Technique: The FIM petrol rules
It recently emerged that the Norwegian MXoN team was disqualified and removed from the results of the Monster Energy Motocross of Nations in Ernée due to a petrol incident. Cornelius Toendel's petrol did not comply with the FIM rules and all results of Toendel, Horgmo and Fredriksen were canceled. We therefore took a look at the FIM regulations in question.
The Norwegians' disqualification is said to be related to the more refined fuel used in the US, which is enriched with oxygen and has a higher octane number. This allows the engines to be compressed even higher, increasing performance values. However, these fuels are not allowed in the world championship.
The rules surrounding fuel are very technical and, unless you are a qualified chemist in this field, very difficult to understand as a layman. You don't need to know all the details because analyzing gasoline at laboratory level is a job for specialists. The FIM talks about three categories of petrol.
- The normal unleaded petrol from the gas station and racing fuel (OR)
- A mix of the two above
- A mix of unleaded petrol/racing fuel with oil for two-stroke machines
This is what the FIM says
The unleaded fuel or mixture of unleaded Fuel used must comply with the FIM specifications as described in Art. 63.01. The mixture of unleaded fuel(s) and lubricant for two-stroke machines must comply with the FIM specifications as described in Art. 63.02.
Riders/teams must indicate to the FIM Technical Director (or the FMNR Chief Technical Steward if no FIM Technical Director is appointed) the brand and type of fuel to be used during training and racing, when presenting the rider's motorcycles /team during the initial technical verifications. They are also advised to present a certificate from the fuel company stating that the fuel has been tested and conforms to FIM specifications.
Fuel companies supplying 'race fuel' (fuel other than that obtained from public filling stations) to participating teams/riders must have their fuel tested in advance at Intertek Schlieren (Switzerland) against all FIM specifications as described in Art. 63.01.
If the fuel meets the FIM specifications, a certificate with test report and batch number is issued to the fuel company. If the fuel meets the FIM specifications, a certificate with test report and batch number is issued to the fuel company. The fuel company must be able to provide a copy of this certificate to their customer riders/teams before they participate in a competition.
Normal petrol from the pump and race fuel
It goes without saying that pump gasoline cannot exceed 98 octane unless you add additives or mix the fuel with racing fuel. The maximum octane number may not exceed 102 ((RON). In practice, this means that the recognized racing fuels are very close to 102 octane.
From a purely technical point of view, an FIM-certified fuel must meet many requirements, but as a rider or as a team you only have to check whether the race fuel is in the FIM's list of permitted fuels. You can do that consult here from page 15. Fuel from your gas station is in principle always in accordance with the regulations unless you add additives yourself.
Two-stroke oil
Two-stroke machines race on a mix of gasoline and added two-stroke oil to lubricate the inside of the engine. This two-stroke oil is also subject to regulations. Two-stroke oil is allowed:
- do not change the composition of the fuel fraction when added to the fuel
- do not contain nitro compounds, peroxides or other engine power-enhancing additives
- do not contribute in any way to an improvement in overall performance
- do not show a reduction in mass due to evaporation of more than 250% (w/w) during distillation up to 10°C (test method: simulated distillation GC)
- contain a maximum of 10 mg/kg anti-knock agents (lead, manganese, iron) (test method: ICP-OES)
testing
The FIM can appoint a rider at any time during a race to present the motorcycle for a fuel sample to be taken. Fuel is taken directly from the tank using a pipette and placed into three containers labeled with the letters A,B and C. The containers are closed and sealed by the FIM Technical Director/FMNR Chief Technical Steward. The sample with letter A will be the first sample to be analyzed in the laboratory. Sample B can be used for a second analysis if required by the FIM. The test result of sample A or B that is most favorable for the rider/team will be taken into account. The costs for sending and testing samples A and B are paid by the FIM.
If a counter-expertise is requested, the sample C is being examined and the test will be aimed at checking the same property(s) previously determined on samples A and B. The rider/team may request the C test the sample in one of the available laboratories designated by the FIM. The costs for sending and testing sample C will in this case be paid by the rider/team involved.
Of course, the regulations surrounding gasoline are much more detailed than described above. If you would like to read this in full, you can do so via this link from the FIM.
Tekst: Danny Hermans
Photos: Infront Moto Racing, Danny Hermans and archive
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