Important...fuel rules

[Super Dave]

FUSA/CCS Fuel Rules Proposal for 2004

Current Rules
1.10 Gasoline – A petroleum fuel whose characteristics meet the following standards:
1.10.1 Specific gravity must range between .700-.775 at 60 degrees F.
1.10.2 Dielectric constant must not exceed a reading of +/-0.4 on the HDE
 G-01 Fuel Analyzer.  Meter is calibrated in cyclohexane.
1.10.3 Lubrication or knock suppression additives are permitted provided
the resulting mixture will meet the specific gravity and dielectric requirements.

      The fuel rules in their current state make most competitors in FUSA/CCS events illegal.  Section 1.10.1 is not an issue.  Basic parameters for the identification of gasoline relate to this specific gravity requirement.  However, issues related to the tolerable readings on the High Desert Engineering (HDE) Fuel Analyzer, sections 1.10.2 and 1.10.3, are unrealistic to most competitors.  Most competitors would fail these tests from CCS amateurs to FUSA pros.  The parameters are too restrictive and should be changed to reflect the commonly available fuels to competitors.

Dielectric constant must not exceed a reading of +/-0.4 on the HDE
G-01 Fuel Analyzer.  Meter is calibrated in cyclohexane.

      A dielectric reading of fuel is a measure of signature hydrocarbons and other products in a fuel.  It is not a measure of performance.  

Cyclohexane is a product that is used as a constant to create a "zero" starting point for the fuel analyzer.  

      Given that each type of gasoline reading may check within +/- 0.4 points based on aging and batch variation, according to the manufacturers of the HDE meter, the only way to potentially ensure that one will compete with a fuel that should be legal, a competitor would have to have a fuel that measures at 0.0 on the meter.  This would limit competitors to these fuels specific fuels by these manufacturers according to the HDE available information on over 150 leaded and unleaded racing fuels and normally available pump gas for street use:
<sum> ERC A-19DX-TA1
<sum> ERC A-19DX3
<sum> ERC DLDR
<sum> Torco Mach 116
<sum> ERC 110DX2
<sum> Citgo 110
<sum> Power Mist T112
<sum> VP 110
<sum> VP C-16

If the readings were allowed to vary by +/-0.4, then about thirty fuels would be allowed.  Still, this would only include some uncommon racing fuels by companies like TrackTek, F&L, and others.  There is little likelihood that a fuel pumped from the race tracks containers would be legal.  

These rules will still not allow any unleaded racing fuel used by more current production Grand Prix two strokes.  Their combustion chambers have been designed to work with the different burn characteristics of unleadeds rather than leadeds.  Those fuels would measure in the 5.0 to 12.0 range.

The biggest problem is that gasoline that is purchased from local stations for use in cars, trucks, motorcycles, and lawn & garden equipment would NOT be legal under these rules.  Those fuels would measure in the 1.3 to 5.0 range.

Gasoline of this type is inexpensive and produces reasonable power in current production machines.  Realistically, any competitor that is using street gas straight will be found illegal.  Any mix of a legal racing fuel and pump gas would potentially skew the meters reading to the polar side of illegal.

Common oxygenated leaded racing fuels that are regularly used by competitors in amateur and expert CCS events in addition to FUSA events would also be illegal under these rules.  It is very likely that virtually the entire field could be eliminated because of these rules.

Lubrication or knock suppression additives are permitted provided
the resulting mixture will meet the specific gravity and dielectric requirements.

      Two cycle oils are required in the fuel mixture in some two-cycle motorcycles.  The addition of a two-cycle oil can cause the fuel analyzer meter reading to increase by 0.1 to 2.0 as per information on the HDE site.  Even if a fuel were legal in its regular form, it is conceivable that the rules would eliminate the ability of a necessary lubricant to be added to the fuel.

Proposal for New Rules

      Sections 1.10.1 & 1.10.4 do not cause any competition problems.  Leave them as they are.  The following changes should allow for competitors to use street gas and the common leaded and unleaded products that are made available and currently used in motorcycle road racing today.

