SAE Collegiate Design Series: Supermileage®
2009 Supermileage Reminders
MARSHALL, MI., May 18, 2009
1) Teams shipping vehicles to the event site must send notification to e-mail Supermileage@Eaton.com so that arrangements can be made to receive the shipment. Any team shipping to the event site is required to arrange all payment and all paperwork with the shipping agent for both delivery and return of the vehicle after the Competition.
2) You should know from the SAE Supermileage website that the event will be held at:
Eaton Corporation Marshall Proving Grounds
19218 B Drive South
Marshall, Michigan 49068 USA
3) Teams are responsible for arranging and paying all transportation cost. No transportation will be provided by the Organizer. Teams requiring ground transportation support might want to contact their planned hotel ahead of the event for assistance in identifying local transportation services.
4) A variety of local businesses in the city of Marshall have supplies that you may need to support your team and vehicle.
5) The planned schedule for June 4 & 5 is attached at the bottom of this article. Gates at the Proving Grounds will open by 9:00 Eastern Time Zone on the morning of Thursday, June 4.
Teams must drive slowly and safely when entering Eaton Corporation property. Signs will direct teams to the track area where Supermileage is conducted. The team paddocks are marked off in widths of approximately 15 feet, and the areas are taken on a "first-come" basis. Teams must respect the Eaton Corporation property by not littering nor driving on any grass covered areas. Teams will be allowed to leave trailers and equipment on the Proving Grounds property overnight from Thursday to Friday.
6) Checking-in on Thursday morning at the registration table can be a fast process or a painfully slow process depending on your preparation.
SAE International requires all team members to verify registration when arriving at the event. Upon arrival, all people associated with your team must come to the registration table with Photo Identification (driver's license, identification card, passport, etc). The message from the SAE Collegiate Design Series office is as follows:
"For onsite registration, all team members will need to come to registration with all members of the team present. They should have already inputted all of their information online (i.e. medical insurance, emergency contact information, driver’s license, etc.); if they do not upload this information ahead of time, they need to ensure they have all of the required information with them at the time of onsite registration to avoid not being able to participate. Also, EVERY participant needs to have medical insurance or else they cannot compete…NO EXCEPTIONS! If they have questions on any of this they can email collegiatecompetitions@sae.org."
If the above information was not provided online, each team member must bring the required information with them to the registration table. Others travelling with your team are required to also be present at the registration table to sign an SAE event liability-waiver.
After SAE registration, a team leader will proceed to the event registration table administered by the Organizers. Event registration will include a multitude of other event specific items that include door prize tickets and free event t-shirts & hats. T-shirts & hats will be initially limited at the discretion of the Organizer to the number of team members registered online as of the end of February deadline. Teams will also receive individual participation certificates for their team members who requested the certificates earlier in the year. Additional individual participation certificates will not be available.
7) Teams who have rigorously prepared by carefully verifying their vehicle easily complies with the Supermileage rules will complete the Technical Inspection process quickly. Teams are assigned vehicle numbers in the order in which Technical Inspection is successfully completed. No vehicles are allowed to be on the track until a vehicle number sticker is presented by the Chief Technical Inspector. The Chief Technical Inspector has the final say regarding whether a vehicle has successfully completed the Technical Inspection process. Teams are advised to calmly work with the Technical Inspectors to make the vehicle comply with both the letter of and spirit of the rules. Fuel economy attempts on Friday will be done in numerical order based upon the assigned vehicle number. Vehicles are allowed multiple attempts to obtain maximum fuel economy on Friday, and well prepared teams often have five or more attempts. Considering the concept of Good Sportsmanship, teams that have not completed a full fuel economy run of 6-laps may be given preferential placement in the fuel economy attempt order near the end of the day on Friday.
8) The Eaton Corporation Marshall Proving Grounds is a NON-Smoking facility. Possession of alcoholic beverages on the Proving Grounds is also prohibited. Any member of a team violating these bans on smoking or alcohol will jeopardize the participation of the team member's entire team at the event. Any behavior not deemed acceptable by the Organizers may jeopardize participation of the team's school in both the current and future years of Supermileage.
9) For those attending Supermileage for the first time, the Awards Banquet on Friday evening is a low-key affair with pizza (including "no-meat" varieties) and carbonated beverages. The early years of Supermileage involved a more elaborate banquet, but the factors of additional time (not favored by the participants) and added cost resulted in a change to the present format. Teams who do not attend the Awards Banquet will not receive team certificates or other event awards.
10) Throughout your preparations and travels involving Supermileage in particular, please be certain to consider the safety of both yourselves and others when making all decisions. Eaton Corporation is very safety minded, and the Supermileage Organizers will have this as a top priority when conducting the event.
The above information should give you a good start regarding what you can expect at Supermileage 2009. Please send any other questions you have to Supermileage@Eaton.com for individual answers.
Best wishes and safe travels,
Jim
Jim Gluys
Co-Chairman, Treasurer, and Event-Organizer
SAE Supermileage 2009, 30th Anniversary
