Getting Motorsport Back on Track a Proposal for Restarting Motorsport
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RevolutionMay 2020 The official magazine of GETTING MOTORSPORT BACK ON TRACK A PROPOSAL FOR RESTARTING MOTORSPORT FEATURE FEATURE FEATURE MOTORSPORT MOTORSPORT UK MOTORSPORT MEDICS ON THE ELECTRIFIES INNOVATES IN FRONTLINE THE FUTURE LOCKDOWN PLUS + NEWS + CLUB CORNER + RESULTS + WHAT’S ON Serious Products ® Regardless of whether you are ghting for championship glory, or just racing for fun, racing is a serious business. You want to maximise and improve your performance as a driver but are you neglecting to unlock the full potential of your race car? Sunoco Race Fuels and Driven Racing Oil are about getting maximum power from your engine, whilst minimising failures. Preserving power and, due to reduced wear, saving money on engine rebuilds. Serious racers use serious products. Put Driven Racing Oil and Sunoco Race Fuels on your list for the 2020 season ® Anglo American Oil Company +44 (0) 1929 551557 www.aaoil.co.uk CEO’s MESSAGE Hugh Chambers “Our community is resilient and passionate, and we will re-emerge from the crisis stronger and more determined than ever” A little over two months ago motorsport pure human resolve. Annemarie Harris Much of motorsport as we know it is in the UK, and worldwide, ground to is a paramedic with the East of England a purely amateur activity, with a small a halt. I don’t know about you, but for Ambulance Trust and a member of Cam number of professional drivers, but that me it feels a lifetime ago. In that time, Rescue, and since the pandemic she hobby level sport is reliant on a vast everything that we had taken for granted has been transferred into a critical care network of people and businesses for in our daily lives has been thrown up in role, which is a challenge in itself, but whom motorsport is their livelihood. the air and reframed through the lens she has also now gained a Masters in Whether it is component manufacturers, of COVID-19. It has often been said that critical care which as she says “will work circuit owners, teams, technicians or the the British character is at its strongest well for rallies to come”. Our community people running the canteen at Brands when backs are against the wall, and is resilient and passionate, and we will Hatch – they all earn a living from the I think that our national spirit is best re-emerge from the crisis stronger and sport. Overall the sport employs around symbolised by Captain Tom Moore more determined than ever. 40,000 people and has a contribution (shortly to be Sir Tom), who it turns out to the economy of some £10 billion. As the prevalence of the disease begins is a lifelong motorsport fan and has Motorsport UK has a responsibility to to wane, if not its social and economic been for seventy years! But perhaps we get the sport running again, not just for impact, so everyone’s attention is drawn shouldn’t be surprised that Tom would our collective enjoyment, but for the to the resumption of normal life. I think connect with motorsport, for our sport sake of these people who may be facing that there is a broad acceptance that we exhibits the same spirit of ‘can-do’ and a bleak future. are not simply going to be able to go innovation that he symbolises. back to the way things were before, and It is our absolute priority to get In this edition of the magazine we have there will be a redefining of what exactly motorsport restarted in the UK as a feature on the ways in which our normal looks like. And motorsport is no quickly as we can. But of course, there is industry is using one of its core skills, different. We are all going to have to a huge caveat to that simple statement, that of inventiveness, to help society work together to get back on track, while in that we can only do so when it is beat the pandemic. Part of that has been adopting new ways of operating and safe and appropriate. The overarching engineering designs and contributions, behaving. But there is no doubt at all framework we need to operate within illustrated by Williams, who have that the very nature of motorsport means is dictated by the government, for the focused their efforts on resolving the that we will find solutions, and we will restrictions we face are not just advisory supply chain issues with ventilators; be able to enjoy the sport which we all measures, but laws of the land and we but much of what has been achieved is are so passionate about. must respect that fact. But we don’t Revolution - May 2020 3 CEO’s MESSAGE “I am really proud of the work that we have done in lobbying government take all this at face value and assume the worst, in fact the contrary is true. and making a case, not just for our I am really proud of the work that we have done in lobbying government sport, but all sports, for how we can (the Department for Culture, Media and Sport) and making a case, not just resume activity” for our sport, but all sports, for how stakeholders. The execution of the it is the medics and emergency teams, we can resume