NEW COMPETITORS’ ASSOCIATION “CAN BE GOOD” FOR RALLYING
The new Rally Competitors Association could be “very, very good” for British rallying but its members might have underestimated the task ahead of them says BTRDA president Mike Broad.
The RCA was formed after the latest delay to forest rallying in England, with Forestry England not allowing any lifestyle activities to take place on its land until September 30. It was originally suggested rallying could resume in the English forests from April 1.
The group has several key members including British
Rally champion Matt Edwards and M-Sport team principal Rich Millener and held its first meeting last week where it set out its objectives, maintaining a focus on 2021 and beyond as opposed to solely current issues.
The main issues it wants to achieve are clearer communication between authorities and competitors and more competitor involvement in these discussions while recognising the importance of a collective voice of competitors and all rallying stakeholders.
Broad told MN he “can fully understand” the desire from the competitors’ side to seize the initiative but warned they won’t find it easy. “The politics of organising events isn’t easy when governments, local councils, parish councils, the rules and regulations on footpaths and bridleways and all that are thrown into the pot,” Broad said. “[But] I personally hope that they come up with something we haven’t thought of before and would like to be part of the solution. It can be very, very good. You do get a bit blinkered sometimes.”
Broad also argued that Motorsport UK isn’t doing as bad a job as some have perceived, as it isn’t just rallying plans that have been halted by Forestry England: “We mustn’t feel persecuted from what Forestry England have said, quite the opposite,” he said. “It’s not something that Forestry England have said ‘not rallying, we’ll do everything else.’ They’re not doing anything.
“I think the other thing is that we’re seeing, in certain countries in Europe rallying, doesn’t seem to have stopped, but we can’t do what the government won’t allow us to do. If they say we can’t do it, we can’t do it.
“The whole thing is to do with how much you keep your customer in touch with what’s going on and perhaps that’s the one fault that Motorsport UK hasn’t been doing.”