The 2009 Great Lakes Forwarder Operator Challenge was held this year in Escanaba, Michigan at the Upper Peninsula Fair Grounds.
A total of seventeen contestants competed for this years prize money. The contest begins with the Time Trials where all seventenn contestants run against the clock and only the 8 fastest times progress on to the Quarter Final round. In the Quarter Final round the contestants with the top 8 fastest times run head to head against each other with only the faster contestant moving to the Semi-Final round.
This years Semi-Finals round found Jeremy Dobson of Negaunee matched against David Anderson of Felch, with John Talbacka of Ispheming running against Jim Battye of Channing. All four finalists were from the Upper Peninsula Michigan
This years final results are as follows;
Pictured from L-R:
1st Place - John Talbacka of Ishpeming, MI
2nd Place - Jeremy Dobson, Negaunee, MI
3rd Place - David Anderson, Felch, MI
4th Place - Jim Battye, Channing, MI
Norio Kido - EVP Forest Machines Dept. Komatsu America Corp.
Tom Sarin - President Komatsu Forest, LLC
Henry Schienebeck - GLTPA Executive Director
A HUGE Thank you to all who participated and helped make this years competition a success!
Contest was sponsored by the GLTPA, Roland Machinery and Komatsu Forest, LLC