Should Leaded Race Gas be Banned at the Races?

Jason P.
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4/23/2022 5:13pm Edited Date/Time 4/23/2022 5:23pm
Jason P. wrote:
After reading the comments on this thread, I've just come to the conclusion that the people on Vital MX forums have probably inhaled a little too...
After reading the comments on this thread, I've just come to the conclusion that the people on Vital MX forums have probably inhaled a little too much lead LOL.
BobPA wrote:
I think you fit perfectly into that category. This thread is proof
Any reason as to why? I came here with all the research and proof, and all I got in response were uninformed responses.
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MPJC
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4/23/2022 5:15pm
This really isn’t a stupid question to ask. What is stupid is saying something like “other things are dangerous so why worry about this dangerous thing “?
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JustMX
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4/23/2022 5:50pm
ML512 wrote:
Leaded fuel isn’t allowed at AMA Pro Nationals or AMA Supercross…
Jason P. wrote:
I was talking about races that are not AMA sanctioned, such as local races and arenacross (where children are participating in the races).
Who is going to monitor it then?

People that want to use it are just going to put it in a generic container.

But yeah, let's just pass another rule that either causes a huge expense to enforce, or is unenforceable.

Let's make drugs, vaping, and teenage drinking illegal too.

Haven't spent a lot of time researching this. Jason has researched something though, but not sure it was thorough.

Aren't two strokes the only thing that really gains any advantage from lead in eliminating detonation?

Why would jet fuel contain lead? It is basically a high grade diesel fuel. Do jets detonate?

Aviation gasoline is a completely different matter though, right? It would only be used in prop aircaft, right?

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4/23/2022 5:56pm
Who the hell is even using leaded race gas at the races anymore? I doubt anyone as there is no need. Jason P you claim you did your research before you made your post but you didn't even know they banned leaded race fuel from back when RC was still racing and on local level I seriously doubt anyone uses it either, just because you had a though does not mean you should post it. You are the reason new members should not be able to start a thread until you have been properly vetted. Laughing
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The Shop

AJ565
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4/23/2022 5:57pm

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Dirt.Squirt
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4/23/2022 6:04pm
ADynes wrote:
Would I be correct in assuming you watched the latest Veritasium video on YouTube? https://youtu.be/IV3dnLzthDA
Would I be correct in assuming you watched the latest Veritasium video on YouTube?

https://youtu.be/IV3dnLzthDA
I just watched this lastnight. Crazy
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TeamGreen
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4/23/2022 6:13pm
Well, if I was gonna go all Al Gore about leaded fuel, I think I'd go to some local races or these Arena-crosses where it’s been implied this is happening…and after checking things out at all these events…and seeing how much leaded fuel there actually is…OR NOT…I'd then come back to my ridiculous thread and admit that I was goin’ Full Karen about a non-existing problem.

Signed,

A guy that tests race fuels and knows how much Unleaded Fuel is used in this sport.

Sorry, not sorry.
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PNWMXer
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4/23/2022 6:17pm
Jason P. wrote:
Care to explain what I said that was irrational?
lostboy819 wrote:
Do you even know why there WAS lead in fuel in the past. I don't even know of anyone running leaded race fuel in modern MX...
Do you even know why there WAS lead in fuel in the past. I don't even know of anyone running leaded race fuel in modern MX bikes as its not needed and lead does not increase power. Go do some research on lead and fuel in general and at least gain a small amount of knowledge or fuels and race fuels etc. You should educate yourself just a small amount before making posts like these.
Jason P. wrote:
Why do you assume I'm uneducated? I know that lead was used as a cheap way to increase the octane of low quality fuels in the...
Why do you assume I'm uneducated? I know that lead was used as a cheap way to increase the octane of low quality fuels in the 50s and 60s. There's no need for it now, which is why it was banned. But companies like VP and Suncor still sell leaded race fuels for suckers who don't know the adverse effects of to use in their child's mini bike.
For starters, 100LL isn’t jet fuel, based on your original post…

100LL=aviation fuel for piston engines. LL stands for Low Lead, which is a reference to the earlier leaded AVgas, 135/145 (I think that was the name), which was higher in lead. 100LL still has plenty of lead and is currently under efforts to phase it out for Unleaded options.

