Fuel, Part 3
We are not even to the first practice yet and we are on fuel part 3 already!
This morning the affected teams met for a few hours, and at the end got the word from Whitelock. If they have an issue, take it up with the rules committee. The AMA here this weekend is not in the mood to debate it's enforcement decisions.
The rules were changed this year to allow more lead (since before it seems the fuel supplier was having trouble keeping to spec), and more oxygen, up to 4%.
What happened since, and this is what bugs people in the AMA (off the record) is that the fuel supplier just formulated to the new limits, creating a new problem. The new problem (two of them actually) surfaced the hard way, in post race testing. That's the way they see it.
So previous to 2007, it seems no one could make the lead limits reliably. When little problems were found, they became a really big problems. The AMA's approach was to hand out penalties until the teams come off the track with fuel in spec. They didn't want to stop and investigate. It was either you are in or you are out. This time its still that way. Instead of investigating, they punish unknowing victims of the fuel learning curve.
The teams can't understand why this is being pushed so hard. No one really thinks anyone was tampering with fuel during the lead problems, or tampering with it now. Teams say they open sealed cans and run with it.
For 2007's fuel problems, assuming the three teams hit so far are being truthful on not tampering with fuel, the issue on people's minds is again the fuel supply.
There are some teams, Suzuki for example, that will not run the new "dash 1" version of fuel that just makes the AMA's limit of 4%. It is spec'd at 3.8%. The fuel is basically a race fuel mix that is taking advantage of relaxed rules that were made with unleaded pump gas in mind.
So, relax the rules to keep yourself out of trouble, and to allow a break for privateers, and what happens? The supplier comes up with expensive race fuel that specs out like pump fuel, for about $30 a gallon, and it's unstable. After a race, its not the same. So it seems.
It's no wonder the AMA is unhappy and disappointed about that. But, they have no jurisdiction over the supplier, they instead go after the teams. The teams are wondering what hit them. Did they ask for more unstable fuel?
So as it stands for race day today, the teams that got hit won't get any satisfaction, and everyone is wondering - where is VP Fuels?
All this could be cleared up with a fuel supplier that at least appears to be on the ball and taking a leadership role in understanding this and finding a solution that keeps teams from getting that call during the week from Whitelock telling them that a fuel issue just ruined all the work they did the previous weekend.
