◄ Back to Driving Force, Summer 2016
Mastering the Power of the Moment
“For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.”
—Sir Isaac Newton, Newton’s Third Law of Motion
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| Recent government threat to motorsports has energized and unified the car hobby unlike any legislative issue prior. Boost the current momentum by utilizing every tool at your disposal to give the RPM Act and future pro-hobby proposals a podium finish. After all, the key to winning any auto race lies in an all-hands-on-deck approach by a precision pit crew working in unison—and we need more hands. | |
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The racing community and the industry that supports it have made major headlines of late. A grassroots movement to thwart a recent threat to motorsports has activated the entire auto hobby. Ultimately, this issue led SEMA Action Network’s (SAN) allies in the U.S. Congress to introduce the Recognizing the Protection of Motorsports Act of 2016 or RPM Act (H.R. 4715/S. 2659) in both the House and Senate. In case you haven’t heard, the pro-hobby bill comes in response to a proposed EPA regulation that would have made illegal the act of converting a street car into a race car used exclusively at the track if the emissions system is taken out of compliance from its stock configuration. You can learn more about how this saga has unfolded by reading this issue’s lead story.
Now, we all desire clean air. Heck, I know firsthand that the symptoms of asthma are not exactly a joyride. As my fellow residents of the greater Los Angeles area will recall, the air could be so bad in the region that at times the majority of our huge mountain range would be nearly covered by smog. “Smog alerts” were somewhat commonplace throughout grade school and would keep my friends and me indoors during recess. Thankfully, significant strides have been made to resolve the issue in California.
The ongoing debate to reach a national consensus on reducing air pollution using reasonable efforts to control emissions is the stuff of legend. As it relates to cars and trucks, the war over auto emissions rules has been waged at the federal level since the Clean Air Act was implemented in 1968. For the most part, the types of weekend vehicles found in our hobby have a minimal impact on emissions and air quality given that they are operated infrequently, well maintained and a very small portion of the overall vehicle population. Race cars fall in the same category.
In particular, my home state of California has traditionally scapegoated vintage vehicles as gross polluters. For years, legislators, regulators and stationary source polluters have felt the heat from failed efforts to meet air-quality goals and have looked to older cars and trucks as a convenient target, using faulty data and inflated annual mileage assumptions. The SAN believes our hobby should not continue to carry the burden of past mistakes! As someone who is also concerned about the future of our planet’s natural resources, it’s unfair that the car hobby is a target disproportionate to its contribution to the emissions inventory.
Despite the continuing clash over vehicle emissions, I can’t help but be drawn to the bright side of the latest struggle. While it’s true that the SAN’s legion has enjoyed a variety of successes over the years on a host of issues, the recent mobilization on the race car issue has been unprecedented. As you probably have heard, prominent car clubs, media outlets and brand names are bolstering the SAN’s legislative voice by urging support for the RPM Act (www.sema.org/RPMAct). The movement to “Save Our Race Cars” continues to go viral in an internet age dominated by competition for audiences. What a breakthrough!
The hobby’s potency surrounding our advocacy efforts to protect motorsports remains strong. As racers and fans, we must sustain this energy. Let’s make sure our muscle endures! First, make sure to sign the RPM Act letter to Congress—it only takes a moment. Then spread the word any way you can: email, social media, forums, blogs, etc. Finally, encourage others to enlist in the SAN (www.semaSAN.com/Join), stay informed and brace for upcoming legislative battles. The rallying cry for lasting automotive freedoms has never been louder; awareness hasn’t been wider; and our momentum never greater. Newton’s Third Law of Motion is currently in our favor, so make the most of this opportunity—for you, your community and those that will follow in your footsteps.