British Columbia’s Brock Leclerc will compete in Caterpillar’s Global Operator Challenge at ConExpo after placing first in the North America West semifinals.
Leclerc represented Quattro Constructors and Finning Canada during the semifinals held Sept 23 and 25 in Clayton, North Carolina.
Brian Hayden from Hayden Excavating in Pennsylvania won the North America East semifinals.
Quebec’s Alex Blanchet, representing Maxi Paysage and Toromont Cat placed second in the east competition.
Sebastian Rees from the Interior Heavy Equipment Operator School (Finning Canada), Joey Longley from Dexter (Toromont Cat) and Andrew Martin from FCM Construction (Toromont Cat) also represented Canada in the semifinals.
Caterpillar invited 31 operators to compete for the title of North America’s champions at its regional semifinals.
Cat launched its third Global Operator Challenge in December, inviting thousands of machine operators worldwide to put their skills to the test on a wide range of construction equipment and technology.
For the first round of competition, operators competed in local challenges facilitated by Cat dealers from January to September. The competitions featured at least three different challenges on three separate pieces of equipment. Winners from the local dealer events advanced to the Regional Semifinals, and two finalists will emerge as the North American Regional Champions.
Leclerc and Hayden are two of nine champions that advance to the final competition in March 2026 at Caterpillar’s outdoor Festival Grounds exhibit during ConExpo in Las Vegas.
The winner receives either a $10,000 cash prize or an equal value trip for two where Caterpillar has a location worldwide.
The first Global Operator Challenge was held in 2019 with Alberta’s Jaus Neigum wining the crown at ConExpo 2020.
More than 140 Cat dealer competitions were held during the 2022-2023 challenge, which attracted more than 10,000 operators from 32 countries.
