New regulations for 'teams' from next year

[Rockatansky]

Is anyone else aware that Motorsport UK are amending all UK Championship regulations to include the following??


1.3.3 Teams must be in possession of a valid Motorsport UK Entrants licence
A Team shall at all times uphold and respect the provisions of the Code, the General Regulations and these Championship Regulations as may be amended from time to time and shall;
(a) hold a valid Motorsport UK Entrant licence;
(b) have at least £5 million Public Liability Insurance;
(c) uphold the values of the Respect Code and all applicable Motorsport UK policies and guidance;
(d) act in a professional manner at all times and not act or permit any member of the Team to act in such a manner as to bring motor sport, the Championship or Motorsport UK or any its officers and officials into disrespect;
(e) adhere to the Motorsport UK Safeguarding Policies and guidance documents, complete Safeguarding training when required and ensure that any person undertaking Regulated Activity is the holder of a valid DBS certificate supplied through Motorsport UK;
(f) adhere to the General Regulations in respect of anti-alcohol and illicit drugs as well as Motorsport UK processes for anti-alcohol and illicit drugs testing;
(g) nominate one member of their Team as the Team Representative at each meeting including but not exclusively for the purpose of all judicial proceedings at Events and who shall be present at all judicial proceedings concerning drivers entered under that Team licence in substitution for the driver Parent/Legal Guardian.

1.3.3.1 It is recommended the Team has:
(a) a designated team member as a 1st 4Sport, Level 2 qualified coach;
(b) a designated UKAD Certified Advisor. (c) be responsible for carrying out and documenting a risk assessment of their activities; (risk assessment management tool available).

This is preceded in the master regulations by..

The addition of 1.3.3 is primarily for Junior Championships however the principles should relate to all Car Race Championships.

... which in turn seems to make it unclear if its actually a requirement for non junior championships.

Rather unhelpfully the definition of "team" is missing, but I'm assured it'll soon be added to the document and will be as follows..

A Team is a commercial race company or racing team hosting drivers in providing race services or covered accommodation in the Championship and receiving financial gain where, in respect of Junior Championships, the principal is not also the PG Entrant licence holder. This includes the use of team names, team sticker kits and team race suits/clothing.

So that's clear then....

Any thoughts?


The document in question is titled 2022 Race Kart Championship Standard Master Format and can be found on the Motorsport UK website resource centre - https://www.motorsportuk.org/resource-centre/

[Drumroll]

Don't see any problem with it, to be honest.

[Jez-i9scb]

There’s plenty of “teams” who dodge vat, hide income and basically run the sport down.

This is a good move. Already professional companies won’t be bothered (aside from maybe the £700 entrants license) - this hopefully will start to identify the cowboys and get them to improve or disappear

[Dan BSCS]

Jez-i9scb said:

There’s plenty of “teams” who dodge vat, hide income and basically run the sport down.

What do you mean by “dodge VAT”? Surely you’re either VAT registered or you’re not.

I think it reads that it will be mandated with Junior championships but not the rest. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be necessary for all teams to have entrant licences and definitely public liability insurance. However, as well as this, most of the systems within Club motorsport are not set up to work with teams running cars on an arrive and drive basis and they also need to move with the times as this is becoming an increasingly popular way for people to go racing.

However, as this document relates to karting championships it may not actually be relevant at all to circuit racing.

/2p

Edited by Dan BSCS on Tuesday 18th January 23:21

[loggyboy]

Dan BSCS said:

However, as this document relates to karting championships it may not actually be relevant at all to circuit racing.

Edited by Dan BSCS on Tuesday 18th January 23:21

That's how I read it too, certainly no mention of it going beyond consultation either.

[loggyboy]

And to counter what ive just said, ive just noticed this has been added to all 750mc draft regs.

3. A Team is a commercial race company or racing team hosting
drivers in providing race services or covered accommodation in the
Championship and receiving financial gain where the principal is not
also the PG Entrant licence holder. This includes the use of team
names, team sticker kits and team race suits/clothing.
A Team shall at all times uphold and respect the provisions of the
Code, the General Regulations and these Championship Regulations
as may be amended from time to time and shall;
(a) hold a valid Motorsport UK Entrant licence;
(b) have at least £5 million Public Liability Insurance;
(c) uphold the values of the Respect Code and all applicable
Motorsport UK policies and guidance;
(d) act in a professional manner at all times and not act or
permit any member of the Team to act in such a manner as to bring
motor sport, the Championship or Motorsport UK or any its officers
and officials into disrespect;
(e) adhere to the Motorsport UK Safeguarding Policies and
guidance documents, complete Safeguarding training when required
and ensure that any person undertaking Regulated Activity is the
holder of a valid DBS certificate supplied through Motorsport UK;
(f) adhere to the General Regulations in respect of anti-alcohol
and illicit drugs as well as Motorsport UK processes for anti-alcohol
and illicit drugs testing;
(g) nominate one member of their Team as the Team
Representative at each meeting including but not exclusively for the
purpose of all judicial proceedings at Events and who shall be
present at all judicial proceedings concerning drivers entered under
that Team licence in substitution for the driver Parent/Legal
Guardian.
3.1 It is recommended the Team has:
(a) a designated team member as a 1st 4Sport, Level 2 qualified
coach;
(b) a designated UKAD Certified Advisor, and
(c) be responsible for carrying out and documenting a risk
assessment of their activities; (risk assessment management tool
available)

[Dan BSCS]

It’s an interesting can of worms.

