Racers and Fuel Prices

[Cammer]

How many GFN members have changed their racing habits because of skyrocketing fuel prices?

How are you handling your increased costs because of fuel prices?

Will racers be forced to sell their motorhomes and big enclosed trailers and revert back to open trailers pulled with a pickup truck?

Will racers be forced to race closer to home?

Will there be less fans traveling to races?

Will racing be forever changed by increasing fuel costs?

[rookie]

Yes to all.

But look on the bright side, we no longer have to buy racing fuel to pay $4.00 a gallon

[Mwilson]

Ive always run pump gas and drove my car to the track, Now I just swipe my card at the pump and dont think about it!

[Brian P]

My roadrace motorcycle only uses about $10 - $15 of pump fuel (stock engine) every weekend anyway. Towing to/from the track is a bigger expense, but I'm towing an open trailer with a VW Jetta TDI (that's about as efficient as a tow rig is going to get), so it's still not a big deal. I'm not in a league where a motor-home is even in a realm of possibility ...

[seattle smitty]

Cammer, you have put this in terms of whether the hobby racer can afford to go to the races. I would also ask if there will be races to go to, because I think racing is about to be put under a public microscope, with dire results. I don't worry so much about operations like NASCAR, with their heavy corporate backing, as I do about the club racers and other amateur and semi-pro small-fry. You might recognize this as a hobbyhorse of mine; perhaps you will indulge me while I flog it once again, since it really is important here.

Every weekend there is a drag-race, outboard race, enduro, hill-climb, etc., etc., and for every one of these events there are people within earshot complaining about the noise and other imagined inconvenience to their local law enforcement and government agencies. It doesn't matter that the track was built first and nearest houses were built later. What matters is the complaints, and the increasing pressure from developers on local governments that want more houses and businesses built, generating lots more tax revenue than the track provides. Incidently, small airports face the same pressure.

$4-a-gallon gas is making people think . . . think about too many buyers shopping for a limited resource, and too many users putting the resource under ever-increasing pressure. Sooner or later they will start asking why racers, who are mere hobbyists that contribute nothing to the general good, are allowed to burn so much gasoline. And when the smart ones, the Naderites, Friends of the Earth, and such, do some digging and are able to post solid numbers on the gasoline consumed to put on various races, the whole realm of motorsports will be in deep trouble, but especially low-buck local racing, which has no friends in government and no savvy legal teams.

I believe that OUR ONLY CHANCE to avoid this very probable disaster is a proactive campaign to dramatically reduce the use of petroleum across the entire range of motorsports (private flying included). Mr. Vizard recently offered a series of fuel-saving suggestions for NASCAR racing (in a thread which attracted zero comment other than mine). Every variety of motor sport should be engaging right now in examining similar strategies. Switching from gasoline to bio-fuels (alky-haul!!!) would be one of the most positive changes.

Why? Because "Green Racing," as Vizard has called it, must be accompanied by a publicity campaign. We will have to make it widely known that not only are we no longer clueless or self-centered squanderers of gasoline on our noisy and environmentally-unfriendly hobby, but that WE GET IT, and are doing our part. If we do this BEFORE the powerful forces that want to shut us down are able to make a big noise about our irresponsible use of petroleum, they will get much less sympathy from the public.

And, just possibly, this is the ethical thing to do anyway . . . .

But to speak directly to your question of the affordability of trailering long distances to regional and national events, Cammer, maybe we can take a Taoist attitude of locating opportunity in adversity. What part of the general public knows more about building improved, fuel-efficient vehicles that our own motorsports crowd, the rodders and racers and racing fans? If we can't figure out how to rebuild our tow-rigs to get markedly better fuel economy, we ought to hide our heads. I have replaced the 351W smogmotor in my '79 Econoline tow-van with a high-compression water-injected 300-six (work in progress), and am investigating transmission upgrades. The possibilities are vast.

We can complain, and slowly disappear.

Or we can adapt, and carry on . . . not as before, but just as satifactorily.

[seattle smitty]

Here is DV's thread on "green racing":

Greening NASCAR - good for fans or bad?

[Cammer]

The purpose of this thread is to reflect on how high fuel prices are impacting GFN members.

"Will racing be forever changed by increasing fuel costs?" This statement covers concern over the future of racing. I could have posted predictions of rationing, fighting for fuel, and the suspension of all motorsports activities!

The truth of our present situation involves a population composed of wasteful, overindulgent consumers and the companies and governments supporting this behavior. In the USA we are held from depression conditions by a population of habitual spenders keeping the economy stimulated. As higher prices (not just fuel) continue to impact the spending habits of consumers, the USA could easily fall into deeper recession or worse. Trust me when I say that under these conditions racing will be the last thing on your mind!

[automotivebreath]

The last post by Cammer sums up my thoughts, as long as people can make money
for racing they will be racing. This all revolves around the ability to find and keep a
good paying job.

I have been drag racing for about 30 years now, relatively steady (almost every
weekend) for the last 7 years. The closest track is 60 miles away; I don't race
anywhere else primarily because of fuel cost.

How many GFN members have changed their racing habits because of
skyrocketing fuel prices?

The cost of fuel for the tow truck has changed my racing habits, above all else this
has been the largest price increase I have seen.

How are you handling your increased costs because of fuel prices?

Reducing the number of trips to No ProblemRacewayPark

Will racers be forced to sell their motorhomes and big enclosed trailers and
revert back to open trailers pulled with a pickup truck?

Most of the people that I know that have motor homes are self employed. As long
as their businesses are profitable I don't expect their habits to change.

Pulling my open trailer would reduce my fuel cone substantially over my enclosed
trailer (wing drag). I haven't got to that point yet.

Will racers be forced to race closer to home?

In general, I believe less sportsman racers will be following racing circuits.

Will there be less fans traveling to races?

This all revolves around the ability to find and keep a good paying job.

Will racing be forever changed by increasing fuel costs?

Racing has been and will constantly be going through changes. I see the lack of
interest at the youth level to be the biggest concern. The last points race I entered
on 5/10/2008 there were 13 entries in the "street" category. The average age of
the drivers in this class was ~ 40 years old.

[rookie]

I quite racing in 2003, I did the math and it did not add up,
I started with a $3000.00 dollar car and got to drive it for 9 seconds a pass, when I quite racing I had a $12000.00 dollar car that I got to drive for 6 seconds a pass.
I like driving so it did not make sense to spend more money to drive less; I thought about dirt track racing but adding in the cost of bodywork to all the other broken parts made no sense either.
So I went back to streetcars, now I can drive as much as I want, go to the track if I wish and trailer by choice.

So I guess the cost of racing influenced my choice more than the cost of fuel, I run pump gas with an additive even on my nitrous engines, so that helps.

Will racing be forever changed, no doubt.

Some day our NASCAR tracks will look like old desolate chariot tracks, lost and forgotten.