Jet A=Jet fuel. It is very similar to kerosene and is nothing like 100LL. If you run it in your piston airplane, you’ll quickly find out how different, although you probably won’t be around to tell us anymore.

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PNWMXer
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4/23/2022 6:18pm
TeamGreen wrote:
Well, if I was gonna go all Al Gore about leaded fuel, I think I'd go to some local races or these Arena-crosses where it’s been...
Well, if I was gonna go all Al Gore about leaded fuel, I think I'd go to some local races or these Arena-crosses where it’s been implied this is happening…and after checking things out at all these events…and seeing how much leaded fuel there actually is…OR NOT…I'd then come back to my ridiculous thread and admit that I was goin’ Full Karen about a non-existing problem.

Signed,

A guy that tests race fuels and knows how much Unleaded Fuel is used in this sport.

Sorry, not sorry.
To be fair, the people who see Gore as someone they want to help never let facts get in the way of their agenda…
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MPJC
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4/23/2022 6:31pm
The replies in this thread are mind-numbingly stupid. There’s “not many people use it”. Ok, then keep pouring C12 into junior’s bike, evidence of harm be damned (is there really any dispute about the harmful effects of lead?). There’s “you idiot, you didn’t even know it was already banned in pro AMA events”. Irrelevant. There’s “ Let's make drugs, vaping, and teenage drinking illegal too”. Well, teenage drinking is illegal, and the others are illegal for children as well.” The more general sentiment seems to be “I’m macho man and you’re stupid”. It’s actually quite fascinating that so many are getting their panties in a knot over something that, apparently, never happens.
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4/23/2022 7:43pm
Jason P. wrote:
After reading the comments on this thread, I've just come to the conclusion that the people on Vital MX forums have probably inhaled a little too...
After reading the comments on this thread, I've just come to the conclusion that the people on Vital MX forums have probably inhaled a little too much lead LOL.
Were you expecting a rational, respectful, and well thought out discussion?
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DKmxFAN
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4/23/2022 8:23pm
Jason P. wrote:
I don't get why I'm being downvoted so much. Is it really that difficult to accept that the negligible difference in race gas and pump gas...
I don't get why I'm being downvoted so much. Is it really that difficult to accept that the negligible difference in race gas and pump gas is not worth the dangers of leaded fumes? If you disagree, why don't you post your opinions in the thread instead of downvoting without an explanation?
Is this guy for real?
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4/23/2022 8:43pm
I would rather a clean water supply without added chemicals before a race gas ban.
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MotoX85
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4/23/2022 8:59pm
Jason P. wrote:
Hey y'all, I was recently thinking about the fact that almost all high octane race gas uses lead. I began to do some research, and found...
Hey y'all, I was recently thinking about the fact that almost all high octane race gas uses lead. I began to do some research, and found that leaded gas was banned for public use in the mid 90s due to health-related issues that were caused by the burning of lead. This included lead poisoning, which causes you to loose IQ points, develop brain-related disabilities, and overall reduces your lifespan. Lead was even attributed to increased crime rates in America. These were all reasons that leaded fuel was banned for road cars 26 years ago.

