#Brp

BRP has officially opened its new manufacturing facility in Querétaro, Mexico. This facility assemble Rotax engines for BRPs Can-Am off-road vehicles and assemble the Sea-Do Spark watercraft and manufacturer composite hulls decks for Sea-Doo watercraft. By 2015, the entire Sea-Doo watercraft line-up will be produced in the Querétaro facility.

Once completed, the project will represent an investment of approximately US$958 million (C$100 million) and should employ some 1,100 people by 2015. As we reported in May of 2012, BRP estimated moving of PWC assembly to Mexico affected about 500 employees in Quebec.

Bombardier Recreational Products (BRP) is working to become a publicly owned and traded company. BRP has filed a preliminary prospectus with the necessary securities regulatory bodies in Canada for a proposed initial public offering of subordinate voting shares. Should things go according to plan, non-controlling shares of the company will be available on the Toronto Stock Exchange. The Financial Post reports BRP hopes to raise CN$250 million (US$243 million).

BRP produces many different kinds of vehicles including snowmobiles, watercraft, ATVs, side-by-sides and the Can-Am Spyder Roadster. The company controls several brands including Can-Am, Sea-Doo, Ski-Doo, and Rotax.

BRP has announced that it is moving the assembly of Sea-Doo personal watercraft from its Valcourt, Quebec facility to a new plant in Mexico. The new plant will also handle production of engines currently being manufactured in Juárez, allowing for increased production capacity in Juárez for Can-Am ATVs and side-by-side vehicles. Finally, BRP will assign North American distribution of its parts, accessories and clothing (PAC) to a logistics provider. These changes will affect approximately 500 employees.

“Building a global multi-market business is an ongoing process. To remain a market leader, BRP needs to constantly challenge itself and adapt to change,” says José Boisjoli, president and CEO. “This is not the first time that we change things at BRP; nor will it be the last. While we remain very much committed to our heritage and roots in Valcourt, we must become more flexible to leverage our growth opportunities.”

Warnert Racing / Can-Am DS 450 ATV Pro racers Adam McGill and Chris Bithell finished second and third in the Pro class this past weekend at the Mountain Ridge GNCC in Somerset, Pa. In the Can-Am GNCC morning session, UXC Racing / Can-Am X-Team racer Michael Swift won the morning overall and the highly competitive 4×4 Open class aboard his Can-Am Outlander 800R X xc.

“McGill was close to earning his third win of the year, but he had a minor miscue on the final lap and had to settle for second in the Pro class. He gained some valuable ground on the Pro class points leader and that’s always good. To have both McGill and Bithell on the podium together, again, was great for team Warnert Racing / Can-Am,” says Jimmie O’Dell, Race Manager, Can-Am. “We continue to excel in the morning session, winning four classes and earning 10 of the top 20 morning finishing positions, highlighted by Michael Swift, who won both the a.m. overall and the 4×4 Open class.”

McGill, who led for much of the race, regained the lead on final lap as he passed another two miles before the finish line. However, in a slippery rock section, McGill said his handguard caught on a tree and swung him sideways. By the time he recovered, he had lost the lead. He finished less than two seconds behind the winner. McGill, with his second-place overall finish, now trails the Pro class points leader by 27 points with three rounds remaining in 2011. Bithell, who earned his second straight afternoon podium, ran inside the top five all day, but worked his way into third place on the final lap. He is currently in third place in the Pro class points race, 14 points behind McGill.

“In the first lap, there were about five of us that were really close and seemed like they were just kind of playing around so I went out there and took control and set the pace,” says McGill. “I was able to make up some valuable points, but I really want to win so I am going to go out there and give it everything I’ve got for the last three rounds.”

While BRP is well known for producing impressive Can-Am ATVs and UTVs, the Quebec-based manufacturer is now working on off-road vehicles that can be used in much harder to reach places – like Mars.

BRP will help develop a chassis and locomotion system for a Lunar Exploration Light Rover and a Mars Exploration Science Rover. BRP was awarded $5.6 million in contracts by MacDonald Dettwiler and Associated Ltd. (MDA) after they received the mandate of two contracts by the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) for the design, development, construction and testing of advanced space vehicles under the CSA’s Exploration Surface Mobility Program.

Terrestrial prototypes of the rovers will be constructed from advanced aluminum alloys with electric propulsion systems powered by battery and, in the case of the Mars rover, solar energy. They will also be capable of integrating hydrogen fuel cells.

According to BRP, the rover prototypes will target improvements to the performance of existing Martian and lunar exploration vehicles by a factor of between 5 and 10, in terms of speed, range and size.