An entrant licence is only £295 for circuit racing btw.

BUT the biggest issue is that the online registration and entry systems of most (possibly all) clubs are designed around the driver registering and entering races and there is no option for an entrant to do this. Until this is addressed then teams will be put off going down entrant licence route.

[Boggo]

Seem's BARC have sent similar out to all their clubs/series

[JoelH]

I don't see an issue with it personally. A side benefit (I know I'm in the minority by expressing this view) might be to stop the "infiltration" of true club series by full teams running drivers.

[Dan BSCS]

JoelH said:

I don't see an issue with it personally. A side benefit (I know I'm in the minority by expressing this view) might be to stop the "infiltration" of true club series by full teams running drivers.

I’ve never understood the hate for teams in “true club motorsport”. I know some of you guys who build and run their own cars get pretty snobby about arrive and drivers but it’s like saying, if you don’t have the space to store and work on a race car, or you don’t have the mechanical ability to run your own car at the track, then you’re not welcome in “true club motorsport”. That’s not the friendly and welcoming club motorsport that I love.

/2p

[Altrezia]

Dan BSCS said:

BUT the biggest issue is that the online registration and entry systems of most (possibly all) clubs are designed around the driver registering and entering races and there is no option for an entrant to do this. Until this is addressed then teams will be put off going down entrant licence route.

TBH most series/clubs need that looking at anyway. All the systems I've used for entries have been cack and/or old.

They should give me a bell

[Dan BSCS]

Altrezia said:

TBH most series/clubs need that looking at anyway. All the systems I've used for entries have been cack and/or old.

They should give me a bell

Maybe you should give them a bell!

[Kickstart]

Personally I hate this creeping culture of more red tape
IMHO nearly everyone involved in club racing is doing it for the fun of it, I also think most involved in pro teams (club racing not McLaren) may be making some money, but that is not the primary motivator and friends who do run small teams would be far better off concentrating on the normal garage side of the business rather than racing.
I think these rules wiil just put people off running a team (plus increase the costs) and as someone who sometimes rents a co-drive in my car, the description of team seems v wide and it concerns me that it would even cover that activity.
I think motorsport UK would do well to realise that they have to make it fun and easy to take part or else competitors simply do other things - if I think back to the early 80’s when I started racing, it was so easy and cheap to compete. I can see why on line racing is now so popular for youngsters

[Oneball]

I’m still unsure what constitutes a team

Is someone who pays for their car to be prepared and has a mechanic with them on race day a team?

[Jez-i9scb]

Dan BSCS said:

Jez-i9scb said:

There’s plenty of “teams” who dodge vat, hide income and basically run the sport down.

What do you mean by “dodge VAT”? Surely you’re either VAT registered or you’re not.

I think it reads that it will be mandated with Junior championships but not the rest. I don’t see why it shouldn’t be necessary for all teams to have entrant licences and definitely public liability insurance. However, as well as this, most of the systems within Club motorsport are not set up to work with teams running cars on an arrive and drive basis and they also need to move with the times as this is becoming an increasingly popular way for people to go racing.

However, as this document relates to karting championships it may not actually be relevant at all to circuit racing.

/2p

Edited by Dan BSCS on Tuesday 18th January 23:21

Not being registered for vat when they should be
Or charging for seats through a third part company to avoid adding vat
There are lots of ways of doing it. You seem some teams charging £25k+ each for two or three high end cars in a couple of series without VAT. Unless they do nothing else they trip the threshold with out sone very creative accounting

[Jez-i9scb]

JoelH said:

I don't see an issue with it personally. A side benefit (I know I'm in the minority by expressing this view) might be to stop the "infiltration" of true club series by full teams running drivers.

Minority thankfully.

A&D gives access to people not able (time or facilities) to run cars themselves a route into the sport. Many go on to be “true” club racers as well

[Dan BSCS]

Jez-i9scb said:

Not being registered for vat when they should be
Or charging for seats through a third part company to avoid adding vat
There are lots of ways of doing it. You seem some teams charging £25k+ each for two or three high end cars in a couple of series without VAT. Unless they do nothing else they trip the threshold with out sone very creative accounting

Seems a weird thing to have your knickers in a twist over to be honest. But ok.

Any company that is competent should be doing everything it can to be as tax efficient as possible. That’s just good business.

[Jez-i9scb]

Totally agree.

So long as it’s done legally and doesn’t skew the market.
It is illegal for example to have a vat registered parent company but charge for tickets/products though an associated company or individual without adding vat.

They become associated for tax. Ie you can’t claim it back through a loss making parent company without charging it/paying it on a subsidiary selling a product

Abs the there’s the whole issue of “professional” teams running HGVs thinking just putting “not for hire or reward” on the door means they can avoid all their obligations

[Dan BSCS]

Well the new regulations won’t make any difference to any of that.

[Boggo]

The only thing about teams in club racing that bugs me is the advantage it can give you

I've been sat in the paddock on a glorious sunny day, tootled down to the assembly area with a full dry set up, along with everyone else. There was a delay on circuit which meant we were waiting for an extra hour in assembly, during which time the clouds came in and it pissed it down.

All the team supported drivers cars were up on jacks and set ups/tyres etc changed to a wet set up. As a 'proper' club racer I had no way of doing this on my own.