Now, leaded gas is only used in aviation and motorsports, which got me thinking. Do we really want our children (as well as ourselves) to be exposed to lead at the races? Are we really prioritizing 2 or 3 more horsepower in our bikes over the health of our family? I feel like leaded race gas should be banned in all motocross races, and especially arenacross races since the leaded fumes are more concentrated in stadiums. The only reason planes use it is because no other effective jet fuel has been developed that doesn't use lead. The motorsport industry is the only industry that willing uses leaded gas. Why is it that general public refuses to use leaded fuel, except us? I think we should change this. For Christ's sake, even NASCAR banned leaded fuels in 2008 due to lead poisoning at their races. There was even a few studies that showed kids who attended NASCAR races before leaded fuel was banned performed worse on school tests for a few days to weeks after being exposed to lead fumes at the races. It was estimated that over 4000 people had died due to being exposed to lead at NASCAR races.
You're in the wrong sport.....
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ktmdan
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4/23/2022 9:32pm
This is moto bro we don’t care about your fancy IQ levels. Moran
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Dirt.Squirt
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4/23/2022 10:52pm
I would rather a clean water supply without added chemicals before a race gas ban.
Username checks out
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Tiki
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4/23/2022 11:11pm
Fucking Millennials.


If you’re under the age of about 35, chances are you’ve probably never ever seen a leaded pump at the gas station. And for good reason. Now we know that leaded gas poses health and environmental risks, which is why it was phased out. But before the 1970s, just about every car on the road in America was powered by it.

So why was lead in there in the first place? It’s complicated, and at the time, it was about innovation.

At the outset of the 1920s, America was beginning its torrid love affair with the automobile. And as auto manufacturers looked for ways to squeeze power and performance out of their thundering 26 horsepower engines, researchers turned their attention to the contents of their fuel tank for inspiration. Engines back then had problems with knocking: a randomly occurring uncontrolled combustion that negatively affected performance as much as it unnerved drivers. The cause? Low-quality gasoline. Back in the 1920s, gasoline had an octane rating of between 40 and 60 – a far cry from today’s 87 – making it way more volatile in the confines of an internal combustion engine and far less consistent in performance.

The simple answer was that automobiles needed to improve the octane rating of gasoline which could be done by either refining the gas further (more expensive) or by identifying the right set of additives (way cheaper). So, they call in the guys in lab coats, who do experiments with things like hydrocarbon chains, compression variables, and auto ignition temperatures (you were paying attention in science class, right?) While a number of different additives were considered (including Ethanol, which was not in abundant supply at the time), a complicated little compound called tetraethyl-lead won out, primarily due to cost, availability and the persuasiveness of the people who developed it. By 1963 “Ethyl” (as it was nicknamed) and other lead-based anti-knock agents were present in 98% of the US gasoline supply.

For nearly half a century of auto culture, leaded gas ruled the American road, keeping octane ratings up and engine knock to a minimum. Then on November 28, 1973, the EPA required a nationwide phase-out of lead in all grades of gasoline, which not only helped reduce a growing public health risk, but also challenged the American auto industry to innovate. The result was better refining processes, more environmentally-friendly additives and the big one: the catalytic converter. Even though leaded gas is still used in some racing circuits and in private aviation today, it represents a minuscule portion of gasoline used today. Which is a really good thing.
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731chopper
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4/23/2022 11:13pm
Jason P. wrote:
Any reason as to why? I came here with all the research and proof, and all I got in response were uninformed responses.
Where is your research and proof? I take it you don’t go within hundreds of miles of any airport, right?
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4/24/2022 1:03pm
I think the amount of lead (and all sorts of other fun things) that kids are getting in their system now is way less than any other time since the industrial revolution, so we got that going for us. The electric revolution should help! (Although they will probably expose us to something we don’t know is bad for us yet too)
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redduk
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4/24/2022 3:31pm
I think you need to do some more research and find out how many people are actually using leaded fuel at the track. Your findings I would guess would be around 3-5% so not a lot that would cause harm to anyone. Most people just run pump gas which by the way contains Benzen, one of the most carcinogenic chemicals made by man. Ride behind a carbed bike running rich, that will do more harm to your health than a little lead.
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4/24/2022 3:56pm
Jason P. wrote:
LOL. All jokes aside, I think its a relevant conversation to have. Even NASCAR banned leaded fuels due to reports that kids who attended NASCAR races...
LOL. All jokes aside, I think its a relevant conversation to have. Even NASCAR banned leaded fuels due to reports that kids who attended NASCAR races developed lead poisoning. I feel like a sport such as motocross, which is dominated by youngsters should be more regulated in terms of lead exposure since lead affects the child's brain a lot more than adult brains.
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CPR
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4/24/2022 5:07pm Edited Date/Time 4/24/2022 5:09pm
redduk wrote:
I think you need to do some more research and find out how many people are actually using leaded fuel at the track. Your findings I...
I think you need to do some more research and find out how many people are actually using leaded fuel at the track. Your findings I would guess would be around 3-5% so not a lot that would cause harm to anyone. Most people just run pump gas which by the way contains Benzen, one of the most carcinogenic chemicals made by man. Ride behind a carbed bike running rich, that will do more harm to your health than a little lead.
Yeah that is often overlooked. Unleaded fuels are full of benzene, as are plastics and half of the items in the average household. It’s a proven carcinogen and volatile in exhaust gases.
As far as exhausts pumping out poison at a club day, it’s probably about 1% of the bikes with lead and 99% with benzene. But yeah sure, let’s cry about the lead.
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FahQ
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4/24/2022 5:13pm
They’ll all be electric soon, why bother.

