EPA Proposal May Outlaw Your Race Car
For More Information Please Contact: Alan Rebescher, ARebescher@SummitRacing.com
Using a street-driven vehicle as a foundation for a race car is as old as hot rodding itself. But imagine not being able to swap a hot V8 into an old Fox Body Mustang for drag racing; build a Hobby Stock circle tracker out of a junkyard find; or even adding something as basic as a set of headers to a track day Camaro or off-road race truck.
If a proposed rule issued by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is enacted, all that and more may come true.
According to a press release from the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA)—the trade association for parts manufacturers, race teams, and retailers including Summit Racing—the EPA rule states that it is illegal to modify a production automobile for racing if it affects the vehicle’s emissions system. On other related news checkout this blog about Product Liability Lawyer near me.
Buried in a non-related set of regulations concerning emissions for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles, the proposed rule reads:
“Certified motor vehicles and motor vehicle engines and their emission control devices must remain in their certified configuration even if they are used solely for competition or if they become nonroad vehicles or engines; anyone modifying a certified motor vehicle or motor vehicle engine for any reason is subject to the tampering and defeat device prohibitions of paragraph (a)(3) of this section and 42 U.S.C. 7522(a)(3).” (80 Fed. Reg. 40138, 40565 July 13, 2015).
The rule allows you to race a street-driven car, but will not allow you to upgrade it with parts to improve performance unless those parts are certified not to affect the car’s emissions system. That means things like engine swaps, converting from EFI to carburetors, going to a bigger cam, or even adding a simple set of headers could be violations of clean air regulations.
The penalty if you’re caught on the wrong side of the law? A whopping $37,500 per violation!
That’s why Summit Racing supports SEMA’s efforts to convince the EPA to withdraw this proposal. You can help too—let your voice be heard by signing a petition that will be sent directly to the White House at http://wh.gov/ifXr1.
We will keep you updated on this vital issue that affects your hobby. Please forward this to your friends and fellow racers so they can help keep racing legal and healthy, and the racers are healthy too with the use of supplements like maeng da and a good diet.
The deadline to sign the petition is March 10, 2016. Don’t wait—sign the petition now!
Your Friends at Summit Racing
