The second edition of Xtractor Around The World, which had set off from Cape Town on April 3 came to a successful conclusion on May 20. A truly peerless experience charged with intense emotions. During the 50-day journey, the top-of-the-range tires AGRIMAX FORCE and AGRIMAX RT 657 made by BKT, a sponsor of the initiative, were fitted on the Series X7 P6-Drive and X8 VT-Drive McCormick farming tractors, the main players in this caravan, to face and master an itinerary of over 7,900 km. The expedition was divided into 50 stages, each of them completely different in terms of landscape and difficulties due to diverse climates and multiform land structure. The tires in play undoubtedly proved their ability to master any track under whatsoever extreme conditions, keeping all promises in terms of resistance, versatility and drivers' safety along with adaptability in the fields as well as on and off the road, flexibility plus traction, and reliability. All these acknowledged features have made their contribution to successfully overcome all aspects of this particularly tough challenge.
“This expedition through South Africa has definitely been a great occasion for our tires to prove toughness, tenacity and resistance while facing the 50 stages of the itinerary,” Ms. Lucia Salmaso, Managing Director of BKT Europe, states. – “Both patterns have been able to show and highlight their outstanding performance features both on and off the road, perfectly adapting to this adventure's considerably tough rules and conditions. The credit for this certainly goes to our R&D Center's proficiency – always committed to finding innovative solutions as a response to any requirement in any context.”
This extraordinary Xtractor edition will certainly be remembered by so many as pleasant memories, having profoundly empathized with its strong humanitarian message, which has found its expression in two charity stages, namely: the team's visit at Ephraim Mogale, a mother-and-child health clinic managed by AMREF, and the Sedibeng West high school, where AMREF has conceived and put into being the Healthy Lifestyle Project, an initiative that aims at teaching children the benefit of sports.
A tangible mark of this visit has been the building of a 100m x 50m football pitch. The official inauguration took place at the presence of Iya Traoré, the king of football freestyle and special guest at BKT's main corporate events worldwide, who lends his image to the Indian multinational's marketing activities. On the occasion, 500 footballs signed by the company were distributed for free.
“Sustaining projects on a specific territory that not only do highlight the peculiarities and needs of a specific sector – in this case agriculture - means a lot to us,” Lucia Salmaso continues. – “Yet, BKT aims at taking aid to populations in need along with our testimony and expertise in order to improve both their living and working conditions – perfectly in line with our corporate values and social commitment.”
Along the itinerary, the caravan also stopped by some dealers of Tubestone, BKT's distributor for South Africa. Opinions gathered on BKT tire performance during the trip have confirmed a great interest on behalf of South-African farmers as well as full satisfaction in terms of quality, performance, and resistance.
The Xtractor South-African expedition log narrates the journey along the scenic Route 62 and through the endless vineyards of Cape Winelands. Moving from the green mountains to old wineries and picturesque colonial cities, from the savannah to the Greater Addo Elephant National Park, which is populated by the Big Five, and the immense Karoo semi-deserted up to the spectacular Garden Route embracing the Indian Ocean. The astonishing green and flowery Kalahari, the splendid Escarpment and the unforgettable ride through the agricultural areas between KwaZulu-Natal and Mpumalang.
“This journey was a true discovery of unspoilt nature and the most differing breathtaking landscapes according deep respect for a culture and a country full of enduring traditions,” Lucia Salmaso, Managing Director of BKT Europe, concludes with a touch of satisfaction. – “Noteworthy was also the visit to Nampo, the leading South-African trade show for the agricultural sector held every year in Bothaville, as well as the gathering with the big farmer community, and some social moments with our customers sharing their approach to agriculture, who offered some practical and interesting suggestions and hints for our role and operations.”
The Xtractor adventure was followed by a large international audience on BKT's official social media Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn. Real-time comments and news of the most peculiar and oddest moments of the tour were broadcast weekly. Plenty of news also from the mini website Xtractor.bkt-tires.com, especially created to attribute value to every single moment of this thrilling initiative.
Xtractor Around The World is a naturalistic docu-reality, conceived and directed by Roberto Pinnelli and Luca Noris and produced by ID-ENTITY – a leading group in Europe specialized in digital communication content and service conception and management. Along with BKT, also McCormick Tractors, Amref International and the Commando Force Unit for the Protection of Forest, Environmental, and Agri-food Resources and the 1st Parachute Regiment “Tuscania”, which made available their best drivers for the tractors, were all partners of the project.
Watch the “Best Of Xtractor” video:
