Not sure where exactly to put these but since they're racing related, this seems like the best place.

First of all, Canada is proposing a ban on all leaded fuel for competition vehicles in Canada next year. This amounts to 1.5% of all the leaded fuel sold in Canada. The aviation industry uses the other 98.5% and are exempt from the ban. This will dramatically decrease the amount of high end race vehicles in Canada. The ban will even prevent American races teams from bringing leaded fuel into Canada. Nitro is also classified as a leaded fuel. This will affect all forms of motorsports!

Leaded fuel ban petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/Snakepit/petition.html

The second petition is for our local race facility. The city is attempting to break the lease on the track which means we have 2 more seasons of racing before it's shut down. Although the racing facility (drag, oval, road course) needs upgrades, no investors will step up without a long term lease. The city currently isn't offering new land to build a new race facility or willing to extend the current lease. With a population of 1 million people, we need a race facility

Race City petition
http://www.petitiononline.com/racecity/petition.html

 

Do U.S. resident signatures on the petition count in Canada?

WD

 

Why not? The leaded fuel ban means you can't bring any leaded fuel into Canada with you to race so it would affect American racers as well.

Some of the arguments for the leaded fuel ban are that California who has some of the toughest emission regulations still allows leaded fuel for competition vehicles.

 

All we have to/should do is make it law that leaded fuel can only be used @ drag strip or possibly for off road use only;easy solution really.With your local track having problems and the one proposed 35 mi.n of town here as good as dead ,to see any kind of professional racing we will have no choice but to go to U.S tracks.

 

I signed because it's stupid to ban that miniscule amount of leaded gas. Not to mention that "take it to the track" doesn't work if there is no track. However, Canada has very "liberal" politics where it is assumed that people are idiots who need the wise and benevolent hand of the government to regulate even small things. Anyone remember my "slippery slope" rants? I got a fair amount of flack in the process of defending "smokers rights". All I can say is don't ask the smokers for help on this one! Oh, brave new world.

"First they came…" is a poem attributed to Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) about the inactivity of German intellectuals following the **** rise to power and the purging of their chosen targets, group after group.

First They Came for the Jews
First they came for the Jews
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Communists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a Communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists
and I did not speak out
because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for me
and there was no one left
to speak out for me.

Pastor Martin Niemöller*

I am not suggesting the Canadian or American government are ***** - such comparisons are odious. I am suggesting that unless you make a habit of standing up for other people, they aren't going to be around to give you support when your rights are threatened. In my case, the Camaro runs fine on unleaded and the race car is alcohol fueled. So, why should I care? (sarcasm)

*interestingly, the Pastor was a **** sympathizer at first and only began to change AFTER the ****'s starting persecuting Christians. So, he knew where of he was speaking.

Rich

 

It's not just drag racing that's threatened from a leaded fuel ban. All forms of motor sports where a leaded fuel is used will be affected. Even though a bunch of motorsports have already switched to unleaded or alcohol fuel (NASCAR, INDY, etc), there are still engines that require the higher octane only available in a leaded fuel.

Drag racing
Road and rally racing
Oval track of all sorts
Snowmobiles
karting
motorcycle racing of all sorts
Boating
4x4 racing

The only people not affected is the aviation users and they use 98.5% of the leaded fuel currently sold. More people live near airports than they do dragstrips to be affected from lead in the air.

My car runs an alcohol so the ban won't affect me directly but when nitromethane is classified as a leaded fuel, it will mean a total ban on top fuel racing in Canada as well as Prostock and a bunch of other classes that rely on leaded fuel for the higher octane.

When California has the strictest pollution laws on the continent but still allows leaded fuel for competition use and Canada wants to ban that 1.5% usage, there's something wrong with their logic.