Motorsport UK, Winter 2018

Winter 2018

24

30

42

MEET THE NEW CEO

BUDGET BUSTERS

KARTING’S NEW ERA

Hugh Chambers talks rebranding, the sport and the future

The series proving you don’t need big money to race

What you can expect from new-look British karting

MSA relaunches as Motorsport UK

F U L L STO RY I N S I D E

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Contents

32 05 Forum

Welcome letter from the editor

06 Action Replay

The Walter Hayes Trophy stars at Silverstone

09 News

Latest updates and news from Motorsport UK

17 View from Motorsport UK

Suze Endean on Motorsport UK’s versatility

19 View from the Volunteer R.A.C. Rally head Colin Heppenstall

21 View from the Competitor

GT star Nathan Freke talks driving diversity

24 Meet the new CEO

Hugh Chambers sits down with sportscar star Darren Turner to talk about the future

48 Weekend Warrior

Drag racer Colin Millar and his famous Ford

30 Budget busters

50 Place Notes

36 The off-road challenge

53 Toolkit

Racing options that don’t break the bank Why Tyro Trials could be Britain’s most accessible form of motorsport

42 The future of karting

Disovering the plans behind Motorsport UK’s new British Kart Championships

The little-used St. Angelo sprint course Fresh toys, tech and equipment

57 National Court

Reports from judicial hearings

66 Club Focus

Spotlight on the Oxford Motor Club

38

Contributors Ed Wiseman

By day he’s The Telegraph’s assistant motoring editor, but by weekend he’ll drive mostly anything. We sent him to a muddy field to sample the world of Tyro Trialling... turns out he’s actually quite good at it.

Darren Turner

Not often we have a racer in this section. Aston Martin’s two-time Le Mans winner turned reporter as he interviewed new Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers.

There’s hope for a media career for you yet, DT.

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Forum @ourmotorsportuk

Editor’s letter One message that has rung loud and true from the launch of Motorsport UK is that of accessibility. Throughout this issue you’ll find it to be a recurring theme as we attempt to dispel the myth of a closed-off, elitist, sport.

The rebrand of the MSA is done, and I for one am excited by this new-look, fresh-thinking governing body.

In Hugh Chambers, it has a passionate CEO who knows the sport. He’s raced at most levels out of his own pocket, so understands the cost, the barriers to entry and – perhaps crucially – the enjoyment of competing.

Together with chairman David Richards – himself a down-to-earth, straight-talking motorsport fan – the governing body appears to be in good hands. While the first noticeable changes aim to simplify karting – for so long a largely unorganised chaos – reviews are underway to boost participation at all levels.

Within this issue you’ll find ways to go circuit racing for much less money than you thought, and an insight into the world of Tyro Trials, which could lay claim to being the most accessible motorsport on the planet.

Motorsport UK is starkly aware that licence numbers have dropped, and it’s taking every step possible to reverse that trend and give the sport a sustainable, and affordable, future.

Robert Ladbrook, Editor.

Twitter Feed What people are saying about Motorsport UK on Twitter Motorsport UK @ourmotorsportuk Nov 29 We’re delighted to announce that @james_newbold and @Mike_Holden_94 have won the Motorsport UK Young Journalist & Photographer of the Year awards, respectively! @Nauckas and Michael Widdowson are both Highly Commended.

Spinal Track @spinal_track Nov 28 Incredibly exciting to see the second of our rally cars being built for our soon to be launched disabled rally school.

This car will be able to be used on @ourmotorsportuk rallies by disabled drivers after training and gaining their licence with us. #anythingispossible BBC Sport @BBCSport Nov 20 ‘I lost my legs but not my daredevil spirit’. The Billy

Monger Story is a pretty inspiring one. Read more here: https://bbc.in/2RXUrSe BARC @OfficialBARCHQ Nov 19 The #BARC has launched a new Officials Recruitment Drive as we begin to shift our focus towards 2019 already! Reckon you’ve got what it takes to fulfill the roles on offer? Find out more here http://bit.ly/2qPK07I Dan Ticktum @DanTicktum Nov 18 BACK TO BACK MACAU GRAND PRIX WORLD CUP WINNER! Massive thank you to the team, @redbullmotors and my other sponsors for the opportunity. Despite this, my thoughts are with everybody involved in the horrific accident this afternoon. Hope everyone recovers quickly! #MacauGP

WE WANT YOUR OPINION ON THE ISSUES MOTORSPORT UK MAGAZINE SHOULD COVER. Email us at: motorsportuk@motorsportmagazine.com

The official magazine of Motorsport UK. Published on behalf of Motorsport UK by Motor Sport Magazine Ltd., 18-20 Rosemont Road, London NW3 6NE. Tel: 020 7349 8497 www.motorsportmagazine.com. Editor Robert Ladbrook, Art Editor Damon Cogman, Designer Andy Coates, News Editor Tim Swietochowski, Advertising Laura Holloway, William Hunt & Connor Garnett, Commercial Director Sean Costa, Publisher Steve Kendall. Printed by Precision Colour Printing.

The views expressed by the individual contributors are not necessarily those of Motorsport UK. Equally, the inclusion of advertisements in this magazine does not constitute endorsement of the products and services concerned by Motorsport UK.

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29/11/2018 17:01

Action Replay

What:

Who: When:

Walter Hayes Trophy, Formula Ford 1600 at Silverstone Michael Moyers November 4, 2018

Michael Moyers (1) heads the huge field of Formula Ford 1600 stars on his way to a second successive Walter Hayes Trophy victory aboard his Kevin Mills Racing-run Spectrum 011C. KMR cars had locked out the front row for the final but Moyers’ team-mate Julian van der Watt (46) hit trouble and failed to finish. Moyers’ success makes him the third driver to win back-to-back Walter Hayes Trophies, following Joey Foster (2003-’05) and Peter Dempsey (2006-’07). If Moyers can win next season too, he’d equal Foster and Dempsey on three wins apiece.

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13/11/2018 11:41

News The latest briefing from your governing body

A new identity for motorsport’s governing body The change from the MSA to Motorsport UK is more than a simple rebrand An ambitious new phase for motorsport in the United Kingdom has begun, with the Motor Sports Association (MSA) becoming Motorsport UK, as it transitions from a traditional governanceled association to a modern membership-focused organisation.

The

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The rebrand from the MSA to Motorsport UK signals a fundamental shift in the governing body’s emphasis, putting the promotion of the sport and customer service at the forefront of its mission. The new name and more striking visual identity will

80%

Motorsport UK licence holders with an annual competition budget of £10k or less

make the governing body more identifiable and relevant to new audiences, providing a better platform from which to market and grow the sport.

David Richards CBE, Chairman of Motorsport UK, said: “When I took over as Chairman in January, I outlined my vision of a sustainable future for motorsport in the UK. This is the just the start; there are lots of new initiatives in the pipeline, all designed to grow the sport and better meet the needs of our customers and stakeholders.”

Read more about the governing body’s new direction in Hugh Chambers’ interview on page 28.

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29/11/2018 16:58

News

Licence holders will now be eligible for discount schemes to help trim the costs of competing

Benefits and discounts add value for members Motorsport UK has launched a new member benefits programme, with exclusive discounts to help offset some of the costs of competing.

All competition licence holders, licensed officials and registered marshals are now automatically enrolled in the programme. They will be eligible for discounts including: competition and road car insurance (Adrian Flux); road and competition tyres (Protyre); safety wear (Grand Prix Racewear); tools and parts (Halfords); clothing (Ellis

Brigham); and ferry travel (DFDS).

All these complement the peace of mind provided by Motorsport UK’s personal accident insurance, offered to competitors as standard through the governing body’s insurance broker, JLT. Additionally, Motorsport UK is working to allow its members to reduce the cost of enjoying motorsport, partnering a number of news and feature magazines and motorsport events in delivering its members competitive discounts.

David Richards, Chairman of Motorsport UK, said: “Perhaps in the past we have been guilty of not doing enough to put our licence holders front and centre, and have taken for granted their annual licence renewal fees. The membership programme helps to ensure that we deliver on our promise of tangible benefits to our customers.”

Additional partners and promotional offers will be announced in the coming weeks.

Ticket discount to Autosport show Motorsport UK has teamed up with Autosport International (10-13 January 2019) to offer competition licence holders, licensed officials and registered marshals an exclusive £5 discount on trade tickets.

Now in its 29th year, Autosport International is regarded as the world’s largest motorsport show, and is held at the NEC in Birmingham.

The Motorsport UK member offer is valid for the show’s trade days on 10-11 January. These cost £30 in advance or £32 on the door but Motorsport UK and show organiser, Motorsport Network, are pleased to offer our members £5 off.

To claim your discount, visit http://asi-2019.reg.buzz/splash.

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KARTPIX

News

Huge entry for revamped British Kart Championships The 2019 British Kart Championships are set to be the biggest in years, with more than 500 competitors having registered to take part since entries opened in November.

For the first time, Motorsport UK will organise the championships in-house through a new division called Karting UK Operations.

Each event will be based around a dedicated Race Centre, acting as a sporting hub and hospitality area, and the action will be live streamed.

The events will be the first in the UK to use a proven on-track CCTV system; when an incident is reported, images will be fed back to Race Control to be analysed by an independent expert and a former competitor.

Timing facilities will include at least one experienced timekeeper, plus digital display boards and state-of-the-art finish line cameras.

The events will be supported not only by Karting UK Operations staff but also by manufacturer

representatives, who will be onhand to help with product matters.

Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK, said: “The karting community’s response to our plans for the new British Championships has been overwhelming, with hundreds of registrations in the first few days. We see this as an endorsement of our ambitious plans to promote karting all its forms and put it back at the heart of UK motorsport.”

Karting’s fresh start, page 42

In Brief Chadwick joins Team UK

The Motorsport UK Academy class of 2019 has been revealed, with Jamie Chadwick becoming the first female member of the elite Team UK programme. Chadwick, 20, made history this year by becoming the first woman to win a British F3 race. She is joined by British F4 champion Kiern Jewiss and international F4 driver Oliver Caldwell as new recruits on the elite development programme. The Academy also comprises Team UK, AASE, the Performance Master Classes, and the Co-driver programme.

Details are on motorsportuk.org/academy.

130 girls on track

Motorsport UK and Dare to be Different (D2BD) got 130 girls behind the wheel at Silverstone (28 October) as part of the FIA’s Girls on Track initiative to promote young women in motorsport. The girls, aged 13 to 18, set timed laps around a kart track, and the top 10 from each session were interviewed for the chance to take part in the European final at Le Mans next spring. Louisa Bell, Jemima Hepworth and Ellia-Anna McFall were selected to go through.

VNUK update

Motorsport UK welcomes a draft report from the European Parliament’s Internal Market and Consumer Protection Committee (IMCO), recommending that vehicles used exclusively for motorsport should not be impacted by VNUK, an insurance issue that has been looming over the sport since 2014. Hugh Chambers, CEO of Motorsport UK, said: “We welcome this latest development, which appears to be heading in the right direction, and will be working with the FIA to ensure a positive outcome.”

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News

George Russell, below, won FIA Formula 2 and will graduate to F1. Ticktum, right, also enjoyed a stellar 2018 season

Russell headlines year of British success on international stage George Russell capped another year of British success on the international stage by winning the FIA Formula 2 title in Abu Dhabi, after a stellar season with seven wins.

Russell, a former British Cadet Kart, F4 and GP3 Champion, beat fellow Briton Lando Norris to the F2 title in the final round of the season.

Both Russell and Norris step up to Formula 1 in 2019 with Williams and McLaren, respectively.

Meanwhile Dan Ticktum won the Macau Grand Prix for the second year running after finishing as runner-up in the FIA F3 European Championship, and Max Fewtrell secured the Formula Renault 2.0

Transport Scotland launches closed roads consultation Transport Scotland has launched a public consultation on proposals to enable closed-road motorsport events, which help organisers take the sport to new audiences and deliver an economic boost to local hosting communities.

As the sport’s governing body, Motorsport UK has spent many years campaigning for new laws to allow these events in all four nations of the United Kingdom.

In its consultation, Transport Scotland is seeking views on a

Eurocup championship.

The British success was not just limited to single-seater racing. In rallying, Chris Ingram came second in the FIA Junior U28 European Rally Championship, while Harry Thompson was also second in CIK-FIA Karting European OK Championship.

possible event application process involving the relevant governing bodies and local authorities. The consultation can be found online and the deadline for responses is midnight on 28 January 2019.

Motorsport UK and Scottish Motor Sports (SMS), the umbrella organisation representing the interests of both two- and fourwheeled motorsport in Scotland, recently attended a meeting of the advisory group that assisted in developing the consultation.

David Richards, Chairman of Motorsport UK, said: “This is fantastic news and takes us a step closer to seeing closed-road motorsport right across the UK. Motorsport UK is committed to promoting the sport in all its forms and new closed-road regulations would create a wealth of opportunities to do just that. We urge the motorsport community to respond positively to the consultation and help us realise the possibility of a new generation of closed-road events in Scotland.”

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12/11/2018 13:05 15:56

Opinion

View from Motorsport UK

Suze Endean Sport Promotion Manager on the opportunities of multiple disciplines

C

lub motorsport is extremely diverse and describes a wide range of disciplines. I’ve been fortunate to try many of these as a competitor and volunteer during my time in motorsport, and I’ve enjoyed them all.

A couple of years ago I picked up an MG ZR 160 VVC for £300, which is what I use for the majority of events now. To date, I’ve used the MG on many types of events including road rallies, scatters, 12-cars rallies, Targa rallies, autotests, AutoSOLOs, sprints, hillclimbs and car trials with some good results.

One of the best decisions I made early on in motorsport was to try as many different disciplines as possible, as well as get involved in marshalling and also help to organise. It helps give a different understanding and perspective to the sport, plus driving and navigating or co-driving is a benefit too.

My first event was a car trial, followed a week later by a sprint in the same car, and since then I’ve competed on 185 events and marshalled on many more.

These days, I see fewer cars doing multiple disciplines, but it is definitely still possible to do so. My car has had some modifications over the past two years but the things that have really helped enhance its performance is improving the person behind the wheel, and a lot of

“I see fewer cars doing multiple disciplines, but it is definitely still possible” 00 17 MSA Column RL.indd 1

that comes from seat time. The difference in speed and skill used between a sprint and a car trial for example is great, but both are useful skills to draw upon.

I still compete regularly in the area where I used to live, and one of the key things that works there is a group of clubs working together to put on events. The clubs were finding stagnant or declining membership numbers as well as the growing challenge of finding willing organisers and volunteers.

A few years ago, they grouped together for the benefit of our sport, and now event entries are thriving and clubs are finding increased membership numbers. Between the clubs, they organise a variety of events from 12-car rallies to AutoSOLOs with great opportunities to compete for people in the area.

It’s not just the various disciplines in motorsport that are diverse either, but the people and vehicles used across them are too.

I’ve met and made friends with many people who I would probably never have crossed paths with, and they are some of my closest friends today. Not only have they helped me in motorsport, but in life too, and that’s of huge value – albeit one that’s difficult to measure.

As well as diversity of events, where else could you go to see a Nissan Micra competing against a Formula 3 car in a sprint? Or a Peugeot 106 against the latest and greatest Mitsubishi on a stage rally?

A quick look at the entry list for a road rally I’m marshalling on soon shows everything from BMWs to Ford Fiestas to a 1979 Opel Kadett C GTE. What would be my top tip for competitors and volunteers? Try as many events and disciplines as you can. Top tip for clubs? Work together; it’s our sport and collaboration is key. n

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28/11/2018 14:46

Opinion

View from the volunteer

Colin Heppenstall BHRC championship boss and manager for the Roger Albert Clark Rally

W

hen the running order rules for stage rallies changed to dictate one field in seeded order of performance, the historic crews voted with their feet and we saw an 80 per cent drop in entries from Category 1 cars and more than a 30 per cent drop in the other categories.

They were not prepared to run behind the fourwheel-drive cars and risk doing damage to fragile and increasingly rare bodyshells.

After a lot of lobbying from the historic fraternity, the rules changed earlier this year to once more allow a split in the field and the chance for historics to run at the front. As soon as that happened the historic crews came back out in much better numbers. The 2018 British Historic Rally Championship had a lot more contenders than in 2017 and the 2019 Roger Albert Clark Rally was full with 150 deposits placed a year ahead of the rally. That is an unprecedented response.

The recent revision of the running order rule has been the single-biggest factor in turning around support for the historics and this branch of the sport is now enjoying a big resurgence.

Having the option to split the 2WD and 4WD cars is a big help and the chance to reverse seed the first group helps to minimise the time gap between the

The views expressed by the individual contributors are not necessarily those of Motorsport UK.

“The 2019 Roger Albert Clark will be the longest rally in Britain” 00 19 Volunteer Column RL.indd 1

two fields. It also gives event organisers the chance to do something different. That way, the cars in the first group get quicker and quicker, which is certainly not detrimental to safety.

This has rejuvenated historic rallying and put it back to where it was about six years ago: it was definitely the right decision for historics and for rallying in general.

I’ve been around rallying all my life and acted as stage commander for the first time when I was 18 and I was clerk of the course by the time I was 23. So I’ve been a clerk of the course for 28 years now and I’ve been CoC for at least 100 rallies. I’ve run road rallies, single-venue and multi-venue events.

Now, under the Roger Albert Clark Rally Motor Club, we manage the BHRC and the Fuchs Historic Asphalt Championship, we run the Carlisle Stages each June in the Kielder complex and every other year we run the Roger Albert Clark Rally.

The 2019 edition will be the longest rally in Britain, run over five days and covering 300 forest stage miles.

Early in 2019 I’ll be contacting motor clubs to ask for their support as we need around 1200 officials and marshals for the rally. It is normally very well supported and I’m particularly keen to hear from clubs and marshals in Wales. It is good to see that Motorsport UK, under the new chairman, is listening to clubs and officials and is prepared to change: recognising the role of clubs and volunteers.

I’ve been involved with De Lacy Motor Club for 40 years. My wife Nicola is heavily involved in all that we do and our teenage children, Victoria and Thomas, are both marshalling. Victoria, who is 16, will be the entries secretary for the 2019 Roger Albert Clark Rally and Thomas is very hands-on during the events. n

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29/11/2018 08:51

Opinion

View from the competitor

Nathan Freke Champion racer and team boss on the sport’s diversity

I

f there’s one thing my motorsport career has taught me, it’s to keep your eyes open and always look for new opportunities – never dismiss anything.

That’s one of the beauties of our sport: the sheer diversity it offers. There’s fun, challenge and knowledge to unlock at literally every level.

For anybody who doesn’t know, I’ve been there and seen it in my driving career, and now I’m manager of the Century Motorsport team, plying our trade in GT racing.

But I never planned it that way. I’m from a regular family with no motorsport heritage and fell into karting with my father, Clive, via an advert in the local paper.

We ended up winning four British titles. From there we bought our first race car – a Jamun Formula Ford – and that ultimately culminated in winning the 2006 British Formula Ford Championship.

I never had that tunnel vision you can get when you’re a young driver chasing the F1 dream. I knew it couldn’t happen for me barring a miracle, so that forced me to keep my eyes peeled for other opportunities, and grab anything that came along.

That took me to America to try Indy Lights, and then back to the UK where I managed to do a deal to buy a

RACING HISTORY 2006 British Formula Ford champion.

2008 Firestone Indy Lights, three races.

2009 Ginetta G50 Cup champion. 2010 British GT4, third.

2011 Ginetta GT Supercup, fourth.

2012 Nürburgring 24 Hours class winner.

2013-2017 British GT4.

2018 Team manager, Century Motorsport

The views expressed by the individual contributors are not necessarily those of Motorsport UK.

“Finishing one-two in British GT4 this year felt as good as any title I won as a driver” 00 21 Competitor Column RL.indd 1

Ginetta G50 and won that title in 2009.

But, as my driving career has gradually slowed, my work with the family Century Motorsport team has increased. Perhaps being a figurehead for a team limited my driving opportunities, but it has given me a great scope and appreciation for the sport as a whole.

Getting to see things from the other side of the pit wall has been really eye-opening.

This year we finished first and second in the British GT4 Championship in our first year running BMW M4 GT4s. That felt as good to me as any title I ever won as a driver.

Then there’s the actual driving opportunities outside of top-level circuit racing. The first car event I ever did was a sprint at Curborough in a Formula Ford.

I loved it and it taught me to get on it right away, regardless of cold tyres, brakes or whatever – you have about 30 seconds to shine with each run, and there’s a real skill in extracting the most from a car in a short period of time.

I’m also involved in drag racing with my current project – a 900bhp Toyota MR2! That was born purely out of my love of modifying cars, and after my first visit to Santa Pod I was also hooked on quarter-miles. It’s become my mission to set the fastest run for an MR2.

I just love driving and will never turn down a chance to get into a competition car.

I had my head turned by autotesting during a recent visit to Chateau Impney. The precision it takes looks amazing. It shows you don’t need thousands of pounds to get involved and enjoy the buzz of motorsport.

Sure, my driving career never took me to the top, but I’ve found so many different ways to enjoy the sport because of that. I wouldn’t change a thing. n

21 29/11/2018 16:02

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Meeting the CEO

CHANGE FROM As the sport’s governing body begins its new era as Motorsport UK, seasoned racer Darren Turner sat down with new CEO Hugh Chambers to talk about the future

I

t’s been just over a month since Hugh Chambers left behind high-profile organisations such as World Sailing, Team Sky and the British Olympic Association to re-enter the world of motorsport.

His arrival has heralded much change; with the MSA rebranding to Motorsport UK and implementing new initiatives aimed at boosting the popularity and participation in the sport.

We handed the microphone over to Darren Turner, who worked with Chambers during his tenure at Prodrive, (on the Ferrari 550GTS programme), to ask some key questions.

Darren Turner Hugh, before taking the role here at Motorsport UK, you have had a very successful career. Talk us through your history.

Hugh Chambers “My whole life has been surrounded by motorsport. I grew up with a father who had raced successfully pre-war and then became a high-profile team manager [Marcus Chambers, former competitions manager at BMC and Rootes]. Like many, I started racing karts when I was a teenager but eventually ran out of talent and money, so joined a small ad agency called Saatchi & Saatchi. That career gave me a great grounding in marketing and business, but after spells in Paris and New York, I had an irresistible urge to return to motorsport. I met David Richards [current Motorsport UK chairman and Prodrive founder] just at the point when Prodrive really started to take off. They had just got a long term contract with Subaru for the World Rally Team; I joined when the company was just 80 people, and by the time I left we were 1200.

“So I had this amazing 10 years as one of the four partners in Prodrive. During that time we won multiple World Rally Championships, British Touring Car titles and Le Mans in the GTS class; plus we had the BAR Honda Formula 1 team that we took to second overall in 2004. But the F1 project came to an end when the team was sold to Honda, and I decided to sell my shares in Prodrive and turn my hand to other sports.

“I joined the British Olympic Association, responsible for Team GB, running the commercial and marketing side through the London 2012 Olympics, which was amazing. That’s where I started to learn about the

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Meeting the CEO

governance of sport. It is all very different from a sports team, where it is all about winning, or in business where it is to make money. But with a sports governing body it’s much harder to find that common single-minded goal because you exist for the general ‘good of the sport’, and that presents a vast array of opportunities.

“After The 2012 Games, I went to work for the Team Sky pro-cycling team, which had extraordinary success, albeit laced with controversy; which seems to go handin-hand with cycling. Then I moved to World Sailing, which is the equivalent of the FIA, but for sailing. It represents 145 countries around the world and 145 different opinions! That was the perfect training ground for complex governance.

“And then when David Richards was appointed MSA chairman last year, he asked if I’d like to get involved, and as it happened I was just scaling down my

commitment to World Sailing, so things matched nicely.

I’ve been working with David as a consultant since the start of this year, and then after Rob Jones left I applied for the job as CEO.” DT So why did you decide to come back to motorsport?

Was it the CEO role, or the lure of motorsport?

HC “It was both. When I left motorsport and Prodrive in 2005 it was very much with mixed feelings, but I like change and moving forwards. I wouldn’t say I regretted leaving, but I certainly missed motorsport. In fact I bored people to tears in cycling, sailing about my love of motorsport. When I was appointed CEO of the MSA, I had so many messages of support from the sailing community saying ‘That’s fantastic, now you’re doing what you really love!’ and it’s completely true.”

DT How much will your knowledge of other sports benefit you in motorsport?

HC “I understand this sport intimately, which is essential, but it’s unusual to also have a breadth of experience in other sports, too. Motorsport is quite a secular industry, there aren’t too many people who have worked in other sports industries and you don’t get a lot of crossover. I think what I’ve done across the last 13 years is massively relevant to developing motorsport in this country.”

DT What was the idea behind the relaunch of the Motor Sports Association?

“Motorsport needs to fight its corner to get more people into the sport and keep them”

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HC “We did a lot of research and it was very clear that the governing body of sport in this country was well respected, but its remit had never really gone beyond governance and regulation; in other words making sure the sport is safe, fair and well run. Which is essential, but not the whole picture.

“Motorsport needs to fight its corner to get more people into the sport and keep them in it. In recent years we’ve seen a decline in the total number of licence holders and that should worry all of us. Year on year it is not massive, but after 10 years it could be dramatic. I think it’s a wake-up call and we can’t assume that there’s going to be a new generation of kids coming into the sport and staying with it for life.

We need to have formats and equipment that is more relevant, and more market driven. By that I mean if you want to run a successful enterprise, you first listen to the market and then deliver the products and services it

Sports car star Turner grills Chambers, himself a regular competitor, on the future

wants. For too long the MSA has provided products, like cars and championships, that were perhaps satisfying an engineering criteria, safety criteria or even a historical one. But perhaps they aren’t the products the market wants to buy. We need to lower barriers to entry, and give more reasons to stay in the sport.

“Take karting for example. We have to have affordable, ‘dad and lad’ karting that you don’t need a six-figure sum to go and win the British championships.”

DT If someone came to me now and asked me how to carve a career in the sport, I’d be struggling to give the right answer in the current structure.

HC “I agree, but then there is a mistake when people say ‘oh the sport’s all about money now’. Well, it’s always been about money to some degree. Originally it used to be a sport for the wealthy aristocracy who were the only ones who could go and buy a 4½ltr Bentley and go racing – the man in the street couldn’t. And that was replaced by commercial investment as TV grew and sponsors arrived. With money comes bigger budgets and more complex cars and series.

But you don’t get much sponsorship for grass roots competition, and it really shouldn’t be about chequebook racing. You shouldn’t start the year wondering if you have enough budget for an engine that can win races. Most fans and even drivers want the equipment to be equal because that way we find out who the quickest driver is – who has the most talent. And actually it makes for worse sport if you have chequebook racing as you’re never sure if the person who has won is actually the best driver. I was speaking to a top-level ex-driver recently whose six-year-old grandson has started Bambino karting and he was telling me he had bought all the top-level kit and equipment needed to go racing for just £1400.

Yet, somebody contacted him offering to sell a £10,000 engine which was ‘guaranteed to win’. And that’s just plain wrong.”

DT “That hurts participation too, doesn’t it? Just being able to go out there and compete is special, and not be blown away because you don’t have a £10,000 engine.

HC “It’s so true. My fondest memories of my dad were when we went karting together and ran things ourselves and had fun and learned, and we have to preserve that. Karting is a sport in itself and should not just be a pathway to somewhere else.”

DT What’s the thinking behind the new name, Motorsport UK? HC “There’s a general movement with sports governing bodies to call themselves what they are: whether it’s England Hockey, British Cycling, England Athletics, or World Sailing. It’s to stop them being faceless organisations. I think that anything with a three-letter acronym makes it look like a government department, the civil service of sport.

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Meeting the CEO

“Motorsport UK does what it says on the tin, and it spells out that we’re embracing everything to do with the sport. Historically the MSA was just focused on ‘if you have a licence, you’re part of this club’, but actually shouldn’t we be embracing everything that is motorsport – from trackdays to indoor karting or drifting? All these people are going out there in cars, having fun, and to me it makes no sense not to embrace all aspects of the sport. And having UK or United Kingdom was also essential, as we’re the governing body for four home nations.”

DT How do you think people will react to the change?

HC “The feedback has been very positive. I am sure it will take a little time to get used to, but it’s the right thing to do. It’s symbolic of what we’re doing with the organisation and we are very conscious that just changing the name and logo doesn’t change anything, you have to do something behind it too.”

DT I’ve held a licence now for 31 years… I think?... but I don’t think there’s been a change in all those years. Aside from your licence comes in a nasty little plastic wallet.

HC “Ah, for 2019 we’ve changed all of that and now it comes in a proper holder with a lanyard. People always complained they couldn’t find the wallet in their helmet bag, so this should sort that simple annoying problem!

On the licence, we are working on an electronic version, and just one upgradable licence that could take you through from indoor karting to International A. Then we could link it to timing and collate your results and best

Chambers says lowering the barriers to entry is a key part of Motorsport UK’s future plans

lap times, all your stats and data and everything to plan your calendar.”

DT What will people notice in the near future?

HC “As I said, changing a name doesn’t do anything in itself, and we have to make some small, hopefully some big, demonstrable changes to how the sport runs. They all sit under a few basic principles, like reducing the barriers to entry, making the sport better known and giving more exposure to our widely diverse disciplines such as autotests, autosolos, hillclimbs, sprints and such which aren’t really as well known as racing or rallying.

“I grew up with racing and rallying, but I’ve never done an autotest or a trials event and probably that’s true for most license holders. Yet I am sure it is brilliant, affordable competition. For an autotest you can do it in your mum’s Mini and in many cases you don’t even need a licence. I can’t wait to do one.

“We’re also looking to lower the costs of competing, so we’ve already extended the lifecycle of seats outside of international competition to 10 years instead of five, and the same for seat belts. We’ve also opted to take the British Kart Championships in-house for 2019 [more on this can be found on p42].

“We want to set a standard there in terms of adjudication, technical control, venue presentation, and respectful racing. To start changing things at the top sounds a bit strange when we’re focusing on grassroots improvement, but if you don’t set the standard up at the top then you can’t demonstrate and provide role models for the people at the grassroots.” n

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28/11/2018 12:06

Affordable racing

BRITAIN’S

BUDGET BUSTERS Motorsport doesn’t have to cost the earth, and if you dig around the national racing scene there are plenty of options to get the most bang for your buck. By Robert Ladbrook

H

ow much does it actually cost to go club racing? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Truth is it can cost both, depending on your tastes, budgets and ambitions but, before you get your calculators out, there is a third option.

In a world of climbing costs, motorsport is fighting back through a growing trend for budget-busting categories, aimed at breaking down many of the barriers that have traditionally prevented ‘the person in the street’ from going racing.

Pretty much all of the UK’s race organisers now offer

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The BARC’s ultra-successful C1 Challenge series already boasts in excess of 200 cars

a budget option, meaning that almost regardless of your preference – tin-top, sportscar or single-seater – it is now possible to go racing for mere hundreds.

Obviously, there’s always a start-up cost. Nobody should scrimp on safety, so elements such as racewear and a suitable crash helmet are extra, but as far as actual racing is concerned, the costs absolutely don’t have to be sky-high.

The rise of team endurance race formats – basically a scaled-up carryover from the ultra-successful karting contests that have existed for years – has already cut budgets for hundreds of competitors.

