Gage Sponsors SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge

FERNDALE, Mich., Feb. 19, 2004 -- Gage Products Company for the second consecutive year will be the official fuel sponsor for the fifth annual SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge at Michigan Technological University (MTU) in Houghton, Mich.

Sixteen student teams from universities in the U.S. and Canada will compete in the six-day event (March 15 - 20) with snowmobiles modified to reduce noise and emissions levels. MTU is hosting the competition for the second consecutive year.

Gage, a leading global supplier of test fuels, paint solvents and paint- system recycling programs for the automotive industry, will provide specially blended fuel for the event and present an award for best overall fuel economy.

"We are excited that Gage will again play an important role in this competition," said Jay Meldrum, director of the Keweenaw Research Center, lead organizer for the program. "Gage will help to ensure a better playing field for the competitors by donating specially blended fuels and measuring the fuel economy of each snowmobile."

The goal of the competition is to develop snowmobiles that are acceptable for use in environmentally sensitive areas. Snowmobiles entered in the program are required to run quiet and emit significantly less unburned hydrocarbons and carbon monoxide than conventional snowmobiles.

Technical inspections and team check-ins take place on Monday, March 15. An endurance and fuel economy event will be held at Copper Harbor, Mich., on Tuesday. Cold start, noise, braking and emissions tests will take place on Thursday and Friday. Other events include design presentations and static displays, as well as acceleration and handling competitions.

Teams registered for the international competition include U.S. entries from Clarkson University (Potsdam, NY), Colorado State University (Fort Collins), Idaho State University (Pocatello), Kettering University (Flint, MI), MTU, Minnesota State University (Mankato), Montana Tech (Butte), SUNY-Buffalo, University of Maine (Orono), University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Wisconsin-Platteville and last year's winner, University of Idaho (Moscow). Canadian entries include, Ecole De Technologies Superieure (Montreal, Quebec), McGill University (Montreal, Quebec), University of Alberta (Edmonton, Alberta), and the University of Waterloo (Waterloo, Ontario).

The team with the most fuel-efficient snowmobile at the 2004 event will receive the "Gage Products Best Fuel Economy" award at a banquet in Houghton on Saturday, March 20. Donald R. Dixon, an MTU graduate and president of Gage Products, will present the award.

"Gage is pleased to be a sponsor of a program that both encourages student excellence and benefits the environment," Dixon said. "Based on the success of last year's event, we are expecting an even better competition this year."

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 six 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, Mich., Gage also has operations in Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Brazil and Mexico. The company is a leader in the field of sustainable manufacturing and solvent remanufacturing systems. In addition, Gage manufactures paint-related products and cleaners for a wide variety of industrial uses, as well as calibration and test fuels for use in the auto industry.