The Oldtimer Tractor World Championships took place on the Grossglockner in mid-September. There were 450 participants with their vehicles, some of which were more than 80 years old. Did they all make it to the finish line? And who became world champion?
Saturday, September 20, 2025, seven o'clock in the morning, just before the ticket office to the Grossglockner. You rarely see anything like this. Hundreds of tractors from various decades are lined up and waiting patiently to get going. The chug-chug-chug-chug of the older models can be heard from afar, and every now and then one of the drivers gives vent to his excitement and presses the horn. Soon the time has come: the ride up Austria's highest drivable mountain is imminent. It is the highlight of the World Championships.
The events started a few days earlier, on Thursday. The participants from Austria, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and Italy were able to get to know each other at the "Dämmerschoppen".
On Friday, however, the competitions got underway. Everything was already set up in the parking lot in Fernleiten by half past twelve noon. Merchandise tents, the various stations with challenging tasks for the tractor drivers and, of course, a catering tent. It's hard to drive on an empty stomach. And this is where Simone Höller from the BRUCK FUSCH |GROSSGLOCKNER tourism association tells me that this is already the 23rd Tractor World Championships. It has only been canceled once because of COVID, but otherwise it has been held every year. And more and more guests come every year. In the meantime, the number of participants has even had to be limited to 450. If you wanted to take part, you had to be quick: The starting places were gone within a day.
It is precisely because of this popularity and the passion of the drivers that the world championship takes place in all weathers. Christian Hutter from the Bruck volunteer fire department remembers: "Four years ago, we had to bring the finish forward. Back then, we had to stop at 1600 meters because it had started to snow." The tractors drove up anyway, sometimes without a roof and in winter clothing.
The skills competition
How well can you handle your tractor? You could prove it in the skills competition. Everyone was welcome here, even those who didn't get a starting place and just turned up. To say it straight away: the tasks were not easy. Among other things, the width of the vehicle had to be correctly estimated by maneuvering through a wooden frame. With a lance on the hood it was then a question of judgment. Who could hit the porthole with it? The Bruck fire department is responsible for the competitions and takes its task seriously. Every year they come up with new challenges to keep things interesting for the regular participants.
One well-known participant did particularly well: Swiss rider Cyndie Allemann mastered all the disciplines brilliantly. This even earned the "Grip - Das Motormagazin" presenter a place on the winners' podium later on. There was no sign of any airs and graces as she skillfully mastered the tasks in her bright orange Lamborghini tractor.
The last item on the program took place shortly before five o'clock in the afternoon. The five oldest tractors were lined up side by side. The priest blessed the machines, starting with the oldie of the oldies - a vehicle from 1937. The drivers then sat on their Bulldog, as the vehicles are also known, for the last time. The destination of the excursion was one of the local inns. Here the day ended in a relaxed atmosphere with a beer or two.
Großglockner High Alpine Road is closed specially.
Nobody slept in on Saturday: the first firefighters were on site at half past five in the morning. The final details were discussed under the starry sky before the tractors gradually arrived. By shortly after seven, the toll booth had almost turned into a vintage car museum. While some were still talking to each other or exchanging tips for steep passages, others were sitting behind the wheel in silence and nervousness.
At half past seven on the dot, the trowel turned a bright green. The first tractor set off on its approximately two-hour journey. (The duration depends on the vehicle model, of course!) Then it went in quick succession. Steyr, Eicher, Hanomag and co. drove through the checkout area every 15 seconds. I was lucky enough to be able to ride along with a nice gentleman from Rhineland-Palatinate. So I experienced everything up close. Even though it was anything but comfortable on the narrow, hard wooden seat, the experience was worth the bruises. A little over-motivated, we were overtaken by several riders. However, it only took until the first major climb for us to pass them again. I particularly enjoyed the camaraderie: People waved to each other after overtaking or jokingly made a "I'll get you yet" gesture.
The steep passages were a real challenge for some classic car drivers. After all, we are talking about a gradient of up to twelve percent. As at the beginning, the somewhat flatter sections were often used for overtaking. It's not about completing the route in the shortest possible time. What counts in the World Championships is consistency. For the ranking, the time on two sections of the course is measured and compared. The smaller the difference, the greater the chances of a podium finish.
The Grossglockner High Alpine Road was closed to regular traffic so that the tractors, some of which were only traveling at 10 km/h, could tackle the mountain undisturbed. The barriers in Ferleiten only opened again for the tourists at ten o'clock in the morning. By this time, the majority of the World Cup participants had already arrived at the Fuscher Törl. At an altitude of 2,428 meters, the drivers enjoyed the view of the breathtaking mountain landscape and cheered on the last tractors on their way to the finish line.
Getting up is one thing, but driving down is almost an even bigger challenge. To protect the classic cars, some participants decided in advance to have their Bulldog towed back down to the valley. Unfortunately, others have had to make use of this service earlier. "Every year, 2-3 tractors break down due to technical problems," says Höller. It's bitter when you have a 700-kilometer journey behind you and then break down just before the finish line.
A double victory for the first time
By the time the winner's party is held in the neighboring village of Bruck, the anger is forgotten. The marquee opens at seven o'clock and everyone laughs, celebrates and sings together. An hour later, it almost feels like the Olympics. The participants run through the tent with their flags and to the right music. Then probably one of the guests' favorite parts of the program: the tapping of the keg. Just like at the Oktoberfest, a barrel of beer is tapped. It doesn't dampen the mood that one of the steins is broken. It happens in the heat of the moment.
The winners were then announced. The best in the skills competition (Cyndie took second place), followed by the winners of the various age groups and the clubs. The highlight followed at half past nine in the evening. Who is the world champion? And there was a surprise this time: there were two of them! The Belgian Matthijs Claerhout and the German Heinrich Kaußner had the same good sense of speed.
In addition to the honor, the winners also receive handmade trophies. They are redesigned every year and made by the employees of a sheltered workshop in Bruck. Only disabled adults work here. It's a great thing when there's also a bit of social commitment involved in an event like this. See you next year!
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References:
BRUCK FUSCH | GROSSGLOCKNER Tourist Office
Personal discussions with Ms. Höller and Mr. Hutter on September 19, 2025
Interviews with participants of the 23rd Tractor World Championships in Salzburg on September 19 and 20, 2025
Photos: Ingrid Müller
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