King of the hill in this area is undoubtedly the diminutive Citroën C1. The C1 Challenge, run by the British Automobile Racing Club, is nothing short of a phenomenon, prompting a truly amazing rate of growth across its two years. Probably only the early years of Formula Ford 1600 come close to matching the rapid takeup, and even that took four or five years for numbers to hit three figures. The C1 Challenge has, at time of writing, already surpassed 230 cars and it’s only just finished season two.

It’s naturally cheap when you’re using a low-priced and readily available base car, but it becomes even more affordable when you share that cost between multiple drivers.

“The C1s are budget racing, from a different angle,” says Phil Myatt of the C1 Racing Club. “Being a combination of low-cost formula and endurance format, when you work out the cost per seat time, it can become ludicrously cheap. We’re talking a full season for a couple of thousand pounds, and select races for a few hundred.

“We’ve seen so many newcomers to the sport come into the series, because it’s achievable and I think we’ve caught people’s imagination. They see the little onelitre C1 and think ‘I can do that’ and when they work out the cost for themselves and two or three mates, then it becomes realistic money. And the racing is great because the modifications to the cars are so limited.

People say they’re slow, but they’re all slow together and from that you get real, equal, competitive motorsport.”

There have traditionally always been barriers to entering the sport. The start-up cost can be huge when having to invest in a trailer, towing vehicle, appropriate towing licences and such. But many series, including the C1s, are managing to bypass that by mandating cars must hold a valid MOT and be fully road legal, meaning they can be driven to circuits and not become a logistical issue.

“We do see some of our competitors driving their cars to races,” adds Myatt. “We also see teams who are

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Affordable racing

running multiple cars transporting as many as they can, and then driving the rest along. We had a few teams opting to drive their cars to Spa-Francorchamps for our 24-hour event. By reducing cost and removing that logistical barrier, we’ve seen a huge benefit and a hike in numbers that we never could have predicted.”

THE CONCEPT OF ALLOWING DRIVERS TO SHARE a car during races, and therefore also share the cost, has proven hugely popular for shorter races, too.

The Classic Sports Car Club is a master of this, running the vast majority of its 11 race series to a 40-minute pitstop race format and opting to run series instead of championships, ensuring a more relaxed approach to racing.

Next year its new Mazda RX-8 Trophy will become its budget offering. Catering for the 230bhp 1300cc rotary engine RX-8, the series takes stock racing to an extreme. “Cars are now available for well under four figures, and they must remain essentially standard,” says CSCC director David Smitheram. “A lot of one-make series start with a cheap car, but by the time you’ve added control suspension, exhausts, wheels and engine mapping etc, it’s not a cheap car. With the RX-8 Trophy cars must remain as standard as possible – you’re only allowed some Mintex brake pads, Nankang road tyres a few reliability upgrades, the mandatory safety kit and that’s it. There’s no trick suspension or engine tuning and cars must also have an MOT. We already know of 10 in build for the first year, and with two drivers sharing you can have a full ready to race car for just over £2000 each.”

Another barrier to getting involved in the sport is its perception. From the outside motorsport can be seen as elitist, with the demand for thousands in the bank to even give it a go. Yet trackdays are easily accessible.

They’re big money and a growing industry, and MotorSport Vision Trackdays has been readily working to convert trackday regulars into fully fledged racing drivers since the launch of its MSVT Trackday Trophy in 2010. It also allows two drivers to share and classes cars by their power-to-weight ratio, which means a huge array of models and variants can join in.

“Motorsport can be intimidating to get started in,” says MSVT’s Stuart Garland. “As a trackday provider we decided to create a formula that allowed people who have a passion for cars and track driving the chance to make the jump into racing with us as their guide.

That way we can get them started in a controlled environment before releasing them into the wider racing world.

“The regulations are deliberately open to ensure as many different cars as possible can take part and

“A cheap car isn’t cheap if you throw spec suspension and parts at it” we found that many trackday cars didn’t need much modification to become race cars. We want people to bring their track cars that they’ve been tinkering with for years and bring them on their racing journey, therefore blowing away the myth of needing tens of thousands to compete.”

MSVR will also bolster its portfolio with its own team endurance offering – EnduroKA – next year. Running for the 1.3-litre 2002-2008 Ford KA, it will expand the market for near-standard budget endurance racing.

FOR DRIVERS WANTING TO RACE CARS THAT aren’t road legal, there’s a plethora of budget options too, such as the British Racing and Sports Car Club’s burgeoning Mk1 Mazda MX-5 Championship. Race-ready cars can be bought for as little as £3000, and the series runs a split-grid format where drivers are sorted into groups according to pace – both to accommodate the sell-out entries the class gets at most weekends, and to make it a friendly environment.

“Running split grids means if you’re a novice you can

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MSVR’s new EnduroKA series starts in 2019, alongside the Trackday Trophy, above right. Right, the CSCC’s new RX-8 Trophy promises cheap thrills

The BRSCC’s Mk1 Mazda MX-5 Championship has been one of the UK’s racing success stories

come out and compete against drivers of a similar pace, and not be intimidated by the super-quick guys coming through,” says championship coordinator Mandy Andrew.

“Drivers can still turn up with a car and a trailer and compete against the teams in the series on an even footing. The tyres are about £400 per set, and we have some who use two-three sets per year, and equally very successful drivers who just use one set all year!

“Drivers say the MX-5 behaves like a go-kart and they love the feel of them, with their road-holding abilities and grip, plus donor cars are still readily available as Mazda sold thousands.”

SINGLE - SEATERS AND COST- EFFECTIVENESS rarely go hand-in-hand. Traditionally it has been one of the most expensive forms of racing, but there are still a handful of classes offering formula competition on a shoestring, and Formula Vee is perhaps the most storied.

Run by the 750 Motor Club, which organises a whole range of budget categories, FVee celebrated its 50th anniversary last year and still has a strong claim to be the cheapest single-seater category in the world.

It operates an open-chassis policy, meaning multiple suppliers can produce cars, thus avoiding any form of pricing war over spares. It uses 1300cc air-cooled

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Affordable racing

“I’ve seen arrive and drive deals for around £600, which is incredible value”

Volkswagen engines (hence the ‘Vee’) and all cars run on control Hoosier tyres from America.

750MC competitions secretary Giles Groombridge says: “Formula Vee endures brilliantly, and it’s the cheap, close racing that keeps people coming back. The front beam is from a VW Beetle, as is the engine and the brake discs. There’s a huge aftermarket for Beetle spares so there’s no shortage of parts.

“The cars aren’t particularly aerodynamic, so you get brilliant slipstream racing, and they’re simple to work on.

About 50 per cent of the paddock run their own cars as opposed to entering with a team. The tyres cost about £600 per set, but you’d only really use a single set per season, and maybe have a brand-new set as backup if it’s wet. Used cars don’t come up very often but they can range from £4000-9000, but I’ve even seen arrive and drive deals for just over £600, which is incredible value.”

With such a breadth of budget racing options, there’s no reason that the perceptions of an elitist, impenetrable sport need to exist. The truth is, there’s plenty out there for the club racer to enjoy, and still have plenty of pennies left over to count at the end of the season. n

Some others to consider

LOCOST

CLUB: 750MC Any series based on a book called ‘How to build your own sportscar for as little as 250 pounds – and race it!’ (by Ron Champion) is always going to be worth a look. The cars are based on the Lotus Seven design and run 1300cc Ford engines. They’re available second-hand for as little as £3000.

BMW COMPACT CUP

CLUB: BRSCC Founded in 2011, the series has grown fast in popularity and has already been franchised out to Scotland, as well as operating a popular series in the south.

Donor E36 318ti (19962001) cars can be bought for as little as £300 and race-ready versions for around £5000.

MG TROPHY

CLUB: MG CAR CLUB While the top 190bhp ZR190 class has the added cost of running on slick tyres, the lesser-powered ZR160 is a real bargain class.

Race-ready cars are available for less than £4000 with donor cars costing a few hundred quid and running costs are suitably low too. Big fields are the norm.

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21/11/2018 13:00

36 36 Tyro Off Road RL.indd 1

29/11/2018 16:05

Tyro trialling

‘LANDIE’ OF OPPORTUNITY Tyro trials are one of the most accessible, and cost-effective, ways of competing.

We sent Ed Wiseman to have a go.

A

damp patch of woodland just outside of Tring doesn’t sound like the usual place to find competitive motorsport. Much in the same way that a Land Rover travelling at low speeds doesn’t immediately conjure up a traditional picture of a competition car. But, combine the two and you get the oddly intoxicating world of tyro trialling, which could hold a claim to being Britain’s most accessible branch of motorsport.

A tyro trial is a simple test of car control. It follows a similar format to other types of trialling – competitors drive through a set of numbered gates over undulating terrain in reverse order, incurring points if they collide with, or get stuck before, any of the stakes. If a driver collides with gate number seven and then gets stuck at gate number three, they will have a total score of 10 for that section. The objective is, obviously, to complete all the sections with a score of zero.

It’s a terrific introduction to competitive motorsport. Most tyro events are held by Land Rover clubs and as such most participants use that marque, but apart from that, no special equipment is required. You don’t need a helmet, or even a driving licence. In fact, you don’t even need to be old enough to drive. Tyro trials are open to anyone aged 13 or over, regardless of background and experience.

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Tyro trialling

I’ve joined the Anglian Land Rover Club for the day to experience a tyro trial for myself. It’s unlike any amateur motorsport I’ve ever encountered – dogs wagging tails and Wellingtons are the aesthetic of the day, and the cold winter air carries hints of diesel rather than the whiff of 102.

Tyro’s appeal lies partly in its slow, unthreatening gameplay. An emphasis is placed on the ‘non-damaging’ nature of the sections; that is, the sections must be laid out to prevent (or at least minimise) damage to competitors’ cars. Strict limits on entry and departure angles, as well as the depth of standing water, mean that any showroom Land Rover vehicle should be capable of completing a tyro section without incident; this is specifically a test of the driver, not the car.

“We don’t insure people for damage, like damage to the vehicles if they do run into trees or get mud where they shouldn’t get mud,” says Andrew Flanders, secretary of the Anglian Land Rover Club and my navigator for the day. “They might just have to be cleaned properly – a jet wash and sometimes a proper steam to check that the brakes are okay and not filled up with grit and gravel.”

Andrew has loaned me a grey Y-reg Freelander, the club car, as well as his expertise. He shows me the first section on foot; crews generally walk each section before they tackle it in the car, often walking two abreast with the driver on the right. There are families who’ve brought their dogs, and a couple of kids are tackling each rut with a remote-controlled Discovery 2.

It is an extremely pleasant morning for all concerned.

