The FIM (Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme) controls the rules and regulations for two-wheeled motorsport. However, the international body also advocates for motorcycling more broadly, covering safety, licensing, and other statutory matters.
The UK’s National Motorcyclists Council (NMC) has recently been participating in the FIM’s 2024 Commission’s Conference, taking a British voice to the international meeting alongside 380 other delegates. The three-day conference covered topics including a sound reduction campaign, phase two of the helmets’ homologation programme, airbags, and concussion detection and management. Updates on the competitions featuring motorcycles with electric and internal combustion engines, as well as on the E-bike Technical Steward seminar were shared. The first ever FIM Medical Summit was also held on day two of the conference.
Craig Carey-Clinch, executive director at the NMC, is a member of the FIM’s Commission for Mobility (CPM), where he represents the Auto Cycle Union (ACU) and the NMC as part of the joint partnership between the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations (FEMA), FIM Europe and the NMC. The commission defends the rights of motorcyclists as citizens and consumers. The commission also deals with the safety of riders on the road and the quality and safety of products used in motorcycling. It advises FIM management – particularly in relation to international and EU law, which increasingly affects motorcycling. It also supports the Continental Unions and National Federations of the FIM, and riders in general, in dealing with national governments and agencies. It also has a major role in the promotion of rider training. The ACU is also strongly represented on other FIM commissions. Got all that?
Carey-Clinch said: “This was an intensive two days of dynamic discussions about a range of issues which affect riders internationally and are often very similar country to country. It was an opportunity to exchange best practices, experiences and public affairs strategies from both global and regional groupings and individual countries. With 2024 being an election year in so many places around the world, this was clearly an important session, as motorcycle sports organisations and riders groups continue to develop plans for the future.”