As part of the “Agro-2012” exhibition, held at the “Expocentre” in the capital, an unprecedented event took place: the “Astra Show – 2012” competition for Manitou telescopic loader operators and Challenger tractor drivers.
32 participants – loader operators from 9 regions of Ukraine – came to show off their skill. On the field, they had to perform amazing stunts. Of course, in real farm conditions, hardly anyone would use a loader to shoot a ball into a basketball hoop, but at “Astra Show – 2012” that became possible. And not just that. Each participant also had to complete other challenges: building pyramids out of logs, running a slalom course, assembling a logo puzzle out of tiles. In total, the competition course featured five tasks, with a 13-minute time limit for completing the whole section.
The competition demonstrated just how easy Manitou machines are to work with. It’s worth noting that few participants had the chance to practise stunts like these back at home. Everything the operators showed at the show is proof of their high level of training and, of course, the telescopic loaders’ manoeuvrability.
Journalists who took part in a special run could see this for themselves too. Women who had never sat behind the wheel of a machine like this before managed, under instructors’ guidance, to do everything the experienced operators had done. Although they didn’t complete the course quite as fast as the competitors, they noted that getting the hang of operating a Manitou wasn’t all that difficult.
Alongside the telescopic loader operator competition, a Challenger tractor driver competition also took place. Tractor drivers had to navigate a demanding course. Besides the slalom, they also had to show their skill in challenges such as reversing through a narrow gate with a fertiliser spreader attached, and demonstrating precision with a three-point hitch, lifting and lowering a weight to an exact spot.
Winners:
Manitou telescopic loader operators
1st place – Valerii Kutovyi, “NPF Urozhai” PJSC (MHP), Cherkasy region.
2nd place – Volodymyr Motrychenko, “Shevchenko” PSE, Cherkasy region.
3rd place – Viktor Kerosynskyi, “Obriy LTD”, Chernihiv region.
Challenger tractor drivers
1st place – Serhii Nikovskyi, “Urozhai” JSFE, Cherkasy region.
2nd place – Serhii Hanzha
3rd place – Serhii Domashenko, “Vorozhbalatinvest” LLC, Sumy region.
Competition organiser ASA “Astra” LLC promises to make “Astra Show” an annual, larger-scale event.
