Pinnacle Motorsports brought truck and tractor pulling back to Yorkton for the first time in awhile.
Ken Beauchemin who operates Pinnacle Motorsports observes that it's been 20 years since the competition was held here last. "I believe we brought her back in pretty great style," Beauchemin adds.
The show featured 25 pulling vehicles each of the two nights. Judging by their response, Beauchemin thinks the capacity crowds really enjoyed what they'd been missing for a long time. "I think we're here to stay," he predicts.
The competition began with the antique tractors which encountered some difficulty early Friday evening. The rain mid week created some difficulty pulling the sled.
Once the problem was corrected, the show continued.
Two classes of diesel pick-up trucks include the street modified class and the unlimited diesel class.
Highway tractors and the unlimited super modified tractors rounded out the show.
Beauchemin who won his class on Boss Blue, an unlimited super modified tractor, claims he's only come second once in his entire career on that machine, having won every other pull in his 34 year career.
He estimates this win probably cost him about $25,000 as he smashed the motor on Boss Blue. Given the strain put on his tractors, it's impossible to avoid breakdowns, Beauchemin points out.
He designs, builds, paints and does the body work on all his vehicles, Beauchemin claims. "My vehicles are totally built by myself and my helpers," he says.
The Dirt Wrangler, Beauchemin's other tractor placed second.
He believes everybody who attended the show enjoyed what they watched and he promises to return.
Monty Getz from MacLean, Saskatchewan was one of two drivers from Saskatchewan competing at the tractor pull competition. Getz was entered in the stock semi class, campaigning a 2008 Volvo with a 485 horsepower motor, automated transmission and supersingle tires.
Getz, who started in the sport 25 years ago, recently returned to pulling after a lengthy hiatus. His first competition was in Yorkton the first year he got his driver's licence. On returning to the sport he opted to compete in the semi class with his regular highway tractor that he uses for work every day. "I figured why not play with it? It ain't any harder work on it doing this than what I do everyday with it," he suggests.
The object of a pulling competition is to go as far as one can pulling the big, heavy sled, Getz explains.
"The further you go, the heavier it gets, the more drag it (the sled) puts on the ground until you just can't move it anymore," he elaborates.
It was his first run on returning to pulling. He was quite satisfied with his performance in a stock highway tractor. His pull of about 230 feet wasn't far behind the super modifieds.
He enjoys the noise, the challenge and the people involved in the sport. "Everybody works together. It's not a full out competition. Everybody helps everybody," Getz closes.
