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After visiting Poland, the lover of ZETOR tractors sets out for Austria

14.9.2017

The enthusiast Martin Havelka sets out on a journey from his hometown, Škrdlovice in the Vysočina Region, to Austria. It is another of his trips with the historical ZETOR 25 tractor which was produced by the Brno manufacturer in 1954. The destination is the town of Bruck an der Großglocknerstraße which hosts the Traktor WM 2017 event on September 14-17, 2017.

It is the 16th time when the biggest fans of farming machines from Europe meet at the Tractor WM 2017 event. Martin Havelka and his “25” cannot miss that. The tractor is going to be transported to the destination on a trailer so that it is perfectly ready for the race and gala ride. Anyway, the gala ride is the climax of the whole event: it takes place in Großglocknerstraße which is a road located in the highest altitude in Europe. This means that his Z25 has to face the rise of 2,450 MAMSL. Again, he is not alone on the trip. Just like in Poland, he is going to be accompanied by his girlfriend.

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For the 16th time this year, the Traktor WM takes place in the area of HoheTauern by the towns of Bruck and Fusch an der Großglocknerstraße. The main and most interesting part is the Saturday ride in Grossglocknerhochalpenstrase, the mountain road in the Alps facing the Grossglockner Mountain. It is to be noticed that only tractors made in 1980 or prior to that are allowed to take part. What matters during the ride is time which than becomes part of the total rating of all participants. Last year, Mr. Havelka came out on the 124th place out of 550 participants from 11 countries of Europe. Thus, his tractor has become the first Zetor 25 which made it all the way up to the highest point of Grossglocknerhochalpenstrase.

Martin Havelka is really experienced in similar trips with his ZETOR 25 all over the world. This June, he has covered nearly 800 km to the town of Laz nad Morzem, Poland. The trip to Austria is not the last one for the famous Z25 – Mr. Havelka is already planning other interesting international trips for the next year. One of them will be the tractor operators meeting in Poland again. The main reason why he prefers driving the tractor to a car is that “the most beautiful view of the world is from tractor seat.” He also adds that “it is a simple and reliable tractor with a wonderful engine sound; it is ideal for travelling whether for the reason of speed or consumption. The consumption is 11 litres for 100 km on a flat road, while it naturally increases in hilly areas.” The future holds the possibility of travelling farther to the north of Europe or to a different sea from the Baltic one.

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“Mr. Havelka and his tractor prove the quality of ZETOR tractors right from the first models. We endorse this legacy even today when we pay maximum attention to quality and added value for the customer. We constantly innovate our tractors in order to offer to our customers the best ratio of price and performance,” says Robert Todt, Sales and Marketing Director, ZETOR TRACTORS a.s. “We really support Mr. Havelka and wish him good luck in the race,” ads Mr. Todt.

The first ZETOR Z 25 was produced on March 15, 1946. Production was preceded by a difficult challenge – to design a cheap tractor with low weight which would be suitable for serial production. The challenge was best responded to by Ammunition Works Zbrojovka Brno which was later entrusted with the production of wheel farming tractors Z 25. Three years later, in 1949, the tractor was innovated to introduce the legendary Zetor 25 A, which is the model of Mr. Havelka’s. At that time, the new tractor offered a number of benefits: improved dashboard including a thermometer, comfortable seat with upholstery, hydraulic three-point hitch, optional cabin, differential lock or adjustable front and rear wheel track. Mr. Havelka bought his tractor in 2010 and the machine was of course subject to renovation, which took over a year. It was originally ZETOR 25 A which was rebuilt in 1969 in STS Hodonín into an “H” version. Mr. Havelka’s renovation reflects more the “A” version. There are only some partial adjustments related to security and durability on longer travels, e.g. better steering swivel pins or trunk for things.

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