March 25, 2003 08:32 ET

Gage Is Official Snowmobile Challenge Sponsor

DETROIT –-- Gage Products Company served as official fuel sponsor for the fourth annual SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge held this March in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.

Twelve student teams from universities in the U.S. and Canada took part in the four-day event (March 19 to 22, 2003) with snowmobiles modified to reduce noise and emission levels. Michigan Technological University in Houghton hosted the competition.

A leading global supplier of test fuels, paint solvents and paint-system recycling programs for the automotive industry, Detroit-based Gage Products Company provided specially blended fuel for the event.

“Gage had an important role in this year’s competition,” said Jay Meldrum, director of the Keweenaw Research Center, a lead organizer of the program. “By donating specially blended fuels and measuring the fuel economy of each snowmobile, Gage helped to assure an even playing field for every competitor.”

Meldrum noted that this is the first year that the competition has taken place in Michigan. As in past years, student-modified snowmobiles competed in a variety of events designed to measure emissions, noise, fuel economy, acceleration, handling and braking. Prior to this year the competition was held in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

Meldrum noted that the overall intent of the competition is to develop snowmobiles that are acceptable for use in environmentally sensitive areas. Snowmobiles entered in the program are expected to be quiet and emit significantly less unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide than conventional snowmobiles.

Technical inspections and team check-ins took place on Wednesday, March 19. The competition began with an endurance and fuel-economy event on Thursday, followed by noise, acceleration, braking and emissions events on Friday. Cold start and handling events were scheduled on Saturday morning.

Teams registered for the program included entries from Colorado State University, Idaho State University, Kettering University, Michigan Technological University, Minnesota State University – Mankato, University of Idaho, University of Wisconsin – Madison, University of Wisconsin – Platteville and the University of Wyoming.

The University of Idaho received the “Gage Products Best Fuel Economy” award for most fuel-efficient snowmobile at the 2003 event.

“As a company dedicated to improving the environment, Gage is especially pleased to part of a program that not only encourages the development of student engineers, but also contributes to a better environment,” said a Gage spokesman. “A major goal of the Clean Snowmobile Challenge is to develop snowmobiles that are acceptable for use in environmentally sensitive areas.”

A specialist in the production of test fuels for the automotive industry, Gage has provided its customers with more than 1,000 different test-fuel blends over the past five years. Gage’s custom-fuel customers include Bosch, Visteon, TI Automotive, Inergy Automotive Systems, Eaton Corporation, Detroit Testing Services Group and Stant Manufacturing.

Headquartered in Ferndale, MI, Gage has facilities in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil and Mexico. A leader in the field of sustainable manufacturing and solvent remanufacturing programs, its paint-system solvent-recovery processes are used in a majority of North America’s automotive assembly plants and have attracted the attention of European and Asia-Pacific manufacturers as well.

Additional information about Gage is available on the Internet at www.gageproducts.com. Further details about the 2003 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge may be found at www.mtu.edu.

Source: Gage Products Company

CONTACT: Company Contact: Tom Murray of Gage Products Company, Phone: 248-691-6737, Email: tmurray@gageproducts.com ; or Media Contact: Larry Weis
of AutoCom Associates, +1-248-647-8621, E-Mail: lweis@usautocom.com , for Gage
Products Company