RULING MEANS NO JIM CLARK RALLY IN 2017
There will be no Jim Clark Memorial Rally in 2017 following a decision by the Motor Sports Association which has disappointed organisers.
Inane mail earlier this week to Jim Clark Rally chairman Dan Wright, the chief executive of the Motor Sports Association, Rob Jones, stated: “Following extensive consultation with our insurance brokers and our insurers, I am able to confirm the position of the MSA regarding any proposal for the JCR [Jim Clark Rally] to be run in 2017.
“It would not be appropriate for MSA to issue a permit for the JCR until the FAI (Fatal Accident Inquiry) has been completed and the Sheriff has issued his findings.”
The 2014 rally ended in heartbreak after three spectators — Iain Provan, Elizabeth Allan and Len Stern — died following a crash on a stage near Coldstream.
The tragedy led to a nationwide review of motorsport safety.
But the decision not to issue a permit for this year’s event has stumped rally organisers, who believe the ruling goes against precedent.
Dan Wright comments: “In any other workplace or sporting endeavour, routine carries on while FAIS are underway, so we don’t understand the insurer’s reasoning behind this decision.
“They may well have consulted extensively with their insurance partners, but the rally organisers were not consulted.”
In a strong statement issued this week, the organisers point to improved safety measures and warn that the ruling risks the long tradition of motorsport in Berwickshire coming to an end altogether.
Rally manager, Russel Blood added: “We understand that the inquest process under English law differs from Fatal Accident Inquiries under Scots law, so to take this decision without wider consultation, is not what should be expected from a sport’s UK governing body.
“This outcome has thoroughly demoralised the whole team.”
The Jim Clark Memorial Rally historically operates on sections of closed public road in Berwickshire, but the 2015 event (as Jim Clark Reivers Rally) took place in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, after starting in Kelso, because Scottish Borders Council withdrew their permit.
The 2016 race was cancelled by organisers due to insufficient entry numbers.
A spokesperson for the MSA comments: “Everyone is unfortunately well aware that during the 2014 jim clark Rally three people tragically lost their lives in an incident that will now be subject to a Fatal Accident Inquiry (FAI) this summer.
“The rally has not run in the two years since then and with the counsel of the MSA’S advisers we are not in a position to sanction it this year.
“Like the rest of the rallying community, the MSA will have to wait sometime for the FAI outcome but once that is known we will of course be entering into discussion with the organisers of the Jim Clark Rally.”