Machinery operator Jérémie Meunier at the Mondial Caterpillar

Jérémie Meunier, from Roberval, may only be 23 years old, but he will try to have his talents as a heavy equipment operator recognized in his first participation in the Caterpillar World Challenge, the first part of which will take place Thursday, in Quebec.

Met Tuesday on a decontamination site, the young man seemed feverish to represent Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean in this unusual competition.

From a very young age, Jérémie Meunier has driven heavy machinery. His grandfather Robert founded the Robert Meunier Excavation company some forty years ago, which was later taken over by his father.

“I am 23 years old, but I have been driving for a long time. My hour meter has gone around several times. —Jeremie Meunier

Passing all the tests at this first stage at the local level could lead him to aspire to the title of world champion, at the end of a competition which will take place later in the year in Las Vegas. But before getting there, he will have to demonstrate skill in driving an excavator, a wheel loader and a backhoe. And there will be other steps to take, including the regional semi-finals in October.

The organizers have already promised that specialists in trenches, moving aggregate or demolition will have to be seasoned, as the challenge is complex, even for the most experienced. “I am 23 years old, but I have been driving for a long time. My hour counter has gone around several times,” says Mr. Meunier.

The latter expects the competition to test the skills of operators in terms of speed and moving objects, but admits in the same breath that he is not too informed about the tests.