How Brexit has changed club racing

Brexit. It seems a long time since this was the forefront concern in many peoples’ minds – the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine have ensured that. As other matters of life and death have dominated the headlines, the challenges posed by the UK’s exit from the European Union can easily be forgotten. Given the topsy-turvy nature of the past few years, some of those problems are still being discovered. And that is the case when it comes to the impact of Brexit on club racing.

At the start of last year, when laws actually changed – as the transition period following the UK’s departure from the EU at the end of January 2020 concluded – governing body Motorsport UK issued advice about competing in Europe. It stated that those wishing to transport their car across the continent would need to apply for an ATA Carnet – an international customs document that acts as a passport for goods being temporarily transported. The cost of this is made up of a processing fee (negotiated to a reduced £240+VAT) and a premium, either a refundable 40% deposit of the car’s value or a non-refundable insurance payment to cover the deposit’s amount. In other words, competing in Europe was going to cost quite a bit more than it once did.

But, as with anything to do with the B-word, the situation is far from clear cut. Motorsport UK has been seeking government guidance for more than a year to ascertain exactly where our sport, particularly amateur competition, fits into post-Brexit border policies. To complicate the situation, the pandemic and its travel restrictions have meant far fewer people have even been contemplating competing abroad, meaning reduced numbers putting new procedures to the test.

However, what has subsequently become clear is Carnets are seemingly not necessary in all cases. The latest online Motorsport UK Q&A states: “If the vehicle is road-registered and road legal and you are transporting the vehicle yourself, you should not need a Carnet provided you can demonstrate ownership.”

The interest in club racing returning to Europe has been high after the COVID-19 pandemic

Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images

This is also what the Classic Sports Car Club has been suggesting, based on anecdotal evidence. The club’s treasurer Richard Wos spoke to 16 British drivers during last year’s Spa Six Hours meeting, all of which were private drivers and did not have a Carnet. Of these, 15 passed through customs without query, and the one who was stopped for a random check showed paperwork for his tow vehicle, trailer and race car along with a letter highlighting the Spa Six Hours was an amateur racing contest. He was therefore wished good luck and sent on his way.

The CSCC is therefore advising those transporting their own road-legal cars they do not need a Carnet, and even those with cars that are not road legal, but being raced on a non-professional basis (government guidance makes specific reference to “professional” when discussing Carnets), are unlikely to need one.

"The feedback we’ve had is there’s as much interest as ever to get back to racing at Spa. So there’s an attitude of ‘let’s do it while we can’" David Smitheram

“It’s how you present yourself and your tow vehicle – that you are an amateur, attending a sporting event, in a race car that you own,” says CSCC director David Smitheram. “Your paperwork should be in order, showing your return crossing and you have an entry in a race with no prize money. If you haven’t got 30 brand-new tool kits in the boot, you’re going to give the impression you’re not a commercial entity and you’re going to be bringing this vehicle back. It’s the same principle as towing your caravan for a holiday in France.”

Not all clubs are quite so sure, however. “I see no evidence to suggest a Carnet is not required,” says Historic Sports Car Club CEO Andy Dee-Crowne, pointing out there has been no change in the law in the past 12 months. “Our advice to all is to get a Carnet.” Ultimately, with or without a Carnet, there is always the threat of an overly picky official causing trouble on the border. But, what is agreed, is those racing professionally or transporting multiple cars as part of a team will need a Carnet.

Confusion about needing a Carnet for racing in Europe has not helped the situation

Photo by: Steve Jones

Regardless of the Carnet situation, perhaps the more fundamental question is whether there is still an appetite to race in Europe after two years where many have rediscovered the joy of UK circuits. When planning the 2022 calendar, Smitheram admits to wondering if “2019 was the high-water mark” for racing abroad. “But the feedback we’ve had is there’s as much interest as ever to get back to racing at Spa,” he says. “They see Spa as one of the best circuits to visit in the world. The internal combustion engine in motorsport is probably going to change quite dramatically in the next five-10 years so there’s an attitude of ‘let’s do it while we can’.”

It is a similar story with the HSCC – where its Historic Formula 2 series, for example, is back to a European calendar. “The early signs suggest there’s a lot of interest from those members to go abroad and race at the prestige circuits,” says Dee-Crowne.

Some organisers have not felt confident enough in the global health situation to add overseas events back to their schedules. After all, it only takes a COVID-19 resurgence in a country that then closes its borders to cast further doubt. Ultimately, Dee-Crowne feels it will take “a couple of years” before British drivers start competing in Europe in pre-pandemic numbers. And it still remains to be seen what the true impact of Brexit, and its rules regarding travel, will be.