Caterpillar has annouced the victors in the UK and Ireland leg of its 'Global Operator Challenge', following a series of highly competitive tests at the Visitor Centre in Leicestershire.
Operators demonstrated agility, speed and precision in a variety of challenges using the latest Cat equipment. Amongst a tough field, Finning announced the UK regional winner as Bryan Williamson, with an overall time of 6 minutes and 6 seconds, and the Irish regional winner as returning 2019 champion Tommy Murphy, with an overall time of 5 minutes and 54 seconds.
Both will now go through to the European semi-finals, which are being held in Malaga in October. They will then try their skills in a series of even tougher challenges against some of the best machine operators in Europe for a place at the finals in Las Vegas.
All competitors battled through three challenges using different machines and illustrating different skills and capabilities. This included working with a Cat Next Generation 313 excavator and a 930 wheel loader.
Speaking of his achievement, Bryan Williamson said: “After competing at the previous Operator Challenge in 2019, my day-to-day work as an operator at Eastern Civils and Construction and a bit of luck prepared me for this year’s challenge. Although there was some tough competition and challenging tasks, I know it will be fiercer competition at the next stage in Malaga.”
While Tommy Murphy (above) confidently added: “It’s great to see that the stakes are getting higher each year, but a returning win feels incredible. After the tough finale in Las Vegas in the last Operator Challenge, I hope this time I will be crowned the champion!”
With a two year hiatus since the last event, a new 'mystery' challenge was introduced. Using the Cat Command technology, operators had to use a remote console to control a dozer located over 5000 miles away in Arizona.
The last word goes to Tracey Earp, marketing manager at Finning, who said: “We are so pleased with the turnout at this year’s challenge after a two year break during Covid. We have been really impressed with the quality of entrants and how they all took to the range of challenges we had set. So both Bryan and Tommy did absolutely brilliantly to finish in first place.”
“Events like this make me so proud of the people we have in our industry and hopeful for the future, with a few female contenders being role models for all women in construction. We are so excited to see who will be awarded European Champion in October and if Bryan or Tommy will progress to compete on the world stage.”