๐ก๐๐ช ๐๐๐ข๐ง๐๐๐ฅ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐๐๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐ โ ๐ฏ,๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ก ๐ข๐ก๐ ๐๐๐ฌ
A huge congratulations to ๐ก๐ถ๐ฐk ๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ป๐ฒ๐๐ from ๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐, ๐จ๐ฆ๐, who has just broken the all-time RigLife drilling record.
Last week I was on site with Brad Cross and the Geothermal Earthworks team in Kentucky to hand Nick and three other drillers their ๐ญ,๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐ณ๐ ๐๐น๐๐ฏ belt buckles.
While I was there, they knocked out 4 boreholes to 400ft with ease. Naturally, the chat quickly moved on to the 2,000ft Club.
The next day, Nicholas got to site and drilled 6 holes โ 2,400ft total.
But he wasnโt done.
He looked at the record and realised that even 8 boreholes wouldn’t beat it.
8 x 400ft = 3,200ft. (The record stood at 3215ft, since 2019)
That would put him agonisingly close, but still 15ft short of the all-time record.
So he got permission to over-drill each borehole by 2ft. If he could complete all 8, that would give him the extra 16ft needed to take the record.
On Friday 12th June 2026, Nicholas and his second man went for it.
After a 13-hour stint, they drilled, looped and grouted:
๐ด ๐
๐ฐ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ณ๐ ๐ฏ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ต๐ผ๐น๐ฒ๐
๐ฏ,๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฒ๐ณ๐ ๐๐ผ๐๐ฎ๐น
๐๐ป ๐ผ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐
๐ก๐๐ช ๐ฅ๐๐๐ข๐ฅ๐.
The previous record was held by Kieran Tincombe, an English driller, who completed 7 boreholes of varying depths in the Netherlands.
This new record was drilled using a ๐๐ง๐ฏ๐ฑ, running ๐ฎ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐๐, with 20ft of surface casing.
Nick is now well on the way to becoming ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ฎ๐ฒ.
If he wins, GTD will be flying him out to ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ฉ๐ฒ๐ด๐ฎ๐ for ๐ก๐๐ช๐ ๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐๐ฎ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ to receive his prize and celebrate in style with the GTD team.
With 6 months left before the exhibition and the close-out of this yearโs ๐ ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ and ๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ awards, the question is:
Will anyone else rise to the challenge?
And can Brad Crossโs crews continue this standard and take ๐๐ฒ๐ผ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ฟ๐บ๐ฎ๐น ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐๐ต๐๐ผ๐ฟ๐ธ๐ all the way to becoming the 2026 champions?
Remember, being the best isnโt just about who drills the most.
It is about the full package:
Production.
Consistency.
Leadership.
Safe operation.
And the GTD mindset.
This is exactly what RigLife was created to celebrate.
Proper drillers.
Proper graft.
Proper performance.
Welcome to the top of the board, Nick.