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EPA wants to really dent the motorsports/hobby industry.
Don't know the correct place for this so I'll post it here.
Link: http://www.tcetoday.com/tcetoday/New...aspx?nid=12677
In short: EPA is planning to add nitromethane to the TRI list of "carcinogens." Basically, it's part of some sort of community "right to know" list.
So, how does this pertain to motorsports and the hobby industry?
My favorite motorsport, drag racing (NHRA and IHRA), uses nitromethane as a racing fuel for the top classes. And many RC cars use it as a fuel too.
Now some people might think adding it to some sort of "right to know" list is good, right? NOT if you involved in motorsports or the hobby industry in any way. For the hobby industry it might mean having to jump through huge hoops to get it for your RC car. But if you're a racing fan....
This was first posted on a drag racing board that I am a frequent poster on. Me and the other members were debating on how this would effect our sport in 4 ways:
1. Open pit access: The biggest thing about an NHRA (and to smaller scale IHRA) event is open pit access, where you can go into the pits and interact with the drivers - and experience a Nitro car warming up. If an EPA representative shows up at an NHRA race and deems the Nitro fumes harmful to spectators, they (EPA) might force the NHRA/IHRA to close the pits to the public. And then the NHRA/IHRA will watch helplessly as their attendance drops like a rock.
2. People who build houses around dragstrips: You know the ones, just like the people who move next to an airport and then bitch about the noise. Dragstrips like Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in NJ have to fight the city council on a yearly basis when rich snobs buy homes near the track and complain of the noise and want to shut it down. And sadly, saying "the track was here first" doesn't cut it anymore. But the EPA is going to give these idiots more ammo and on a silver platter on top of it! Not only will they say "It creates noise" but they will be able to say "it creates cancer-causing fumes."
3. The racing itself: Even in the grandstands, you can still smell the nitro fumes when a dragster or funny car runs. If the EPA were really hell-bent on "shielding the public" from this "dangerous" substance, then they may ban Nitro as a racing fuel altogether.
And that, my friends is when me and so many other racing fans will stop attending NHRA events. That's 90% of why people go: to see the nitro classes.
4. Long term-study: The EPA may launch a study on how harmful it is to be around a race car that uses Nitro as a fuel. But they need to realize that the NHRA is a long term study in Nitro: some drivers and race owners have been around Nitro cars for 40+ years and they are as healthy as could be, nothing has ever came of it. Take that, EPA!
Sorry if this seemed ranty....
Link: http://www.tcetoday.com/tcetoday/New...aspx?nid=12677
In short: EPA is planning to add nitromethane to the TRI list of "carcinogens." Basically, it's part of some sort of community "right to know" list.
So, how does this pertain to motorsports and the hobby industry?
My favorite motorsport, drag racing (NHRA and IHRA), uses nitromethane as a racing fuel for the top classes. And many RC cars use it as a fuel too.
Now some people might think adding it to some sort of "right to know" list is good, right? NOT if you involved in motorsports or the hobby industry in any way. For the hobby industry it might mean having to jump through huge hoops to get it for your RC car. But if you're a racing fan....
This was first posted on a drag racing board that I am a frequent poster on. Me and the other members were debating on how this would effect our sport in 4 ways:
1. Open pit access: The biggest thing about an NHRA (and to smaller scale IHRA) event is open pit access, where you can go into the pits and interact with the drivers - and experience a Nitro car warming up. If an EPA representative shows up at an NHRA race and deems the Nitro fumes harmful to spectators, they (EPA) might force the NHRA/IHRA to close the pits to the public. And then the NHRA/IHRA will watch helplessly as their attendance drops like a rock.
2. People who build houses around dragstrips: You know the ones, just like the people who move next to an airport and then bitch about the noise. Dragstrips like Old Bridge Township Raceway Park in NJ have to fight the city council on a yearly basis when rich snobs buy homes near the track and complain of the noise and want to shut it down. And sadly, saying "the track was here first" doesn't cut it anymore. But the EPA is going to give these idiots more ammo and on a silver platter on top of it! Not only will they say "It creates noise" but they will be able to say "it creates cancer-causing fumes."
3. The racing itself: Even in the grandstands, you can still smell the nitro fumes when a dragster or funny car runs. If the EPA were really hell-bent on "shielding the public" from this "dangerous" substance, then they may ban Nitro as a racing fuel altogether.
And that, my friends is when me and so many other racing fans will stop attending NHRA events. That's 90% of why people go: to see the nitro classes.4. Long term-study: The EPA may launch a study on how harmful it is to be around a race car that uses Nitro as a fuel. But they need to realize that the NHRA is a long term study in Nitro: some drivers and race owners have been around Nitro cars for 40+ years and they are as healthy as could be, nothing has ever came of it. Take that, EPA!
Sorry if this seemed ranty....
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