2007 LRRS Spec Fuel Rule Details The LRRS staff, after much thought and consideration, has decided to implement a Spec Fuel for the 2007 race season, as announced at the LRRS awards banquet. Although the details of the rule were not completely finalized when the concept was announced, the intent to follow this course of action was made public to give the maximum amount of notice to LRRS competitors. In addition, LRRS officials wanted enough time to completely evaluate all of the options available before finalizing the rule. A number of comments were voiced through various channels, many of which contained solid ideas that helped to mold the original concept into what it has become today. Background There were many things that led us down this path. Over the past several years there have been several fuels introduced from a number of manufacturers in the motorcycle industry that have produced sizable performance gains — some as large as 6-7%. As these fuel companies worked to make better and better fuels, two things happened: (1) Many of the fuels became considerably more toxic and (2) Most the fuels got considerably more expensive. Riders and teams at national events in recent years have on occasion used fuels that have made crew members physically ill and even required the use of Haz-Mat suits while dispensing fuel into the tank. As these fuels become more commonplace, they will begin to trickle into club races like LRRS. You don’t even have to be the one running this fuel to be affected. Most people who have worked around top performing fuels can attest to the rather accelerated rate at which a person can feel the effects of being in any kind of proximity to these fumes. Long gone are the days of being competitive with other top riders while running $5-$6 per gallon gas. The top AMA fuels, most of which are currently present at every LRRS weekend, retail anywhere from $20-$25 per gallon. Even at the conservative consumption rate of 7 gallons per weekend, that nets out to over $150 per weekend in fuel. In addition, most of these fuels need to be flushed out every single weekend (top pro teams do it every night) or there is a strong likelihood of fuel system and/or valvetrain deterioration. After a brief survey, approximately 80% of the expert LRRS riders we polled had lost at least one fuel pump to the effects of these fuels. Thus, we feel that the Spec Fuel rule will be in the best interest of maintaining both the physical and financial health of the LRRS riders and crew. The Evolution of the Rule At the LRRS banquet it was announced that the LRRS riders would be allowed 2 options; either the Sunoco Race fuel at the track or Pump gas from a designated gas station. This concept has been altered for reasons of both enforceability and viability. It was extremely important to LRRS to offer fuel choices that did not place a significant financial burden on it’s racers. At 7 gallons per weekend, riders who used pump gas spent between $17.50 and $21 per weekend on fuel, depending mainly on the prices at the pump which varied from $2.50 to $3.00 per gallon during last season. The original concept was to allow for the use of this pump fuel, but this led to a problem of enforceability. The main issue is that pump gas is oxygenated, and it is very easy to introduce additives into oxygenated fuel that are very difficult to detect. There was also the issue of consistency and the ability to produce repeatable test results with fuel stored in underground tanks. The Sunoco fuel at the pumps in 2006 would have worked work for most riders, but since then NASCAR has outlawed their higher octane leaded fuels for 2007. This created a legitimate concern that certain riders with built engines would suffer failures if they used this new 98 octane fuel. This was obviously not an acceptable scenario. As such, LRRS put the word out that it was looking for a fuel company to work with. The primary targets were to find a company that had widely available fuels suitable for all bikes, the ability to easily test these fuels for legality and the desire to support LRRS riders with a contingency program. The 2007 Spec Fuel Rule Details After the consideration of several options, Bob Bahre of NHIS agreed to forgo the sale of track fuel in favor of program that was more beneficial to the LRRS riders. VP racing fuels will be the supplier of all racing fuel for LRRS, and will fully back the program with both a testing program to ensure enforceability and a contingency program to support the riders. All fuel should be purchased from the VP fuel truck at NHIS. There will be 2 fuels available. VP C12 will be sold at the track for $8/gallon. This is a long-standing benchmark racing fuel with a 108 octane rating that is capable of safely delivering solid performance in any motor without risk of detonation. It is widely available and many tuners have experience with it. For those riders running stock engines, VP MS93 will be sold at the track for $3.25/gallon. This is an affordable non-oxygenated unleaded fuel with a R+M/2 octane rating of 95, and is the spec fuel for a number of racing series around the country. The mapping for this fuel is identical to pump gas, and will allow riders formerly using pump gas to collect contingency money at LRRS events. The lack of oxygen in both of these fuels makes enforcement of the rule possible, as additives and foreign fuels are easily detected. Enforcement All riders are required to use VP spec fuel during all LRRS activities. This includes not only the races but also all Saturday and Sunday practice sessions. Random testing may be done at any time once the first practice goes green on Saturday. LRRS officials, in conjunction with VP technical personnel, will perform all tests at the track. In the event of a protest where fuel is in question and a laboratory test is required, a protest fee schedule and procedure will be announced at the first race weekend of 2007 during the Saturday riders meeting. At the discretion of LRRS officials, penalties for noncompliance may result in fines and/or license suspension for blatant violations. Fuel that is purchased from VP dealers outside of the track will not be eligible for contingency and may not pass the fuel test due to cross contamination from reused drums. The VP sold at the track will all come out of new drums to ensure no cross contamination. The drums at the track will be used as the baseline for testing all season long. Contingency Requirements In addition to running a VP decal on each side of your motorcycle, you must buy at least 5 gallons of VP fuel from the racetrack vendor at LRRS events each weekend. Again, fuel that is purchased from VP dealers outside of the track will not be eligible for contingency and may not pass fuel test due to the contamination. The VP vendor at the track will record your purchase and your number at each event to qualify you for contingency on that weekend. The payout will be as follows: 1st – $25, 2nd-6th – $10. This payout schedule is specific to LRRS and replaces the current posted CCS contingency postings. An added bonus for the LRRS program is that your contingency will be claimed directly at the track, and will be available at the conclusion of each race weekend and useable at any subsequent LRRS in 2007. Riders buying drum of fuel from the track vendor will be made eligible for multiple weekends as follows: 15 gallon drum – 3 weekends, 30 gallon drum – 6 weekends, 55 gallon drum – all of 2007. However, in order for VP to ensure rider eligibility, riders who intend to collect contingency may not share drums of fuel. Program Effective Date & Fuel Distribution It is apparent to LRRS that many riders will want the opportunity to tune their motorcycles for this new fuel. These VP fuels are available prior to the first LRRS weekend from dealers across New England and New York. For the name of the local dealer near you please contact VP at VP-Atlantic Newark, DE Phone: 302-368-1500 Fax: 302-368-1869 [email protected] This program will become effective on the 2nd LRRS weekend of 2007 on May 12/13. This will not only allow riders a chance to test and tune their motorcycles, but will also give everyone the chance to buy a drum of fuel to last them for several weekends. Riders can also use the first LRRS weekend to burn off any fuel remaining from past weekends of racing. All riders are encouraged to pre-order fuel from VP Atlantic for delivery to NHIS during the first LRRS weekend in April. We look forward to seeing everyone at Loudon on April 28/29 to kick off a new season.