2 Time National Champions! Thanks Split Rail Ski, everyone loved the new technology and the word is out!

Clarkson captured first place in the 2012 SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, which drew to a close yesterday at Michigan Technological University.

“This is our second year in a row, and it’s a crazy feeling,” said team captain Ben Edwards (pictured). “We knew it was close. But the team was awesome. We came prepared, and, I can’t say enough about our sponsors who made it all possible.” Their winning four-stroke sled revolved around a 2011 Ski-Doo MX Z chassis.

Clarkson also captured several special awards, including the Polaris Industries Award for Best Handling, the PCB Group Award for Quietest Snowmobile and the DENSO Corporation Award for Best Ride. It also received the Emitec Award for Best Value, which recognizes the best balance between cost, fuel economy and performance; and the BlueRibbon Coalition Award for Most Practical Solution, for the best balance between cost and noise and emissions reduction.

The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is the newest collegiate design competition of the Society of Automotive Engineers. Engineering students from participating schools reengineer a stock snowmobile to reduce emissions and noise and increase fuel efficiency—all while preserving the riding excitement demanded by snowmobile enthusiasts.

The Challenge’s zero-emissions category, for battery-powered sleds, is sponsored by the National Science Foundation. NSF uses electric snowmobiles while conducting atmospheric research in pristine arctic locations.

The Clean Snowmobile Challenge is sponsored at Michigan Tech by the Keweenaw Research Center and the Department of Mechanical Engineering-Engineering Mechanics.