Valtra released its main arsenal in motor sports on Thursday, 17 May 2001 at the Kart’in Club in Helsinki. The Finnish company is part of the Partek Group, and is focused on two events, the European Tractor Pulling season and the racing world cup series. Now the Valtra Shell Pulling Team has also invited the most brilliant stars in the racing world, Tommi Mäkinen and Marcus Grönholm, to their launching event for the 2001 season.
"Partek has some world-leading brands, such as Hiab, Valmet, Kalmar and Valtra," says Carl-Gustaf Bergström, Partek’s Vice President and Valtra’s Chairman of the Board. "We are looking for brand visibility, and pulling and racing fit Valtra’s image perfectly. After all, both Mäkinen and Grönholm are farmers who drive Valtras," stated Bergström during the press conference.
Marketing director Arto Tiitinen introduced an experienced pulling team that included Pekka, Johanna and Matti Herlevi. They will be competing in the prostock class, which consists mainly of stock tractors.
"Prostock is the best class for Valtra, because we can use the maximum number of stock tractor components in this class. Due to the fact that the engine power in this class rises up to 1,300 horse power, one race is equivalent to several years of heavy use. Working in the competitions rapidly brings valuable information to our product development. We have achieved significant improvements in our diesel engine and in the electronically controlled HiTech power transmission," says Valtra’s Marketing Director Tiitinen.
Tiitinen feels that the coming season will be very interesting, because the competing manufacturers with their own engines and power transmissions have set their sights on prostock. This is why he is a man of few words when it comes to the improvements made to their racing engines. All three racing tractors are based on the 200 horse power Valtra 8950 model. They have HiTech power transmissions, which allow gear changes at the touch of a button while driving, similar to Formula 1 cars. The prostock class only allows one turbocharger, but even with the help of this, the capacity of the 7.4-litre diesel engine rises to almost 1,300 horse power at 6,000 RPM. Last year, the Valtra threesome was invincible – the team won the gold, silver, and bronze. Long traditions in racing:
Co-operation with Tommi Mäkinen started in the middle of the 1980’s, when Tommi won several Finnish championships in ploughing. Valtra was there to support the enthusiastic racer from the very beginning. Now Tommi participates in the Valtra development team for new tractors as a special expert – and as a farmer.
"When I returned from Argentina, I jumped behind the wheel of a forest machine, and weekends I would use the cultivator plough with the Valtra," says Tommi. "That’s enough to keep the worries of the world far away. The tractor business is something I was born into, and every once in a while I think of something to improve and develop."
As early as the beginning of the 1990’s, Valtra also noticed the skills of this young farmer from Inkoo who had risen to the Finnish championship series. Seamless co-operation has continued ever since.
Valtra has come to be known as the "cult tractor" of the racing world. Juha Kankkunen has been involved in PR work since 1988. Ari Vatanen has made the Finnish tractor known in France. When Carlos Sainz experienced difficulties in the middle of the 1990’s, Kankkunen and Mäkinen suggested that he buy a Valtra. And Sainz did acquire a farm and a Valtra in 1997!
The legendary Mitsubishi crew chief Andrew Cowan also acquired a Valtra for his farm.
"The visibility gained through the winners of both the world championship series and tractor pulling makes the Valtra brand even more desired," summarises Arto Tiitinen.
Additional information:
Arto Tiitinen, tel. 0400 343 290
