Following the Prime Ministers announcement to stay at home, Motorsport UK acted quickly to suspend all motorsport activities in the UK until July 1st at the earliest.
With the current UK lockdown easing ever further, Motorsport UK have finally given the all-clear for preparations to commence for the upcoming season. The various UK racing clubs have announced revised schedules with the BRSCC, HSCC and the 750 Motor Club commencing in early July.
Club Motorsport
With social distancing measures and PPE to be provided to all circuit staff, Motorsport UK are taking all the necessary steps to safely return to racing throughout the country. A big plus point is down to the fact that motorsport is in the fortunate position of taking place in large outdoor venues which has further strengthened the proposal to get cars back on track.
The first event to get underway post lockdown will be the Enduro KA 12hrs at Snetterton courtesy of the MSVR. Whilst it is yet unclear whether spectators and media personnel will be permitted, this is a hugely positive step for UK motorsport to get back on track.
Like the MSVR, the ever-popular 750 Motor Club will also be commencing their season at the Norfolk circuit on July 18th. Taking place on the 200 layout, a slipstreaming frenzy is expected with the wingless Formula Vee cars making their first appearance of the year.
The BRSCC have also announced shortened schedules for all of it’s series, with action set to commence on the 18th July at Oulton Park. Action will then run through 11 weeks concluding with the Caterham race weekend at Snetterton on October 31st. In what is set to be an action-packed season, record entries are being experienced with professional and gentleman drivers itching to get underway
Premier Series
There have also been announcements from the UK’s top tier series. The British GT, BTCC and BSB series have all published revised schedules which run from August through to November 2020. A huge organisational effort has been put into place by the whole motorsport community to make this happen. With the British GT and BTCC commencing their seasons on August 1st, with the BSB one week later, tension will be high to finally get the UK’s premier racing series underway.
Whilst this is positive news, it must be noted that the more prominent UK series such at the British GT and BTCC will get priority if any revisions have to be made. There is already the issue with the British GT season finale which currently clashes with the proposed date for the upcoming Le Mans 24 hours in which drivers from the British GT will compete in.
There is also the issue with ensuring there are enough marshalls and medical staff on hand to run the events safely. With so much going on in such a short space of time, recruiting the required number of circuit personnel will be a huge task and may even lead to further revisions once the initial rush is over.
This may be further compounded by there being no national and British championship events to take place in July to limit national and international travel around the country and therefore minimising the risk of spreading the virus.
Further updates will be made available pending further revisions
