Tribute: Martin Nicholson, puller and former BTPA director (1951-2026)
27th Mar 2026
The BTPA is saddened to hear of the passing of 75-year old Martin Nicholson. The Peaslake, Surrey-based Pro Stock puller, agricultural and plant hire contractor, and former BTPA director was a well-known, and popular figure in the sport.
Martin, along with son Ted, got involved in tractor pulling shortly after meeting the Clarke Pulling Team while spectating at the 1997 European Championships in Erkelenz, Germany. The two, along with good mate Ron Dawes and nephew Mark Edgington, had been spectating at many British events since the early 1990’s, and decided it was time to ‘have a go’.
It was to be the start of a near 30-year pulling career that saw Martin first take to the track with Trial ‘n’ Error, a John Deere Super Stock machine known as Dogmeat. The tractor had previously pulled in the USA, and had been brought to the UK by pulling friends Ron Bultemeier and Peter Clarke.
A pulling trailer soon followed to move the tractor around, and this started his love affair with Scania lorries.
Many knew Martin by the nickname Uncle Albert – a name given to him by the then BTPA commentator, the late Steve Beattie. Not knowing Martin’s real name, Steve introduced him as Uncle Albert when he drove onto the track at Bristol and announced to the crowd ‘you’ll know what I mean when he takes his helmet off.’ It’s a name that, in pulling circles, has stuck with him ever since.
With Clarkie and Bultemeier dishing out the knowledge and advice, Martin was soon in it, way over the top of his hob-nail boots. It wasn’t long before we saw Martin buy a second tractor. It was a UK-built diesel Super Stock known as Rough Justice. This found its way into the Peaslake stables, and was also re-engineered to take part in the growing Pro Stock class, and has been with him ever since.
Rough Justice was quickly identified as the stronger of the two Pro Stock machines, and Martin’s early on-track successes came thick and fast. Second places at the European Championships in 1999 and 2002, and 3rd place finishes in the Eurocup series in 2001, 2003 and 2004 marked him out as a serious threat in the early years of European Pro Stock competition.
While ultimate European titles were just out of reach, Martin, aboard Rough Justice, was also one of the only competitors in the early days of the Pro Stock class who could take a strong fight to the Herlevi family’s three Valtra Pro Stock tractors. And throughout, both families remained very good friends on and off the track.
1999 started a hectic couple of years for Albert and the team. Along with the two Pro Stock tractors, he quickly found himself owning half of the former Stone Bros’ Hercules sledge with good friend Peter Clarke. This almost accidental move, while keeping the sport moving forward, gave him a different perspective to simply pulling the sledge, as he unwittingly ended up operating it too. And that’s a level of know-how that few pullers will ever get to experience.
His passion for Scanias led to a 143 V8 replacing his 113 in 2004. In Albert’s eyes, this was a proper truck, a real man’s truck, and was also in-keeping with his cut-off sleeves and wide-open shirt persona. Martin enjoyed his trucking and drove many thousands of miles up and down the UK, along with running the Eurocup circuit from 1999 to 2017.
However, the greatest successes and consistency came once Martin could focus all his efforts into Rough Justice. Martin knew his tractor inside out, and the titles continued with son Ted at the wheel, notching up 10 British Championship wins between 2008 and 2022.
These were largely down to Martin’s attention to detail, particularly when listening, tuning and reading the track to get the optimum performance from their dark red IH. Martin was fondly known on-track for swinging a large adjustable spanner. It was never far from his left hand.
He enjoyed helping Ted’s wife Racheal get to grips with the tractor too, passing on his wisdom and knowledge in the same way he had guided her when taking to the wheel of his Scania V8. He nicknamed her Squirrel, on account of her flaming red hair and the in-cab snack bags on those long journeys in the Scania. The two became great buddies both on and off the track.
While Uncle Albert had been off the pulling track for the last three years, awaiting the conversion of Rough Justice to a Limited Super Stock after its spectacular block-splitting blow-up in August 2022, his enthusiasm never waned.
Always keen to offer friendly and constructive advice, Martin got involved with the running of the BTPA quite early in his pulling career, officially a director from 2008-2025. He described himself as the one who kept an eye on everyone and everything, making sure fair play was upheld.
What you saw was what you got with Albert – a straight talking, non-nonsense fella that wouldn’t know how to beat around a bush if it jumped out in front of him.
A good judge of character, he valued the friendships made over a pulling career that spanned almost 30 years - not just friends in the UK, but also across Europe and in the USA. His spirit, humour and generosity will long remain among his family and friends.
