Should club racing return in 2020?

Britain is in 'limp mode' due to the COVID-19 pandemic, despite the UK government beginning to relax the lockdown in some areas to provide a life raft for the crippled economy.

Earlier this week, Motorsport UK issued a tranche of new guidelines under the title Getting Back on Track, aimed at enabling its full range of 11 disciplines to be run as early as July.

Back in March, the sport's UK governing body suspended all event permits until 30 June as the virus took hold. Following consultation with constituent clubs and the unveiling of strict safeguards, however, measures to end the lull and signal a potential way forward, subject to UK government and healthcare authority legislation, were outlined on Monday.

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While admitting that "it is understood there will continue to be levels of government restrictions and social distancing in place for a considerable period", events under Motorsport UK's jurisdiction cover a spectrum of disciplines - each with its own set of venues and specialised requirements. Unlike other peripatetic sports, like football, there is no broad 'one size fits all' panacea as so much is different.

"Motorsport, unlike many other sports, takes place in large outdoor environments, so that with practical measures in place, much of motorsport should be able to resume, provided modifications are made to many of the sport's established protocols," says Motorsport UK's roadmap to what the future might look like.

While my principal interest is in circuit racing, the protocols that will need to be put in place for the protection of competitors, marshals and officials is broadly transferrable. The provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) of an approved standard will inevitably fall upon the organising clubs to deliver, but the costs and logistics of purchasing, transporting and distributing this will ultimately be borne by competitors in the form of increased entry fees at an already hugely challenging time.

Electronic race entries are widely practised already, and remote signing-on and car eligibility scrutineering - not safety scrutineering, which must still be 'live' - are eminently feasible, although how working on vehicles packed into enclosed pits could be allowed remains to be seen. Track marshalling, typically in groups, may be less doable, particularly in the scenario of an incident in which a driver, drivers or officials may be injured.

How would assessment of a potentially unconscious person, all-important initial care, extrication and transfer to a circuit's medical centre or hospital be performed with social distancing, for instance?

I have spoken to the 750 Motor Club, the Classic Sports Car Club and the Historic Sports Car Club and they share an overwhelming sense of duty in endeavouring to facilitate racing for their members, in the safest circumstances possible. When they are able to do so, the underlying necessity to amortise the already high cost of putting events on to ensure their own financial survival is fundamental. At present, all are focused on providing short programmes for subscribers this term, albeit with the spectre of substantial losses should the take up be poor.

What is certain is that virtually nobody has escaped a financial battering, whether it be through job loss, business closure or value of pensions or investments

Never have entry numbers been more critical. With the first three months of the mainstream April-October 2020 season erased, it will be extremely difficult - impossible even - to build an operational surplus to see even the leanest of skeleton staff, on which most clubs rely, through the fallow winter to 2021. Filling grids, which the CSCC and Equipe GTS are proving impressively adept at doing, will have to become the norm for survival.

Surveys within clubs to ascertain the likelihood of members intending to race, should the green light be given for events to resume in July as leading circuit group MotorSport Vision is planning towards - are illuminating. There are other underlying issues to take account of too, in that competitors have lost relatives to the virus, or may be committed to caring for vulnerable family members of all ages.

What is certain is that virtually nobody (even individuals of high net worth who own multiple race cars) has escaped a financial battering, whether it be through job loss, business closure or value of pensions or investments. Disposable income is a thing of the past for many.

Without wishing to prejudice particular categories, I'll give you an insight into two of which I have some current knowledge.

One highly proactive single-seater grid organiser recently canvassed its racers on a multi-choice basis. Essentially, he asked were they 'raring to go'; 'prepared to race provided they were satisfied of doing so without compromising health and safety'; or 'not going to compete this year'.

About two-thirds, unsurprisingly including all of the younger set, said 'bring it on'. Those in their 50s and 60s, demonstrating a strong Motorsport UK licence-holder demographic, were not as unequivocal. Meanwhile, in one sportscar class with the largest sub-set of senior racers, not even a handful plan to come out at all.

Once they have sat a season out, or begun to enjoy hitherto rare weekends at home on 'gardening leave', how many will come back when the going is deemed good again? Who knows? It's not just competitors either, for perhaps more importantly the same applies to marshals, many of whom are veterans of decades of enthusiastic service to clubs or circuits of choice. Should they not return to their posts weekend after weekend the future of traditional motor racing will be in jeopardy.

Currently, with some full-time staff stood down on furlough, organising clubs are up against it on all fronts.

Trying to second guess a viable start point for their 2020 programmes is impossible, because any outcome will be entirely decided by external influences. I am told it takes six-eight weeks to organise and fine-tune the form of some events, which overlap at the season's busiest points.

That means finalising timetables (difficult with entries slow to arrive due to uncertainty, although some clubs won't bank fees until an event is 'on'), marshals' rosters, timekeepers, backroom officials and key front-line medical cover now if racing in July is to happen in any sense. Not to mention fully understanding the practicalities of new protocols.

There are rumours that the present closure of Bed & Breakfast establishments, hotels, pubs and restaurants in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus may be relaxed in the coming weeks, but the current lack of accommodation will definitely impinge upon the desire of competitors without motorhomes to take part in multi-day events, even if travel on our currently quiet roads is freer.

