Caterpillar Operator Challenge

Every October, now for the tenth consecutive year, Caterpillar’s Demonstration and Learning Center in Malaga, Spain, is becoming the stage for a major international competition in which dozens of construction machinery operators from across Europe, the Middle East and CIS set out to win what has been dubbed the toughest competition on earth: the Caterpillar Operator Challenge.

Marking its tenth anniversary, the Caterpillar Operator Challenge will again set the scene for a gritty contest of man and iron. “The concept remains the same every year; 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. Every year the selection for the Malaga finals is tougher than before and only the 48 top operators from 23 participating countries are coming there. I’m sure we will see an exciting competition between the greatest operators,” says Malcolm High, the event coordinator at Caterpillar’s Malaga Demonstration and Learning Center.   The best operators from Belgium, Bosnia, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Russia, Serbia-Montenegro, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey and United Arab Emirates will be competing for the championship of construction equipment. To reach the Malaga finals the participants must first win a series of local and national events; each country will then select from one to two best operators to represent their country. The local Cat dealer events are open to anyone with the skills necessary to participate.   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 Cat equipment.   In the past six years, the winners of the competition have come from the Netherlands: Peter van Schaik won the competition in 2007, 2006 and 2005 while his countryman Ton Verdam obtained the title for three consecutive times in 2002, 2003 and 2004. Every year competition is expected to be tougher than ever with the 48 most skilled operators of Europe, the Middle East and CIS gathering in Malaga.

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