Then they’ll say the magnetic field causes infertility, and we will do this all over again
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JustMX
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4/24/2022 5:16pm
MPJC wrote:
The replies in this thread are mind-numbingly stupid. There’s “not many people use it”. Ok, then keep pouring C12 into junior’s bike, evidence of harm be...
The replies in this thread are mind-numbingly stupid. There’s “not many people use it”. Ok, then keep pouring C12 into junior’s bike, evidence of harm be damned (is there really any dispute about the harmful effects of lead?). There’s “you idiot, you didn’t even know it was already banned in pro AMA events”. Irrelevant. There’s “ Let's make drugs, vaping, and teenage drinking illegal too”. Well, teenage drinking is illegal, and the others are illegal for children as well.” The more general sentiment seems to be “I’m macho man and you’re stupid”. It’s actually quite fascinating that so many are getting their panties in a knot over something that, apparently, never happens.
Um,

The comment about drugs, vaping, and teen drinking followed a sentence about unenforceable or inaffective laws. I know they are all illegal already.

It was kind of meant to point out that just because you make a rule, or pass a law doesn't mean that the behavior will stop.

I guess I could have made the point a better way.
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Radical
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4/24/2022 5:37pm
Almost all race fuel is leaded. I've read the descriptions at VP.
If leaded fuel is banned from pro races, why in the world should it be allowed at local tracks?
I value my brain, and my friends' brains.

Granted, it's a small amount, but if it's unnecessary, let's get rid of it. I doubt seriously that only 1% run race fuel.
If pros run unleaded race fuel with their 60+ HP bikes, then leaded fuel is unnecessary.

If tracks state that leaded fuel is not allowed, some people are going to use it anyway, but it will reduce usage.
If fuel can be contested at local races (at cost to the contester unless lead is found), then usage will be reduced even more.
The more demand is reduced, the more likely race fuel vendors will reformulate without lead, and the problem will go away.

If the amount of benzene in unleaded fuel is more dangerous than the amount of lead in leaded fuel, then we have another problem to deal with.

I'm going to continue to race/ride at local tracks regardless (unless everyone starts running leaded fuel), but I much prefer that lead is banned, period.
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Yeti831
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4/24/2022 6:25pm
People who keep trying to ban shit need to gtfo and find a new sport.

