Thursday 16 June 2016

Sport - Minimum Age



The Scottish Association of Car Clubs meets next week for the latest in its quarterly meetings. Here's hoping it's a lively one, if only to stop the elderly attendees nodding off. That's not a criticism, more a comment on the age group which is still running the sport in Scotland, and sadly, a sight repeated in other regions around the UK. The sport badly needs new and fresh young blood and more volunteers, if only to keep the auld gits on track!

To try and save a bit of time at these gatherings, the co-ordinators of the various championships and committees are asked to submit written reports ahead of each meeting so that the delegates and representatives can read them before they arrive - rather than spending time on the night reading them when they get there or listening to someone delivering them.

That means more time for discussion, and with a wee bit of luck, perhaps we'll get the chance to debate a couple of additional items.

One of these has already been aired on this page, and in a certain on-line magazine, and that concerns Forestry road charges. It is to be hoped that the clubs may well consider debating whether a change from an overall 'flate-rate charge per mile' to a charge based on each individual car per mile of road used might be beneficial to the sport. Simply put, it will make events with fewer entries more viable.

Another suggestion which might hopefully get an airing is initiating a campaign to reduce the minimum age level at which youngsters can take up motor sport, primarily autotesting. At the moment, the age limit is either 14 or 16 depending on which type of autotest is being contested. As they stand, the current rules and restrictions are really quite silly.

I would suggest that the age be lowered to 12 years, high school age. This would open up the appeal of this introductory level sport to more teenagers and revitalise autotesting as a motor sporting attraction in its own right. That's not a radical suggestion, primary school kids can race karts and motor bikes!

If the clubs can agree and put a recommendation to the sport's governing body to consider such a change, then perhaps we might get some serious debates generated right across the country.

There's a more detailed article here:
 
The Forestry charge article is here:

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