New judicial process for UK motorsport
The Motor Sports Council has approved the wording of revised regulations governing the UK motorsport judicial system, which will now come into force on January 1, 2005. The new rules follow a complete review of the MSA's eligibility, investigatory, disciplinary and appeals processes that was led by solicitor and F1 steward Tony Scott-Andrews, the chairman of the MSA's Judicial Advisory Panel.
Among the key points covered by the new regulations, the National Court, appointed by the MSC, will become the final tier of appeal in all cases. It will also exercise the functions of Disciplinary Tribunal, Investigatory Tribunal and Eligibility Appeal panel. The stewards of the Royal Automobile Club will be invited to sit on it, and there will not be any additional level of appeal beyond the National Court, this to avoid uncertainty and delay.
The MSA, Britain's ASN, will appoint a Disciplinary Officer to advise on disciplinary action in the respect of any breach of the regulations.
In an attempt to have more issues settled on the day of an event, the only grounds for lodging an appeal against the Stewards of the Meeting will be that a gross miscarriage of justice has occurred, or that the penalty imposed is wholly inappropriate to the breach of regulations. The National Court will decide within 10 days if an appeal meets either of these criteria and, if so, will arrange for the National Court to be convened. There will be no right of appeal to the National Court for third parties not involved in the original incident.
"It has been a very interesting task," said Scott-Andrews. "There's no doubt that the previous system was not perfect but, in reworking it, we have to ensure we're absolutely watertight legally."
The MSA's CEO, Colin Hilton, noted: "In many areas, this is a radical overhaul, but we now have a much more effective system which should make a big contribution to improving UK motorsport for participants, spectators and officials."
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 5
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 3
How to Stay Out of Crashes
This Week with Will Buxton: Episode 1
The one-time Schumacher rival rebooting his career Down Under
Joey Mawson made waves in the middle of the last decade, beating future Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher - among other highly-rated talents - to the 2016 German F4 title. A run in F1's feeder GP3 category only caused his career to stall, but now back in Australia Mawson's S5000 title success has set that to rights
The lesson football’s would-be wreckers could learn from racing
OPINION: The greed-driven push for a European Super League that threatened to tear football apart is collapsing at the seams. Motor racing's equivalent, the football-themed Superleague Formula series of 2008-11, was everything that the proposed ESL never could be
The F1 and Indy 'nearly man' that found contentment in Japan
Having had the door to F1 slammed in his face and come within three laps of winning the Indianapolis 500, the collapse of a Peugeot LMP1 shot meant Japan was Bertrand Baguette's last chance of a career. But it's one which he has grasped with both hands
The female all-rounder who arrived "too early"
From Formula 3 to truck racing, Dakar and EuroNASCAR via a winning stint in the DTM, there's not much Ellen Lohr hasn't seen in a stellar racing career that highlights the merit in being a generalist. But she believes her career came too early...
How Radical's latest machines fare on track
The lightweight sportscar manufacturer has not rewritten the rulebook with its latest machines, but the new SR3 XX and SR10 still provide a step forward on its previous successful models
The real-life racing rogues stranger than fiction
The forthcoming Netflix film linking the world of underworld crime and motorsport plays on a theme that isn't exactly new. Over the years, several shady figures have attempted to make it in racing before their dubious dealings caught up with them
How a GP is thriving in a COVID-free territory
The New Zealand Grand Prix's mix of rising talent and big-name stars thrilled the crowds (yes, remember crowds?) assembled for the Toyota Racing Series meeting at Hampton Downs last weekend and left distant observers craving a repeat
How a much-changed Macau GP kept the party going
OPINION: The 67th edition of the Macau Grand Prix might have been a largely muted affair to the outside world without its international influx and star line-ups, another victim to the COVID-19 pandemic, but organisers deserve huge credit for keeping the party going
