Danish operator wins 13-nation competition, and Sweden wins the Best Team award, in an action-packed tournament testing skills and technical ability
The most skillful construction machinery operators in the world came face-to-face at the 2017 CASE Rodeo International Final in France on October 13th and 14th to determine who is best of them all. The annual competition brought together the top finishers from national CASE Rodeo competitions across Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The competition took place as usual at the CASE Customer Centre Paris in Monthyon where contestants tackled tests at the controls of the newest CASE models: a compact track loader, crawler excavator, mini excavator, and full-size wheel loader. All four challenges pushed competitors to the limits of their abilities and demonstrated the extraordinary versatility and controllability of CASE equipment.
A thrilling competition
All four parts of the Rodeo were run as a race against the clock, with time penalties imposed for failure to meet task requirements. The first of the challenges, “LAWLESS LOADER”, required competitors to drive a TV380 compact track loader along a defined path, pick-up three numbered boxes from pallets one-at-a-time, use the boxes to create a pyramid, then return all boxes to their original positions and reverse the compact loader to its garage. This challenge was won by Tomas Sooky of the Czech Republic.
In the next challenge, “CHEROKEE CRAWLER”, contestants had to use a CX145D SR crawler excavator located in a fixed position, with a weight hanging from the bucket at the end of the dipper arm, to inscribe the word ‘CASE’ on a table without causing the table to move. This test of precision was won by Danny Walsh of the UK.
In “LITTLE BIGHORN”, competitors had to control a CX60C mini excavator located in a fixed position to pick up golf balls from a sand pit using a bucket attachment, then deliver each ball to a specific tube in a particular sequence. This time the best performance was given by Tommy Brus Pedersen of Denmark.
In the final competition, “WILD WHEELS”, competitors had to drive a 621G XT wheel loader along a defined path and then back to its starting place while carrying four cubes placed on a board on top of the bucket. The challenge was to get there and back without causing the cubes to move out of position. The victor was once again Denmark’s Tommy Brus Pedersen.
All the winners were presented with their prizes at the Rodeo’s awards ceremony. This year the wild-west themed competition awards venue was staged at the Domaine de Chaalis, at an equestrian venue in France’s main horse-training area, Chantilly. The overall winner - with the prize of a trip to China which will include a sightseeing programme in Shanghai and Yunnan and a visit to CASE China - was Bendt Risom from Denmark. The country team award was won by Sweden, with the other top-five places taken by the UK, the Netherlands, Denmark, and Germany.
The event also featured networking opportunities, a gala dinner and live entertainment. To emphasise the equestrian theme, event guests - CASE company executives, dealers, and media representatives - were treated in the indoor arena to an impressive demonstration of dressage - a discipline which demands the same extraordinarily precise levels of control that the equipment operators demonstrated in the CASE Rodeo.
Winner Bendt Risom said: “All the competitions were demanding but great fun. Contestants were so close in their scores that there was a lot of tension all the way through. I knew I had done a good job but didn’t expect to win. I’m really looking forward to the prize trip to China, and I’ve invited my Dad to join me because he’s always supported me and is as excited about machines as I am.”
Francesca Asteggiano, CASE Construction Equipment Communication Manager for Europe Africa and the Middle East, commented: “The CASE Rodeo Final has become a very popular event and gets more challenging every year. Spectators are always amazed to see how skilful the best machine operators are, and to see how CASE’s famously robust machinery can be controlled with such incredible precision.”