NBRA Ethanol Challenge Series 2011

[David_L6]

How is fuel being tested?

[Guest]

Fuel

The test is quite simple. They use a fixed amount of fuel and a fixed amount of distilled water. The measurement is made after shaking the mixture up for a short while and then allowed to settle. The water obsorbes the ethanol and you read the gain in the volume of the mixture that settles out. It is done in a graduated beaker so you can obain the the new volume of the mixture and from that calculate the percent of ethanol in the fuel.
Alan

[sam]

Over on BRF you said they did the absorption test and the regular meter conductivity test.

Neither of these can detect nitromethane or nitropropane etc separate from the ethanol present

[Art K]

Fuel Testing

Right wrong or otherwise ,these are the tests being used. If someone has workable solution I wish they would step forward. If things stay as they are now. Next season their will be no exceptions, every body will be required to use a ethanol based fuel. You might as well get on board now. Even people that were dead set against using ethanol fuels are now using it with no particular problems.
Art Kampen NBRA Tech Committee member

[blueskyracer]

Right wrong or otherwise ,these are the tests being used. If someone has workable solution I wish they would step forward. If things stay as they are now. Next season their will be no exceptions, every body will be required to use a ethanol based fuel. You might as well get on board now. Even people that were dead set against using ethanol fuels are now using it with no particular problems.
Art Kampen NBRA Tech Committee member

Well said Art.. Using horse blinders will not work when the fact is Ethanol is here to stay so folks better get use to it.. If folks have to cheat to win then they will find a way no matter how much testing and inspections you do... It happens in NASCAR and it will happen in any kind of racing...Eventually they get caugh but someone else always comes up with a new mouse trap and the cycle continues.

[sam]

Using horse blinders will not work when the fact is Ethanol is here to stay so folks better get use to it.. If folks have to cheat to win then they will find a way no matter how much testing and inspections you do... It happens in NASCAR and it will happen in any kind of racing...Eventually they get caugh but someone else always comes up with a new mouse trap and the cycle continues.

So you advocate allowing ethanol and every other additive that can be easily hidden along with it?

Sounds like your solution is to go back to the Citiservice oil/nitro days of racing

[blueskyracer]

I am saying if all racing bodies don't figure out a way to work with Ethanol then there will only be one or two sanctioning bodies left in outboard racing. The ones that embrace the fuel of the future.

[Guest]

Race site fuel

Part of my discussion with the Ethanol Rep at the Garnett race offered a recomendation on supplying the fuel for the race. It should be quite simple to team with an oil company and then provide the fuel to all the racers. NASCAR solved this issue a long time ago. A 2,000 gallon truck would work well in most cases or maybe a bit larger. The racer would buy the fuel at cost or a discount if the sponsor chose to provide additiomal support to racing. This way we would always have fresh fuel and it would take the worry out of finding the correct blend at the race location. The truck would offer an additional way to advertise both boat racing and Ethanol as it traveled to races.

The NBRA is leading the pack when they introduced the concept of allowing the normal pump blend you find around the country and by taking the bold step to help build boat racing back. I agree with Mike that if someone choses to do somthing that isn't allowed they will do it and be found out sooner or later. Surely we can find ways to level the playing field when it comes to fuel. The NBRA race teams are providing a great test of the fuel and I'm sure it will help all of the folks that enjoy boating around the country. To date we have been running the fuel in 5 engines for the 2011 season and have seen no issues with it. They are a set of Mercury engines: 44XS, 25XS, 20-H, 40 MOD and a 30 MOD. Our fuel mix is 14:1 using Castrol TCWII.

One last note. The tow and prize money being provided to the NBRA folks by the Ethanol association at each of our races sure helps cover a bit of the cost to get there. We need this type of support in our sport!

Alan

[dcrummett]

Well said!

Art, Alan, well said, both of you!

Dan
NBRA President
O-66

[Dave M]

Simple test - Explained

Sam, and others.

First - They still test using the same digitron the other organization uses. The readings are froma local gas source, much like APBA does at local races. Whatever it checks is fuel of the day as it tests + 50 or +100, whatever.

Second - They test for Ethanol. This is a real simple test that even the most uneducated racer can perform. Mercury sells this tester. I can get you a part number. It is real cheap, and is basically what Alan described. The Merc part has lines on it to fill with water to this mark, then to this line with gas, etc. Shake and set. On the other side of the beaker are some percentage numbers. once the line of seperation is very obvious you simply read that percentage and you know if you are running 5% or 10% or anywhere in between, or even 40%, etc. It is real simple.

And they are right, you can't buy gas without it anymore. In talking with industry experts at the NBRA races, it is here to stay. The NBRA is providing the RFA with crucial information that is relayed back to the engine factory R&D departments. They are implementing changes in pleasure craft engines based on this feedback. The RFA group also listens to our issues and also the plus sides. They can use this information to work out a new formulation for marine engines too. We are leading the future of this. It is here to stay, deal with it, or spend $200 - $500 in race gas each weekend. I sure am not going to spend that in race gas alone. You can bet once all fuel in the U.S. at every pump has Ethanol in it, those specialty race fuel companies will see the light and up the cost a bunch, becasue they are the only game in town, and your rules require you to buy it from them. No thanks.

Like one said, if someone is cheating with additives in their fuel, it will eventually get caught, no different than in APBA.

[mdaspit]

Like one said, if someone is cheating with additives in their fuel, it will eventually get caught, no different than in APBA.

It's probably happening already... I mean how else can you explain how Matt Johnson has 2100 points in C Stock?

Superior driving ability?... Really?

[oknitro]

Mark,

You are kidding ? right??

[David_L6]

...spend $200 - $500 in race gas each weekend.

What kind of gas are you buying that would cost that much? Even at $10 / gal. it would take 20 gallons to equal your low number. I don't think many people burn 20 gallons of gas in one weekend.

AV gas! $5 / gal.

[mdaspit]

Mark,

You are kidding ? right??

How do I know?

Maybe he's sneaking in some nitromethane! Maybe he's got some nitropropane stashed somewhere!
How do I know?

Something smells fishy to me.
And I should know, I'm always behind him, and I swear his exhaust smells...funny.

If we can't test him for that, I think we ought to test him for everything else!
breathalizer test, blood test, Pee in a cup test, IQ test...Whatever.

He's going way too fast.

I mean really...2100 points?

[Guest]

Fuel Testing

http://www.flickr.com/photos/zimmcom...7626923567963/

The above link was prepared by the city of garnett and they show some photos of fuel being tested. Also some nice race shots.
Alan