As the last rally cars switched off their engines at Knockhill on Sunday and folk headed off home there were still headlights and torches shining in the darkness moving all around the circuit and on the hill. Those belonged to the Marshals and organisers who were clearing up the tyres and cones, stakes and arrows, stage boards and timing gear, and that was after having spent most of Saturday laying out all the bluidy stuff to create the event! So whilst many of us were already sitting inside steamed up cars and vans eating their fish and chips the unpaid volunteers were still hard at it on a cold and freezing hillside.
It was a pointed reminder of the debt we owe to the legions of volunteers all around the country without whose help this sport would not happen. It was also a point well made at the previous day’s awards ceremony in Duns.
This was the inaugural presentation of the ‘Scottish Motor Sport Awards’ which will henceforth be made annually by the Scottish Association of Motorsport Clubs to mark the incredible achievements of the nation’s volunteers and motor sport clubs.
As Rupert Hine said in his introductory remarks, the survival of the sport is entirely dependent on the efforts of volunteers. Without them, there would simply be no motor sport.
Just think on that for a wee minute. A sport which is so complex and technical, mechanically and electronically advanced, and flush with money at the professional end, is absolutely reliant on amateurs and volunteers for its survival. From club autotests and road rallies to WRC counters and F1 races, none of it would happen without someone to organise it and then provide the unpaid personnel to manage it on the day/s. We all owe a huge debt to the tireless efforts of car club officials, their organising teams and the individual Marshals.
Thankfully this will now be recognised on an annual basis and the SAMSC were extremely grateful to the Jim Clark Trust for opening up the Museum ahead of its official public Easter opening for this one-off occasion. Not only that there was a good attendance by the Trust members who obviously appreciate the unstinting efforts of all these motor club stalwarts.
Volunteer of the Year - Keith Cowan
Volunteer of the Year - Highly Commended - Craig Fisher
Volunteer of the Year - Highly Commended - Alistair Reid
Best Grassroots Motorsport Event - Scottish Sporting Car Club
Engagement Award - Ian McRae
Equity and Inclusion Award - Stuart Gray and Jillian Shedden
Innovation in Motorsport Award - Sandy Burgess
Innovation in Motorsport Award - Highly Commended - Scottish Motor Racing Club
Youth Voice Award - Junior 1000 Ecosse Challenge
Oh, and by the way a ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ was presented to some grumpy auld git who was very shy, but the photographer actually managed to snatch an ‘actual’ photo of this very elusive personage and not some AI generated image as may be portrayed on other media!
Oh and another by the way, if you haven’t been to the revamped museum since its conversion from the ‘Jim Clark Trophy Room’, it is well worth a visit. Very humbling.
There’s a detailed description of the awards with their citations on the SAMSC website and social media pages.
Full details are on the SAMSC website at:
and on their Facebook page at:
https://www.facebook.com/scottishmotorsportsclubs
