Motorsport UK has announced that in anticipation of motorsport restarting in the UK from 4 July, it is inviting permit applications from 1 June.

Motorsport is currently suspended throughout the UK until 30 June 2020. Following ongoing positive dialogue with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and having set out its strategy and anticipated conditions for restarting motorsport disciplines, the governing body is now moving to its next phase of getting the sport back on track.

Any resumption of motorsport is contingent on event organisers demonstrating that they can plan in accordance with the guidelines of Motorsport UK, while respecting government guidance on social distancing.

Motorsport UK is also acutely aware that different devolved territories of the UK may be moving at different paces in easing restrictions; any application for an event permit will be subject to approval based on the prevailing government advice. The move is also contingent on governments continuing with measures to open up society and that further restrictions resultant of any additional waves of COVID-19 are not required.

David Richards, chairman of Motorsport UK, commented, “In March, Motorsport UK moved quickly and in line with government to suspend motorsport, while everyone’s priority was restricting the spread of this terrible disease and protecting the NHS. It is now right that, as government has set out plans to ease restrictions, we move in step and introduce the next stage of our phased restart. Unlike many sports, motorsport in the UK is an industry in itself, employing tens of thousands and contributing billions of pounds to the UK economy.”

“We always said that, when the conditions were right, we would take a responsible decision to resume motorsport in order to sustain the sport, jobs and the economy. We have explained our plans to government and are fortunate that motorsport takes place outdoors over large controlled spaces. Our plan is that, subject to government advice and ongoing lifting of restrictions, motorsport will resume from 4 July. We are making this announcement now as event organisers, venues, preparation specialists, the supply chain, volunteer Marshals, Officials and Competitors all need time to put in place their plans.”

There will be a number of caveats of granting event permits, including that event organisers commit that their events will be held behind closed doors, appropriate PPE requirements are met, and that each organiser must appoint a COVID-19 officer to ensure compliance with any relevant guidelines. Furthermore, there will be a limit on the number of permits issued for July to 50% of those in the corresponding month of 2019, in order that there are sufficient volunteer Official and Marshal resources available to support the restart in a safe and responsible manner. No national or British championship events will take place in July to reduce potential national and international travel (excludes FIA championships).

To find out more about Motorsport UK – visit motorsportuk.org

MOTORSPORT IRELAND RALLY CHAMPIONSHIPS CANCELLED

Due to the current situation regarding COVID-19, both the National Stages Rally Championship and the National Forestry Rally Championship are cancelled for 2020.

This decision has been taken as a result of several rounds of both championships being cancelled due to the restrictions which we now live under. Even though some events may run later this year, no event will hold National Championship status for 2020.

Motorsport Ireland would like to acknowledge the large amount of work put into both championships by the respective championship sub-commissions and the Rally Commission as a whole. Many of the rounds were fully organised and we thank the clubs for the huge effort that they have put into their events, hopefully some of them may run this year. We would also like to thank the championship sponsors for their continued support over many years, Triton for the National Stages Rally Championship and Valvoline for the National Forestry Rally Championship, along with many other associate sponsors.

Further News

Omagh MC confirmed yesterday (18.5.20) that the annual Bushwhacker Rally has been cancelled while the RallyNuts Stages which had already been re-scheduled to August was cancelled on Monday.

As Motorsport UK release their latest “Getting Motorsport Back on Track” statement – It looks like the resumption of rallies is a long way off. The most restrictive of the of the recommendations is regarding co-drivers and reads “Vehicle Sharing/ Passengers/ Co-drivers – It is unlikely that vehicle sharing, passengers or co-drivers will be permitted while social distancing is to be respected”.