It’ll be thunder in the dome at Mackay show
Staff reporter, 9 June 2011
YEARS of work by mining simulator suppliers to dispel the notion of a simulator as a fancy (and very expensive) toy or gaming machine will go out the window, at least temporarily, in the central Queensland hub of Mackay later this month.
Leading Australian earthmoving contractor Thiess has put the call out to the Bowen Basin coalfield’s best mining vehicle drivers to make their way to the 2011 annual Mackay Show to contest the “Top Operator Challenge”. But forget about thoughts of a mega-dirt track set up to accommodate the industry’s ultra-class dump trucks, or even the smaller variety.
The three-day contest will pit drivers against each other in a simulator.
“Contestants will complete a tough openpit haul circuit and be judged by the simulator on safety, efficiency and precision,” a spokesperson for Thiess said.
“The competition is open to any current coal mine dump truck operator regardless of employer and the winner will receive a weekend for four on the Gold Coast, with two runners up to receive Apple I-Pads. Ties will be resolved by a final drive-off.”
Thiess’ northern region executive manager of mining, Danny McCarthy said the Top Operator Challenge was a great way for “the Bowen Basin’s best to showcase their talent”.
Contestants can even bring family and friends into the simulator for a “front seat view” of the skill required to safely operate the huge machines.
Entry to the competition is free, but contestants must prove they are current coal mine dump truck operators.
The simulator tent will be located near (you guessed it) Fun Alley at the show, which runs from June 21-23.
Also in the June 9 - 15, 2011 edition
- AFRICA
- Discoveries flow in copper country
- ASIA DESK
- Hong Kong arms still open
- Mindoro’s Dugdale talks up different nickel view
- CONSULTING
- Calibre beefing up for listing?
- In brief: AMC, Mining Plus, Snowden
- EVENTS
- In brief: Mozambique Coal, AIMEX 2011
- EXPLORATION
- Fitzroy strikes, market yawns
- Sandfire spend underlines challenge for copycats
- FINANCE
- Japanese shine new light on Watershed
- Minmetals still pursuing rapid growth
- FORUM
- Not letting facts get in the way of a good political narrative
- The politics of death
- GOLD
- Ausgold finds favour on Boddington similarities
- Aussie dollar gobbles Alacer margins
- INSIGHT
- A tough issue to deal with
- ISSUES
- CEEC looks to put efficiency on the menu
- MINING INTELLIGENCE
- Back up the truck: weighing the cost of opportunities lost
- MINING IT
- Best laid mine plans reaping rewards
- IT notebook: GijimaAST, Intergraph, AuraPortal, Industrial Scientific
- PEOPLE
- Fraser joins HighGrade
- On the move: Waratah, BCD Resources, VDM Group, Gascoyne, Minara, OceanaGold, Stonehenge, Austin Engineering, Ausdrill, IFM
- PROJECT WATCH
- DeGrussa fires up
- SOUTH AMERICA
- Good news could knock twice
- Peru election spells trouble for Xstrata
- TECHNOLOGY
- Rio Tinto to expand autonomous haulage
- THOUGHT LEADER SERIES
- Flawed assumptions and nasty surprises: why we need to get smarter at assessing risk
- UNDERGROUND
- Deep mines will stress current systems
