I got two e mails today and it dosnt sound good for us.
Folk PLEASE pass this on to as many people as possible and follow thru with it . Not sure if we can have this turned over but if we don't try we for sure don't have a chance. This is our future and our part time. Its like saying they are going to ban ice ricks cause they use frion to make ice.ya right!!!! Foji Dhansaw PSSM Prince George BC 250 613 9990 cell Latest News
01/16/2008
FOR IMMEDIATE ATTENTION
Environment Canada (EC) is planning to implement a total and permanent ban on the use of leaded fuels for competition purposes, effective January 1st, 2009. If this happens it is expected that Professional Drag Racing in Canada is over. What makes this bill unfair is that EC indicates that there may be more health risks associated with leaded fuels than previously thought. However they are advocating change without any current testing or proof that previous findings from their existing regulation, where “estimated weekly lead exposures for spectators at race tracks remain within the tolerable intake developed by the World Health Organization and accepted by Health Canada.” is incorrect. By our governments own numbers motor sports accounts for only 1.5% of the total leaded fuel being burned in Canada. The remaining 98.5% is burned by the aviation industry. This industry has been given a permanent exemption! Now you may not think that this is important, after all you can race your cars on unleaded fuel. Unfortunately that is not entirely true; there are a number of classes that will only run on leaded fuel. If these cars were modified to use unleaded they would no longer pass NHRA or IHRA tech. If there is a ban in place it is expected that the sanctioning bodies would cancel any Canadian events, since all their racers could not compete. Without those big shows generating cash, track facilities can not survive as we know them. In a conversation with the track manager of Grand Bend Motorplex he allowed that their national event represented more than 50% of their annual revenue. Without this event the facility will be no longer viable. He is convinced it will close, losing all those jobs, turning the track into a housing project and dramatically hurting the town of Grand Bend who enjoys the revenue the track brings to their area. Similar fates await any track in the country that currently depends on leaded fuel for their racers, both sports car and drag race facilities will be affected. Additionally, police forces throughout the country are trying to get street racers off the streets and onto the tracks. It seems backward to be putting these same tracks in jeopardy with a leaded fuel ban. The proposed regs were tabled Dec 22 2007, there is a 60 day window for comment, It is important that we all make our concerns known to our MP’s and the EC contacts. If you feel as we do, that the exemption for motor sports should be continued you must write the Prime Minister, the Minister of the Environment, John Baird (John.Baird@ec.gc.ca) <mailto:John.Baird@ec.gc.ca> , and your MP. Also send your comments to the two Environment Canada contacts detailed in the proposed regulations. Do it now, there is no time to waste To read these pending regulations go to www.canadagazette.gc.ca <http://www.canadagazette.gc.ca/> Scroll down to “Part 1 Dec 22 2007” Scroll down to “Regulations amending the Gasoline Regulations” To find your MP go to www.canada.gc.ca <http://www.canada.gc.ca/> On the left side you will see “contact your MP” The two Environment Canada contacts are Lorri Thompson lorri.thompson@ec.gc.ca <mailto:lorri.thompson@ec.gc.ca> And Markes Cormier markes.cormier@ec.gc.ca <mailto:markes.cormier@ec.gc.ca> Check www.performanceimprovements.com <http://www.performanceimprovements.com/> for more information and suggested letter formats. Be positive and affirmative. Despite what you may feel personally -- be professional in your protest (no explicatives!)
Racers, it seems the sky is truly falling. The Government of Canada is planning to implement a total and permanent ban on the use of leaded fuels for competition purposes, effective January 1st, 2009. If this happens, Professional Drag Racing in Canada is over. Immediately, completely and forever. This isn’t the same as the challenges we’ve faced in the past. This time, they’re dropping the ‘Big One’. No Pro Mod, No Pro Stock, No Top Fuel or Nitro Funny Car and no American competitors in any of our sportsman classes. Only Alcohol Funny Cars would remain unscathed. Although many Canadian sportsman competitors run their cars effectively on unleaded racing fuel or methanol, any of our competitors using leaded fuel have two choices. Change or quit. The legislation arrived in our office last week. We took the time to read the document from start to finish to make sure we weren’t overreacting. Then we talked to fuel suppliers, the IHRA and local politicians, including London’s Bud Polhill; a long-time drag racing advocate in the Canadian fuel wars. What makes this bill viciously unfair is, they indicate that there may be increased health risks associated with leaded fuels than previously thought, and are advocating this change without any actual testing or proof. The US, Britain and Australia must not put much faith in this new information as they have no changes planned in their Leaded fuel for competition vehicles policies at volumes 10 to 100 times the annual Cdn. volume. Also the passing of this bill does not eliminate leaded fuel, it only eliminates our portion, which is 1.5% of the leaded fuel consumed in Canada (these are the Govt’s own numbers right in the report – see Industry profile) the remaining 98.5% is used as aviation fuel and they have been given a permanent exemption. (which includes private pleasure planes, etc.) Bottom line, it’s as bad as it seems. The Canadian Government are legislating Canada’s largest racing facilities out of business. The document can be found on the Government of Canada website, under Canada Gazette Part 1, Dec. 22, 2007. The link to the document is: color=#000000http://canadagazette.gc.ca/partI/200.../regle1-e.html
If you’re passionate about our sport, I can only beg you to call, write and email every politician you can think of, and let them know how you feel about your sport being forced out of existence.YOU NEED TO DO THIS ASAP AS THE COMMENT PERIOD FOR THIS ACTION CLOSES ON FEB 20th , 2008 and it will then be scheduled for a vote. Make sure the companies that tailor their businesses around the performance industry know as well. They’ve got a big stake in this too.
