The British motor sport community has been urged to respond to a government-backed public consultation on closed-road motor sport, launched today by Maria Miller, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport.
The Motor Sports Association (MSA) has been pushing successive governments to empower local authorities with the right to suspend the Road Traffic Act without having to resort to an Act of Parliament. Such an amendment would open up the way for competitive motor sport events such as stage rallies, sprints and hill climbs to take place on a limited number of British roads, as happens across most of mainland Europe.
Rob Jones, MSA acting chief executive, welcomed the consultation as a huge step forward in its campaign. “This is the news that British motor sport has been waiting for,” he said. “It represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to change the landscape of our sport, allowing local communities across the country to host motor sport events and enjoy all the excitement and economic benefit they bring.
“However, to make that vision a reality we need everybody involved in our sport, from competitors and volunteers to clubs and organisers, to respond positively to the government consultation before the 10 April deadline.”
The Motorcycle Industry Association strongly supports these proposals.
The association said proving such events would be of financial benefit to the local community seems key to a positive outcome and would be necessary in each case where an event was to be held. It is anticipated these could be numerous and motorsports groups are urging enthusiasts to get behind the proposal and make sure their voices are heard by government, describing this as a ‘once in a lifetime opportunity’.
Benefits
• This would put the UK on an equal footing with other European countries and strengthen the UK’s position as a world leader in the motor sport industry, promoting our manufacturing and high tech engineering skills. At the moment 8 out of 11 Formula 1 teams is based in the UK.
• The Motor Sport Industry makes an important contribution to the UK economy, with an estimated annual turnover of £9bn in 2012, employing 41,000 people. This would rise.
• The motor sports industry have provided evidence to show that there could be a demand to hold up to 20 on-road motor sports events around Britain each year, generating up to £40m in income for the host communities during the initial five-year period.
• Opening the roads for motorsport will provide opportunities to volunteer at events and therefore increased social capital. This is a common phenomenon for those currently taking part in family motorsport such as Enduro or Motocross. This will encourage an enhanced sense of community and pride in those areas staging events. These benefits can lead to indirect benefits to local businesses.
Meanwhile, returning to the MSA, it has produced advice and template responses to the consultation questions, available at:
www.msauk.org/uploadedfiles/newsletter/ClosedRoads.pdf
The government consultation document can be accessed at: