Sunday, August 21, 2005

Happy birthday dear Asha

Grandma and Grandpa in Oulu, Finland, have the greatest pleasure in wishing our dear granddaughter, Asha, on her 8th birthday, today.

It is sad that she could not come to Finland this year to spend a few days with us - but, we are sure, next year we will get to see her.

Here are set of birthday pictures of Asha - 1 to 7. (Sorry for the quality of some of the pictures - my bad!!)

Asha's 1st birthday 1998

Asha' s 1st birthday 1998, Birmingham, England


Asha, Chris and me - Asha's 3rd birthday 2000

Asha, Chris and me - Asha's 3rd birthday 2000, Oulu, Finland


Asha and Samu -  Asha's 4th birthday 2001

Asha and Samu - Asha's 4th birthday 2001, Oulu, Finland


Asha and Samu -  Asha's 6th birthday 2003

Asha and Samu - Asha's 6th birthday 2003, Oulu, Finland


Asha's 7th birthday 2004

Asha's 7th birthday 2004, Billinghay. England


Happy birthday Asha.

And here is a picture I stole from Susanna's blog of Asha on her 8th birthday!!

Asha's 8th birthday 2005

Asha's 8th birthday 2005, No food at the Chinese?

Sunday, August 14, 2005

Sad day for Indians in Finland

Yesterday was a sad day for us Indians in Finland when it was announced by the world governing body on athletics that India's discus thrower, Neelam Jaswant Singh (34), had tested positive for a banned drug during the 10th World Championships in Helsinki, Finland.

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has provisionally suspended Neelam. She tested positive for pemoline -- a CNS stimulant, from a sample taken during the preliminary round on August 7 2005.

She failed to qualiify for the finals as she only managed a throw of 56.70 m, far below her personal best of 64.55 which won her a gold medal in the 2002 Busan Asiad in South Korea.

Neelam has been provisionally suspended under IAAF rules pending a hearing before the relevant disciplinary tribunal of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). The sanction for a first-time violation for pemoline is a minimum of two years.

Neelam is NOT ONLY THE ONLY athlete to be tested positive in these games, but also the first to be tested positive in the World Championships!!

Just when we were rejoicing the good showing of Indian Anju Bobby George who came 5th in the Women's Long Jump, this was indeed sad news for us Indians in Finland.

Anju began with a bang and recorded 6.66 m in her very first attempt, her season's best effort. In her subsequent jumps, the world no 5 jumper recorded 6.59, 6.57 and 6.51 before wasting the fifth. In her last attempt, Anju, who had won bronze medal in 2003 World Championship in Paris - leapt 6.56. American teenager, Tianna Madison, won the title with a personal best of 6.89 metres. Madison, 19, who recorded the longest jump in qualifying, took the lead from Olympic bronze medallist Tatyana Kotova of Russia in the penultimate round. Kotova was second with 6.79 metres and France's defending champion, Eunice Barber, third with 6.76.

"Anju was born on April 19th, 1977 in Cheeranchira Kochuparambil family in Changanasseri, Kerala. her parents K.T. Markos and Gracy. She was initiated into athletics by her fathe. Interest was furthered by her trainer, Mr. Thomas, in Koruthode School.

Anju did her schooling in St. Anne's High School and CKM Koruthode School. She graduated from Vimala College. In the School Athletic meet in 1991-92, she came first in 100 m hurdles and relay and second in long jump and high jump events and became the women's champion. Anju's talent was noticed in the national schools games where she won third place in 100 m hurdles and 4x100 m relay. She was the Calicut University Champion during her college days.

She started as a Heptathlon athlete but she later began to concentrate on her jump events. She won long jump medal in the 1996 Delhi junior Asian championship. In 1999 Anju set the national record for triple jump in the Bangalore Federation Cup and Silver medal at the South Asian Federation Games in Nepal. In 2001 Anju bettered her own record in long jump to 6.74 m, her best till date in the National Circuit Meet at Thiruvananthapuram. In the same year she also won gold for triple jump and long jump in the Ludhiana National games.

Anju reigned supreme in her events in the Hyderabad National games also. Anju became the first Indian woman to win a bronze medal clearing 6.49 m at the Commonwealth Games at Manchester 2002. She also won the gold medal at the Busan Asian Games.