I start first. As I nose the Freelander across a patch of trampled bracken and into some rutted mud, it’s clear that tyro isn’t exactly easy. It’s a pleasantly slow process, yes, with ample time to think ahead of each movement, but the precision involved is unlike any off-roading I’ve done before. Steering and throttle movements must be considered, and even on flat terrain I’m conscious of varying traction. I finish the course with a score of one, having knocked over the final gate in my excitement.

Somebody claps.

Our Freelander is shod in Mud Terrain tyres, but I’m not sure it needs them. I’d be interested to tackle these sections on road-focused rubber because, let’s face it, that’s what Land Rovers are wearing these days. Of the hundreds of thousands of 4x4s parked on Britain’s collective driveway, most are of the upmarket, ‘Chelsea tractor’ variety. There’s something slightly sad about their untapped potential, about a piece of engineering

“The precision involved is unlike any off-roading I’ve ever done before”

that will never be used. Should the owners of these ‘soft-roaders’ consider taking their vehicles to a tyro?

“Yeah,” grins Andrew. “We’d like to encourage newer vehicles to do it. Even without the risk of damage, to actually use a £40,000 car it can sometimes be a bit daunting. But there’s no reason why they wouldn’t do it.”

The sections get more difficult as the day progresses, with steeper inclines, more slippery mud and deeper water. It’s heartening to know that the sections are laid out sympathetically, and that puddles are unlikely to contain any hidden hazards, although there are opportunities to get stuck. I’m surprised to see a red

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Discovery struggle with a piece of wet terrain, until a bystander informs me that its driver is a 14-year-old who’s never used a car before; as well as negotiating the section, he’s having to learn how to use a clutch.

“We normally have about three or four youngsters, perhaps a few more,” says Andrew. “Sometimes there’s more unlicensed drivers than licensed ones. That’s thanks to rules allowing drivers aged 13 and above.

They just need an accompanying adult.”

Any participating 13-year-old will need a navigator with off-road experience, which are plentiful at most Land Rover clubs. Parents and other passengers can sit in the back, provided the seats are forward-facing.

I can’t think of a single motorsport as easy to become involved with as tyro trials, nor one which also readily welcomes passengers.

To take part in Land Rover club trials, competitors will ordinarily need to have access to a Land Rover of some description. This isn’t always the case, however, as clubs can open some events up to non-Land Rover 4x4s. And even when they don’t, organisations like the Anglian Land Rover Club have a ‘spare’ vehicle for use by newcomers.

“Some clubs have a club car, like we have had today, so anyone who doesn’t have a vehicle can take part. Not having a car shouldn’t preclude you from doing it,” says Andrew. “You can have a try to see if it suits your taste, and if you like it, you might buy your own car.”

This might sound like an expensive approach to what is, ultimately, a beginner’s motorsport. But in contrast

Tyro trials are a great family day out, and competitors don’t even have to be old enough to drive on the road

to the four-figure kit list associated with (for example) circuit racing or stage rallying, a second-hand Land Rover seems like great value. I must’ve spent £1,500 on my race suit, helmet and peripherals – Andrew sees this as a healthy budget for a first tyro car.

“I think at the moment a Freelander would do the job you need,” he says. “Maybe a Discovery, but some Discoveries tend to rot faster than Freelanders. They can all have their problems but I think £1,500 would get you a better Freelander than a rusty Discovery.”

“It’s a cheap day out, too. Less than a couple of gallons of fuel and an entry fee around £20.

Memberships vary around the £20 mark as well. All your family [aged 13+] can take part. Bring the dog, have a picnic lunch.”

A prize giving takes place in the ebbing light. I’m surprised and delighted to have placed second – beginner’s luck, but nevertheless the single greatest sporting achievement of my life. In first place is a girl named Holly who, despite being too young to drive on the road, is already demonstrating a serious aptitude for car control.

“I started watching off-roading when I was a toddler, and I’ve always loved it,” she explains. “I watched the adults doing it and thought that it was for me.”

She’s here with her father in a dark blue 90. I can’t help noticing the booster cushion on the front seat, the only visible modification but obviously an important one for Holly. She briefly explains what she’s had to do to prepare for the competition.

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Tyro trialling

Above, event winner Holly is showing promise.

Left, Wiseman gets a trophy from Flanders

“Tyro offers a legitimate, officially sanctioned, outlet for car-mad youngsters” “This morning we had to change the tyres; we jacked up the car and changed to these bigger tyres. I’ve got my own car so I get to practice. It is exactly the same as this, [she gestures at the Defender] but it’s grey and it’s a pick-up.”

The P38 my parents owned when I was her age would have been eligible for this event, and no doubt I’d have brandished this article at them had tyro trials been available at the time. As a boy I was obsessed with cars but endlessly frustrated that I needed to be 17 before I could legally use one; my teenage years were a never-ending quest to get behind the wheel - any

wheel. I drove whatever I could, wherever I could. Tyro trials offer a legitimate, officially sanctioned outlet for the enthusiasm of car-mad youngsters, as well as an introduction into more ‘serious’ motorsport.

“Next year I can step up to RTV,” says Holly. RTV, short for ‘Road Taxed Vehicle’, is the next level of crosscountry motorsport, involving more challenging terrain and more risk to go with it. Beyond that is CCV, or ‘Cross-Country Vehicle’, which is even more hardcore and generally involves purpose-built machines.

Any young person who has five years of experience in competitive motorsport by the time they’re 17 is likely to be at an advantage, and the skills gained on a tyro section will translate well into other cross-country disciplines, and almost anything else that involves a car. So what steps should a teenager reading this article be taking?

“They should join their local Land Rover club,” advises Flanders. “Even at 13 you have to be a member of a club. Check your club does have a junior membership [most do] and then talk to somebody else in the club who does tyro. Come and watch some events before you take part, come and see what’s involved, and then decide whether you are going to buy something or borrow a car to do it, or whether you can jump in with people and share the cost. Just do a bit of homework.” n

40 36 Tyro Off Road RL.indd 5

29/11/2018 16:06

Putting members at the heart of Motorsport UK We’re teaming up with High Street partners to reduce the costs of competing and get you closer to the action.

42 42 Karting RL.indd 1

30/11/2018 10:23

Karting’s fresh start

A

Revolution for British Karting From next year Motorsport UK will organise and promote the British Kart Championships for the first time in over 30 years. Russell Hayes talks to the men behind the move.

T

he launch of Motorsport UK brings with it the opportunity to change and improve many aspects of our sport, and the first major difference competitors will see is a serious overhaul of karting – the primary foundation of motorsport.

From next year UK motorsport’s governing body will assume control and promotion of the British Kart Championships, taking the categories in-house for the first time in over 30 years. The new-look championships will be looked after by the new Karting UK Operations division, which has been formed following an in-depth review of the structure of British karting.

It all started when Motorsport UK formed its own Kart Working Group, assembling a panel of experts to thoroughly review the sport and make recommendations for the future. Its aims were to cut costs, simplify the karting ladder and make the sport more accessible than ever.

Motorsport UK chairman David Richards explains: “As an observer of karting, it seems as if the sport has become fractionalised and we do not have a clear hierarchy. There are lots of classes and formulas, many of them very similar to each other. Also, some of them go outside the fold of the governing body, deciding that they don’t want to be regulated and would rather do things their own way. We have to address that.”

Under the new structure, eight definitive British championships will be created: TKM Junior and Senior, Rotax Junior and Senior, IAME Cadet, Junior and Senior, and KZ2.

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30/11/2018 10:24

The Senior X30 field is tightly packed together at Whilton Mill. Joe Turney leads for KR-Sport

STARTING AT THE TOP

Richards says that while Karting UK’s challenge will be to look after every element of the karting pyramid – from the top-tier to entry level arrive-and-drive contests – the restructure so far has focused on the upper echelons of karting, which will set an example to follow for the lower levels. Richards acknowledges that top-level karting has become too expensive and too bureaucratic in recent years.

Motorsport UK’s new CEO Hugh Chambers says that the increased professionalism in the sport, along with wealthy parents ploughing money into their child’s campaigns, has been a key factor in spiraling costs.

“Karting has allowed itself to become a pathway to something else,” Chambers says. “I think that is largely the fault of the media, and the MSA, which had historically promoted it as ‘if you want to be the next Formula One World Champion, this is what you need to do’. And it’s become more and more professional. You’ve had teams come in, aligned with ambitious parents,

particularly some with a lot of money. For them to spend £100,000 per year on their child going karting is justifiable. We’re not trying to stop that.

“What you need to do is to segregate that world from the rest of karting. The vast majority of people who get into karting aren’t looking to become Formula One World Champion.

“So, what do the British Kart Championships have to do with that? It sounds like it’s made for the elite. Our assessment is that you actually have to start from the top downwards rather than the bottom upwards. The bottom is very diverse, spread across 30 to 40 clubs around the country with 3000 licence holders, and to tackle all of that in one go is very difficult.”

NO ‘CHEQUEBOOK RACING’

On the crucial topic of costs, both Richards and Chambers are adamant that the governing body should not be ignoring non-regulated, ‘arrive and drive’ series, and must work closely with engine manufacturers to

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Karting’s fresh start

ensure parents and drivers are not financially exploited.

“There’s no reason why Motorsport UK should not be acknowledging and endorsing series such as TeamSport or Club100,” Chambers says. “That way, the public can engage in a stepladder as they come into the sport.

When they make the step upwards and decide to get a competition licence, we need to make sure that we get away from ‘cheque book’ racing whereby people buy 100 engines, dyno them and charge £20,000 per engine. It doesn’t improve the racing or the spectacle. That’s why we meet the engine manufacturers to see how we can use technology to make it fairer.

“The crucial thing is to get the costs down, make it fairer, make the racing fun, and make sure that the adjudication system is run smoothly.”

FEWER DISPUTES

2019 Calendar ROTAX

SENIOR ROTAX, SENIOR ROTAX MAX 177, JUNIOR ROTAX, ROTAX MINIMAX 30-31 March: PF International 25-26 May: Rowrah 29-30 June: Mansell Raceway 17-18 August: Clay Pigeon 14-15 September: Forest Edge 12-13 October: Whilton Mill

IAME

“The crucial thing is to get the costs down, make it fairer, make racing fun”

SENIOR IAME X30, JUNIOR IAME X30, MINI X30, IAME CADET 12-14 April: PF International 10-12 May: Shenington 7-9 June: Larkhall* 12-14 July: Rowrah 23-25 August: Wigan 27-29 September: Whilton Mill (*subject to track extension)

TKM INCLUDING HONDA CADET

SENIOR TKM EXTREME, JUNIOR TKM, HONDA CADET CHAMPIONSHIP* 27-28 April: PF International 18-19 May: Rissington 22-23 June: Fulbeck 27-28 July: Shenington 7-8 September: Kimbolton 19-20 Oct: Whilton Mill *Will have its own championship title

KZ2 GEARBOX

18-19 May: Rissington 22-23 June: Fulbeck 27-28 July: Shenington 7-8 September: Kimbolton

The Karting UK Operations Team is headed up by Trent Valley Kart Club’s Nigel Edwards as Championship Director, along with Ellough Park owner Richard Lock as Operations Director. They are supported

by Championship Coordinator Danielle Short, and Championship Liaison Director Mick Barrett. One of the key elements will be a rework of the judiciary process in the sport, to make decisions swifter, and simpler.

