Welcome to GNCTR 2010!

McMaster University is proud to host this year's Great Northern Concrete Toboggan Race (GNCTR) in Hamilton, Ontario on January 27-30th, 2010. Since 1975, GNCTR has become the oldest and largest engineering competition in Canada, challenging over 400 engineering students from across the country to design, build, and safely race toboggans with a running surface made entirely of concrete.

GNCTR would not be possible without the continued support of generous sponsors who believe that encouraging engineering students to advance their technical and leadership skills is a valuable endeavour. Please see the sponsorship page for information on how your company can be a proud supporter GNCTR 2010!

For more information about GNCTR, Hamilton, and McMaster University, see the about page, or email info@gnctr2010.com. Stay tuned to this website for continued updates about the competition.

COMPETITION COMPLETE.

We are proud to announce that GNCTR 2010 was a huge success! The Organizing Committee would like to thank all of our sponsors, especially the McMaster Engineering Society, Faculty of Engineering, and Jackson Square for their amazing support, without which GNCTR 2010 would not have been possible. We also thank all of our judges, volunteers, and the good folks at Glen Eden (for giving us the safest and most exciting Race Day ever despite many more runs) and Hamilton Convention Centre. Last but not least, a HUGE "thanks for comin' out" goes to all competitors, who made this year's competition a blast!

Thanks to all teams for a great showing, especially Ottawa, Laurentian, and Memorial who participated for the first time this year, as well as the first all-girls team, the McMaster Outlaws. Although there were many successful toboggan designs, unique costumes and displays, and energetic demonstrations of spirit, we must of course choose the teams that stood out among the rest. GNCTR 2010 extends elephant-sized congratulations to the following award winners!

First Place: University of Alberta
Second Place: University of Calgary
Third Place: Université de Sherbrooke
King of the Hill: University of Calgary
Spirit Award ("Pearson's Mom Cup"): Queen's University
Top Speed (Fastest Toboggan): McMaster Outlaws
Best Brake Design: University of Alberta
Best Braking Performance: University of Alberta
Best Concrete Mix and Reinforcement: University of Calgary
Best Costumes: University of Alberta
Best n00b Team: University of Ottawa
Best Alumni/Corporate Team: Dufferin Construction
Best Performing Toboggan: University of Manitoba
Best Technical Display: Ryerson University
Best Technical Report: Carleton University
Best Theoretical Toboggan: University of Alberta
Best Toboggan Aesthetics: Université de Sherbrooke
Most Spectacular Run: University of Toronto
People's Champion: Carleton University

For full rankings, download the Final Results.

GNCTR: Free to a Good Home

Hosting GNCTR was an incredible experience this year. Sadly, we can't host it every year, since we are old and le tired, and should really get back to our jobs. We are now accepting bids for GNCTR 2011 from western schools, and GNCTR 2012 from eastern schools! So step up and give back to the competition we all know and love. Want to host 2011?

GNCTR in the Media

GNCTR gained quite a bit of attention this year, and we thoroughly enjoyed chating with the media to get the word out about this great event. We were particularly excited to have Discovery Channel's Alan Nursall at the races to speak with competitors about the science behind their designs. Here is a brief list of some of the media venues that covered GNCTR 2010!

Public Events

Two events are open to the public and GNCTR welcomes all curious spectators and members of the media to take advantage of this rare opportunity come see this spectacular event in their own backyard. This is only the second time in history the event has been to southern Ontario! In addition to the toboggans, teams bring themed costumes, songs/cheers, and unrivaled enthusiasm. All events are free of charge.

Technical Exhibition

The Technical Exhibition is when all teams put their toboggans out for public viewing, with elaborate displays based on their theme. Team members will be on hand to proudly explain their designs.

Date/Time: Friday, January 29, 2010, 8:30am-3:30pm
Location: Hamilton Convention Centre, Downtown Hamilton

Race Day

Race Day is the culmination of months of hard work, where you can watch these wild contraptions in action - hurtling down the hill for engineering supremacy. The morning consists of individual timed runs, and the afternoon is a gruelling head-to-head sudden death elimination battle to become the King of the Hill, the first time tournament-style has been introduced to GNCTR.

Date/Time: Saturday, January 30, 2010, 8:00am-4:00pm
Location: Glen Eden Ski & Snowboard Centre (Tube Park), Milton

GNCTR is providing free buses to the hill for Mac students! Departure from the JHE Annex at 10am, returning at 2:30pm.

News

Final Week

1/20/2010 - There's only ONE WEEK left until GNCTR! Technical reports are due now. Good luck to all teams as you put the finishing touches on your toboggans. The weather conditions are looking good and we can't wait to see you all!

Sociable!

1/14/2010 - Follow GNCTR on Facebook and Twitter! Come on, everybody else is doing it.

Technical Reports Due

1/13/2010 - A reminder to all teams that as stated in the Competition Rules, tech reports are due in one week from today, before midnight on Wednesday, January 20th, 2010. Please email the reports to Director of Competitions Jackson Wiegman at competitions@gnctr2010.com in PDF format. Two weeks left to GNCTR!

GNCTR Featured On Discovery Channel

11/26/2009 - GNCTR and the McMaster Engineering Concrete Toboggan Team were featured on Discovery Channel's Daily Planet as part of their Alan Nursall Experience segment! This is part of an ongoing collaboration with Discovery Channel to raise the profile of the competition and get the general public to learn more about GNCTR. Watch the clip here!

Registration Deadline Extended

11/10/2009 - The competition is fast approaching and the GNCTR 2010 Organizing Committee wants to make sure all potential teams are given a chance to join in. The deadline for registration has been extended to December 1, 2009. Please see the Registration Page for details, or download the Registration Package. Hope to see you there!

GNCTR Schedule

10/16/2009 - Curious about what's being planned for the week of GNCTR? Check out the preliminary GNCTR schedule!

CIRCA Award Confirmed

10/15/2009 - GNCTR is proud to announce that CIRCA is once again offering an award to the competing team with the most effective use of fly ash in concrete. Additional details have been posted here, or you can check out the Award Criteria document.

Competition Rules Released

10/06/2009 - A preliminary draft of the Competition Rules has been posted. Please review it carefully because there have been some changes from previous years, including the introduction of a one-on-one tournament style, "King of the Hill" competition on Race Day! Please send any questions to Director of Competitions Jackson Wiegman at competitions@gnctr2010.com.

Registration is now open!

9/16/2009 - Teams interested in participating in GNCTR 2010 can now download our Registration Package or visit our registration page for further details. Several teams have already announced their intent to participate (see list here).