POLITICS COSTS RACERS
Wed, 2008-07-30 13:35
Potential distributor says the time to open up the supply line is now …
Steve LeSueur believes a second and/or third nitro supplier would
drastically drop the price the nitro teams are paying for nitromethane.
LeSueur should know considering his family’s race fuel business was once a nitro distributor and had been in the business since 1976.
He’s currently aligned with a solid nitro supplier and says he’s sitting on 700 barrels of nitromethane that could hit the marketplace at a cheaper price but there’s one problem. The NHRA won’t give him the time of day. Potential distributor says the time to open up the supply line is now …
Steve LeSueur believes a second and/or third nitro supplier would drastically drop the price the nitro teams are paying for nitromethane.
LeSueur should know considering his family’s race fuel business was once a nitro distributor and had been in the business since 1976.
He’s currently aligned with a solid nitro supplier and says he’s sitting on 700 barrels of nitromethane that could hit the marketplace at a cheaper price but there’s one problem. The NHRA won’t give him the time of day.
LeSueur believes one of the reasons the NHRA has quickly balked is a perceived association with Don Schumacher Racing. This is an association LeSueur says doesn’t exist.
The NHRA has stated publicly that it has no desire to put nitro distribution into the hands of any racer and LeSueur says he’s free and clear. There’s no connection to anyone, not even Schumacher.
“This is completely Steve LeSueur and the Wego chemical company,” LeSueur said.
The NHRA had three nitromethane distributors up until 1992. At that time, VP Race Fuels handled the product line from W.R. Grace; Larry Coogle sold Angus Nitro and the LeSueurs sold the Chinese-based Wego Chemical brand.
After the Angus manufacturing facility explosion in 1992, W.R. Grace got out of the nitro business and VP Race Fuels bought out Coogle’s Angus program. This whittled the distributors down to VP and LeSueur.
LeSueur closed his business in 2004 and turned his program over to VP Race Fuels to handle both the Angus and Wego supplies.
“I got out of the (business) and felt like I was doing something for the betterment of the sport,” LeSueur said.
He says that thought process has turned out to be a mistake based on today’s situation. LeSueur, while affiliated with VP Race Fuels, says he was appointed as a source for the suppliers to ensure VP was serving as good stewards for the product.
LeSueur was later released by VP Race Fuels, a dismissal he says, was clearly related to his duties of watching over the stewardship of nitromethane.
“We used to have more than one distributor for nitromethane,” LeSueur said. “That effectively kept the prices down to a reasonable level for the industry.”
The NHRA has declined to discuss the issue citing only the NHRA’s official distributor is VP Race Fuels and they will honor their contract.
RELATED STORY:
THERE’S PLENTY OF NITRO AVAILABLE – BUT NOT FROM THE “RIGHT” SOURCES!
Steve LeSueur has 700 barrels of nitromethane with the promise of
plenty more through the his supplier Wego, once an approved supplier
for the NHRA. Currently the approved supplier rule has been waived
according to an NHRA official. (Frank Smith)
LeSueur should know considering his family’s race fuel business was once a nitro distributor and had been in the business since 1976.
He’s currently aligned with a solid nitro supplier and says he’s sitting on 700 barrels of nitromethane that could hit the marketplace at a cheaper price but there’s one problem. The NHRA won’t give him the time of day. Potential distributor says the time to open up the supply line is now …
Steve LeSueur has 700 barrels of nitromethane with the promise of
plenty more through the his supplier Wego, once an approved supplier
for the NHRA. Currently the approved supplier rule has been waived
according to an NHRA official. (Frank Smith)
LeSueur should know considering his family’s race fuel business was once a nitro distributor and had been in the business since 1976.
He’s currently aligned with a solid nitro supplier and says he’s sitting on 700 barrels of nitromethane that could hit the marketplace at a cheaper price but there’s one problem. The NHRA won’t give him the time of day.
LeSueur believes one of the reasons the NHRA has quickly balked is a perceived association with Don Schumacher Racing. This is an association LeSueur says doesn’t exist.
The NHRA has stated publicly that it has no desire to put nitro distribution into the hands of any racer and LeSueur says he’s free and clear. There’s no connection to anyone, not even Schumacher.
“This is completely Steve LeSueur and the Wego chemical company,” LeSueur said.
The NHRA had three nitromethane distributors up until 1992. At that time, VP Race Fuels handled the product line from W.R. Grace; Larry Coogle sold Angus Nitro and the LeSueurs sold the Chinese-based Wego Chemical brand.
After the Angus manufacturing facility explosion in 1992, W.R. Grace got out of the nitro business and VP Race Fuels bought out Coogle’s Angus program. This whittled the distributors down to VP and LeSueur.
LeSueur closed his business in 2004 and turned his program over to VP Race Fuels to handle both the Angus and Wego supplies.
“I got out of the (business) and felt like I was doing something for the betterment of the sport,” LeSueur said.
He says that thought process has turned out to be a mistake based on today’s situation. LeSueur, while affiliated with VP Race Fuels, says he was appointed as a source for the suppliers to ensure VP was serving as good stewards for the product.
LeSueur was later released by VP Race Fuels, a dismissal he says, was clearly related to his duties of watching over the stewardship of nitromethane.
“We used to have more than one distributor for nitromethane,” LeSueur said. “That effectively kept the prices down to a reasonable level for the industry.”
The NHRA has declined to discuss the issue citing only the NHRA’s official distributor is VP Race Fuels and they will honor their contract.
RELATED STORY:
THERE’S PLENTY OF NITRO AVAILABLE – BUT NOT FROM THE “RIGHT” SOURCES!
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