Anju was awarded the prestigious Arjuna Award in 2003 for eminent sports persons from the government of India after her success in the World Athletic meet.

Anju ranks 3rd in the world. Anju's jump from rank 61 in 2001 to rank 3rd in 2003 within a short span of two years, was one of hard work and planning. The credit for her success is shared with her husband and coach, Bobby George, who according to her was the biggest influence who helped her in realising her potential and achieving the goal.

Bobby who is a Mechanical Engineer and a former National Champion in Triple jump himself. He gave up his career to become a full time coach to Anju in 1998. He belongs to a prestigious sports family and is the younger brother of the famous Volley ball player Jimmy George. Anju and Bobby, realising that international exposure is essential for competing in world class events made necessary arrangements and trained with Mike Powell, a world record holder before the World Athletics meet which gave her valuable exposure in technique." (Data about Anju from WebIndia123.com.)

Yu Weili, team manager of the Chinese national team, said in Helsinki on Tuesday, that a total of 17 Chinese athletes out of the 34 competing in the 10th world athletics championships were tested for drugs. Blood tests were carried out on 10 athletes including all 9 walkers.

It should be noted that athletes from all the other countries and regions were also treated the same way. Helsinki has seen the most strict doping control in athletics history.

The Finns are very sensitive to doping since the scandal erupted at the Lahti Nordic World Skiing Championships in 2001. This is after the national shame caused by distance runner Martti Vainio, who was tested positivein Los Angeles Olympics in 1984.

The Martti Vainio case was historic, as was reported in
The Inside Dope, By Daniel Yi on Jul 01 '05
:

PRIOR TO THE 1984 ROTTERDAM MARATHON, Martti Vainio pumped his body full of anabolic steroids. These hormones went to his working muscles and caused them to produce a flood of protein. The extra protein allowed his body to run both faster and longer.

One of a group of accomplished distance runners known as the "Flying Finns," Vainio was also an incorrigible doper. By 1984, Vainio was using up to 27 different artificial supplements on any given day. He had also begun experimenting with various sex hormones, to great effect. The drugs helped Vainio hit his peak at 33, an age when most distance runners are declining. At Rotterdam, the benefit of Vainio's drug use was on full display as he cruised to an impressive third-place finish. Unfortunately for him, his doping was also easily detected, and he was nailed for using illegal steroids....

more....


Restoring credibility requires honesty and openness. The Finns have gone some way along this path and it is hoped that the Indsian authorities will clamp down hard on a practice which is abhorent. It does not matter whether the Indians win any medals, but let their competition at all levels be fair and above board.

Monday, August 08, 2005

Kampitie receives two more high profile visitors

Fellow Cathedralite / Stephanian, and dear family friend, Professor Ajeet Mathur, accompanied by Arne Nystedt, visited Kampitie.

Arne, who lives in Helsinki, has taken over a Managing Director of Aivoairut Oy, a company which was set up several years ago to expand knowledge.

Arne Nystedt in Oulu

Arne Nystedt in Oulu


What is `Aivoairut´ ?

We are an organisation in Scandinavian Europe with affiliates active in Finland, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Iceland, Germany, Holland, Belgium, Slovakia, India, Australia and Nepal. Our activities are strongest in Finland and India. In Finnish, the word `aivo´ is associated with brain-power, thinking and thought processes. The concept of an `airut´ (anchor) arises from harmony of birds in flight from the notion of an anchor-signaller in communications networks that link, connect, usher, herald and facilitate new thinking and new actions of navigation through the journey of life.

Aivoairut is a forum created for persons to come together around common, shared or complementary interests. It aims to foster new sources of value by promoting actions based on knowledge creation and to test thresholds of knowledge itself. Do you wish to discover the power of knowing what knowledge is of most worth to you, your family, your organisation ? Do you dare to disturb the universe (of information) to seek and manage knowledge ? How prepared are you and your organisation to manage new technologies or profit from new opportunities ? Does your internationalisation concern Finland or India ?


Annikki, Ajeet and another friend Teemu Torvelainen were the original promoters of Aivoairut Oy.

Arne, Annikki and Ajeet

Arne, Annikki and Ajeet


Arne greatly appreciated Annikki's creations in the Kampitie garden. It was his first, and hopefully not last, visit to see us in Oulu.

Arne is getting married in a few days. Annikki and I extend our warm greetings to him for the happy occasion and wish him and his fiancée a great life together.

