Who won the LANDCROS European Operator Challenge?
The final of the LANDCROS European Operator Challenge discovered the most talented operator in Europe – Guy Jacobs from Belgium. He competed against eight other contestants from France, Italy, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland and the UK to win the competition, which was held at Hitachi Construction Machinery (Europe) NV (HCME) in Amsterdam.
Testing skills across four machine categories
The inaugural event on 11 September followed nine qualifying rounds hosted locally by leading European dealers between May and June. The national champions then met in Amsterdam to compete in eight fun and engaging skill-based tasks, using reliable orange Hitachi machines to demonstrate their capabilities.
These included the ZX95USB-7, ZX135US-7 and ZX225US-7 medium crawler excavators; the ZX135W-7 and ZX175W-7 wheeled excavators; the ZX65USB-6 mini excavator; and the ZW220-7 and ZW250-7 wheel loaders.
“The Operator Challenge is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the people who use our machinery every day.”
HCME Director Marketing & Brand Communication Laura Hendriks
Speed was the deciding factor
Guy emerged as the winner after winning four of the tasks – he achieved the same score of 530 points as second-placed Dutch competitor Tjerk Segers but completed the challenges in a faster time. Portuguese finalist Márcio Romão finished in third place with 385 points, followed by Swiss contender Felipe Gomes Abreu and the UK’s entrant, Andrew Walker in fifth.
Congratulations to Julien Blais, from France, who was the only finalist to complete the puzzle challenge, and Raul Gonzales from Spain, who excelled at the wheel loader load and carry task. Italian champion Daniele Brangi finished first in the ball game, and Sergej Fronskij of Lithuania was top in the trench-digging task.
“I doubted myself all day, wondering if I was good enough, particularly after the flying bottle challenge didn’t go so well! I’m usually focused on precision and balance, but it was speed that made the difference today.”
– LANDCROS European Operator Challenge 2026 winner Guy Jacobs
The Reliable Orange
The competition comes ahead of Hitachi Construction Machinery’s transition to LANDCROS in April 2027. “Under the new name, our customers will continue to enjoy the same reliable performance, comfort and safety they have trusted for decades,” says HCME Director Marketing & Brand Communication Laura Hendriks.
