Great success for Swanville Supermilage Team at BIR

During the 2023-24 school year, the 18 students enrolled in the super milage class at Swanville High School built several vehicles. The goal is to design and construct efficient vehicles by using innovative technologies. This year, the students’ hard and clever work earned them a well-deserved spot in the limelight.

“I am very proud of the accomplishments of my students. They all did a fine job this year,” said SuperMileage Adviser Joel Rieffer.

This year, the team brought four cars to the annual SuperMileage competition, which was held at Brainerd International Raceway (BIR) in Brainerd, May 12-14. All cars placed well in their respective classes, Rieffer said.

The team’s E-85 supermilage car placed first with an average of 208 miles per gallon and a top run of 296 miles per gallon.

The Pro Sport car averaged 344 miles per gallon, had a top run of 362 miles per gallon and as a result, placed fifth.

Both of the remaining two cars the team built both placed fourth in their classes, Rieffer said. While the Super Sport had an average of 281 miles per gallon and a top run of 302 miles per gallon, the Electric Prototype had an average of 131 miles per kilowatt hour with a top run of 166 miles per kilowatt hour.

Rieffer said students have to make two laps (six miles) to make a complete run. The students also have to complete six runs (36 miles) in order to be considered for a place.

Besides being extremely proud of his students, Rieffer said he is also very thankful to the sponsors of the supermilage program and team.

“A special thanks to the Swanville Lions Club for their continued support of our program, our administration and our community,” he said.

In regard to supermileage as a program, Rieffer said the students have the opportunity to learn how to design and build a car. In addition, they also learn fabrication and different types of welding that are used to construct the cars. It’s also a great way to for them to learn how to build teamwork in stressful situations. Overall, it improves their self-esteem, Rieffer said.

“I enjoy watching the students work together and solve issues that come up with the car and within the group who are building the car,” he said. “We have a lot of students that are passionate about welding and building things with their hands.”

For sophomore Josh Hager, being involved in supermilage has been a fun experience. Reminiscing, it was one of the Swanville tam’s cars placing first that inspired him to join the supermilage class.

Hager said although he was new to the supermilage class, working on cars was not a new concept to him. He had previous knowledge and experience of building a car from scratch, he said. Even so, the class has given him great opportunities to learn more about various topics, such as learning how to wire kill switches and starters, he said.

The class comes with its own set of challenges, as well. While the students can somewhat take their time to evaluate different issues that arise, they have to think on the fly during competition.

One of the challenges they ran into during the Supermilage 2024 at Brainerd International Raceway was when their E-85 car experienced some carburetor problems. However, it was no match to the Swanville supermilage students, as they quickly fixed it.

Knowing firsthand how fun and beneficial supermilage can be, Hager encourages other students to join.

“You can learn a lot about the supermilage cars and know how to build them,” he said.

Senior Landon Baggenstoss joined the supermilage class in the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. He simply wanted to have another shop class, he said.

Baggenstoss said he joined the class with no previous knowledge in mechanics.

“I just like building things,” he said.

The experience and memories made during the supermilage class and at the Brainerd International Raceway in May, will last for a long a time for Baggenstoss.

One car in particular, he said, gave the team plenty of opportunities to practice their problem solving skills — car number 24, the E-85.

“First it was the battery, then it randomly died. Then, the rack and pinion broke. After all that was fixed, it still died, so we took the jets off of car 20, sprayed carb cleaner very generously and put them in. We drove the car without shutting it off in order to qualify,” he said.

With the various challenges the team faced when they were building the cars, Baggenstoss said he often found himself thinking about what their next move should be. Not only during the supermilage class, but throughout the day, he said.

Baggenstoss was one of the drivers of their Super Sport car at Brainerd International Raceway.

“I thought it went well. It was interesting. I felt a little nervous because I had never been there, but it was fun,” he said.

One detail he encourages other class participants who will attend the SuperMilage event at Brainerd International Raceway next year to consider is to wear plenty of sunscreen.

“Bring sunscreen if you’re going to be outside for two days. Getting so sunburnt, I could have been mistaken for Mr. Krabs,” he said.

What the team will be working on next school year awaits. Rieffer said he usually begins with asking the students what they think are acceptable goals for the year. He also adds a few of his own.

The trophy of this year’s success is proudly displayed in the shop where the supermilage class is held and the students work on their projects. It serves a reminder of accomplishments made and victories won, as well as an inspiration to keep aiming higher.

“Live fast, drive fast,” Baggenstoss said.