Not Done With Winter Yet: This Year’s SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge Winners

This year the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge took place on March 7th, 2016 through the 12th, and it was no surprise to us that the challengers went hard again this year. The event that annually takes place in Houghton, Michigan, brings together contestants of all different kinds. At Gage Products, we are personally involved with the gas and diesel sleds specifically, and we’re no rookies to the cause. This was our 15th year sponsoring the event while donating alternative fuels to the challenge. Electric snowmobiles were also included in the competition.

At Gage, we take a special interest in the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge because it allows students to challenge themselves with engineering and design – to ultimately test capabilities. The common goal of the challenge? To redesign an existing snowmobile in an attempt to reduce both emissions and noise.

The other events that the snowmobiles competed in this year included: fuel economy/endurance, acceleration, handling, static display, cold start and design.

The breakdown of the winners this year went as follows…

The overall winners of the gas competition:
1. University of Wisconsin – Madison
2. École De Technologie Supérieure & Clarkson University tied for second

The best fuel economy on the endurance run, in the order they placed:
1. University of Idaho – 19.3mpg
2. Clarkston University – 18.9mpg
3. École De Technologie Supérieure – 18.5mpg

And last, but not least, the overall order for the diesel mobiles:
1. North Dakota State University
2. State University of New York at Buffalo

If you know Gage, you know that we are happy to be at and/or sponsor any events that speak to the importance of sustainability for a better environment. The SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge is one way for the younger generations to start getting involved with improving our surroundings, and it won’t stop there. For further information on our sustainability practices and how to become part of the cause, visit our website today. On behalf of the Gage Products team, we would like to congratulate the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the University of Idaho, and North Dakota State University on their first place victories! We look forward to seeing everyone there next year!