At 30,000 pounds and tires that are more than five feet tall, the Mustang Fever will be hard to miss at the 2014 San Luis Obispo Concours Main Event on June 8.
Mustang Fever and one other tractor (named the Poly Thunder) will be shown by the Cal Poly Tractor Pull Club, a group of 40 students who build the tractors in ten weeks on the Cal Poly campus.
The tractors are maintained and prepped to compete in 20 tractor pulls throughout the summer in California and Nevada, including one on the Cal Poly campus during the weekend of Open House in the spring. The club receives personal and corporate sponsorships to fund the tractor restoration and maintenance, and the proceeds from the annual hometown tractor pull benefit a scholarship fund for the students in the Tractor Pull Club.
Arturo Barajas Jr., president of the Cal Poly Tractor Pull Club, is an Agriculture System Management Major at Cal Poly and has been involved in the club for the past four years. As president, Barajas plays a big role in preparing the tractors for shows like the San Luis Obispo Concours, including cleaning, polishing and charging the tractors’ batteries. Despite all the prep work, he says that the shows and competitions are very rewarding.
“Showing off our tractors is the best part,” Barajas said. “It’s all worth it the day of the Cal Poly Tractor Pull. Seeing our tractors run in front of our home crowd is priceless.”
Barajas will attend the SLO Concours Main Event on June 8 with the members of the Tractor Pull team to display two prized vehicles: The Mustang Fever and Poly Thunder.
SLO Concours benefits Hospice of San Luis Obispo County and includes a series of events from June 6-8. The weekend will end with the Main Event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Madonna Meadows. More information at www.sloconcours.com.