The price of race gas...

[dd74]

The funny thing about gasoline prices in L.A. is self-serve premium unleaded is slowly gaining on the cost of 101 octane gas in some locations. I've been thinking how at one point, both premium and race gas will cost the same.

Or, possibly my thought will be incorrect, and high octane gas will increase exponentially as has standard street car gasoline.

I posted this thread in the Porsche Autocross and Track Racing forum, asking about the price of race gas at the track...Has the cost of race gas also gone up?

However, here, I'd simply like to know if it should be expected that race gas will increase as has standard consumer gas.

One scenario in which I can understand an increase in racing gas comes from a monopoly big oil companies (Unocal, for example), has on all types of gasoline, race gas included.

And yet, one scenario where I can imagine race gas not increasing is simply because the supply and demand is not there...

Please, what are your thoughts?

[island911]

Does race gas contain MTBE? (I'm guessing it does) Do the oil companies see a threat (litigiously) from continued use of MTBE?

Just a thought.

[dd74]

Unleaded race gas has MTBE, I believe, to deal with the tetra-ethyl lead that's been taken out (leaded gas). I could be wrong, but that's how I remember it.

At any rate, even if CA has attempted to phase out MTBE, use of race gas, en masse, would probably never occur and because of that, never be a concern as:

1) It seems only four places exist from the Pacific Ocean to Pasadena where racing fuel can be pumped straight into a tank. So logistically, these stations are difficult to get to for most people.

2) Joe Consumer would never think of using race fuel, but;

3) While the hot rodder sees the price of premium leveling out with race gas and might decide to fill up with a batch, the hot rodder constitutes a spec on the consumer pie chart of who uses what octane-level of gasoline.

[speeder]

Racing gas probably won't go up much because, A) there is no refinery bottleneck due to the low constant demand, and B) if anything people will be track driving less as the high cost of normal fuel eats into most people's discretionary income for fun, unnecessary activities like DE-ing, which was never a cheap hobby.

All IMO of course.

[ErVikingo]

I have not seen an increase in race gas but my tow vehicle's gas has gone up considerably

[VINMAN]

I run 102 in my boat. Have,nt bought any yet this yr. Cant wait to see the price of it......

[JohnC]

Run alcohol.

[widgeon13]

I hope you guys are right and race fuels stay at or near there current price but I have to be honest, I think some ********* in the food chain is going to want to keep the margin between regular, premium and super high octane the same and consequently race fuels will go up as well. 100 octane aviation fuel ain't cheap anymore and the range of prices can be as much as $1.00 per gallon, from $3.50 to $4.50 a gallon. Have to keep the conspiracy theory consistent.

[widebody911]

100 @ Thunderhill went up a bit last summer, and although I haven't been to the track yet this year I imagine it will go up again, if it hasn't already.