National Ploughing Association

The historic National Ploughing Championships have been running annually in Ireland since 1931. Made up of an agricultural show and a ploughing contest, it is Europe’s largest outdoor exhibition, attracting 1,700 exhibitors and just under 300,000 attendees. The three-day event sees an average of over 35 million euros being spent.

Customer Name: National Ploughing Association
Project and Location: Ireland

The Challenge

With such high numbers of people at an outdoor venue, it is crucial that a safe and manageable walkway be installed to avoid mud churn, protect the under-lying land and provide comfort for visitors.

The Solution

We provided our innovative and unique LionTrak trakway, installing over 30km in a precise grid formation for this event, including 4.8km for car parking.

The LionTrak panel is our premium aluminium trakway system. It is an award-winning temporary roadway with a higher level of grip over any other panel on the market. It has been independently slip tested to BS 7976-2 and also load tested and certified in Germany for strength and capability.

The panel itself is dual-sided. The topside has a unique water-displacing profile and a repeated ‘tooth’ to ensure the highest level of grip for pedestrians or vehicles. The ‘underside’ has a more aggressive profile with cross-serrations to provide an increased level of grip on cambers. Placed ‘underside’ up, this surface enables super heavy-duty grip for the largest of vehicles, even across sloping terrain.

The panel has zero trip hazards and internal cross plating to join panels side by side, which allows a flatter pad formation, reducing the risk of vehicle grounding. Its key features include:

Highest grip on the market, even in the wet
Supports the heaviest road-going vehicles
Two traction surfaces suited to heavy vehicle or pedestrian access
Camber vehicle grip
Internal captive cross plating and sunken bolts
100% recyclable product

This product, designed by our in-house experts has been used by the team at many high-profile events, such as the Chelsea Flower Show, football stadiums, Horse Guards Parade, the Olympics and many more.

The Results

The extensive roadways facilitated safe access of pedestrians and vehicles, from toddlers to senior citizens, on foot or in fully loaded articulated lorries.

Our team has been awarded an exclusive three-year contract until 2020 based upon the quality of our installation and customer service.