Update (April 29, 2023): In an email to Motor1.com, NCCC President Deb Murphy sent an explanation and confirmed that she had updated the council ruling regarding the inclusion of the Corvette E-Ray in the events. The content of the email reads:
The National Council of Corvette Clubs has adjusted section 1.8.14 of our competition rules to allow hybrid vehicles to be included in NCCC competition. Originally, the regulation was intended to apply only to fully electric vehicles. Chevrolet Corvette E-Ray will be allowed to compete. I believe the fastest Corvette ever will be a great addition to our future events.
We’ve changed the headline of this story to reflect this ruling update.
With 655 horsepower, the Chevy Corvette E-Ray is an exciting track weapon. However, the excitement of owning a new electrified Corvette may be short-lived for track enthusiasts as the National Council of Corvette Clubs (NCCC) updated its 2022-2023 competition rules to ban all electric and hybrid vehicles from all track events.
Corvette forum was the first to report the case, referring to the update of the competition rules in point 1.8.1 point 14:
Electric/hybrid vehicles using lithium batteries are not allowed in the competition. If you are going to NCCC events, park them at least 30 feet from structures or other vehicles.
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As stated, this means that not only can the new Corvette E-Ray may not compete on the track, but may also not park near the track or any of its buildings or other vehicles.
The reason for the ban is safety concerns related to lithium-ion batteries commonly used in electric and hybrid vehicles. In the event of a component failure or accident, damaged batteries can cause fires that pose an additional risk compared to traditional gasoline fires. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has drawn attention to these risks in the past, and with the growing popularity of electric and hybrid vehicles, racetrack bans are expected to become more common in the short term.
While improved safety in the handling of vehicles equipped with lithium-ion batteries may lead to the lifting of these types of bans in the long term, track enthusiasts may want to stick with traditional combustion engine vehicles such as Corvette Z06for the foreseeable future if they want to compete.
Corvette forum it also pointed out that West Virginia’s Summit Point Motorsports Park also banned electric and hybrid vehicles in all motorsports. This is until an EMS policy and response procedure is established based on the technical expertise provided by the electric and hybrid vehicle industry to better support the motorsports community. It’s unclear how long these bans will last, but more track organizations may follow suit to ensure the safety of their members.
