Wednesday, 6 November 2019

Rally - Making Progress


On the basis that you can't get from first to top gear without going through the rest of the 'box, Motorsport UK's latest announcement has to be welcomed. Of course we all want more change more quickly, but turning a juggernaut around requires more than just a bit of elbow room.

Motor sport is more than just rallying and racing, there are umpteen different types of discipline within that single term. They all have their own following and participants, and therefore have to be managed, controlled and regulated. What suits autotests may not suit autocross, and so on.

Then there are the various levels of competition, from single car club and inter-club events to regional, national and international permit competitions, and then above all that there is the FIA. Whether we like it or not, it is best to be integrated with their rules and structure. That enables those of us who wish to compete overseas and also attract furriners to our shores and to our events. If you have never competed abroad - put it on  your bucket list now.

These changes might appear at first glance to be very modest but making it easier and cheaper to get into the sport in the first place has to be at the top of the agenda. Without new folks coming in, the sport has no future. It will just be full of auld gits with grudges and memories and rusting silent heaps in their garages.

So whilst we might have some disappointment about the apparent slow pace of change, this announcement does at least confirm that progress is being made and with that hopefully change for the better. And bear in mind, this announcement does not herald the end of the process - merely the start. This could be motor sport's last chance to have a future.

Patience dear peeps, patience.

Full text of Press Announcement here:

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