The Caterpillar® Operator Challenge – more than a decade of real contest for the very best

• 
• 30th August 2008
• Materials Handling
 

In November 2008, for the 11th consecutive year, Caterpillar's Demonstration and Learning Center in Malaga, Spain, will again become the stage for ‘The Toughest Competition on Earth', the original, renowned and truly international competition: the Caterpillar Operator Challenge. The elite construction machinery operators from across Europe, the Middle East and CIS will set out to win this unique event held 2-7 November.

The scene will be set for a gritty contest of man and iron. "Throughout the years this competition has followed the same successful concept; the competitor skills will be tested and scored in different machines, ranging from large to mini size-class equipment, and the one with the best total score is the winner. This year, we will have nine challenging tests carried out with the latest Caterpillar equipment. Many of the tests will also be completely new, so it will be interesting to see what kind of results we'll see.  I'm sure we will again have an exciting competition between the greatest operators", says Malcolm High, event manager at Caterpillar's Malaga Demonstration and Learning Center.

The top operators from Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Latvia, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Norway, Romania, Russia, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom will be competing for the championship title. The local Cat dealer events are open to all experienced operators. To reach the Malaga finals the participants must first win a series of local and national events; based on the results, each country then send the best operators to represent their country in Malaga. Last year, the competition was won by Peter van Schaik from the Netherlands.

The toughest competition on earth

The Caterpillar Operator Challenge is the world's only international competition bringing together construction equipment operators from very different backgrounds and specialties into a standardized contest that measures operator skills. To win the event, a participant must perform generally well in all tests, which are carried out on a range of different Cat equipment, testing the diversity of the individuals' skills from production loading to precision work tool control. The personal scores from each separate test are added and the person with the highest overall score wins. The tests provide a fine opportunity for showcasing the skill and commitment to excellence of those who, day in and day out, bring out the best from construction equipment.

"The Caterpillar Operator Challenge focuses on productivity, accuracy and safety through tests run with new machines. This gives the participants a unique opportunity not only to experience the latest equipment and technology, such as the AccuGrade^TM machine control and guidance system, but also to learn about efficient, safe operating that they can implement in their daily work," Malcolm High adds.

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