Sam Graham, a farmer from Killinchy, Co Down, beat off tough competition from farmers and contractors representing 13 European countries to win the European tractor drivers’ championship 2017, organised jointly by John Deere and Michelin. The runners-up were David Durand from France and Stefan Häkansson from Sweden.

The event was held at the Michelin Technical Innovation Centre test circuit in Ladoux, France, and saw farmers and contractors testing their skills behind the wheel of John Deere’s new 6250R tractor – riding on Michelin’s latest generation ROADBIB tyres, which were unveiled at the event ahead of their planned 2018 launch.

Sam earned his place at the final after registering to take part online and winning hundreds of votes to secure himself the chance to compete at international level. This saw him treated to an exclusive two-day visit to Ladoux, which is one of the world’s largest vehicle test centres, featuring 20 test tracks with a combined length of 45km.

To compete in the championship, each participant had to master the challenges of speed, manoeuvrability, fuel efficiency and soil protection by developing their own winning driving strategy for tasks that are typical for the daily work of a farmer or contractor.

The winner was the driver who adopted the best overall strategy, combining speed with the lowest possible fuel consumption and lowest soil compaction in the field. Their skills were tested around a carefully constructed 18km course where even the smallest mistake mattered.