“Both Nigel and Richard are very experienced and passionate and know how to put on great events,” says Chambers. “We are getting so many issues in karting with disputes, that the sport is no longer fun. You leave the race meeting and you don’t actually know who has won the meeting because it’s going to go to the National Court with lawyers. It’s completely wrong.”

To prevent such future wrangling, each round of the new British Championships will feature a CIK-standard timing system, CCTV throughout the circuit and state-ofthe-art finish line cameras.

“Officials’ decisions at meetings will be black and white, you’ll leave knowing who has won,” adds Chambers.

“The rule-makers previously tried to make it fairer and have an appeals system and National Court, done with the best intentions, but it’s been exploited a lot.”

INVOLVING THE PADDOCK

With the new structure being implemented within a relatively short period of time in order to be ready for 2019, Chambers explains that the Kart Working Group sought the opinion of many of the sport’s stakeholders, from teams and clubs to competitors.

“We began by deciding what should constitute the British Championships,” Chambers says. “In the past there have been a muddle of so many different championship titles and classes. You had British champions and national champions. We have decided to scrap national championships. We are in the belief that you must have something prestigious, that is worth winning. We sat down with engine manufacturers such as IAME, TKM and Rotax as well as representatives of Honda, and

45 42 Karting RL.indd 4

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Karting’s fresh start

ATTRACTING GRIDS

asked their opinions of how it should be structured.

“We’re now moving fast to build up all of the infrastructure behind that. The first thing was to put the championships together. Having approached all of the kart clubs in the UK, we have decided to hold 18 rounds.

In year one, we have concentrated on the centralised kart clubs – yet we’re still going down to Dunkeswell [Mansell Raceway in Devon] and up to Larkhall in Scotland.”

INVESTING IN CLUBS

As part of holding a British Championships round, Karting UK will be investing in the hosting clubs and venues.

Richards explains that hosting clubs will be paid a fixed fee, regardless of entry numbers and will receive part of the fee in advance to help make improvements over the preceding winter. But those clubs that have not received a British Championships round in 2019 will receive support, such as a free track inspection and consultation, to increase their chances of gaining a calendar slot in future years.

“We cannot just create an elite few [clubs] in the centre of the country,” Richards says. “Our duty is to spread this around the UK. Yes, it will be a grind for some to go up to Larkhall or over to Northern Ireland, or down to Clay Pigeon. But we will get more participants, and we will create a national sport and make a better British Championships as a result. We don’t think it’s fair on the clubs to take a commercial risk on an event that we are primarily responsible for.

“We are duty bound to make sure much of the commercial interest remains with the sport and helps develop it across the board: better tracks, better facilities, better training for drivers, better scrutineering, better officials – those are all our responsibility. We have to champion those who want to come into the sport at the bottom level.”

Chambers adds that the sport is too reliant on wealthy individuals and cost saving is a key challenge: “Our underlying policy is to reduce the cost of entry, and trimming cost won’t happen overnight. However, barcoding tyres is a good starting point.”

From 2019, Motorsport UK will supply barcoding systems free of charge to all registered kart clubs.

Homologated tyres require a barcode on the sidewall which can be tracked, and clubs can restrict the number of tyres used across a season.

Richards admits that in the first year of the British Championships, Karting UK was not going to be able to address the demand from every club that would like to host a round.

“We will still cascade the benefits out to those clubs that didn’t get a round,” Richards adds. “It’s important that those clubs that didn’t secure a place on the calendar for 2019 understand what things need to be done, and we are going to look at ways of helping these clubs to address any shortcomings so that they one day can host a British Championships round.”

Karting UK’s leading lights: Nigel Edwards (top) and Richard Lock (above)

Chambers hopes that interested teams and drivers will recognise the professional level of infrastructure that is being put into place in order to attract full grids.

“The way to attract full grids is to make it a highly attractive event, which is well run, well adjudicated, and has full infrastructure,” he says. “When they turn up, drivers know that they’re going to get the best racing in the country. The racing is fair, scrutineers are well trained, it’s well promoted and hosted on a wide variety of tracks. And importantly, everyone will be racing for a British Championship title, no matter which class they’re entered in.

“If you’re a midfield runner, you may not win the title, but you’re competing in the British Championships.”

Richards concludes by admitting Karting UK is now attempting to right the wrongs within karting: “We are now addressing what has been born out of frustration because this organisation has not delivered on what it was supposed to deliver for the karting community.

That’s now our objective.

“That won’t be changed overnight, but the direction of travel is now 100 per cent positive.

“The British Championships will be the flagship for British karting. It is the only British Championships.” n

Seeking Hamilton’s help As part of Motorsport UK’s review into British karting, it requested support and advice from key individuals, including those who have experienced the sport from its grassroots to its top echelons.

That is why Anthony Hamilton, father of five-time Formula 1 World Champion Lewis, was part of the Kart Working Group.

“I’m passionate about karting in the UK given that this is where it all started for Lewis and myself,” Hamilton Sr says. “I feel that it has all gotten a bit out of control with a complicated plethora of championships, categories, teams, indoor and outdoor clubs. Plus, the costs of participation seem to have spiraled and are now astronomical compared to when Lewis and I took part.

“I believe that control and participation by Motorsport UK is a must, and is important for the future.”

Hamilton believes that the main difference between his time in the

sport and Motorsport UK’s plans for its future is that it will now be fully in control of the sport’s grassroots in the UK. “Most importantly, the British Championships,” he says. “This is a hugely important step towards controlling costs, the quality of the championships and encouraging greater driver participation and education within the sport.

“Investment by Motorsport UK into the clubs and grassroots karting is definitely a much-needed source of income for the clubs, which I am certain will bring some much-needed financial relief.

Aligned with that investment is the importance of encouraging families back into karting by making it cost effective and fun.

“Motorsport UK getting involved is a critical stage for the future and it’s great to see the level of their commitment to making the UK the training ground of race drivers, engineers, mechanics and families of the future.”

46 42 Karting RL.indd 5

30/11/2018 10:24

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28/11/2018 16:41

Weekend Warrior

Colin Millar FORD POPULAR A passion that started when a 14-year-old boy installed a Mini 1275GT engine in a Morris Minor…

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rag racing is not the most practical hobby for an enthusiast based in Fife, but distance has never been a deterrent for Colin Millar.

“Every time we go to Santa Pod it’s a round trip of almost 800 miles,” he says. “Shakespeare County Raceway at Long Marston was nearer, but only by about 12 miles, and drag racing no longer takes place there. I also compete in events at Hockenheim and in 2018 ran at Clastres in France, which was great fun. Normally I do about 10 events per season, so cover at least 10,000 miles annually…”

Millar drives a Ford Popular in the Outlaw Anglia class, which was introduced in 1992 and in which he has been champion for the past two seasons.

“I guess drag racing has worked its way into my blood,” he says. “The whole thing started in 1978, when I was 14. I bought a Morris Minor, customised it with a Mini 1275GT engine, Spax shock absorbers all round and nice velour interior. I passed my driving test six days after I was 17 and used the car at local cruises. I paid my first visit to Santa Pod in 1982, helped set up a club called the Fife County Cruisers in ’83 – and my first Ford Pop followed a year later.

“When I built the Pop, it was the usual thing – Rover V8, Vauxhall Viva HA front end and Jaguar rear, as everybody did in the 1980s. We used to drive down to Santa Pod, race and then drive home. I only stopped travelling to events by road about 10 years ago – it got to the point that if I wanted the car to go any faster it would no longer be legal on the public highway, so…”

His current Pop has a chassis built by renowned specialist Andy Robinson Race Cars and in 2018 beat the long-standing Outlaw Anglia record. “I was happy to win the championship in 2017, the category’s 25th anniversary season,” he says, “and for 2018 my target was to beat the class record – a 7.40sec, which is quick for a Pop and had been set 11 years earlier. I finally managed a 7.37sec in the summer, and I’m now hoping to do the first sub-7sec run. I think the car has the potential to do it – 0.38sec might not sound very much, but it is when you are chasing such small margins.” n

TECH SPEC Engine 632 cubic-inch bigblock Chevrolet V8. Power 1900bhp.

Transmission two-speed Powerglide.

Chassis spaceframe

Millar’s monstrous Ford Popular is well-known, and well-travelled, on the drag racing circuits

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Place Notes

St Angelo sprint course The St Angelo sprint course near Enniskillen in Co. Fermanagh is the most westerly venue currently licensed by Motorsport UK

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ituated within sight of Loch Erne, Enniskillen Airport presently hosts one sprint each year as well as various other motorsport events, but current competitor demand could enable a second sprint event to be scheduled.

Only 35 miles from Northern Ireland’s spectacular west coast and even closer to the border of the Republic of Ireland, St Angelo is just about as far west as you can go in the UK. Established Northern Ireland speed event venues like Nutts Corner and Kirkistown are 100 miles away. “There is nothing else out there,” says Darran Flanagan from the Enniskillen Motor Club.

The airfield of St Angelo dates back to 1941 when it hosted Hurricanes and Spitfires providing

air cover for Belfast and patrolling the west coast of Ireland. More recently it has become a centre for private aviation under the ownership of the local council.

The airfield has been resurfaced to good order and offers a twomile temporary sprint course over two laps. A good mix of fast and medium-speed corners offers an excellent driving challenge.

The inaugural sprint was run in June 1978 and the Erne Trophy Sprint was held annually until the mid-1990s. Then, after an absence of 20 years, it was revived in 2014 to mark the 50th anniversary of the Enniskillen club.

The revival sprint was the first competitive event that Darran Flanagan contested in a rally

CIRCUIT INFO Enniskillen, Northern Ireland Opened 27 July 1978. Course length 2-miles.

Outright record Adrian Pollock (Dallara F301) 135.46s, 29.09.18.

Organising club Enniskillen Motor Club

specification Ford Fiesta. That experience inspired him to join the committee and get involved in running the event.

