PLUS A CHANCE TO WIN DREAM GARAGE

BRP is showcasing the complete BRP product portfolio with its Spring Ultimate Playground Tour, visiting select U.S. cities, along with a chance to win a $50,000 BRP dream garage.

Starting March 5 and running to April 19 with stops in traditional spring show locations for BRP’s Ski-Doo line, the tour will offer the first chance to see the 2012 Ski-Doo snowmobiles up close and personal.

As a special show incentive, visitors will receive a chance to win a $50,000 BRP dream garage – the opportunity to fill their garage with their choice of BRP products. Special coupons will be handed out at each tour stop and visitors can go online to check their fortunes.

The Ultimate Playground Tour, as a stand-alone event, steps up its offering by providing more products to view, interactive displays, product specialists to answer questions and more time and flexibility to look around – most stops will now be two days.

“Consumers have been asking for one venue to see all BRP products,” stated Marc-André Dubois, Director of Marketing for Ski-Doo. “In today’s business climate, manufacturers need to be creative and address these changing desires. We have answered with the Ultimate Playground; a one-stop display of all BRP products which makes it much easier and a less time consuming buying experience,” Dubois concluded.

Customers can expect to see current Can-Am ATVs, side-by-side vehicles and Spyder roadsters, Evinrude outboard engines, plus Sea-Doo watercraft and boats in addition to the 2012 Ski-Doo sleds.

The complete Ultimate Playground tour dates, times and locations can be found at www.ski-doo.com, along with all Ski-Doo spring shows.

A record number of 20 teams have registered for the SAE 2011 Snowmobile Challenge, sponsored by the snowmobile manufacturers along with other snowmobile supporting businesses, set for March 7-12th at Michigan Technological University.
 
Held at the University’s Keweenaw Research Center, the Snowmobile Challenge is a collegiate design competition of the Society of Automotive Engineers.  Engineering students from participating schools take a stock snowmobile and reengineer it.
 
The snowmobiles will compete in a variety of events including emissions, noise fuel economy/endurance, acceleration, handling, static display, cold start and design.
 
The University snowmobiles are expected to be cost-effective and comfortable for the operator to drive.  The intent of the competition is to design a touring snowmobile that will primarily be ridden on groomed snowmobile trails. 

The use of unreliable, expensive solutions is strongly discouraged!  Modern snowmobiles are engineered to meet the current standards for noise and emissions.

Teams are expected to add innovative solutions for improving on performance of the base sled that they start with.  Design judges (written and oral) will be looking for innovations and incorporating that into their scores.
 
An objective of the competition is to improve on fuel economy.  In addition to the Endurance Event, fuel economy will be evaluated in the In-Service and Lab Emissions Events.  Additional weighting in the overall scoring is given to fuel economy in the competition.
 
The minimum performance expectations for a trail snowmobile are set by the rules as a sled that by design will go 100 miles without refueling and can attain a trail speed of 45 miles per hour on a smooth trail. 

Additionally they should be able to traverse 500 feet in 12 seconds or less.  Designs that do not have a reasonable expectation of achieving these requirements will be disqualified.
 
Students will be trying to reduce friction and improve efficiency of the entire drive train.
 
This year, zero emissions competition is adapting to better reflect the potential needs of the battery-powered sled market.  This year, they will have their own event, pulling a load quickly over a one or two-mile track.  Battery powered snowmobiles are used primarily for research in remote arctic sites, where scientists measure traces of pollution.  “This was driven by the National Science Foundation, which helps sponsor the event,” said Meldrum.  “They want a machine that can haul a lot of stuff back and forth to a research site.”
 
Entrants in the internal combustion division are Clarkson University of Potsdam, N.Y., Ecole de Technologie Superieure of Montreal, Kettering University of Flint, Michigan Tech, North Dakota State University, Northern Illinois University, the State University of New York at Buffalo, and the Universities of Alaska-Fairbanks, Idaho, Maine, Wisconsin-Madison, Wisconsin-Platteville, and Waterloo of Ontario.
 
Teams in the zero emissions division are Wisconsin-Madison, Michigan Tech, Clarkson, Alaska-Fairbanks, the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology, North Dakota State University, and McGill University of Montreal.
 
The snowmobile manufacturers are major sponsors of the event.  We encourage state and provincial associations to support their local universities in this great competition.
 
More information is available from the Society of Automotive Engineers, the Michigan Tech Clan Snowmobile Challenge site and the Keweenaw Research Center www.mtukrc.org

With 17 days left until the first green flag is waved to launch the 29th running of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt, presented by La Capitale General Insurance, the organizers of the event held on Tuesday their annual press conference at the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Museum.

