No Vnuk threat to UK motorsport

Motorsport UK has hailed the British government’s decision to exempt the UK from the European Union’s Vnuk law, which threatened to render motorsport insurance unfeasible, as “a hugely significant victory”.

The EU’S interpretation of a 2014 court case, brought by Damijan Vnuk after he was knocked off his ladder by a tractor, resulted in changes to its Motor Insurance Directive that required all vehicles to be insured, even when on private land.

The implications of the Vnuk case were significant for motorsport, because any collision between racing cars would be treated as a road traffic accident and involve police, threatening to make insurance policies prohibitively expensive.

A crucial vote in January 2019 by an EU Parliamentary committee was positive as it excluded motorsport from the amended wording of the MID. This was subsequently approved by the European Parliament, but still had to be approved by each member state.

Following the UK’S official exit from the

EU, transport secretary Grant Shapps has now announced that the UK will scrap the “overthe-top” Vnuk requirement from British law.