Antarctica2 mission set out to retrace the steps of Kiwi adventurer Hillary, who led the first mechanised expedition to the South Pole with a fleet of Ferguson TE20 tractors some 56 years ago.

Ossevoort used an MF 5610 tractor that had been specially prepped for the chilly expedition by Massey Ferguson engineers at the firm's Beauvais plant in France. Powered by a three-cylinder 110hp engine, the tractor runs on Jet A1 fuel and has been fitted with Trelleborg tyres, while a modified version of AGCO's AgCommandTM telematics system has allowed the vehicle's progress and systems to be monitored remotely by a specialist team back in France.

The feat was assisted by two customised Toyota HiLux expedition vehicles – one a 4x4 and one a 6x6 – and a highly skilled support team.

The Antarctica2 team reached the South Pole in high spirits, and immediately relayed news of its success back to Europe.

"After 17 days and 2500 kilometres, we are at a red-and-white striped pole with a reflective ball on top, surrounded by flags," the team announced.

"This is South 90 – as far south as anybody can go. It's unbelievable – at the South Pole there is a red Massey Ferguson tractor! We're all ecstatic to be here and so proud to be taking our hero shots with the tractor that never gave us cause to doubt that it would be up for the challenge."

Reaching the South Pole represents the realisation of yet another dream for Ossevoort, who has also previously driven a tractor 38,000 kilometres from the Netherlands to South Africa. The 38-year-old was thrilled to reach her latest, somewhat frostier, destination.

"Wow, I've made it!" she exclaimed on reaching the pole.

"It's such a beautiful feeling and I’m so grateful to Massey Ferguson to have made this possible. It's such a huge dream come true. To have dreams is beautiful but to see them realised is the most extraordinary feeling."

In the 17 days it took the team to reach the pole it experienced some incredibly tough conditions. Temperatures plummeted to minus 56 degrees C (with wind chill) as the team crossed the Gabienz Mountains at 3400 metres, while at another point communications were temporarily lost during a fierce solar storm.

The expedition negotiated crevasses, steep climbs and sastrugi (solid ice waves of up to a metre in height), the Massey Ferguson running for 23 hours or more at a time and only stopping for routine maintenance and driver changeovers. The team says the tractor has proven equal to the challenge, taking the inhospitable environment in its stride.

The Vice President and Managing Director of Massey Ferguson, Europe/Africa/Middle East, Richard Markwell, was elated to receive news of the team's success.

"We were gripped by Antarctica2's adventure across the ice and over some of the roughest terrain on the planet," he said.

"Congratulations to the whole team. It's an immensely proud moment for Massey Ferguson and everyone associated with our farm machinery. As a great example of Massey Ferguson's straightforward dependability, our tractor had a job to do and it delivered on all fronts."

After a rest day at the South Pole, the Antarctica2 team is now retracing its route back to the Antarctic coast. It hopes to return to Novolazarevskaya Station by Christmas.

Visit www.antarcticatwo.com to check on the team's progress, and check out the clip below to see Ossevoort's emotional arrival at the South Pole.

Tractor Girl conquers polar epic

Tags