Sunday, August 07, 2005

World Athletic Championships in Helsinki

The World Athletic Championships started in Helsinki yesterday. The highlight was the 10,000 metres for women. The Ethiopians swept the medals, with Tirunesh Dibaba coming in first with a time of 30:24.02 mins, Berhane Adere getting second place with a time of 30:25.41 mins and Ejegayehu Dibaba (Tirunesh's sister) coming in 3rd with a time of 30:26.00 mins. The fourth Ethiopian, Werknesh Kidane with a time of 30:32.47 mins came in sixth. It was an absolutely superb performace in the last 400 metres when the three Ethiopians left the rest of the field standing after the gruelling 9.6 km!!

The outstanding performance by walker Ecuadoran Jefferson Perez was also worth watching. Adam Nelson of the US won the shot putt with a throw of 21.73 metres. He was a great and amusing performer.

This was followed by the second part of the Opening Ceremony, the cultural programme. It started at 10:30 pm Finnish time. A maximum of 10 athletes per country was allowed to take part in the athletes march. Most had only a couple, while some had none and a Finnish representative carried the flag for them.

The Indian Contingent at Helsinki

The Indian Contingent at Helsinki


The event was MC:d by a Professor X in a Time Warp machine who visited all the major athletic World Championship sites.

The evening was, unfortunately, in pouring rain in the open air. But with true Finnish Sisu, the entire programme was carried through with a great band international performers doing their acts drenched to the skin. It was a tribute to all of them who did their acts as if the rain was part of the show. The light and fireworks effects were stunning, with the rain actually complementing the entire show.

Finland has been an introverted and arrogant country. Normally, the Finns ignore all others to satisfy themselves. They go first, unlike practice in civilised countries where the guests precede the host.

In this instance, however, I was very pleasantly surprised that the Finns behaved truly internationally. The Finnish representatives in the parade of athletes were the last to enter the stadium. The various winners of previous Gold Medals who came on the stage were from all around the world, not just Finnish Medal winners.

Most of the cultural programme was by artistes from outside of Finland. Lift off was the Finnish Leningrad Cowboys. It was sad to see their weird hairdos sort of lilting under the heavy rain, but they sang their number, Goldfinger, without any break.

The other performers included Laura Bono from Italy, Nemo (from Belgium?), three absolutely great lady drummers from Japan (sorry, but I missed the name of the group), and the Swedish Rednex country music group.

There was a song by Geir Rönning who represented Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest in 2005. An excellent Finnish group called Värttinä, consisting of three ladies, Susan Aho, Mari Kaasinen and Johanna Virtanen performed a special brand of Finnish music. The speed of the vocals is equal to or even faster than what one hears in rap. Annikki told me that this group (singers have obviously changed over the years) has been making this unique Finnish music for as many as 20 years!!

The Spanish Guitarist Vicente Amigo was amazing. The Greek popstar Helena Paparizo gave a rousing performance.

The other Finnish groups that performed were the heavy metal band, NIGHTWISH and APOCALYPTICA (Eicca Toppinen, Paavo Lotjonen, Perttu Kivilaakso).

The rain sort of cleared up near the end. But it did not matter for those of us who were able to sit and watch it on TV, feeling sorry for all those who had to brave the weather. They obviously must have seen something spectacular, as even on TV, although not as expensive as in other international events as the Olypics, it was a great show.

Thursday, August 04, 2005

VIP visits Kampitie Garden

Like Annikki, our son-in-law's mother, Maire Manninen, is also a extremely talented and creative artist.

Joanna and Tony are very busy redoing their house so that they can give parts of it on rent while Joanna is away in Newcastle. So they asked Maire to come to Oulu for a couple of days so that she could look after little Daniel and samuel while they got the work done. Tony's father is doing some work on the outskirts of Oulu.

Today morning, just as I returned from my walk, I was called out by Samuel who had come over with grandma Maire and little brother, Daniel. Maire had not seen the Kampitie garden, so Annikki was ready in a jiffy to show it to a fellow artist.

Samuel took some picture during the visit of the two doting grandmas, which I share with you here!!

He then spent the rest of the time hosing the garden, one of his greatest thrills as he gets himself drenched in the bargain!

