(Antarctica2 – 04.30 hrs CET, 09 December 2014: Geographical South Pole) After a gruelling 2500 km ice-journey, the Antarctica2 expedition team arrived with its MF 5610 tractor at the South Pole today. All are safe, well and in high spirits.
Immediately relaying the exciting news from the ice, the crew announced: “04.30 hours CET. This is December 9th, Camp 17. After 17 days and 2500 kilometres, we are at a red and white striped pole with a reflective ball on top, surrounded by flags. This is South 90 – as far South as anybody can go. It’s unbelievable – at the South Pole there is a red Massey Ferguson tractor! We’re all ecstatic to be here and so proud to be taking our hero shots with the tractor that never gave us cause to doubt that it would be up for the challenge. Thank you all for your support.”
The adventurous 2014 Antarctica2 mission aims to drive a Massey Ferguson MF 5610 agricultural tractor on a 5000 km round trip from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole. The quest echoes the achievement of explorer Sir Edmund Hillary who led the first mechanised expedition to the South Pole in 1958 using Ferguson TE20 tractors.
In taking Antarctica2’s Expedition Lead Driver, Manon Ossevoort safely to her destination, the MF 5610 has helped her fulfil a lifelong dream to drive a tractor to the ‘end of the world’. Celebrating this amazing feat with her fellow team members on arrival at the South Pole, Manon hugged the tractor and exclaimed: ”Wow! I’ve made it! It’s such a beautiful feeling and I’m so grateful to Massey Ferguson to have made this possible. It’s such a huge dream come true. To have dreams is beautiful but to see them realised is the most extraordinary feeling. I’m inspired.”
As one of her first jobs on reaching the Pole, ‘Tractor Girl’ Manon will build a snowman and symbolically entrust it with the dreams of all the people who have been caught up in her story. “I want people to believe in the power of their dreams – to know that with grit and determination, you can achieve your aspirations. I had the seemingly impossible dream to drive a tractor to the South Pole. You just have to believe in it.”
It was an incredibly challenging trip across the ice, taking 17 days of tough driving. With the Antarctic’s constant daylight at this time of year, the team created their own 30-hour days, driving the MF 5610 hard for 23 hours or more at a stretch, pausing only briefly for routine maintenance and driver changeover before pushing on. The tractor engine has been running virtually non-stop since the expedition departed on 22 November.
Commenting, Richard Markwell Vice-President and Managing Director, Massey Ferguson, Europe/Africa/Middle East said: ”We were gripped by Antarctica2’s adventure across the ice and over some of the roughest terrain on the planet. Congratulations to the whole team! It’s an immensely proud moment for Massey Ferguson and everyone associated with our farm machinery.”
After a day’s rest at the South Pole, the Antarctica2 team will pack up, turn round and embark on the same route back to Novo Runway on the Antarctic coast. They will follow in the exact tracks of their outbound trip which, now having iced over, should speed up their return journey. With luck, they could be back before Christmas.
#BELIEVEINIT
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