To help them, programmes are now being juggled - in some cases to create separate Saturday and Sunday events on weekends. For the orange army, a lack of accommodation could be restrictive for non-locals, thereby reducing numbers.

Another major issue now rearing its head is the desire for circuit owners/operators to reschedule or cancel long-booked fixtures. This starts at the top with Formula 1 but inevitably prioritisation will have widespread unintended knock-on effects elsewhere. The notion of back-to-back F1 races at Silverstone on 23-24 July and 1-2 August is bizarre, but the latter weekend was previously allotted to the Silverstone Classic. Of course those dates are now far from certain after the increased UK travel restrictions were announced.

But 1-2 August is also where the British Touring Car Championship provisionally now opens at Donington Park, and it is slated to continue at Brands Hatch the following weekend, presumably scratching the popular Mini Festival unless the Indy Circuit events can be dovetailed.

By the time the compacted BTCC and British Superbike calendars are shuffled into the pack, can organisers of humble clubbies guarantee anything for their members? The answer, currently, is no. The HSCC is now looking at its Legends of Brands Hatch Superprix on 11-12 July as its season-opener, not knowing whether the number of racers or marshals on the GP circuit will be sufficient in the current climate. Even if the date was set in stone, at least the HSCC, Masters Historic Racing and France's HVM are taking a laudable and pragmatic lead in working together - long overdue across the full gamut of historic events - should MSV be permitted to stage it.

Should an easing of social distancing measures lead to a second wave of cases we're told that the cycle could start again

But therein lies another problem, one not exclusive to that event, because for more than 20 years competitors have travelled from continental Europe to enjoy the annual showpiece on a brilliant drivers' circuit within easy reach of the channel ports. With the announced restriction on freedom to travel without subsequent periods of self-isolation or quarantine it won't work. Reciprocally, it will probably hit numbers at Germany's 48th AVD Oldtimer GP in August, which the local government insists will go ahead, with the return of the three-hour Marathon on the Nordschleife after several years' absence a bonus.

Looking forward to September, how can Goodwood - having already been forced to cancel its Members' Meeting for this year and postpone the Festival of Speed - go ahead with its Revival on a similar basis? Live streaming is hugely popular around the world, but it's not the same as being there. Potentially performing without 120,000 spectators over the three days would be disappointing for competitors too.

Zandvoort, its circuit dramatically remodelled with two exciting banked elements to attract its first F1 race since 1985, has sadly seemingly lost the opportunity but is still focused on its superb Historic GP introducing the revisions to a wider audience the weekend before the Revival.

Hopefully the Spa Six Hours, run annually since 1993, will also go ahead at the end of the month, as one of two historic events there in as many weekends. Portugal's end-of-season gatherings at Estoril and Portimao's magnificent Algarve circuit are definitely on at the time of writing.

On the domestic front, the news is not so cheery. While organisations like Equipe GTS which - having identified a niche market, habitually pack grids as soon as entries are opened - are prepared to take a gamble on provisional replacement dates in the autumn to give their customers some glimmer of hope to look forward to, others have turned down weekends in cold, light-starved November for obvious reasons. But I feel gutted for Castle Combe, whose 70th anniversary season is due to climax with a special two-day Autumn Classic in October, and fellow west country stalwart Thruxton, which both rely on very restricted raceday planning permission to entertain and pay bills.

Despite scientists' wonderful round-the-clock efforts to find a vaccine that will treat the current version of COVID-19, with no hard evidence of its exact means of transmission, the pandemic could go on for months, increasing exposure for heroic NHS employees and other key workers.

Should an easing of social distancing measures - or an increasingly restless element of society becoming bored with lockdown and flaunting the rules - lead to a second wave of cases we're told that the cycle could start again. At that, even the keenest motorsport medics would not be able to commit to their leisure pursuit any time soon.

No doctors means no events.

As a lifelong racing fanatic committed to reporting and commentating on motorsport for 43 years, I don't wish to be overly pessimistic. Whatever the risk assessments are regarding the R number (the coefficient of person-to-person COVID-19 infection) however, my overriding responsibility is to stay safe and help feed my family in unprecedented times.

No doubt many of you feel similarly, thus the prospect of drawing a line through UK motorsport in 2020 and coming back as a stronger community in 2021 has considerable appeal.

Mention of this possible scenario to numerous people working within the wider sport, fulfilling different roles and aspirations in its professional and amateur strata, has certainly been thought-provoking.

It has also elicited a surprisingly positive response. Nobody is expecting a quick fix but, if Motorsport UK took the initiative to pull the plug on club sport now, rather than having to constantly reassess and react to a force of great magnitude with a moving goal, I suspect it would be broadly applauded for responsible governance - and paint the sport, often seen as 'an easy target', in a good light in the public eye.

Whatever happens, the landscape of British motorsport will be changed forever at this pivotal point in its history. When racing is cleared to resume, it is imperative that clubs look to the future with open minds, resolved to consult more closely with worried circuit owners currently sitting on very quiet assets, and their lifeblood competitors. It may not seem ideal right now, but if that's next year, so be it. I guarantee fewer and better events will satisfy subscribers and help balance the books, alongside a greater number of trackdays, which are easier to sell and sustain.

If that has the side benefit of bringing spectators back through the circuit's gates - engaging families now more accustomed to enjoying weekends together - and providing breathing space for a national recovery would that be all bad?