Change rule 1.10.2 – Leaded and Unleaded gasoline may be used in competition.  Oxygen
content must not exceed 6%.

Change rule 1.10.3 – Lubrication, knock suppression, and oxygenating additives are permitted
provided they do not contain nitrogen bearing additives the resulting mixture will meet the specific gravity and oxygen requirement.              

      

[Super Dave]

The rules commitee meets on Saturday.

Please voice your concerns via phone, FAX, e-mail, etc to CCS's Kevin Elliott, the director of competition.

[vpbruce]

I agree with your rule change suggestions but I think the rules should allow oxygenated fuels with no limit.  FUSA and CCS don't test now, do you think they are going to send fuel off to a lab to find out if it has 5% or 7% oxygen?  There is no trackside test, unless you have a GC at every race, that will tell you how much oxygen is in the fuel.  It will be a rule that still won't be enforced.  Once you open pandoras box by allowing oxygenated fuels, you might as well not limit it unless your willing to commit the funds and the testing procedures to enforce it.  The best rule is a no oxygen rule, as far as tack side testing, but that would force almost everyone to some sort of race gas since most all pump gas is oxygenated.  

For FUSA and CCS the best rule is their current rule, remove any dielectric reading, allow oxygen with no limit but ban certain components...done.  You don't even need a gravity rule.

By the way Super Dave....I enjoyed reading your comments back in October on race fuel.  Most of your information was accurate.  One glaring mistake from your so called reliable source in reference to Nutec and VP.  VP makes all their own fuel.  We are not associated with Nutec nor do they supply us with anything as you stated.  VP came out with oxygenated fuels for mtorcycle racing in response to AMA's new fuel rule back in 97.  Nutec wasn't formed until 98!

Bruce Hendel
Global Sales Manager
VP Racing Fuels, Inc.

[Super Dave]

Hi, Bruce...

Thanks for the info.  I've had a lot of conversations with people on this, but I think you know a bit on the subject.

Late though unfortunately.

The information that I have from CCS (their rules commitee met on November 15th...) basically makes any fuel legal.  However, it puts the responsibility back on the fuel manufacturer to have it tested by High Desert Engineering.

Allows for +/-0.4 change in the fuel based on batch and age.  Allows +2.0 for two stroke oils.  

The only thing that I think that could catch a competitor out would be the fact that there are racers that run one fuel in practice (gasoline) then run their "hot race fuel" in the race or maybe qualifying.  The combination of the fuels could make for a completely different number.  If we just took the two numbers and added them and divided by two, the number would be very different.  Surely way more than a +/-0.4 difference in the race fuel.

The first assumption is that most competitors are running racing fuel, which is incorrect.  Most are running pump gas.  Then which fuel do you use for their parameter.  

Yes, you do have upper level racers running racing fuels, but even then, a good majority of them will run pump gas in practice sessions in the interest of saving some money.

[Super Dave]

One glaring mistake from your so called reliable source in reference to Nutec and VP.  VP makes all their own fuel.  We are not associated with Nutec nor do they supply us with anything as you stated.  VP came out with oxygenated fuels for mtorcycle racing in response to AMA's new fuel rule back in 97.  Nutec wasn't formed until 98!

Bruce Hendel
Global Sales Manager
VP Racing Fuels, Inc.

Right, Nutec was formed after Mike Joy sent the EPA after Elf, then Nutec was formed.  You know, of course, that Matt went from Elf to Nutec...Same stuff, different name.

Conoco blends the Elf fuels here with stuff that comes through South America or whatever.

Elf hit the AMA hard in 1994 with lots of special blended stuff for Honda etc.  We were using TO137 Power Mist then.

Eventually, the AMA changed the amount of oxygen that was allowed in AMA Pro racing, and that rule stands today....2.8% oxygen.

So, why do your VP racing guys sell fuel inside the track that they knowingly know to be illegal?  (Ultimate 4)

You understand the HDE meter...

Why do you list Ultimate 4 as legal under the current CCS rules structure when you know that it is no where near being legal?  Those rules have been in effect since 2001.