Several of the star riders, who will compete in the Great Quebec Winter Motorsport Classic, were on hand to field questions from the media and to invite the fans to come in great numbers to cheer them on next February 18-20, 2011.

Three full days of all-out snocross competition, snowmobile, motorcycle, and ATV oval ice racing await extreme race fans from 9 a.m. on Friday February 18. The drag racing under the lights program, a two-prong competition, will start at 3:00 p.m. with a friendly competition for snowmobile owners who wish to test their snowmobile and their abilities on a snow-covered drag strip.

It will be followed at 7:30 p.m. by a high-speed drag racing Radar competition featuring Pro Max Class snow sleds that can reach up to 300 km/h. The drag racing event will be open to all as admission will be free for everyone passing through the Grand Prix turnstiles after 3:00 p.m. Several keynote spokespersons were on hand to speak to the media during the press conference.

“If our Grand Prix is a success year after year, it is mainly because of the people that make, run and support our event. So, I would to thank all our business partners starting with the presenting sponsor of the event, La Capitale General Insurance, and of course Ski-Doo, a BRP trademark that has been a faithful partner of the Grand Prix of Valcourt since its inception in 1983,” said Rock Bourassa, Co-Chief Executive Officer of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo de Valcourt. “Of course, the Grand Prix is always thankful to the hundreds of volunteers without whom it would be impossible to stage such an event. It is also thankful to the people working for the sanctioning bodies and to our managing team that work so hard to make our Grand Prix an international event.”

On the ice oval track, Jacques Villeneuve will be featured in the Pro Champ class against two-time Valcourt winner Dustin Wahl of Minnesota, Matt Schulz of Wisconsin, winner of the 2010 Eagle River World Championship and winner of the 2007 Valcourt Grand Prix, as well as Wisconsin native Nicholas Van Strydonk who won the Valcourt Grand Prix last year.

“The Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt is the only major event to feature five different types of motorsports activities in the course of a single weekend of competition,” said Linsay Roberge, Director of the Grand Prix Ski-Doo of Valcourt, presented by La Capitale General Insurance. “Our competition program offers fans high level snowmobile, motorcycle and ATV ice oval racing, snocross competition and snowmobile drag racing on Friday night. With no other major North American East Coast and Midwest snowmobile series competing the weekend of February 18-20, we expect the top riders from these championships to come to Valcourt and challenge for top honors against the best Quebec and Canadian riders.”

Mario Landry, Director of the Joseph-Armand Bombardier Museum, was also on hand to invite everyone to come and visit for free the Museum during the weekend of the Grand Prix. “Besides the open door policy during the weekend, we are holding several activities to promote snowmobiling. On Thursday, February 17, riders from our three BRP sponsored snocross teams will be at the Museum for an autograph session. It will be an ideal moment to meet among others with Quebec riders Kaven Benoît, Tim Tremblay and Mathieu Morin, as well as Canadian Brett Turcotte from British Columbia or Darrin and Garrett Mees from Long Island, New York.”

During the Grand Prix weekend, visitors to the Museum will have a chance to meet and talk to historic snowmobile owners who will be on hand to display their sleds on the Museum grounds. In addition, on Saturday, we are inviting snowmobile and ATV owners to come and join us for a parade through the town of Valcourt. The parade will leave the Valcourt Arena at 11 a.m.

There will also be fun and games for the whole family including slides for the kids at the Grand Prix site, and spectators will be able test-drive free of charge Ski-Doo snowmobiles. Some of the new 2012 Ski-Doo models will also be on display. Several activities are planned for Friday evening with crowd entertainers, fireworks, and bonfires. Fans will also be able to join the party at the Winter Patio with entertainment with live DJ promotions from Red Bull.

General Admission and Some Trackside Suite Tickets Still Available

Tickets for the 29th running of the Grand Prix de Valcourt, presented by La Capitale General Insurance are available by contacting the ticket office at 1-450-532-3443 or at 1-866-532-7543. Trackside Suite passes, offering an incredible view of all the action on Circuit Yvon Duhamel in the comfort of a heated building, are also still available. To learn more about the weekend festivities, schedule and ticket packages, fans can log online at www.grandprixvalcourt.com.

Event organizers have also scheduled a Saturday night concert featuring Quebec rock star Éric Lapointe on February 19 at 8:30 p.m. at the Valcourt Arena. Tickets are currently on sale at $25 each, taxes included and can be ordered by calling the Grand Prix ticket office at 450-532-3443 or at 1-866-532-7543.