That is all.
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MPJC
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4/24/2022 6:29pm
MPJC wrote:
The replies in this thread are mind-numbingly stupid. There’s “not many people use it”. Ok, then keep pouring C12 into junior’s bike, evidence of harm be...
The replies in this thread are mind-numbingly stupid. There’s “not many people use it”. Ok, then keep pouring C12 into junior’s bike, evidence of harm be damned (is there really any dispute about the harmful effects of lead?). There’s “you idiot, you didn’t even know it was already banned in pro AMA events”. Irrelevant. There’s “ Let's make drugs, vaping, and teenage drinking illegal too”. Well, teenage drinking is illegal, and the others are illegal for children as well.” The more general sentiment seems to be “I’m macho man and you’re stupid”. It’s actually quite fascinating that so many are getting their panties in a knot over something that, apparently, never happens.
JustMX wrote:
Um, The comment about drugs, vaping, and teen drinking followed a sentence about unenforceable or inaffective laws. I know they are all illegal already. It was...
Um,

The comment about drugs, vaping, and teen drinking followed a sentence about unenforceable or inaffective laws. I know they are all illegal already.

It was kind of meant to point out that just because you make a rule, or pass a law doesn't mean that the behavior will stop.

I guess I could have made the point a better way.
By “sentence” you mean “paragraph”. The spacing indicates it is an independent thought, not part of the train of thought preceding it. In any event, I get your point. If all that happened was a ban on bringing it to the races, then that would be pointless. Any action, to be effective, would have to involve something like a ban on producing or selling leaded race gas at all. Then there’s nothing to put into those generic containers.

It’s not specifically races that are a concern. It’s more that, say, a kid with a built bike is running C12 several times a week for a long period of time. You’re handling leaded gas, possibly spilling it on yourself occasionally, and breathing it in when you warm up the bike. I’ve heard plenty of people talk about liking the smell of C12 and 927. If you’re smelling it you’re breathing it.
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4/24/2022 6:43pm
Jason P. wrote:
I don't get why I'm being downvoted so much. Is it really that difficult to accept that the negligible difference in race gas and pump gas...
I don't get why I'm being downvoted so much. Is it really that difficult to accept that the negligible difference in race gas and pump gas is not worth the dangers of leaded fumes? If you disagree, why don't you post your opinions in the thread instead of downvoting without an explanation?
If you ever flew in a plane you polluted more than if you rode 10 gal a day running c12. You can fill your ram air 4 GTO up here and burn rubber in all 4 gears leaving. A lot of claystock car racing in the area more than any area in the country. They all fill up here.
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Roczoff
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4/24/2022 6:49pm Edited Date/Time 4/24/2022 6:52pm
Real men poison themselves.

Caring about health is for wussies.

But, without the brain damage from ingesting lead, who would buy expensive race gas that gives no advantage because everyone runs it?
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MPJC
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4/24/2022 7:02pm Edited Date/Time 4/24/2022 7:03pm
Jason P. wrote:
I don't get why I'm being downvoted so much. Is it really that difficult to accept that the negligible difference in race gas and pump gas...
I don't get why I'm being downvoted so much. Is it really that difficult to accept that the negligible difference in race gas and pump gas is not worth the dangers of leaded fumes? If you disagree, why don't you post your opinions in the thread instead of downvoting without an explanation?
If you ever flew in a plane you polluted more than if you rode 10 gal a day running c12. You can fill your ram air...
If you ever flew in a plane you polluted more than if you rode 10 gal a day running c12. You can fill your ram air 4 GTO up here and burn rubber in all 4 gears leaving. A lot of claystock car racing in the area more than any area in the country. They all fill up here.
What you have there is an argument against unnecessary air travel (or at least a reason to not live near an airport. Living near an airport is demonstrably unhealthy. A key bit from the article linked here:

“Children can suffer substantial and long-lasting health effects from even low levels of lead in the blood, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has concluded that there are no safe blood lead levels in children.”

The idea that you shouldn’t worry about the lead in race gas because airplanes pollute more is about as dumb an idea as you could have.

https://paloaltoonline.com/news/2021/08/06/new-study-finds-local-airpor…
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