“We’ve now run it once a year since 2014 and in 2018 we were very close to our maximum entry of 100 cars,” says Flanagan. “We get entries from both sides of the border and also from rally drivers.”

The event has earned a slot in the Association of Northern Ireland Car Clubs Sprint Championship where it joins five rounds at Kirkistown and three at Nutts Corner. Two practice runs and three timed ones are the norm at St Angelo.

After running very close to capacity in September, with 95 starters and a wide cross-section of cars, talk has centred on the possibility of adding a second sprint to the schedule. “The local council would support a second event and the numbers are starting to make it viable,” says Flanagan. “The competitors are all for it!” n

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LIMITED-EDITION

2 0 1 9 C A L E N DA R The Motor Sport calendar, in association with The Cahier Archive

ON SALE NOW

2019 CALENDAR

THE 1980s, THE MOST DRAMATIC DECADE IN F1 HISTORY PHOTOGRAPHY BY THE CAHIER ARCHIVE

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THE 1980s, THE MOST D R A M AT I C D E C A D E I N F 1 H I S T O RY From aero to turbo the 1980s had it all. Grand Prix racing had never experienced such power, nor indeed such spectacle. Built to perform for a single qualifying session, some engines were rated at 1400bhp though nobody was sure of the precise figures, as dynos were incapable of recording numbers of that magnitude. And it wasn’t just the cars, but the charismatic drivers at their helm: Senna, Prost, Mansell, Rosberg, Piquet, Arnoux and Berger, to name but a few.

To celebrate an era that had it all, Motor Sport magazine is pleased to present this limited-edition calendar showcasing some of the many highlights in 12 stunning images.

To order your copy of 2019 Motor Sport calendar for just £29.95 visit:

shop.motorsportmagazine.com/CALM Or call +44 (0)20 7349 8484. US (Toll Free number): +1 866 808 5828 51 MS CalendarAd.indd 1

30/11/2018 13:04

SERVICES

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30/11/2018 10:48

Toolkit ADVERTISING FEATURE

The latest products and advice for competitors

Sonic 7 Sports cars

Looking for the perfect way to get your kids into cars? Surely there’s no better way to achieve that than to put them into an actual car.

Meet the Sonic Seven, a real, working sports car designed purely for kids aged from 5 to 12. Originally designed by international team boss John Village, the company has now been taken over by GT and Caterham racing specialist Team Parker Racing, meaning the designs have some proper sporting pedigree behind them.

Featuring a tubular space-frame chassis, 100cc petrol engine in the rear, hydraulic disc brakes, working headlights and full four-point harnesses, the Sonic Seven is capable of hitting 25mph, but the top speed can easily be adjusted downward to suit a child’s experience and surroundings.

The cars are available in a range of colours and finishes and are suited for use on both Tarmac and grass. Obviously, the little ones can’t go pootling to the local shops, but it will definitely give them a head start in the world of motoring. £POA. www.soniccars.co.uk

AutoBarn storage

When it comes to full-sized cars, storage is a familiar problem for competitors. Don’t have a garage big enough for your competition, classic or sports car and seeking a bit more room?

Well, new business AutoBarn could be for you.

It’s the latest venture from Lord Andover, who has renovated a once derelict barn on his North Wiltshire estate into a cutting edge, secure car storage facility. Complete with its own helipad and two grass runways, the facility caters for owners of highend vehicles, seeking to store their pride and joy in a climatecontrolled environment with all the trimmings The facility can even offer transport, servicing and MOT for your vehicle, as well as valeting and detailing services.

Storage is charged at a monthly rate, and the firm is currently offering six months for the price of five if booked in advance. £POA. www.autobarn.uk

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Toolkit

Caged Laser Roll Cages

Priority number one when creating your race car should be its safety kit, and the biggest part of that is undoubtedly the roll cage.

As well as providing the obvious strength to withstand a hit from any direction during an accident, a good, solid cage will also bring handling benefits by making the chassis more rigid and therefore responsive.

Caged Laser Engineering is one of Britain’s leading roll cage producers and is able to offer both bespoke and off-the-shelf designs to suit hundreds of competition car types – from big-ticket classics such as Ferrari 250 GTOs to the lightweight Caterham. It also does a fine line in customer chassis fabrication for both modern and classic cars. One of its current clients in that area is BAC, which manufactures the bonkers Mono single-seater road car.

All of its cages are certified by Motorsport UK to FIA regulations and come in a range of tube thickness and materials, catering from entry level cages right up to international-spec designs.

And all can be painted with powder coat to add that extra bit of class. £POA. www.cagedlaser.co.uk

Competiton essentials Whether you’re gearing up for an off-season rebuild, or starting a fresh project, the winter brings opportunities for some great bargains

Image Wheels

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2

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Attention owners of historic and specialist race cars: finding the perfect, authentic alloy wheel designs for your pride and joy should no longer be restricted to lengthy, and often frustrating, internet trawling.

Image Wheels is a British company that specialises in bespoke alloy wheel designs for both road and race cars. It can custom-fit many of its designs to a huge array of vehicles. It offers over 50 designs in a range of sizes from 10in up to 20in, and you can specify any width, or offset plus whether you need standard bolt-on or centrelock fitment.

Some of our house favourites include the gorgeous three-piece Group C-style BBM (1), the classic split-spoke HTs (4) usually found on sports racers such as Radicals. The Billet 17 (3) or even the RM1 Classic (2) that usually kits out original Minis. Each design is available in a range of colours and finishes, powder coat to chrome. £POA. www.imagewheels.co.uk

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Atech seat & harness bundle Fancy a pre-season bargain? Well they don’t come much better than this offer from equipment supplier Race and Rally and manufacturer Atech.

Atech is one of the newer names in safety equipment, having been founded in 2000, but it’s already a big supplier in the world of rallying.

It offers a range of FIA-approved racewear, steering wheels, harnesses and seats, and it’s the latter two we’re concerned with here.

If you order any 2019 seat, you’ll get a corresponding five-point harness… for free! That’s a hefty saving of £200 that can make all the difference to your budgeting for the season ahead.

R&R itself also offers a handy finance package, meaning you can lower that costs even more (down to £27 per month in this case).

The name R&R sound familiar? It’s an official Citroën Racing and Peugeot Sport distributor, and also has an active race team that fields the Citroën Sport UK/Ireland entries in series such as the British Rally Championship. £360. www.raceandrally.com

Arai helmet deals A new crash helmet is a sizeable investment for any competitor, but when it comes to your noggin there’s no sense in scrimping on quality, and Arai is one of the worldleading brands in head protection.

The good news is, however, that there’s a handful of top deals to be had at this time of the year, such as this one from official Arai supplier Panda Racing.

Panda is offering the tempting bundle of a brand-new Arai Helmet Pod carry bag (worth £39.99) and HANS anchors/posts (worth £59.99) free with any order of a fullface Arai race helmet until January 13, 2019. That’s £100 of official extras, for nothing.

Alternatively, if you’re after a new karting lid or an openface race one, you can still grab the free Helmet Pod as part of the deal.

The full range of Arai helmets is available on Panda’s website, from the entry level CK6 karting design up to the international-standard super complex laminate GP6-PED race helmet. £379.99-£1379.99. www.pandaracing.com

Bargain boots It’s not just helmets that you can save on. Another line of Panda’s stock is Adidas race wear, and the famous firm’s Feroza Elite race boots are now offered at a reduced rate.

Made from split-suede and full-grain cow hide, the boots feature full Armortex flame retardant lining, low-profile sole made from oil and fire retardant rubber and a reinforced heel cup.

They’re now available with a handy £54 saving off the £173.99 RRP. £119.99. www.pandaracing.com

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Motorsport UK Licensed

MSA-180x120-Oct 2014.indd 1

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23/10/2014 08:58

28/11/2018 16:21

National Court

Motor Sports Council

National Court SITTING TUESDAY, 28th AUGUST, 2018

Mark Heywood QC (Chairman), Ian Watson, Mike Harris CASE No J2018/29.

Ms Franklin appeared on behalf of the Motorsport UK. Mr Dearing appeared on behalf of Optimum Motorsport and Ms Haigh 1. This case comes before the MSC National Court by way of a GR C9 inquiry.

2. The case has an unusual history. The incident at the heart of the case was a collision between car no. 75, driven by Flick Haigh and car no. 99, driven by Andrew Howard in the early laps of the British GT Championship round at Snetterton on 27th28th May 2018, where both drivers were competing in the GT3 class.

3. We do not propose to go into great detail. Suffice to say that the Clerk of the Course decided that Ms Haigh was in breach of GR C1.1.5 and imposed a penalty that was not thought to be amenable to appeal to the Stewards of the Meeting. Though the Stewards did correct the mistaken imposition of penalty points, they have not adjudicated on whether Ms Haigh was in breach of GR C1.1.5 or not.

4. On 31st July, 2018 The National Court, dealing with an appeal brought by Optimum and Ms Haigh, on the basis that the Stewards were wrong to interpret GR C2.1.6 as applying both to the liability to a penalty and the imposition of that penalty, was constitutionally unable to remit the case to the Stewards.

5. Accordingly, in fairness to

the competitors, Motorsport UK launched an inquiry under GR C9 and the parties agreed to extend the time limits to enable that to be done.

6. In principle, this issue is a decision that the Stewards of the Meeting are charged with deciding. This court could hear the case de novo, but we are reluctant to take that course when, by remitting the case, the ordinary judicial process can be observed. We note that the parties have legal representation present, as appropriate for a GR C9 inquiry, but such representation is not permitted before the Stewards, in accordance with GR C6.4.

7. We also feel that for us to hear the case de novo would create a precedent in circumstances where the C9 procedure was only invoked to try and do justice where a poorly worded regulation caused those concerned to fall into error.

8. The next championship round is the final round of the series, to be held on 22nd-23rd September 2018 at Donington Park. It would be highly advantageous, for obvious reasons, if an appeal could be convened before the Stewards in advance of that meeting but for present purposes, the decision of the National Court is to remit consideration of whether Ms Haigh was shown to have been in breach of GR C 1.1.5 to the Stewards, if Optimum and Ms Haigh choose to pursue such an appeal.

9. Accordingly, we make the following directions. i. Optimum and Ms Haigh are to lodge their appeal by 4 p.m. on Thursday 30th August 2018. The appeal papers are to be lodged with the Clerk of

the Course, Mr Daly and the appropriate fee lodged with Motorsport UK. ii. Motorsport UK is to contact the Stewards and use their best endeavours to convene a hearing at the earliest opportunity. iii. Failing that, the Stewards at the Donington Park meeting are to be informed of this matter at the earliest opportunity with a view to convening an appeal as early at that meeting as possible.

