National Snowmobile Challenge returns to MTU

By: Matt Norman, Senior Staff Writer

For the fourth consecutive year, Michigan Tech has the honor of hosting some of North America’s best engineering schools in the Society of Automotive Engineers Clean Snowmobile Challenge. The event, which kicked off Monday, is being held all this week at the Keweenaw Research Center’s world class snow track, located near the Hancock Airport.
The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is a major test of engineering prowess, requiring students to take a regular snowmobile and transform it through state-of-the-art engineering techniques into a low-emissions, low-noise, supersled that outperforms the original. Snowmobiles include both fuel-powered and no-emission electric vehicles.
While the big events are still to come in the competition, one segment of the event was completed Tuesday as teams ran in the always-challenging endurance race. For the twelve fuel-powered sleds this meant a 100-mile trip to Copper Harbor. Monday’s big snowstorm had produced good conditions, except for “a few mushy spots,” according to Keweenaw Research Center Director and Challenge organizer Jay Meldrum. However, only eight of the twelve teams were able to complete the grueling journey. Among these was Michigan Tech, keeping it on track for an improvement on its sixth place overall Challenge finish last year. The driver of the MTU sled, Mike Ryba, reported that “You couldn’t ask for a better day, and the sled ran great.” Others finishing were UW-Madison, Minnesota Duluth, the University of Idaho, and last year’s runner-up, Clarkson University.
Four sleds couldn’t complete the journey, with three overheating along the way and one, last year’s winner, State University of New York at Buffalo, facing engine problems that forced it to drop out before the race began.
For the electric snowmobiles the endurance test was a shorter one, but it didn’t prove to be any easier for that. Neither of the two electric sleds quite made it to the end of the ten-mile course, though both were close, with Utah State traveling 9.5 miles and McGill University, one of two Montreal schools competing, making it 7.2.
More excitement is still to come in the competition, and the public is invited to attend. Wednesday beginning at 6p.m. the Houghton Fire Hall on Sharon Avenue will host the static display, a chance for everyone to inspect the sleds first hand and meet the students behind them. The static display requires students to “sell visitors on the quality of their sleds, just as they would in industry,” says Meldrum, who adds that “it’s a great chance for everyone from snowmobile enthusiasts to environmentalists to learn about some of the technology that goes into the development of cleaner, quieter machines.”
Saturday will see the event finale, with two of the most popular events, the handling and acceleration tests held at the Keweenaw Research Center track. The acceleration event begins at 10 a.m. and the handling event begins at 11 a.m.
The event will wrap up that evening at 6 p.m. with the awards banquet, which all are invited to attend. Tickets to the banquet are $25 and can be purchased until Friday by calling the Michigan Tech Conferences and Institutes Office at 487-2263.

http://www.mtulode.com/index.php?issuedate=2006-03-15&section=12&artid=5216

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