Lamb leads the way

After a challenging course that required skiills and nerves of steel, Operator Tim Lamb from Edgeworth has won the New South Wales Final of the Caterpillar® Global Operator Challenge, held at WesTrac's dig pit in Tomago.

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The 34-year-old excavator operator, who works with Daracon Group, outperformed nine other finalists in the challenges, designed to test the skill, accuracy, and agility of competitors.

As State Champion, Tim will join Western Australia's Champion Max Harris on an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan, where they will compete against international operators at the Regional Final in October.

From there, only three operators will be selected to travel to Las Vegas next year, where they will complete against the world's best operators in the Caterpillar Global Operator Challenge Grand Final held at CONEXPO 2026.

For the humble Tim, winning the trophy was as unexpected as just making it through to the finals in the first place, out of a field of more than 100.

"I knew I'd be up against a lot of talented operators from all over NSW, and with such strong competition, I expected the results to be tight - but I stayed hopeful the whole way through," he said.

The final comprised three challenging events:

1. The Big Dig

Using a Cat 320 Next Gen Excavator, operators were tasked with excavating a trench to grade using 2D technology. This challenge assessed their ability to control depth and maintain accuracy, highlighting their proficiency with modern excavation tools.

2. Load & Go

In this event, participants had to use a Cat 972 Wheel Loader to load, dump, and return materials efficiently to meet specific payload targets. The focus was on speed and precision, testing the operators' skill in managing loads accurately under time constraints.