British champion tractor puller Ewan Cameron is expecting a tough tussle as the high octane sport rolls into Courier Country and onto home turf at the Angus show.
And the five-time champ is hopeful the exciting spectacle may draw the crowds as local rivals do battle in a brace of sessions where Scottish and British championship points could be decided by the smallest of margins.
Letham-based agricultural engineer Ewan is the man with the target on his back in the ultra-competitive Superfarm class after last year re-writing the history books with his third consecutive British title – landed by a single point in a nailbiting finale.
His Smokey II machine is already proving the one to beat in 2017 with two wins from two events, but Courier Country rivals Martin Ross, Drew Allan and Jim Wilson will be gunning for him in two sessions on Friday evening and Saturday afternoon as part of the wider offering of the popular annual event at Brechin Castle showground.
Fresh from a victorious 750-mile round trip to the latest round at Shrewsbury, Ewan said: “Brechin’s always a bit of a grudge match for us local guys, with everyone wanting to do well.
“For the first time ever the Angus Show is also a round for British points so it should be pretty hard fought and that could be a great thing for the crowds to see.”
With other classes competing, including a debut for the twin Rolls Royce-engined Gator machine of Jim Whitecross and Suzanne Fairweather from Laurencekirk, Ewan said the action should come thick and fast.
“Brechin is a fantastic track but we certainly don’t want any more rain – squidgy fields and tractor pulling don’t go well together.
“At the last round one of the classes was decided by just 42 millimetres over a 90-metre track, so it can get pretty exciting,” he added.
“The competitors also don;t have time to hang about – there’s a three-minute rule and if you’re not on there for your pull then you’re out, so it’s quite hard going for us, but hopefully exciting for the spectators.”
