EPA clarifies stance on road-to-racecar conversions

The Environmental Protection Agency has issued a clarification in response to claims that it is proposing a ban on converting road vehicles into racecars.

"People may use EPA-certified motor vehicles for competition, but to protect public health from air pollution, the Clean Air Act has – since its inception – specifically prohibited tampering with or defeating the emission control systems on those vehicles," the agency said in its statement.

"The proposed regulation that SEMA has commented on does not change this long-standing law, or approach. Instead, the proposed language in the Heavy-Duty Greenhouse Gas rulemaking simply clarifies the distinction between motor vehicles and nonroad vehicles such as dirt bikes and snowmobiles. Unlike motor vehicles – which include cars, light trucks, and highway motorcycles – nonroad vehicles may, under certain circumstances, be modified for use in competitive events in ways that would otherwise be prohibited by the Clean Air Act.

"EPA is now reviewing public comments on this proposal."

There is no wording in the proposal to outline how the rule might be policed and breaches penalized, and RACER is awaiting additional details regarding what sort of vehicles or circumstances might be eligible for exemption. Current modified-production racing takes place under the existing wording of the rules without any EPA intervention.

Even so, the reworded law – if passed – will not go into effect until 2018, and will not be retroactive. Consequently, current race-modified production cars appear unlikely to be affected either way.