Denver, Colo. - Gates Corporation, a global diversified manufacturer of industrial, automotive, heavy-duty, and powersports aftermarket products, announces the win of G-Force sponsored Team CC in the 2016 Iron Dog race. The Iron Dog is a 7-day, cross-country snowmobile race that runs over 2,000 miles of Alaskan terrain in varied weather conditions. Team CC finished in first place among 41 Pro class teams that competed in this year’s race.
Team owner and manager Korey Cronquist described the belt’s role in contributing to the team’s victory. He said, “We chose Gates G-Force belts not only for their toughness, but for their consistency. Being able to go 2,000 miles at the right rpm in extreme conditions, helped us win the world’s longest, toughest snowmobile race.” He went on to comment that the team didn’t have to change a lot of belts during the race, saving critical time that factored into the win.
Gates G-Force C12 CVT belts are engineered for drop-in performance, featuring exceptional strength, flexibility and durability for ATVs, UTVs, side-by-sides and snowmobiles. It is the first CVT belt utilizing a carbon tensile cord, which combines minimal stretch with the strength of carbon contributing to faster acceleration, improved throttle response and consistent shifting performance.
“Gates congratulates Team CC’s Tyler Aklestad and Tyson Johnson on winning the 2016 Iron Dog race. A key characteristic in obtaining performance and life from their Gates CVT belts is consistent belt geometry and length—you simply can’t allow the belt to stretch,” said Dave Hanes, Gates Engineering Director Transmission Systems. “A lot of work by Gates chemists, engineers and techs went into developing our patented process that bonds exceptionally stretch resistant carbon fiber to rubber. Taken by itself, carbon fiber’s extremely high modulus, or resistance to stretch, separates our belts from our competitors and absolutely was a contributing factor in the race."