Renewing Nat B License

[LennyM1984]

Due to a house move, the need to save some money, and every weekend needing to be taken up by house renovations, it is looking as though my opportunities to race in 2025 will be very limited. As such, I may not bother to renew my license.

This is very much a temporary pause and I will most likely be dusting off the driving gloves again in 2026.

Can somebody remind me how long you can let your license go dormant for before needing to redo your ARDs? I feel like I had seen 2 years somewhere but cannot now find it on the MSUK website.

Thanks in advance!

[drmotorsport]

National B hasn't existed for a couple of years now, but I recall it's 3 years grace. Best call MSUK to confirm though..

[andrewcliffe]

Yes, the licences have changed names, the current equivalent is the Race Club. The National A is now just the National, with International C, B & A above that.

For 2024, you need to have held a race license during 2023, 2022 or 2021
for 2025 - 2024, 2023, 2022
for 2026 - 2025, 2024, 2023.

Edited by andrewcliffe on Wednesday 16th October 17:14

[LennyM1984]

andrewcliffe said:

Yes, the licences have changed hands, the current equivalent is the Race Club. The National A is now just the National, with International C, B & A above that.

For 2024, you need to have held a race license during 2023, 2022 or 2021
for 2025 - 2024, 2023, 2022
for 2026 - 2025, 2024, 2023.

That's great and yes it is Race Club that I meant

[ChevronB19]

Just a note to other readers that the grace period is longer (but not infinite, as I have found out) if you have ever held an international licence.

[andrewcliffe]

The current blue book wording is:

H.8.2.3 *Anyone who can provide proof of having ever held, or entitled to hold, a Race licence of higher status than Restricted, National ‘B’ or Interclub. Competitors who have not renewed their licence for five years or more will be required to pass the ARDS written examination."

If you had the necessary signatures to obtain a National A license, but never bothered, does that count as you were entitled to hold it...

[CDP]

andrewcliffe said:

The current blue book wording is:

H.8.2.3 *Anyone who can provide proof of having ever held, or entitled to hold, a Race licence of higher status than Restricted, National ‘B’ or Interclub. Competitors who have not renewed their licence for five years or more will be required to pass the ARDS written examination."

If you had the necessary signatures to obtain a National A license, but never bothered, does that count as you were entitled to hold it...

I'm sure I've got the signatures but never bothered to upgrade. But from memory the written examination is dead easy. I assumed it was the full ARDS test. As it's a decade since my last race some additional tuition and testing probably wouldn't be a bad thing...

[WombleCate]

I seem to remember getting one flag question wrong is an immediate fail, while the other questions are obvious and you’re allowed to get a couple wrong.

Worth checking if the flags have changed in a decade. I saw a board (FCY = Full Course Yellow) at Oulton this weekend and I’d never heard of it.

[freedman]

WombleCate said:

I seem to remember getting one flag question wrong is an immediate fail, while the other questions are obvious and you’re allowed to get a couple wrong.

Worth checking if the flags have changed in a decade. I saw a board (FCY = Full Course Yellow) at Oulton this weekend and I’d never heard of it.

I think it depends where you go

when I did my ARDS last year there was a bloke who had held an International B licence but it lapsed about 5 years prior

He only needed to sit the paper and not do the driving part

He was absolutely clueless, got multiple questions wrong (Including at least one flag one) but was given the paper back each time with a word in his ear to guide him

He eventually passed, but I wouldn't have given him a licence in a month of Sundays as he'd clearly not bothered to read up before the test

[CDP]

freedman said:

I think it depends where you go

when I did my ARDS last year there was a bloke who had held an International B licence but it lapsed about 5 years prior

He only needed to sit the paper and not do the driving part

He was absolutely clueless, got multiple questions wrong (Including at least one flag one) but was given the paper back each time with a word in his ear to guide him

He eventually passed, but I wouldn't have given him a licence in a month of Sundays as he'd clearly not bothered to read up before the test

Frightening as there aren’t many flags and the questions aren’t hard. I got them all right when I took it. I didn’t quite go as far as my brother who pretty much memorised the blue book…