To the Supercross/Motocross community at-large,
When the “30-Second” board goes up in the starting gate, the last thing we want any rider to be thinking about is whether or not his efforts will be nullified by “non-compliant” race fuel upon analysis after the race. This potential distraction is totally unnecessary, if a new approach to race fuel were to be adopted by the racing community at-large. MDK Motorsports requests that motocross fans, enthusiasts, and industry leaders join-in the discussion with the AMA to develop an alternative to the current fuel sampling and testing protocols.
For the record, we state that the fuel used by Nick Wey, and MDK Motorsports for the first three rounds and potentially for the balance of the season has been an unaltered supply of VP Racing Fuels. This fuel has been selected for its performance capabilities and compliance with AMA fuel requirements. Similarly, MDK Motorsports/MDK Racing stipulates that no intended or incidental modifications were ever made to the fuel purchased, by the race team in general or Nick Wey in particular.
As a privateer team we are forced to trust fuel companies that their mixtures are compliant. Testing every barrel of fuel we purchase is cost-prohibitive and even then there would be no guarantee of compliance, since race fuel is a very volatile substance that is subject to change with changes in temperature, humidity, storage, etc. At MDK, we make every effort to limit any detrimental changes that can occur, but as we have learned, even with very careful fuel use and storage protocols, non-compliance is a very real possibility. In addition, different labs can have different analysis results. We consider the current situation to be untenable and cannot continue. We are motorcycle racers not chemists.
MDK Motorsports recognizes the need for a fuel compliance standard, but the current system simply does not work. As team owners, we want to give our riders the best equipment possible to make our riders successful on the track. The one thing we do not control at all is our fuel. We have to trust our fuel providers that they have given us compliant fuel, we have to trust the AMA that they are using proper testing procedures, and we have to trust that other environmental factors have not changed the fuel.
In fairness to all competitors, privateer or otherwise, we respectfully request that the AMA and all teams embrace a fuel specification system similar to what NASCAR has done, (* see attached NASCAR fuel specification)
Nick Wey, MDK Racing, and the entire MDK Motorsports team is dedicated to a level of professionalism that reflects good sportsmanship and demonstrates the integrity of our brand and our sponsors’ brands. Let's remove the fuel variable. Let's have a spec fuel developed by one fuel manufacturer. Let's do it like NASCAR and make it much simpler. MDK Motorsports invites fans, enthusiasts, and industry insiders to make their voices heard, and move our industry forward with good sportsmanship, fairness, and simplicity.
Thank you for your support and consideration.
Sincerely,
Mark D. Kvamme
Team Owner
MDK Motorsports, LLC
Racer X - Motocross & Supercross News
