Nakhon Prathom, Nov 05: Thai farmers get their tractors racing in the first Iron Buffalo competition.
In the rice paddies of rural Thailand, millions of farmers rely each day on their iron buffalo -- the long-handled, multi-purpose tractors which are used for everything from ploughing fields to carrying heavy produce or even as engines for water pumps and rice mills.

But in recent years, Thai farmers have been paying tribute to their hard-working machinery through a more light-hearted pursuit -- Iron Buffalo drag racing. The first weekend of every month, farmers from across four provinces descend on a small racing ground in the province of Nakhon Prathom, around 50 km northwest of Bangkok.

The tractors they bring with them may be the same ones used for working the fields throughout the week, but come race day, they are lovingly tweaked, decorated, and souped-up into sleek, aerodynamic speed machines.


Racing through knock-out rounds down a straight, 200 metre track at around 65 km an hour, the men are competing for a 5,000 baht ($125.3) top prize -- a significant amount compared to their average monthly wage of just over 2,300 baht ($57.64).


But for many, the races are more about socialising, showing off mechanical know-how and of course, celebrating the machinery that plays such an important part in their life and work.

Bureau Report