Newly crowned WA state champion of the Caterpillar Global Operator challenge Max Harris is looking forward to an international test, with a possible surprise in store for his family
To be named Western Australia’s best equipment operator is one thing, but to achieve this feat without knowing the last time you even stepped inside a machine is another. Kalgoorlie–Boulder’s Max Harris did just that after being crowned the state champion of the Global Operator Challenge (GOC), hosted by Caterpillar dealer WesTrac.
As an open pit supervisor for the last couple years at gold mining company Northern Star, Harris is responsible for all workers’ safety, so he must ensure everyone is following procedures and policies. Because of this, it’s not often he gets the chance to operate machinery.
“I hadn’t been in a machine for ages before I participated in the event,” he says.
Although he hasn’t had as much day-to-day interaction with machinery compared to other GOC finalists, Harris clearly is a veteran.
Before gaining the supervisor role, Harris had been operating machinery on and off since he was 18 – having had his own business for around two years and using equipment on his friends’ properties.
Now in his mid 30s, Harris’ motivation to get involved in the Cat GOC originally came from seeing a fellow local Kalgoorlie operator win the event several years ago.
Believing in himself that he could also achieve the same feat, Harris signed up and booked a flight to Perth for the tryout heats held at WesTrac’s Perth Branch dig pit. It wasn’t long before he received a call telling him he had reached the final.
Having been the first time Harris had operated a machine in quite some time, he cherished the opportunity.
“The experience was unreal – I loved every minute of it,” he says.
“I wish I could get paid to do it every single day.”
Tough test
WesTrac’s state final of the Cat GOC saw Harris outperform 10 other finalists in a series of three challenges designed to test the skill, accuracy and agility of the competitors.
“It was a lot of situational awareness challenges – basically, knowing how big your machine is without touching the cones on either side of the track,” Harris says.
A 15-tonne Cat excavator was operated for the first challenge, where Harris says he and other competitors were tested on their precision, by picking up an oil filter from a small holster and replacing it. Once this was done, a trench had to be dug around 2.5-metres long and 900mm deep using Cat 2D digging technology.
The second challenge saw operators pick up a log with a backhoe loader and navigate an obstacle course. Harris says he then had to set the digger arm up, pick up a basketball, and drop it in a bucket.
Compact track loaders (CTLs) with pallet fork attachments were used on the third and final challenge, with Harris saying operators once again took part in a basketball-related task.
After using the forks to pick up the basketball, he says he had to travel through the obstacle course before dunking the ball into a hoop held by another CTL.
Additionally, he then had to pick up a tyre, navigate the course again, drop it at a pole, and reverse up to the pole as close as he could without touching.
Completing these tasks with impeccable precision, Harris says it was an unreal feeling to be crowned the state champion.
“It took me quite a few days and nights for it to sink in,” he says.
“Every night after, I couldn’t sleep because I was just reliving the moment, and the excitement would kick back in again.”
Top prize
One of the perks of being WA’s Cat GOC state champion is an all-expenses-paid trip to Japan, where Harris will compete against international operators at the Asia-Pacific Regional Final in October.
Not only is Harris excited about testing his skills against international operators, but he’s also looking forward to a bit of a holiday.
“I’m stoked and I can’t wait,” Harris says.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Japan to visit and try all of their amazing food.”
It’s not all R&R though, as Harris says he’s already preparing for the event.
“I’ve been watching and studying all the videos from previous years of the event, so I’m trying to size up the competition,” he says.
From the Asia-Pacific Regional Final, only three operators will be selected to travel to Las Vegas to compete against the world’s best operators in the Cat GOC final held at CONEXPO, in March 2026.
It’s a huge ask, but if Harris can manage to make it Vegas, he’ll be in for one of the most memorable holidays of his life, although not for the reasons you may assume.
“My partner has put a bit of pressure on me, because I told her if I made it through to Vegas, we’d get married there,” he says.
“On the competitor’s card there was a question of what would you do if you made it all the way, and I wrote that I would get married by Elvis in a chapel.”
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