As for VP making MR9, yes, I am incorrect.  You do blend it.  The rumor that I'm hearing is where you're getting your materials from.  You've got a leak on your end, or on Elf's end.

[Litespeed]

Again, run Powermist or the world will end....   ::)

[Super Dave]

LOL, I figured that I should put my cuff out their for everyone to see.

Really it doesn't matter what everyone runs, BUT....

Would one expect that most riders understand the rules for dielectric readings and the HDE meter?

I'm odd, I do.  I know what fuel IS legal, I understand what they are testing for.  

One would expect that someone that sells, makes, or distributes fuel should know what's legal and what's not.  There are VP fuels that are legal for CCS.  So, why doesn't VP say that on their brochure or tell the people that sell it the facts.

The thing that got me in a ringer is that pump gas was not legal under the 2001 - 2003 CCS rules, along with all the other oxygenated fuels, etc.  One should be able to run pump gas.  I believe that it is still probably the most common club racer fuel.

[Litespeed]

I like to mix at least 3 different brands of fuel with a little bit of rubbing alcohol and some cherry flavored top-end lube.  Is my fuel legal after I add the Castrol A747 to it?

[Super Dave]

LOL, under the current rules, no.  Under the new rules for 2004, you'll get whacked too... ;D

[vpbruce]

Dave.....this most likely will be my last post.  I don 't have time to chase dowm rumors, lies, gossip or defend rediculous statements in every forum.  Eventually the truth will be known plus VP has a web site, vpracingfuels.com, with our phone numbers for all our regional warehouses.....makes it easy to make a call and get an answer quickly.

Since we live in a free trade society, I guess that means we can bring whatever fuels we want to the races.  The racers need to understand the rules and abide by  them.  If they are not being enforced, they will not be followed.  If they are too hard to understand, then the sanctioning body needs to educate its racers.  I don't recall any DQ's in 2003 for fuel violations so it seems a big issue is being made out of nothing.  

You are also assuming that all fuel purchased at the race track is used there, an incorrect assumption.  

If a racer asks me what is legal and what is not, I will tell them.  I have told many racers that Ultimate 4 is not legal for FUSA and CCS.  We even list in our Ultimate 4 Tech Bulletin that U4 is not legal for AMA Pro Racing but many racers still chose to use it in AMA Pro Racing.  Ultimate 4 was intended for 4 stroke MX bikes and was designed to give the weekend racer the same kind of performance as our MR fuels at a more reasonable price.  It also happens to work well in 4 stroke road race bikes.  It is not up to me to enforce the rules.  I guess it is kind of a moot point as the new rules for FUSA and CCS would make a long list of non compliance fuels legal!

We have a large network of independant distributors and although we try to educate them on all the intricacies of our product line, we can't expect them to know it all, especially the rules of every race promotor, race series and sanctioning body.  Again, this is why we have our phone numbers available.

VP is always looking for good, knowledgeable dealers and distributors.  Let me know if you are ever interested in representing our products.

Bruce Hendel
VP Racing Fuels, Inc.

[Mark Bernard]

So Dave. I was reading in the CCS mailer yesterday about the changed fuel rules. Can I assume that pump gas is now legal? I see that the spicific gravity must range between .695- .775 @ 60 deg. F. and the Dielectric constant of a competitors fuel must read within +/-0.4 of a baseline sample provided by the commercial fuel manufacturer on the HDE G-01 fuel analyzer. So.... Is pump gas legal now? I have no idea what all this mumbo jumbo means! Thanks!

[Super Dave]

In theory, yes.  

However, what will the sample be based on?  

Here's the real problem that I saw, but at least the notion of the new fuel rules is reasonable.  Let's say that you run fuel A in your bike during practice.  You run it down, and then you put in fuel B.  There is no way to say exactly what the dielectric reading will be.  So, you're not doctoring fuel for gain, but the fuel might not be what it's "supposed to be".  

Fuel is a hard thing to really test.  I got the rules changed in 1999 so that the 2000 rules were basically open.  But there was a guy at the FUSA events testing fuels and he was telling us that "this isn't legal".  "Really?  Show me in the rule book."