Brainerd Supermileage Club Looks to Run Their 1st E-Go-Kart In Indianapolis

Brainerd’s Supermileage Club is making some last-minute tweaks to their first ever e-go-kart.

After competing at the MN Technology & Engineering Educators Association’s annual Super Mileage Challenge hosted by the Brainerd International Raceway the past few years, and taking first and second place for the Super Sports class in 2022, the Supermileage Club is hoping to reach new levels this week in Indianapolis for the Shell Eco-marathon competition.

Brainerd Supermileage Club President Levi Jillson first heard about the club through friends, but he never imagined falling in love with it.

“I heard about this club just from a couple older buddies I had, and it’s like, oh, eighth grade I just started to check it out with my dad, ’cause my dad and [our instructor] are pretty good buddies,” said Jillson. “I started coming every once in a while and full time thing after that just, I just love it.”

What’s played a pivotal part in his infatuation with go-karts – as well as the interest of the full team – is the collective problem solving.

“Just the whole idea of all the problems we face,” explained Jillson. “Mainly just, honestly working as a team to come and build them like this is very challenging. We’ve had a lot of experience and trouble with that, trying to come together and build it and a lot of challenges. People of different backgrounds trying to figure out strengths and weaknesses and just coming out as a team.”

The Supermileage Club is dealing with a new hurdle this year, as they look to admit their first e-go-kart into this week’s Shell Eco-marathon competition.

“It’s a lot more simple, style-wise, just given that there’s less components to it,” said reserve driver Carley Cronquist. “There’s not a whole motor in there … or whatever they have to run. But the motor itself is more complicated and it’s more difficult to – because you have to program in all that. It’s not just, you know, putting some fuel in and starting it. So I think that’s definitely been more difficult.”

However, the team’s not too prideful to refrain from asking for help.

“We all just have ideas that are similar, to figure out which ones work the best and go to the community,” said club member Owen Cash. “Have, like, ideas coming in from them, and go through there, find the best materials and stuff for what we need and go from there. [F]ormer alumni and different people have done this longer than us – [they] give us ideas and we’ll see if they’ll work on stuff for what we need.

From coming into the welding shop before class in the morning, to staying there after school well past sundown, Brainerd’s Supermileage Club is putting in countless hours for this week’s Shell Eco-marathon competition. But all that hard work will be paid off once they see that go-kart running on the Indianapolis track.

“Once she’s out on the track, I think all of the adrenaline is just going to wear off and everybody is just going to, you know, celebrate ’cause that’s the whole point, is just to get out on the track, essentially,” explained Cronquist. “I mean, making the the run is what it is. But, you know, getting it on the track is the hardest part. So I think that’ll be good.”

The Brainerd Supermileage Club will head down to Indianapolis tomorrow for the event. The Shell Eco-marathon will run April 3-7 from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.