US Motorsport under threat
Discussion
According to this article, the US Environmental Protection Agency is seeking to close down all forms of motorsport in the US:
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/sema-vs-...
That sounds pretty extreme but I know next to nothing about the background to this and whether it is at all realistic.
Hopefully it is being over-hyped. If it is a real prospect, that's very worrying because where America leads.....
https://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2021/03/sema-vs-...
That sounds pretty extreme but I know next to nothing about the background to this and whether it is at all realistic.
Hopefully it is being over-hyped. If it is a real prospect, that's very worrying because where America leads.....
Read the article again. It isn't about closing down all forms of motorsport at all. I think you have been the victim of clickbait!
The litigation is against a company (Gearbox Z) who sell aftermarket tuning parts for road vehicles with big DIESEL engines, that make the usual claims to improve power, performance, economy. The EPA claim that they do this by defeating/bypassing the emissions controls (where have we heard that one before!)
The EPA want an order to stop them selling such products. The case is really about big diesel pickup trucks used on the road, not for motorsport.
Separately, there has been ambiguity for years about the Clean Air Act. In 2015, the EPA said that converted road vehicles that compete on the track must remain emissions-compliant, even though they are not driven on public roads. The EPA also maintains that the equipment used to transform a road vehicle into a racing car is prohibited. That would only be a problem at club racing level, not professional motorsport, who do not use converted road vehicles.
I don't think that they have actually enforced it, and Trump was elected in 2016 and so it's very unlikely that they did under him. In any event, there is a bill being presented to Congress called the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act, which aims to clarify that racing cars used exclusively for competition do not violate any portion of the Clean Air Act.
It is a bipartisan bill, so is likely to pass, and if it does, the only motorsport that it might not save, is those who want to drive a converted road car that is not emissions compliant to the track, race it, and then drive home again, and that won't be many people in the land of the pick-up and trailer. A U-Haul trailer can easily and cheaply rented anyway!
The litigation is against a company (Gearbox Z) who sell aftermarket tuning parts for road vehicles with big DIESEL engines, that make the usual claims to improve power, performance, economy. The EPA claim that they do this by defeating/bypassing the emissions controls (where have we heard that one before!)
The EPA want an order to stop them selling such products. The case is really about big diesel pickup trucks used on the road, not for motorsport.
Separately, there has been ambiguity for years about the Clean Air Act. In 2015, the EPA said that converted road vehicles that compete on the track must remain emissions-compliant, even though they are not driven on public roads. The EPA also maintains that the equipment used to transform a road vehicle into a racing car is prohibited. That would only be a problem at club racing level, not professional motorsport, who do not use converted road vehicles.
I don't think that they have actually enforced it, and Trump was elected in 2016 and so it's very unlikely that they did under him. In any event, there is a bill being presented to Congress called the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act, which aims to clarify that racing cars used exclusively for competition do not violate any portion of the Clean Air Act.
It is a bipartisan bill, so is likely to pass, and if it does, the only motorsport that it might not save, is those who want to drive a converted road car that is not emissions compliant to the track, race it, and then drive home again, and that won't be many people in the land of the pick-up and trailer. A U-Haul trailer can easily and cheaply rented anyway!
[quote=LucyP
That would only be a problem at club racing level, not professional motorsport, who do not use converted road vehicles.
[/quote]
You might want to widen your view of professional motorsport. There are multiple categories that race converted road cars which is why there is such a backlash against the proposed legislation in the US.
That would only be a problem at club racing level, not professional motorsport, who do not use converted road vehicles.
[/quote]
You might want to widen your view of professional motorsport. There are multiple categories that race converted road cars which is why there is such a backlash against the proposed legislation in the US.
Such as what? What backlash? Read what I wrote.
This has been around since 2015. Which motorsport events have been stopped in the USA? Where have the EPA attended and carried out emissions checks on racing cars and determined that they are not in compliance with the road going car's equivalent data?
The Act that I talked about will be passed to clarify the position and ensure that there continues to be no problem.
This has been around since 2015. Which motorsport events have been stopped in the USA? Where have the EPA attended and carried out emissions checks on racing cars and determined that they are not in compliance with the road going car's equivalent data?
The Act that I talked about will be passed to clarify the position and ensure that there continues to be no problem.
Edited by LucyP on Sunday 4th April 13:45
Lucy P: thanks for the clarifications. It was the involvement of SEMA, per the article, which made it look much more serious than just a case involving one supplier. In the UK there are a lot of wonderful classics that have been modified for racing but are still road-legal. I expect there's many such vehicles in the States. As a fan of historic racing, the implication for those cars was a concern.
Hopefully that act will pass and all will be well.
Hopefully that act will pass and all will be well.
LucyP said:
Such as what? What backlash? Read what I wrote.
This has been around since 2015. Which motorsport events have been stopped in the USA? Where have the EPA attended and carried out emissions checks on racing cars and determined that they are not in compliance with the road going car's equivalent data?
The Act that I talked about will be passed to clarify the position and ensure that there continues to be no problem.
You said there was no professional motorsport that used converted road cars. That was what I was pointing out what was wrong. Just because they haven't enforced it doesn't meant that they won't at some point and given the ever increasing scrutiny of emissions it's more likely than not that they will. The RPM Act has been raised every year to keep attention on the issue so when the EPA do start enforcing it they cant just say "Well why didn't you say anything before?" This has been around since 2015. Which motorsport events have been stopped in the USA? Where have the EPA attended and carried out emissions checks on racing cars and determined that they are not in compliance with the road going car's equivalent data?
The Act that I talked about will be passed to clarify the position and ensure that there continues to be no problem.
IMO it's unlikely that the act will be amended as there are far more powerful groups who are in favour of the EPA legislation. What a lot of people who are signing petitions etc don't seem to realise is the the RPM act only covers modifying cars for track only use.
Edited by Kraken on Monday 5th April 08:52
the EPA issue actually seems to be a LOT more problematical than you may think - longer term there are fears that it could put an end to (virtually) all modification related to powertrain and exhaust.
Love your dirt-track racing? Tough
Drag-racing? Tough
etc etc
There is actually another thread about this running at the moment (might be under general gassing)
Love your dirt-track racing? Tough
Drag-racing? Tough
etc etc
There is actually another thread about this running at the moment (might be under general gassing)
I think the idea is to stop stunts like this, which let’s face it, has never really been acceptable to anyone, least of all in 2020/21.
If others manage to hijack it and push the agenda, attack motorsports, I’m sure they will give it a try. Whether they would have any success in the USA is a moot point. They enjoy motorsports even more than we do!
If others manage to hijack it and push the agenda, attack motorsports, I’m sure they will give it a try. Whether they would have any success in the USA is a moot point. They enjoy motorsports even more than we do!
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