(Click on the pictures to see a larger version)


The first picture shows our 8 year old's talent with the really bad digital camera. This fantastic shot shows that it is the creativity that really matters when photographing. He has inherited the artistic and creativity talents from both his grandmas.

Daniel and Maire in a twirl

Daniel and Maire in a twirl


A great shot of Maire captured by Samuel

Maire at Kampitie

Maire at Kampitie


And here are the grandmas with their younger grandson, Daniel.

Annikki, Maire and Daniel

Annikki, Maire and Daniel


Samuel caught Maire here in an expressive mood.

Expressive Maire

Expressive Maire


A poppy just opened in the greenhouse.

Newly opened poppy flower in the greenhouse

Newly opened poppy flower in the greenhouse


And here is an example of how Annikki took an old wheelbarrow of her late father and some stones and turned them into an art form.

Annikki's late father's wheelbarrow and some stones becomes an art form

Annikki's late father's wheelbarrow and
some stones becomes an art form


Annikki and Maire at the greenhouse.

Annikki and Maire



Maire and Annikki get Daniel ready to go home.

Maire and Annikki get Daniel ready to go home

Maire and Annikki get Daniel ready to go home


And I get a shot of Samuel ready to cycle home with Maire.

Samuel on his bicycle

Samuel on his bicycle


An altogether pleasant and enjoyable morning for both grandmas and this grandpa!!

Monday, August 01, 2005

Padma Shri Award to Rajen (exclusive pictures)


Rajen receiving the Padma Shree Award
from President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

In January of this year I blogged the great news of our cousin being awarded the Padma Shree. I am now able to give you the exclusive pictures of the event as they were sent to me directly by Rajen.

The President of India, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, conferred on Mammen Mathew (Kandathil, Stephanian, commonly known to all of us as Rajen, Rajenchayan) the PADMA SHREE Award.

This important news was announced on Republic Day at New Delhi.

Rajen studied journalism on the job at Bristol in Wales and then in the USA. In 2002 he received the rare honour of being appointed as a Reuters Trustee, the first Indian to be appointed to this position. He has been the Chairman of the Indian Section of the Commonwealth Press Union, President of the Indian Newspaper Society, and the Editors Guild of India, and has also been on the Press Council of India.

Today, he is the guiding spirit of the Malayala Manorama Newspapers Group, India's most outstanding newspaper and magazine publishing centre, founded by our greatgranduncle, Kandathil Varghese Mappillai, given shape by our grandfather K. C. Mammen Mappillai and then guided in turn by the late K. M. Cherian and then K. M. Mathew, till Rajen took the helm. 


Rajen and his family, wife (Prema) on his left, 
son (Jayant) behind him, father (K. M. Mathew) on his right, and daughter-in-law (Miriam) on the far right. Sachinanda Murthy who heads t Delhi operations of Malayala Manorama and The WEEK is in the top left.

Rajen's daughter-in-law, Miriam (Anu) Mathew (née Paul) was a leading executive in a US bank till she returned to India to take the helm of Manorama Online. Her husband Jayant, is also in the newspaper business.

The other Award Winners in our family:

1. The late Mr. K. M. Cherian (Chetpetappachen) - first awarded the Padma Shree and the later he was given the Padma Bhushan. 




2. Mr. K. M. Philip (Peelukuttychayan, Pappa) was given the Padma Shree three years ago ago. 




3. Mr. K. M. Mathew (Mathukuttychayan, Rajen's father) was given the Padma Bhushan, nearly a decade ago. 




4. The late Mr. K. M. Mammen Mappillai (Kochappachen), received the Padma Shree half a decade before he died in 2003. 




Mr. K. M. Mathulla, founder of H.M.T. (Hindustan Machine Tools - India's largest producer of machine tools) and a die hard Kandathil, got a Padma Shree some 20 years ago.

Saturday, July 30, 2005

Visitors to see Kampitie Garden

The fame of Annikki's creations in her mother's garden at Kampitie is drawing a steady stream of visitors. The development is not standing still, in the meantime.

Annikki and our grandson, Daniel

Annikki and our grandson, Daniel


The latest addition are glass bricks, which reflect sunlight in all sorts of ways, around the centre-piece of the garden, the old metal bath tub.

Glass bricks around the bath tub

Glass bricks around the bath tub


Samu captures the three goldfish together in the pond

Samu captures the three goldfish
together in the pond


The visitors last Monday were from Tampere, the industrial city in south central Finland. Nephew, Markus, wife, Suvi, and their baby daughter Ilona (just less than a year), accompanied by Suvi's mother and father, paid the garden a visit.