This is the link that takes you to the current Members of Parliament. color=#000000http://webinfo.parl.gc.ca/MembersOfP...ent&Language=E On the left side of the page, you will see a text box labeled; Quick Search. Type in the name of your City or County to go to your local representative.
Some of Canada’s smaller tracks may in fact survive, as their facilities are geared toward handling smaller events, slower cars and fewer spectators. Canada’s Super-Tracks, that have invested millions and continue to invest in their facilities on a yearly basis, like Castrol Raceway and Grand Bend Motorplex will, in all likelihood, cease to be. Picture the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, without the Maple Leafs and the Raptors. You know, it’s funny. No matter how many storms you weather, you never really believe that one big wave is going to hit, until you’re already upside down in the freezing water.
To all the Drag racing competitors, crew and fans; thank you for your support and let’s have a great year of racing in 2008. It may very well be our last.
Take care and play safe. Ron Biekx; General Manager, Grand Bend Motorplex
LEAD IN FUEL WONT KILL THE SPORT.THERE ARE MANY WAYS TO GET THE SPEED YOU NEED(WANT)WITHOUT LEAD.YOU WILL JUST HAVE TO MAKE SOME ADJUSTMENTS AND EVERYBODY WILL HAVE THE SAME DISADVANTAGE SO IT WILL BE EVEN.ALL THAT WILL CHANGE IS THE TIMES BE A COUPLE HUNDREATHS OF A SECOND SLOWER.NO BIGGIE.
Lead in fuel back in 1967...$34 cents a gallon and you could choose from 5 different grades from 96-114.
Cars that ran on leaded fuel back in the 60's? Hell..too amny to count. Maybe 60 million. A guess.
Cars that run on leaded gas for the reason posed? 4-5000?.
Hardly an environmental dilemma. The [censored] power companies and industry in general pollute thousands times more tonnage than a group of weekenders.
Si Vis Pacem Parabellum
1967 Starlight black PMD Engineering 400 Auto 1968 Alpine Blue 400 4 speed 1968 Verdoro Green 400 HO 4 speed 2013 1LE 2SS/RS Inferno Orange Camaro.
But that's what we face in Canada. One venue for autoslalom events (the best one in western Canada by far) was shut down because of one (1!) protest from a resident that lives about 1/2 mile away. It's not a democracy in the slightest up here!
One commercial flight taken by any of the hockey teams probably burns more fuel (kerosene) than all the motorsports events in Canada for a year! Do you think hockey will ever be held responsible for all the pollution that is generated so that people can watch other people play games?
As usual, the rules are being made by people who know nothing about what they're voting on, only that it'll look good to vote against another group of nasty car drivers - political enemy #1!\
I also hear that there are plans to "obsolete" older cars even faster. Why bother passing laws that require the new cars to maintain emission standards for 200,000 miles or whatever if they won't be allowed on the road in five years? Stupid!
Like Terry said, you don't really need lead. Get hardened valves and seats plus high octane fuel. And, if you have original, unhardened valves, who's going to know it if you slip a little lead add in to coat your unhardened valves? You don't have to burn lead all the time in an old engine. Just a little, once in a while, to get the protection....
So we should allow a small change that kills a lot of racing activity in Canada? For the sake of more eco-terrorist meddling for something that isn't even proven?
I personally think I should be able to buy leaded fuel for my old car since it was approved when the car was manufactured - but that's not going to happen. One of the cars that I recently bought (2005) was put off the road in California because the specs for the test as provided by GM was outside emission station test procedures - even though it was originally approved by EPA.
That's okay, it failed the test in 1983 and sat until I bought it. A low mileage, rust free, one of 1447 survivor.
We do depend on car counts to provide a show for the spectators and we get a fair number of cars from south of the border. Will they be granted a temporary exemption so that they can race up here?
It sounds like some political entity is stirring up it's political base with these shallow attemps at conservation. I wonder how racers got in the crosshairs? Once you get all that attention it's hard to defend any use of lead. I'm sure it was one of the more conservative uses of lead. We(USA) are lucky right now that the focus is lead on toys and other products from China. I can see taking leaded toys out of kids mouths. I wonder what spectacular claim there is about lead in the racers exhaust? Is it wafting over into nearby pastures and contaminating the local cows and milk? Like the claim that the trash along the streets in Italy is ruining the mozzarella.
