When you have a machine that you want to prove at its peak of difficulty, you take it to the Nordschleife out at the infamous Nürburgring. That goes for everything: trucks, sports cars, hatchbacks, and, yes, even tractors.
So, what do you do when you have Claas Xerion 5000 VC tractor with 500 horsepower and something to prove? You take it to the Nürburgring and see how it flies.
The full video is available below. And, yes, there are English subtitles if you’re not a German speaker.
The XERION model is a beast of a machine with a 12.8-liter six-cylinder engine that produces over 500 horsepower and 1,918 pound-feet of torque and weighing in at over 38,000 pounds. This particular model has a variable cab (see: the VC in its name), which means you can rotate the cab to get a better look at your surroundings.
That said, this is by no means a fast lap. The tractor clocked in at 24 minutes and 50.57 seconds, which must have felt like an eternity to Christian Menzel, who had to pilot all 19 tons of the thing around countless miles. He even challenged himself to stick to the racing line as much as possible as he clocked a top speed of 31 miles per hour.
It’s a fun video, one that’s worth taking a half hour to watch in between all the other pressing things I’m sure you have to do this Sunday.