Ilona, our first grandniece on the Reinikka side of the family

Ilona, our first grandniece on the
Reinikka side of the family


Annikki explaining some details

Annikki explaining some details of
the garden to Suvi and her mother


Suvi's mother listens intently to Annikki

Suvi's mother listens intently to Annikki


Suvi's father

Suvi's father


Suvi and daughter Ilona

Suvi and daughter Ilona


Markus and daughter Ilona

Markus and daughter Ilona


They were accompanied by Joanna, Tony, and our grandsons, Samuel and Daniel. The group stayed with Tony and Joanna.

Tony and Daniel

Tony and Daniel


Also in Oulu, and staying with us at the same time, was Annikki's sister, Anneli, who lives in Masala, near Helsinki. Anneli makes regular trips to Oulu to see her mother. Anneli is a truly lovely personality and a great moral help to Annikki. Annikki and I greatly appreciate that she visits her mother and us at regular intervals, as it helps to relieve some of the stresses.

Annikki's sister, Anneli, in front of the pergola

Annikki's sister, Anneli,
in front of the pergola


The primary reason for Markus and family to visit Oulu was to see the Housing Exhibition. This is an annual event held all around Finland in turn. This year it was Oulu's turn.

Markus and Suvi won a lottery in Tampere, which is a plot of land to build their house. The visit was to see some of the latest designs in Finnish buildings and interiors which were on display at the Housing Exhibition.

It was nice to see Markus renew his old contact with our son, Mika. They used to be very good friends in their younger days.

Mika, Markus and Samuel

Mika, Markus and Samuel


They were all appreciative of the garden. As the weather was just gorgeous, it was a lovely evening.

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

Samuel and I go to see Tractor Pulling

Last Saturday, grandson Samuel was on the phone asking a rhetorical question whether I knew when the "tractor pulling" event was taking part near Oulu. He had actually found out, using Google, and said it was on Sunday at a small village near Oulu.

Samuel and I had been to a tractor pulling event about 3 years ago, and both of us had greatly enjoyed it. He had eaten his favourite fried fish off the top of my head as he sat on my shoulders to watch the event.

So off we went on Sunday. It was raining so we bought ourselves caps.

Samuel with his new cap

Samuel with his new cap


Another shot of Samuel with his new cap

Another shot of Samuel with his new cap


What is tractor pulling? How did it start? What is the status of tractor pulling these days?

For all these answers and more detailed informations,visit the official European tractor pulling (EPTC) website. Here are some salient points from this excellent site.

At the beginning of the last century, when the farming sector was growing in the US, farmers used to boast about what size boulders their horses could pull out of the ground. This led to a competition and "boulder pulling" as sport was born.
When tractors were introduced, the sport became called as tractor pulling. The sport has become very very popular.

Crowds at the tractor pulling near Oulu

Crowds at the tractor pulling near Oulu


As tractors became larger, the competition became more fierce. Boulders became too large to handle. So a dead-weight sledge was created. It was a vehicle with weights on it which was connected to the tractor with a chain. Either the tractor took off with the sledge or it lost its grip and dug into the tracks. To get more grip the tractors were loaded with anything that was heavy.

Subsequently the idea was born to make sledge heavier as it was pulled. Volunteers stood next to the track and stepped on the sledge as it went by. This was called as the "step-on-sledge". The tractors were rated depending on the distance that was covered. If the tractor reached the end of the track this was called as the "Full Pull". All those that reached that were involved in the "Pull-Off".

Finding volunteers to step on the sledge became difficult as the tractors got faster and faster and safety was an issue.

The weight transfer machine was developed. This sledge has wheels at the rear end. At the start of the pull the weights are above the wheels. As the tractor starts to pull, the weights are moved forward to the sledge plate by a chain. The friction increases. At some point the tractor looses grip.

This principle is being used today.

Large sledge after it stopped the tractor after 85 metres

Large sledge after it stopped the tractor after 85 metres


From a technical point of view there have been many changes. The almost standard tractors from 1997 made place for the multiple-engine creations that can now easily compete with the tractors from the United States, where it all began...

