Nitro Shortage?

Drag Racing Internet Magazine - Torco Racing Fuel's Competition Plus.com


Drag and copy the above address. There is an alarming bit of news that will undoubtedly trickle down to us.

I think this is the link...
http://www.competitionplus.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6372&Itemid=6

This confirms what was reported here a few days earlier.

Jim

India also produces a nitromethane. It just may take a few months for the importers to line up a new source. It's kind of a major commitment, since you are probably talking about a tanker load, say 40,000 tons.

Anybody want to chip in and go halvsies?

Dang...Now I'm going to have to go to FAI "electrons"...

Imagine the drop in performance!!

FAC Rubber Scale anyone?

Mike Keville

Article in this mornings AZ Republic stated that: NHRA was no longer going to allow practice after major meets for T/F and F/C in order to
save nitro.

Leonard Rennick

You beat me to it Paul;-)

Speaking of which, I wonder when "someone" is going to write a definitive set of technical articles on Converting Conventional CL Stunters to Electric Power? I mean, someone who had perhaps actually done this for a world class competition design? You know, someone clearly established as a good communicator of technical information on the subject of model airplanes in general?

Hmm.. ;->

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"Sincerity and truth are the basis of every virtue." -Confucius

>You beat me to it Paul;-)
Can't remember you having any problems with our European 'current

I though FAI fuel was already no nitro?

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"Everything goes wrong all at once." -Quantized Revision of Murphy's Law

>Dang...Now I'm going to have to go to FAI
>"electrons"...
>
>Imagine the drop in performance!!

No worries... I'll bring special brushless shims

Can't you just see an NHRA drag race with gasohol or ethanol fueled dragsters. Talk about elapsed weekend! Winner could be the slowest overall. Talk about empty stands

Maybe the dragsters should try electric [photo not recovered: sipcof.gif]

>Maybe the dragsters should try electric.
========================================

Yeah, maybe we can get Russ to build one.

Okay, seriously....if you've ever been to an NHRA National event, you know there's nothing quite like the ear-splitting, teeth-rattling roar of 7-to-8 thousand HP (yes, from 500 cubes) coming to life and blasting down the 1/4-mile in less than 5 seconds....not to mention the eye-watering cloud from the nitro fumes.

NHRA Nitro drag-racing is kind of like sex or combat: if you haven't experienced it, there's no adequate way to describe it.

Here's hoping the nitro shortage becomes resolved soon.

Mike Keville

(snip)
>Here's hoping the nitro shortage becomes resolved soon.
>
>Mike Keville

The Chinese will be back in production again in September. But there is a bit of hoarding going on at the moment so I have heard. This has added to the problem. Some enterprising individuals, sensing that there could be a problem, bought up larger quantities which then led to the problem. They will probably be "persuaded" to part with it should the price go up as they anticipate.

Now where have we heard that before?

Tell me more, tell me more, from the movie Grease.

Walter

> Tell me more, tell me more...
===============================

Here's the story:

Don Schumacher, CEO of Schumacher Electric, is one of NHRA's several multi-car team owners...and among the most successful. Some time ago he apparently had the foresight to amass a significant quantity of nitro. For reasons best known only to Don, this rather impressive "stash" was openly displayed in the Schumacher pit area at a recent national event.

The NHRA has stringent fuel requirements for all classes, this year Top Fuel & Funny Car being allowed a max of 90-percent nitro. Each entry is subject to fuel sample testing after a successful run, thus fuel is mixed very carefully in the pits prior to each run since violation of the 90-percent rule would of course result in disqualification.

Therefore there is no rational reason to suspect that Schumacher's impressive collection of nitro containers was anything other than an "in your face" display --- yet, for reasons that remain unclear, NHRA officials levied a fine of $100,000 (currently under appeal).

Because the nitro was from an approved source (brand name omitted here) and because each of the highly successful Schumacher entries undergoes fuel testing at the completion of each run, we can only guess at the reason(s) for the penalty. Perhaps the vast display was in violation of some local fire or HAZMAT ordinance, but that's merely an uneducated guess.

The controversy remains open as of this morning. Perhaps we'll hear more from Don Schumacher and/or NHRA officials today and tomorrow during ESPN-2's televised Qualifications and Final Eliminations from Joliet, Illinois. (All times EASTERN: Qual's 5-7 pm today; Finals 5-7 pm Sunday. Adjust to suit your time zone accordingly.)

Mike Keville

Edit: spelling.

What is considered a significant quantity that they displayed?

Just wondering.

>What is considered a significant quantity that they
>displayed?
>

I don't know about the display, but they reportedly have 500 barrels of nitro.

Brett

I'd heard that he was sitting on 450 50 gal barrels of VP nitromethane. The NHRA has a rule about how much nitro you can have at an event. Tony had way more than the maximum allowed. There is a deal being worked out for Tony to "share" his nitro with the other racers to avoid the fines imposed by the NHRA. I believe that his plan is to repackage the nitro into 40 gallon barrels and sell it to the masses for the price of a 50 gallon barrel. Pretty smart of him, actually.
VP has stated that all the nitromethane they currently have is going to go to the racing industy due the the financial inpact it would have if there were cancelled events due to the shortage. Good thing the model fuel companies have a pretty good stock of fuel.

>...Some enterprising individuals, sensing that
>there could be a problem, bought up larger quantities which
>then led to the problem. They will probably be
>"persuaded" to part with it should the price go up
>as they anticipate.
>=============================================================
>
>Heh-heh....sounds like you're hip to the "Don Schumacher
>story".
>
>Mike Keville
How bout the fact they (NHRA) fined Don 100 thousand bucks
for having unopened stuff(nitro) on the premisies that wasn,t NHRA approved. They were going to use it for testing after the event.
He has appealed and offered to work with them;but he said he would,nt
sit on it long at the current prices.
Don is a business man ,not a shiester.
If NHRA was the same they could have seen this coming same as Don.
Best thing that could happen to NHRA, IMHO, would be for
Bruton Smith to buy them . Then you would really see something.
My boy bought about a dozen tickets for Memphis, last year
(same day as contest) so we went.
When one of those top fuelers comes by and your lips flap along with
your cheeks,its quite a thrill.(sorta like seeing PWs B17 for the first time (flying).

Go to this and read online. They may not have all of the details, but it sounds a lot more realistic that some of the speculation here.

http://www.dragracingonline.com/analysis/x_4-schumacher-1.html

I remember in 1992 or something ... the nitro plant in I think Texas burt down . At least that was the scare & news...nitro was to be in short supply . It was as avalible as ever. Kida like a few other things that come along to increase prices.

I wasn't in modeling in 92, but there was a big deal back in around 1979 about nitro becoming in short supply.

The beauty of supply and demand, if there is demand, someone will step up with a supply.

Yah it was between 1991 & 1994

IHRA runs alcohol (methanol) dragsters and funny cars. The run in the high 6s IIRC.

While really fast cars are cool, a lot is about the competition.

>IHRA runs alcohol (methanol) dragsters and funny cars. The
>run in the high 6s IIRC.
===========================================================

NHRA also runs Alcohol Dragsters & Funny Car classes. Their best TADs currently run in the 5.20s & 5.30s while the best F/Cs run in the 5.50s & 5.60s.

Analogy: IHRA is "Advanced"; NHRA is "Expert".

Mike Keville

But the real difference in PA is practice, in the other, tipping the bottle and the emptying the pocketbook!
don Burke
Menifee, CA
Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming, WOO HOO, What a Ride!