As gas prices in Minnesota top $3 a gallon, hundreds of Minnesota middle and high school students are preparing for the Minnesota Supermilage Challenge at the Brainerd International Raceway on May 13-15, an annual contest to see which team of students can build the most fuel efficient vehicles — and prove it on the track. In addition to gasoline-powered vehicles, some teams are building racers that use the cleaner-burning alternative fuel E85.

The students’ use of a less polluting fuel in the contest caught the attention of the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest, a strong supporter of E85, biodiesel and other cleaner fuels and transportation technology.

“Minnesota is not only the clear leader in E85 sales and E85 outlets, our kids also know how to get the most out of this cleaner-burning, largely homegrown fuel,” said Bob Moffitt, communications director of the Clean Fuel and Vehicle Technologies program of the American Lung Association of the Upper Midwest. “For example, last year’s E85 division defending champion (a joint Chippewa Middle School, Shoreview and Moundsview High School team) got an amazing 621 miles per gallon using E85.”