Inside Motorsport UK's plans for a 'sustainable' future
The UK's motorsport governing body explains why there's more to its raft of changes than a cash-grab and shares its plans to grow the sport into the next decade
Higher licence fees and permit costs are the changes that have grabbed people's attention in 2020, but there is far more to Motorsport UK's plans than that. Here, the governing body talks Autosport through the bigger picture.
When Motorsport UK's licences were restructured in November, you announced a new investment strategy. How would you summarise it?
It has been a year of major changes at Motorsport UK and the investment strategy is part of a new economic model that will allow us to deliver on the new objectives of Motorsport UK, and so it is all geared towards creating a sustainable future for the sport.
The investment strategy focuses on four pillars of investment: member and club development to give our members a better experience and support clubs; sport promotion to maximise the public visibility of motorsport; education and training to ensure competitors, marshals and officials are world-leading in their expertise; and sport innovation to ensure we are looking to the future.
Do members get anything as well as their race licence when they join Motorsport UK?
Introducing a comprehensive benefits package for members has been a major change that we have focused on over the last two years. It provides enhanced insurance cover for competitors and aims to reduce the costs of competing via discounts with brands such as Pirelli and Halfords.
It's a long list of partners and, while it may not save every single member money, the feedback has broadly been very positive and most members could easily save the cost of their licence by using the benefits.
Are steps being taken to reach out to a broader audience?
Absolutely. One of the main steps we've taken is to introduce a new membership called Trackside, which is aimed at motorsport fans rather than competitors. It is still early days as it launched midway through 2019 but we're confident that it's a great product.
It offers almost all of the licence holder benefits package, so at £24.99 it's really easy to recover the membership cost, but the main benefit is an array of behind-the-scenes tours and access that are exclusive to Trackside members.
These are proving very popular, and are right up the street of any motorsports enthusiast, for example the opportunity for factory tours at McLaren or rally team tours at M-Sport or Prodrive. Our digital magazine, called Revolution, was originally only available to our licensed members, but is now available for anyone to download to broaden the reach of our messaging.
We need to engage more effectively with the grassroots competitor, to encourage repeat participation and create a closer relationship for the licence holder
Alongside there being more activity on social media and via the Motorsport UK website, we certainly have a lot more content being pushed out to engage the motorsport community. We will also be on the road with a promotional unit to engage the motorsport community, meet members and publicise Trackside membership.
We've just attended the Autosport show at the NEC with our biggest stand ever and will be at other events through the year such as Race Retro, Silverstone Classic and various British Touring Car Championship events.
Motorsport UK introduced a new free licence type in its recent licence restructure. What were the reasons behind this?
The licence you're referring to is called the RS Clubman licence. In some respects, this was also about broadening Motorsport UK's membership, in the sense that we need to engage more effectively with the grassroots competitor, to encourage repeat participation and create a closer relationship for the licence holder with the sport.
It was also largely driven by the need to understand who was competing with Motorsport UK insurance - previously competitors at many Motorsport UK club events were competing with our insurance but we had no idea who they were, or their medical status, which of course couldn't be continued.
The RS Clubman licence removes an initial cost of competing, by also replacing a previous paid-for licence, and, as part of our new economic model, it puts the emphasis on pay-as-you-play, where the competitor's contribution comes from the permit fee.
Do you think it is important to engage the younger generation? Does Motorsport UK have a significant role to play in this in your opinion?
While walking around the recent Autosport show we were delighted to see the excitement in the younger generation who'd gone along with their parents.
That sense of inspiration is so important, and if you visited the Motorsport UK stand you will have seen we were showcasing 'the karting pathway redefined', and this will be a key focus for us as an organisation. Karting is not only a sport in its own right, but a key motorsport entry point for all ages, particularly children.
If we are to drive participation in the sport, it is essential that karting gets the attention it deserves, all the way from indoor karting to the British Kart championships. Of course, you can make similar arguments for the most accessible forms of the sport for adults, such as autosolos and autotests.
Many people won't realise that you can turn up with your own car and take part in motorsport, hence one of the barriers we must overcome is the perception of prohibitive costs.
Does Motorsport UK run any championships itself?
Historically this wasn't something we managed as a governing body but we recently brought the British Rally Championship 'in-house', and last year we did the same with the British Kart championships, which reflects the importance we believe karting has in fuelling motorsport participation.
It is a large undertaking to run a championship in-house but we have the expertise to do it and can ensure the championships receive the publicity they deserve. There is also a new karting championship for 2020 which has just been announced.
We are partnering with TeamSport to deliver the British Indoor Karting Championship. Teamsport own 35 indoor tracks across the UK and the premise of the championship is that anyone can enter a time in the competition, regardless of their standard.
The quickest times progress to subsequent rounds but it is a great example of an accessible form of competition that can excite the public.
You are moving your HQ to Bicester later this year. Why?
The whole concept of Bicester Motion provides the perfect backdrop for us to deliver on our vision of a nation inspired by the past, present and future of motorsport. The move to Bicester is a clear symbol of the ambition of Motorsport UK.
The relocation is designed to be cost-neutral, so it is a fantastic opportunity for Motorsport UK
There are clear synergies between the objectives of Motorsport UK and Bicester Motion, particularly in terms of engaging the public with motorsport.
Not only does it make perfect sense geographically, but the relocation is designed to be cost-neutral, so it is a fantastic opportunity for Motorsport UK to make a move that is long overdue.
The location, in the heart of 'Motorsport Valley', will allow us greater access to the motorsport talent pool, and enable us to more effectively develop our commercial relationships, as well as being logistically more suitable for the governance of the sport.
There are exciting development plans at Bicester Motion and we're very much looking forward to the move.
Motorsport UK's Talent Development Pathway and Academy
Motorsport UK's talent pathway exists to enable drivers to follow in the footsteps of McLaren Formula 1 driver Lando Norris or World Rally winner Elfyn Evans, become the next Jamie Chadwick or navigate their way into the world of co-driving.
The Motorsport UK Academy is the pinnacle of Motorsport UK's talent development pathway and aims to equip the most promising young drivers with the knowledge, skills and attitude needed to maximise their performance.
The Academy provides free, independent and informed guidance to help young drivers unlock their full potential as athletes.
While the Academy develops the skills required to be a leading driver or co-driver, it also allows personal development and education opportunities.
This ensures that athletes are provided with the tools they need to be successful at the top level, whether as a driver, co-driver or in another motorsport role.
Aligning to the competitor's development pathway, there are plans to design and implement a Motorsport UK Academy coaching development pathway. The aim is to provide a comprehensive approach for developing coaches from grassroots to elite level.
The coach education pathway will map the learner journey from an 'introduction to coaching' right through to the more advanced qualifications required to develop performance right at the top level.
If you are aged between 15-25 and are serious about pursuing a career in motorsport, you can head to the 'Academy' page via 'The Sport' tab on the Motorsport UK website. Here you will find information on:
Marshalling
Volunteer marshals are an integral part of the sport. It's a cliche, but still true, to say that without them dedicating their time to helping out, motorsport events wouldn't take place.
If you'd like to see what marshalling is all about, you can attend a taster day, where you can experience a day in the life of a marshal.
The British Motorsport Marshals Club (BMMC) offers many taster days and is a great point of contact if you're looking to get involved.
You can also register with Motorsport UK as a marshal in race, specialist, speed, kart, and rally and cross-country disciplines.
Becoming a registered Motorsport UK Marshal not only gives you access to Motorsport UK's member benefits programme, it also provides the opportunity to work through a grading scheme and develop your skills by attending training days and gaining on-event experience.
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