Oulu Champion Tractor - Chariots of Fire

Oulu Champion Tractor - Chariots of Fire, Samuel's choice


A close second - McGyver

A close second - McGyver, my choice


McGyver pulling

McGyver pulling


Tractor pulling is the struggle between the Tractor and the Sledge. This is a kind of trailer, with wheels at the tail and a flat plate on the front. The issue is to drag the sledge as far as possible, along a 100 metre track. The difficulty is that along the track, the sledge becomes heavier. At the beginning of the pull, a carriage loaded with steel plates is above the wheels. Along the track, this carriage moves to the front and generates a larger pressure on the plate on the front. This causes an ever increasing drag. The tractor will eventually not be able to go any further. The goal is to use a combination of force, speed and balance that the 100m line is passed. This goal is called a 'full pull'. Full pulls in less then 10 seconds are possible. And this even when the total weight of the combination is 20,000 to 25,000 kgs!

To reach the finals, they also run a 'pull off'. In this run, the sledges parameters are adjusted to increase drag. This can be done in several ways:

• Let the carriage move faster, by changing the gear setting.
• By mounting steel strips under the sledge-plate.
• To make the carriage heavier, by adding 2500 kgs of steel weights.

If a tractor breaks away from the sledge, or the driver gets in trouble, then the sledge operator can put the emergency-cable into action. He pulls a cable that is connected to the tractor. This cable will turn of the ignition of the tractor. If this doesn't help, then there is a pile of dirt at the end of the track to stop the tractor.

Dirt pile at the end of the track

Dirt pile at the end of the track


Also there is a 10 metres safety-margin between the track and the spectators. Sometimes a safety rail is mounted alongside the track, as where Samuel is sitting in this photograph.

Samuel sitting on the safety rail

Samuel sitting on the safety rail


Sledges have their own engine. By lowering 2 wheels next to the sledge-plate, the sledge can roll itself back to the start of the track. They also have some kind of steering, by slightly rotating the sledge-plate. Often a team chooses the starting-position of the sledge. By locating it on the right side of the track, they create more margin at the left site. This is done if the team assumes the tractor will deviate to the left during the pull.

The best pull is made when the tractor has a quick start. At the start of the track the sledge is easy to pull, so a lot of speed can be developed. When the friction increases, the speed of the sledge and tractor makes that the whole keeps sliding a few meters more. Nowadays, when the tractor driver kills the engine at about 90 or sometimes 80 meters, the speed is that so high that a full pull is easy.

The covered distance is measured with infra red equipment which has an accuracy of about 1 cm.

With each pulling event, it is not only the power that makes a tractor win. The most important is the balance of the tractor. A 4000 hp tractor can sometimes beat a 7000 hp.

Power explosions are accompanied with a great amount of noise (over 110 dB).

Tractor flying with lot of smoke and noise

Tractor flying with lot of smoke and noise


Another tractor flying with lot of smoke and noise

Another tractor flying with lot of smoke and noise


In 1977, the sport of Tractor Pulling from the United States came to Europe. Truck and Tractor pulling has the same grand manner and high grade as the Formula-1 autosport. F1 drivers have 'only' 700 horsepower, while the trucks and tractors in truck and tractor pulling have many times that.

The development of the sport has been rapid during the last 25 years. It is now in twelve European countries: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and The Netherlands. Italy, Portugal and Spain may be added in a short time.

Valmet 8750

Valmet 8750


One of the Valtra winning team of Ceaser, Doris and European Champion D-Sigma Power

One of the Valtra winning team of Ceaser, Doris
and European Champion D-Sigma Power


The tractors and their classes.

Modified

These are self designed tractors. They compete in the 2500, 3500, 4500 or 5400 kg weight classes. All types of parts are allowed. The weight and size have to be within the rules. Also the number and types of engines are limited. There also strict safety-rules, to prevent the tractor, driver and the spectators from any harm.

The self-built chassis are usually fitted with a rear-axle from a truck or shovel. The inside is replaced with stronger gears. The tires size is limited to 77.5 to 81.25 cm. The original tractor tyres profile is always decreased to less then a centimeter, to be able to generate a lot of wheel-spin. Otherwise the tractor digs itself in, but gain a lot of grip, the tire-pressure is very low. Most tractors fly over the track. And flying is what most of the engines used to do. A lot of the V12 engines have been built in 1932 and have been used as a plane-engine during WW II by the American or British Air force. Very popular today are gas-turbines. These originate from transport helicopters and are free-power turbines only. Since the USSR broke up, a very popular engine is the Russian Isotov turbine. With it's 2000 hp each, a 8000 hp tractor is not a great problem. In the US the V8 racing-engines are very popular. In Europe the tractors are fitted with up to 9 engines, depending on the type and weight class (5/6 with blower).

