LiCeNCe DeLAYs threAteN CLAssiC motorsport
Grass roots competitors thwarted by new permit requirements
Motorsport UK (MSUK) and motor clubs are urging anyone expecting a new competition licence to be patient after more than 7000 applications were made for the start of the 2020 season.
Enthusiasts now require a licence known as RS Clubman to take part in grass roots motorsport categories, including Autocross, Clubcross, Minicross, Autotest, Autosolo, Trials, Cross Country, Road and Navigational Rallying and Targa Stage Rallying.
RS Clubman, which was introduced in November last year, is free to apply for and allows holders to take part in any Motorsport UK Clubman Permit event after they join the motor club responsible for the competition. Passengers in competing cars also need RS Clubman licences – including those taking the co-drivers’ seats as part of demonstration runs.
Licence holders are put onto Motorsport UK’s £100m liability insurance; further costs were avoided when the motorsport industry and the events it held were exempted last year from the amended EU Motor Insurance Directive (2014 Vnuk Judgement) requiring all vehicles on private land to be covered by insurance at all times on and off public roads. Delays in receiving RS Clubman licences have only affected online RS Clubman licence applications, though a spokesperson confirmed that the ‘vast majority’ of the 7000 or so licence applications received by MSUK have taken place online.
Postal applications can still be submitted. Indeed, anyone under the age of 18 is obliged to apply by post because their forms need to be countersigned by parents and guardians.
Any online applications stuck in processing will be covered by a temporary licence that expires at the end of the month, allowing MSUK to clear the backlog.
MSUK explained that many applicants’ RS Clubman temporary licences have been delivered, but have ended up in junk or spam mail folders – and recommended that anyone affected should check them immediately.
MSUK’s British Rally Championship media manager, Ben Buesnel, said: ‘Anticipating the demand for the RS Clubman licence during Motorsport UK’s busiest period, the RS Clubman licence was developed to be instantly digitally fulfilled as a provisional licence at first issuance (that can even be applied on the day of competition), initially valid until 31 January, with hard copies following in the post.’
Online discussion has been vocal on the subject, with some members of the Targa Rally UK public Facebook group apparently waiting for more than a month to receive their permits. Worries also persist that the RS Clubman permit may not remain free forever, despite Motorsport UK assurances to the contrary.
Local motor clubs are aware of the problems that enthusiasts are facing. Aintree Circuit Club chairman, Mike Ashcroft, said: ‘I have heard of some people being issued temporary licenses, so I don’t know if there has been a delay somewhere.
‘ You can fill in a form on the day of the event if your licence hasn’t arrived yet, however. I think [Motorsport UK] is being fairly flexible with it.’
ARDS Grade S instructor, Adam Crowton, said: ‘The RS Clubman permit is an important stepping stone into competitive motorsport. It gets people and youngsters on to Motorsport UK’s system and the benefits it offers.
‘People need to be patient; it’s the same every March when circuits open for competition licence holders and people realise that they need to renew. Motorsport UK will work through the backlog.’