activity. I don’t envy guidelines is something that event marshals and officials, or the legion of the government in trying to strike the organisers, venue owners, officials helpers and spanner men and women right balance between keeping society and competitors are all going to need that populate every event we run. And safe (and primarily our extraordinary to adapt and adopt to their own very the glue for much of that is our club NHS, care home and support workers) specific situations. Ultimately the rules network, with over 700 across the UK. alongside reigniting the economy. But and regulations of the sport are set out As we announced last month, we have our job as Motorsport UK is to make in the Blue Book, and we need to adhere set up a Continuity Fund of £1m for our case and make it loudly so that we to them, but with a new execution. We the specific purpose of ensuring that are heard amongst the overwhelming know that there is no precedent for this critical infrastructure does not pressure from all of society seeking what is happening, and we all have to fail. We need to be certain we have their own resolutions from Whitehall. react according to the best information the resource and capability to restart I think we have achieved that well we have at the time. So, this work is not when the time is right. We have already with the work we have published this set in stone, it will evolve and respond, begun to make awards, and we welcome week on our website. The ‘Getting Back in main, to the government’s approach applications from those that are facing on Track’ programme has been the and laws. And that is why we need your real difficulties. But as our club survey work of dozens of people, across the help. has shown (and summarised on pages whole spectrum of the sport, working Everyone needs to embrace this phase 10 and 11), the majority of the clubs are tirelessly to produce our own road map. in the spirit of collaboration and going to weather this storm and we will Whether it is Jonathan Palmer using his seeking the art of the possible. We need be able to rely on their strength when vast experience with racing venues, or to work together to find solutions, not we need it. our CMO Dr Paul Trafford, or members sit on the sidelines and complain that Finally, I would like to end with a of our legal team, representatives something doesn’t work – we need specific thank you to all of the members from all eleven sport disciplines, they your help in figuring out a better way of our community that work in the NHS, have all deployed their experience for initiatives that maybe in practice in care roles and support for health in documenting how we can restart are a little flawed. Please give us your in our society. You are simply amazing motorsport. The FIA has commended feedback and ideas, they are always in what you are doing, and we are the UK on the lead we have taken with welcome. immensely grateful. Thank you, be safe this and we were invited to present the I mentioned the huge army of and let’s get racing and rallying again contents of our plan via a webinar to people who fuel the infrastructure of soon. over 150 countries worldwide. motorsport as their livelihoods – but But one thing we need to be very clear we are also massively dependent on an Kind regards, about is that this is not a blueprint, equally important group who do this Hugh Chambers it is strictly a guideline for all of our on a purely voluntary basis, whether CEO, Motorsport UK Revolution - May 2020 5 Motorsport UK Fuel savings available electrifies the future with yourEurope 2 Valid 00/00 ESSO CARD 5 2 FREE FUEL1 136 CARD Apply for yours today at www.essocard.com/motorsportuk National 2 Valid 00/00 ESSO CARD 5 2 1 136 DO YOU REQUIRE FUEL CARDS DO YOU WANT FUEL CARDS FOR A BUSINESS? FOR PERSONAL USE? The Esso Card™ can offer you The UK Fuels Card can offer you • Save on average 5p on Esso Synergy fuels* • Save on average 5p on diesel fuel* and half a • The Esso Card™ gives you access to over 3,400 sites, penny off Tesco fuels including all BP and Shell sites • The UK Fuels Card™ gives you access to over 2,300 • HMRC complaint invoices, helping you reduce sites, including supermarkets such as Tesco and your administration Morrison’s and certain Esso, Shell and BP stations • Collect Nectar loyalty points – fill up at a • Detailed invoices: Showing you where you’ve participating Esso branded service stations fuelled, how much you’ve spent and the savings you’ve made • Manage your fuel expenditure easily, with weekly Direct Debit payments • Manage your fuel expenditure easily, with weekly Direct Debit payments *Terms and conditions apply, visit www.essocard.com/motorsportuk for full details CONTENTS In this issue: getting motorsport back on track, Cover story: Motorsport UK’s new framework for electrified Getting competition, the motorsport medics adapting motorsport their skills to the fight against COVID-19 and how back on track the industry’s expertise and spirit for innovation is being turned to new ends to help healthcare workers in the pandemic.