***FOR
IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
Effective
immediately, the IDRC has allowed methanol as an approved fuel for the
Quick class for the remainder of the 2002 season. To provide the proper
parity in the class, the IDRC has applied the correct weight penalty
(150 pounds) to competitors that chose to run the alternative fuel.
"It's
real simple, methanol will allow a good engine builder and an
experienced tuner to generate an additional eight to 12 percent more
power.That's the good news about methanol. The bad news about methanol
is that it provides a much narrower tuning window, meaning
that its much more difficult to get the engine to run properly. Methanol
is also a very corrosive substance that attacks every part of the fuel
system. Methanol also lacks the lubicity of gasoline and doesn't provide
top of cylinder lubrication. The ignition point of methanol is also
lower and methanol fires can be invisible to the naked eye. These are
the facts about methanol," says IDRC Tech Director Jerry Hsien.
Jerry went on to say, "We would rather not have methanol in the
Quick class. We feel that it produces more problems than it solves.
However, we always try to consider the desires and needs of ALL of the
racers. Therefore, we calculated a weight break that would even the
field between gasoline and methanol powered vehicles. To increase
the level of safety for the driver, we have also required that any
Quick class vehicle running methanol must have an on-board fire
suppression system."
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