The National Court expresses its gratitude to all the parties for their assistance, particularly for the detailed skeleton arguments submitted in advance of this hearing.

MARK HEYWOOD, CHAIRMAN

SITTING TUESDAY, 28th AUGUST, 2018

Mark Heywood QC (Chairman), Ian Watson, Mike Harris CASE No J2018/25. Plains Rally Inquiry 1. This case comes before the MSC National Court by way of a General Regulation C9 Inquiry into the circumstances of an incident at the Plains Rally on 12th May 2018.

2. Mr Vardy and Mr Williams were competing in car no. 49.

At the start line, officials passed them information to be aware of car no. 6, stationary to the right of the road beyond the first righthand bends.

3. Mr Vardy and Mr Williams continued through the stage, passing a marshal on the lefthand side of the road who indicated, not very clearly in the footage the Court have viewed, in a manner the drivers took to warn them to slow down. They assert that they still understood the incident to relate to car no.

6 and that they were unaware of car no. 48, the preceding car on the road, that had left the road

on the left-hand side, gone down a bank and collided heavily with a tree.

4. Some corners later, Messrs Vardy and Williams passed and recognised car no. 6; not, as they expected, on the right-hand side but a little way off the road on their left. Accordingly, they continued in the belief, they assert, that the stage was clear.

5. The Clerk of the Course informed the Stewards of the Meeting that he had disqualified Vardy and Williams, on the basis that they had failed to stop at the scene of an accident and appeared to have left the venue, contrary to GR H33.1.6.

6. The Stewards were of the opinion that an appeal would be inadmissible and they would not be disposed to extend the time limit for an appeal. Further, consideration was given in fairness to all concerned by collecting evidence from sources including in-car footage, other persons present at the scene (marshals, competitors) the crew of the following car who did stop, though after seeing clearer signals from the driver or codriver of car no. 6.

7. Not all that material is available to the Court. We take the same view of its importance.

We have no Stewards’ Report or other judicial documentation.

8. We feel it is important that the correct judicial procedures are seen to be followed and that it would be wrong to place ourselves in the position of the officials. Accordingly, we remit the matter to a Stewards’ hearing to be convened with the benefit of full evidence and submissions.

9. The Court direct as follows. i. Messrs Vardy and Williams to lodge the appeal documentation with the Clerk of the Course, Mr Sharp, by 4p.m. on Friday 31st August 2018. ii. Mr Sharp to refer the matter to the Stewards. iii. The appeal fees to be lodged with Motorsport UK by

57 57 National Court RL.indd 1

30/11/2018 11:27

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30/11/2018 10:49

National Court

4p.m. on 31st August 2018. iv. The Stewards to be directed to convene an appeal hearing at the earliest convenient date.

It would be advantageous if the same panel of Stewards who acted on 12th May 2018 could be convened.

MARK HEYWOOD, CHAIRMAN

SITTING TUESDAY, 2nd OCTOBER, 2018

David Munro (Chairman), Mike Garton, Nicky Moffitt CASE No J2018/36. Jack Mayle, Eligibility Appeal The National Court sitting as an Eligibility Appeal Panel has considered the appeal of Jack Mayle following his disqualification from the Rotax Max Final Race at Barton Stacey on 2nd September, 2018.

His kart, competition number 64, had been identified as being excessively noisy during the final and during laps 14, 15 and 16 a noise test had been conducted which appeared to reveal that the level has been 109.4 db on lap 14, 109.3 db on lap 15 and 109.3 db on lap 16.

As a consequence a Scrutineer’s non-compliance report was issued at 16:15 as the readings exceeded the permitted maximum of 105 db prescribed by General Regulation U.16.16.10.

A Clerks Decision Notification was issued at 16:46 and the National Court notes that Mr Mayle was excluded from the race as his kart was ineligible by virtue of U.16.16.10.

It is against that finding that he now appeals.

The National Court has considered the sound test form which refers to the meter type as ‘Cirrus’, the microphone distance as ‘3.0m’ and the Serial No. as G061757.

The Scrutineer’s non compliance report states ‘105dbA at a height of 3.6m + 0.1m above track’. This is a

height requirement provided

by U16.16.10. We note that the meter height differs on the sound test form.

The National Court has been provided with a calibration certificate which is apparently relied upon by Forest Edge Kart Club to demonstrate the accuracy of the measuring equipment. It is noted that this relates to a different serial number – 029751.

There is nothing which identifies it as relating to the equipment that was actually in use.

In these circumstances the National Court panel regards the Clerks’ decision as unsafe and this appeal succeeds. The appeal fee is to be refunded and the appellant must be reinstated in the final results.

DAVID MUNRO, CHAIRMAN

SITTING TUESDAY, 2ND OCTOBER, 2018

David Munro (Chairman), Nicky Moffitt, Mike Garton CASE No J2018/31. Fletcher / Davidson, Inquiry The National Court has conducted an Inquiry pursuant to General Regulation C.9 with regard to matters arising from the BRSCC meeting held at Silverstone on 10th June, 2018.

It appears that: 1. A 10 second stop/go penalty was issued to Graham Davidson, a driver in Race 6, following contact with another competitor.

2. A 2 minute stop/go penalty was issued to Kelvin Fletcher in Race 6 following contact.

3. The Clerk’s decision was incorrectly noted in that both drivers were said to have breached C1.1.5 but it should have also referred to C2.1.6 which deals with stop/go and drive through penalties which do not incur points.

4. The National Court considers that the pro-forma used to record the Clerk of the Course decision may have led the Clerk into error in both instances

as it bears the endorsement: “3 penalty points are recorded on your licence as a result of above, Motorsport UK Regulation C2.1.7 / G5.3.9” 5. Consequently penalty points were recorded on the licences of both drivers. This was plainly an error and the National Court orders that they now be removed from their record.

DAVID MUNRO, CHAIRMAN

SITTING TUESDAY, 6th NOVEMBER, 2018

Steve Stringwell (Chairman), Chris Mount, Bob Kettleboro CASE No J2018/38. Paul Rivett This matter comes before the National Court as an appeal on behalf of Mr Paul Rivett, car 22, against the decision of the Stewards of the Meeting to uphold the Clerk of the Course’s decision to disqualify Car 22 and apply four penalty points for contravening of C1.1.5 - driving in a manner incompatible with general safety, and/or departing from the standard of a reasonably competent driver, in the Renault UK Clio Cup Championship race, being race 2 at Silverstone on 16th September 2018, round 16 of the Championship.

The National Court considered: 1. all the video evidence presented to it (being in car footage from car 5 – Lee Pattison, car 71 – Max Coates, car 37 – Michael Epps and ITV footage); 2. oral evidence from Paul Rivett, Lee Pattison and Trevor Williams (Clerk of the Course); 3. two written statements from Max Coates and statements from the officials contained in the bundle; and 4. oral submissions from Mr Jamie Champkin on behalf of Paul Rivett and Ms Sarah Franklin on behalf of Motorsport UK. The National Court finds no conclusive evidence that the driver of car 22, Paul Rivett,

failed to comply with General Regulation C1.1.5 - driving in a manner incompatible with general safety and/or departing from the standard of a reasonably competent driver.

In reaching its decision the National Court was also concerned with the inconsistency regarding penalties and track limits and how they were applied during the race.

As a result the appeal succeeds, car 22, Paul Rivett is to be reinstated in the results of race 2 at Silverstone on 16th September 2018, the four penalty points applied are to be removed from Paul Rivett’s licence and the appeal fee is to be returned.

STEVE STRINGWELL, CHAIRMAN

SITTING TUESDAY, 6TH NOVEMBER, 2018

Steve Stringwell (Chairman), Chris Mount, Bob Kettleboro CASE No J2018/46. Steve Putt This matter comes before the National Court as C.9 Inquiry.

The National Court heard that at the Castle Combe Racing Club meeting held on 27 August 2018 at Castle Combe Circuit, Race 9, Castle Combe GT Championship, was red flagged and the results declared on the basis of the previous lap.

The timing company had been informed that car 7 was not running when the red flag was shown and was therefore omitted from the results.

Following a subsequent query from the driver of car 7, the timing company have confirmed the error and that car 7 was indeed running when the red flag was shown and should therefore be shown as a finisher.

Having considered the evidence presented, the National Court orders that car 7 is reinstated in the results and the results of Race 9 are amended to reinstate car 7.

STEVE STRINGWELL, CHAIRMAN

59 57 National Court RL.indd 2

30/11/2018 11:26

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30/11/2018 12:50

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29/11/2018 09:14

OXFORD MOTOR CLUB

Club Focus

Oxford Motor Club is best known for the Carfax Stages Rally

Oxford Motor Club

With over 100 years of history behind it, the club is still innovating

D

ating back to 1903, Oxford Motor Club is among the UK’s longest-established local clubs. Like many, it is working to maintain and build its presence in the modern world.

In February 1903 the Oxford and District Automobile Club was formed and duly evolved into Oxford Motor Club. 115 years later, it is still going strong.

With around 80 members, the club has always been one of the busiest in the region and is proud of a 30year history for its flagship event, the Carfax Stages.

The annual single-venue stage rally has run at a range of venues, notably the spectacular Long Cross facility near Chertsey. When Long Cross closed its gates to motorsport, the Carfax moved again and spent three years at Throckmorton airfield in Worcestershire.

However, after the 2016 event, that venue joined the ever-growing list of venues no longer available to the sport and the Carfax was put on ice.

The proceeds from the annual major event were always used to support the balance of the club’s activities, as club chairman Simon Phillips explains: “The profit from the Carfax supported other events but we’re struggling

CLUB INFO Formed 1903 Members 80

www.oxfordmotor club.co.uk

to get a venue at the moment. So we’ve had a couple of quiet years, but we would like to run it again.”

Instead, focus has centred on running lower-key events that are suitable for club members in their everyday road cars. “We’re running more accessible events,” says Phillips. “Things like 12-car rallies, auto solos and grass autotests to give people the chance to get started for minimal outlay. I’ve done three events in the last two weeks and spent less than £100. It is a challenge and we need younger blood.”

In a bid to bring in new members, there has been a push on social media. The Club also ran autosolo passenger rides at Silverstone during the World Rallycross event in May. Phillips was encouraged: “People didn’t know this level of the sport existed.”

Plans for the near future include a recruitment drive at events at Bicester Heritage and a bid to run a Targa Rally in 2019. Like many local club officials, Phillips is encouraged by the positive signs from the new-look Motorsport UK, and believes that the changing face of the organisation can only be good news for grassroots motorsport and clubs like Oxford Motor Club. n

66 66 Club Focus RL.indd 1

29/11/2018 16:18

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