The force that's produced by these tractors is not only visible. You can feel these during their pull.

Super Standard / Super Stock

These have heavily tuned standard agricultural tractors, that weigh 3500 or 4500 kg. The base of the tractor is a normal tractor. But not much of that machine is left. Everything that's normally needed for field operation is removed. The block, the clutch housing, the gearbox housing and the rear-axle have to be original. The inside of those parts can be modified. To increase the engine's power, a maximum of 4 turbo's can be fitted, as long as it all fits under the original hood. With the great amount of air that flows into the intake, a lot of diesel can be injected into the cylinder. When the air is compressed by the turbo's, a lot of heat is produced. To prevent the turbo's from melting, a spray of water is injected into their intake. This water leaves the exhaust as water vapor. By this means, it's possible to multiply the original power by 10. 2000 hp is possible. To make sure this power reaches the wide rear-tires, the parts of the transmission are replaced by stronger ones. Also unnecessary gears are removed.

A different kind of engine tuning is found on an "alky-burner". These tractors use methanol (a type of alcohol) instead of the usual diesel. The usual cylinder-head is replaced by one that has sparkplugs. The advantage of methanol is, that it's able to burn a longer time than diesel. Therefore there is more power generated and the engine suffers less stress. There are a lot of modifications needed and setting of the fuel-system. and the turbos need a lot of experience. But the results are there. Some 2500 hp are no exception.

A 'simple' and limited version of this class is the Pro-stock. From 1995 this class also competes. The basic tractor can be fitted with only one turbo-charger. Also their tires are a bit thinner. Although 62 centimeters isn't what you call small. The maximal weight is 3500 kilo.

Minipuller

These are small 950 kilo modifieds. That weight includes driver and fuel. This class uses it's own special, small sledge. These tractors are self designed and built. They use V8 engines and helicopter turbines. The power can be up to 3000 hp. The average is about 1700 hp. Due to the enormous power and the low weight, these machines are very difficult to control. It shows when they pull. To reduce the difficulty of steering the rear axles are mostly self-developed. The gearbox is not more than a 1 speed. A mini may have Rover Meteor V12 plane engine, that weighs about 680 kg. itself, or an Isotov TV3 turbine from a Russian heavy transport helicopter. These engines are far to heavy. With a ultra light chassis (just 18 kg) and a stripped engine, it is possible. Sometimes the owner's son drives this tractor to make sure that driver's weight is very low. The age of 16 to 25 years is no exception.

See the smaller sledge for the Minipuller group

See the smaller sledge for the Minipuller group


Crazy Max - winner of the Minipuller group

Crazy Max - winner of the Minipuller group


The sport of Tractor Pulling can rightly be called "The world's most powerful motorsport"!

Tuesday, July 26, 2005

Samu does a painting

I was away on a walk when grandson, Samuel, dropped in to spend the afternoon. Annikki gave him paper and some colour pens.

He turned out this beautiful painting!!

Painting by Samuel, July 2005

Painting by Samuel, July 2005


He has the talent which is inherited from his grandmother.

Here is one of Annikki's paintings. Most of her best paintings are on display at Joanna's house.

Painting by Annikki, 1984

Painting by Annikki, 1984


I am ZERO in any artistic talent.

Sunday, July 24, 2005

Namesake and wife celebrate birthdays

Jacob Matthan Sr., Kochupappen, my father's younger brother, celebrates his 85th (today) and 80th birthday, and his wife, Anniekochamma, celebrated her 80th birthday on 9th July 2005 (Earlier erroneously reported as being today - Correction provided by Anand Matthan - who emailed me and also told me that he is making slow but steady recovery, thanks to his family and extended family. We wish him a speedy and complete recovery.).

Kochupappen 1999

Kochupappen 1999


Kochupappen was the Chairman of the Life Insurance Corporation of India. He and Anniekochamma have two children, Susheela, in Vellore, and Pushpa in Bangalore.

We all wish them both very very happy birthdays.