COMPANY Report & 2008 Group Financial
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the Royal Automobile Club MOTOR SPORTS HOUSE TELEPHONE 01753 765000 MOtOR sPORts AssOCiAtiON ltd RIVERSIDE PARK FACSIMILE 01753 682938 2009 COLNBROOK SL3 0HG WEBSITE WWW.MSAUK.ORG COMPANY RePORt & 2008 gROuP fiNANCiAl stAteMeNts ENGLAND The Royal Automobile Club Motor Sports Association Limited MOTOR SPORTS AssOCIATION Company RepoRt 2009 01 CHIEF Executive’S MEssaGE excellent British Grand Prix on an while also ensuring that their unfamiliar June date. Where the educational needs are met. It’s an event is held next year is up to ambitious project that has been others to decide, but the MSA will incredibly well received and you continue to play an active role in will find more about it within these ensuring that a British Grand Prix pages. is retained in 2010 and beyond. The third element of the Whole At the start of 2009 we forecast a Sport Plan is the investment we The past twelve months have been small drop in licence applications make in the infrastructure of the perhaps the busiest and most and event entries, particularly at sport, whether in people or productive of any I have witnessed the grass roots level and this has facilities, and despite the current at the Motor Sports Association. So proved fairly accurate with falls of economic situation we must much has happened that we can between 5% and 10% being seen continue to push forward in this look back with great satisfaction at so far. However, some disciplines area. The MSA enjoys a worldwide what has been achieved this year. are bucking the trend; autotest and reputation for excellence rallycross are growing, while the particularly in terms of training and It has also been a challenging year popularity of historic motor sport has recently been awarded economically for all of us but, while continues to increase. substantial funding to run a series it is still too early to call the end of of international safety seminars in Never has it been more important the downturn or its impact, there partnership with the FIA Institute. has still been some good news and to have a clear strategy for the encouraging signs from development of the sport and you We have come a long way in twelve unexpected quarters. will read in this publication about months and it is impossible to do the MSA’s new Whole Sport justice to any of it in just a few Interest in motor sport continues to Development Plan. It is a hugely words. We have also made grow and although much of that significant milestone for the significant progress in other areas may be fuelled by the success of governing body; it brings us into such as licensing, public affairs Lewis and Jenson in Formula 1, we line with other sports and will be and the increasingly important must recognise that the associated instrumental in assisting our issue of the environment. media attention has positive efforts to grow the sport, invest in I hope that this publication will spin-offs for the rest of the sport. its infrastructure and identify provide a fuller picture of the Let’s Go Karting venues are promising talent. reporting great interest and we are breadth of activity with which the seeing an increase in people taking Part of that strategy continues to MSA is involved. Perhaps it will ARKS tests; these young people be the Go Motorsport project which also give a greater understanding are being inspired to get involved is playing a major role in attracting and appreciation of the significant with our sport as a result of what new people to the sport. The recent successes that we are enjoying, they are seeing on television and in recruitment of eight Regional although we recognise that we still the press. Development Officers allows the have a long way to go. motor sport message to be taken As ever, the MSA could not begin to Consequently, the importance of directly to people in their locality. achieve any of this without the maintaining major international We are confident that theR DOs will dedication of its staff and the events in the UK has never been build strong relationships with the commitment of the thousands of greater. That is why, when IMS and clubs and associations in their area volunteers and officials involved in the Welsh Assembly were involved so that the sport can be a little the sport. I would like to take this in a contractual dispute, the MSA more co-ordinated in the way it opportunity to thank them all for took the decision to underwrite the attracts new members. costs of running the 2009 Rally of their efforts, without which none of Great Britain. At the time of writing, Likewise, the MSA Academy the successes in this publication it is still unclear whether an concept that has been put together would be possible. agreement can be reached, but the by MSA Performance Director MSA will be able to step in, if Robert Reid finally completes the required, largely as a result of the structure that began with the Rally Colin N Hilton financial prudence that we have Elite programme four years ago. Chief Executive exercised in recent years. The MSA Academy provides a clear pathway for competitors from the Motor Sports Association Silverstone can rarely have looked age of 8 years old right through to better than it did earlier this world championship level, summer when we enjoyed an providing training and development 02 MOTOR SPORTS AssOCIATION Company RepoRt 2009 MOTOR SPORTS AssOCIATION Company RepoRt 2009 03 CHAIRMAn’S MEssaGE In fact the opposite is true. We have Never before has the MSA invested more than £2m back into undertaken so much work in the the sport over the last three years implementation of strategies and to continue to contribute positively whole sport marketing to our sport’s health and on-going programmes. In my opinion, it is development – for everyone’s exactly what a pro-active governing benefit. body should be doing and positions the MSA rightly at the heart of our The MSA has been investing in its sport. Looking back, it has been another Elite talent development great twelve months for British programme for the last four years. Amid the new projects, however, motor sport – both domestically Now that this has expanded into we will never lose sight of the and around the world – starting the MSA Academy, there is even administrative and regulatory role with that most extraordinary final more to be achieved and the new that we provide to the sport and the lap in Brazil, which gave us ‘Advanced Apprenticeship in Motor MSA continues to make great Britain’s ninth F1 World Champion, Sport’ not only trains the most strides year on year in this respect. Lewis Hamilton. promising 16-18 year olds, but it Under the leadership of Colin gives them a solid qualification that Lewis’ achievements, followed by Hilton and Andrew Coe, the recognises the huge amount that Jenson’s fabulous season, Executive and their staff within the they learn in the heat of underline the fundamental MSA and IMS respectively continue competitive motor sport. importance of having success on to ensure that the companies are the international stage; it creates The Go Motorsport initiative that effectively and efficiently run.O n heroes, role models and was started last year continues to behalf of the Board, my thanks go aspirations for others to follow. It’s drive the sport forwards, providing to all of them. no coincidence that we have seen a the first ever general marketing A year ago, I was confident that the huge surge in karting interest over and PR campaign for British motor MSA would be making further the last 18 months. sport; in fact we understand it’s the great strides in the coming year. I first of its type in the world of So, clearly, we can see that the top am delighted to admit that even I motor sport. The PR and media end of the sport helps to fuel the have been surprised by the rate of coverage alone has reached bottom – and, likewise, the strong change and development in the millions of people to date and we grass-roots element of our sport past year. have solid plans for developing Go provides a bigger gene pool from Motorsport in the future. which will come our future stars. Yes, these are challenging times, but I don’t doubt for a moment that And that’s precisely the reason why Similarly, the MSA’s Let’s Go British motor sport is incredibly the MSA continues to invest heavily Karting initiative is having a major well-equipped and very able to at all levels of our sport…for its impact at grass roots levels with meet those challenges. And long-term growth and success. thousands of young children having no-one should underestimate the their first taste of karting at 20 Of course the main subject for commitment of the MSA to venues across the country, for just discussion this year has been the continue to lead and invest in our a ‘fiver’…and that’s a really great challenging economic situation sport, both in the good and the message to be sending out about and we have seen that motor sport tough times. the accessibility of our sport. is certainly not immune from it, at all levels. However, the MSA will not be cutting back on its activities Alan J Gow or initiatives, particularly at such a crucial time when the sport needs Chairman our resources more than ever.