It all began in 1980 or 81 when some of the locals decided to race tractors along the beach at Hahei. The tractors were not in very good condition and a lot of them broke down. By 1985 things had changed and the race had become a regular event. The tractors taking part could easily run the length of Hahei Beach at reasonable speed. There would’ve been 6 to 10 competing each year.
Past race photo: Hahei tractor enthusiasts (from left): Ray Helms, Shane Harnett and Rob Allen, with the Abu Dhabi trophy.
One of the competitors by the name of Jacko decided to put a 302 Chev motor into his Farmall tractor.
So when all the tractors were on the start line, including my old 36 hp David Brown crop master, my mechanic and I went and swapped a couple of his spark plug leads over. The idea was to try and slow him down.
I had also disconnected my governor on the motor so it could rev right out. As well as that, I had wired the carburettor fully open and left it in second gear for a quick start.
The start was at Ray Helm’s bach with the tractors lined up below.
When the start was signalled, we had to run down the bank or steps and get on our tractors and go. I led the race to the far end of the beach and then around the marker. However, on the way back Jacko‘s tractor driven by a younger person was able to pass me. Jacko wasn’t driving, as the previous day he had been thrown off his tractor and it had run over him. fortunately and miraculously, he had not suffered any real damage.
But doing what I had to my tractor, the motor had suffered badly.
So I trucked it back to my workshop at Drury. My 1956 David Brown crop master was in a sorry state.
At my workshop, I had a 6 1/2lt 350hp Chev rebuilt motor along with a three-quarter race cam and automatic gearbox. Now I had to make an extended chassis to fit this into my tractor.
When all that work was done, it was now ready for the annual Easter Hahei Track Race.
It had become a popular event at Hahei and drew quite a large crowd. However, word had got out to the council about this so they decided that it had to be cancelled.
With all the work I’d put into it along with friends, I went up and saw Jacko and he quite agreed that the two of us should prove which tractor was the quickest.
So at 5.00pm we lined up on Hahei Beach. The agreement was that we would run our tractors quietly down the beach and to let any people on the beach know.
I had already told the driver of Jacko‘s tractor when we came round the bottom mark. It was up to him to start the race when he wanted to. When he did, I set chase after him, passing him easily and then just holding the lead until the end, which at that stage we had to also be the first to run up the stairs and skull a beer.
It felt a lot better than the previous year when I had blown up my motor trying to catch the only V8 tractor in Hahei.
These days my 1956 David Brown crop master is seventy years old. The tyres on the rear are from a centre pivot Russian Belarus tractor. The front tyres are from the rear of a Hinomoto tractor. It has 18 Ford gears and 6 rear gears. It is quite the machine. But there are no tractor races on Hahei Beach at Easter.
The Peninsula Post (no longer in publication) did an article on the The Hahei Tractor Race, on 30 April, 2009. The past race photo is supplied from that story.
