CEO’ s Message for four or five days, learning about everything from governance and event organisation to the management of clubs, officials and volunteers.
Eight European countries volunteered as hosts, including the UK, and we welcomed the largest group, with two representatives each from Iceland, Hungary, Italy, Lithuania and Romania.
It was a packed programme. Our guests spent three days at Motorsport UK headquarters meeting our various executive teams, alongside visits to Prodrive and the Mercedes-AMG Formula One team. The weekend was a whistle-stop tour of British motorsport, taking in Santa Pod, GT racing at Donington, grassroots trials in the woods and Prescott Hill Climb, before finishing on Sunday at Silverstone with the British Touring Car Championship and British F4 teams. Quite a lot to digest, but the feedback was fantastic and it was an opportunity to showcase the extraordinary breadth of our sport and the expertise supporting it.
Importantly, these exchanges work both ways. The Italian ASN, ACI, subsequently hosted Claire Kirkpatrick and Ben Cross from our team, allowing them to compare approaches to supporting Clubs, Officials and Volunteers, and bring back valuable lessons of their own. And while the Italian hospitality was apparently excellent, don’ t expect to be served pasta and Prosecco next time you sign on at an event!
As I write this column, I have just heard the tragic news of the passing of Phil Foster, a fine man whom I had the pleasure of working with closely over the past eight years.
Phil was a fellow trustee of the British Motorsport Trust and Chair of the Regional Association. In the latter role, he was particularly adept at navigating the divergent views and differing perspectives that inevitably arise when representing such a broad community. I always found him self-effacing, intelligent and insightful, with a quiet but resolute determination to bridge differences of opinion for the greater good of the sport.
He was due to step down as Chair at the end of this year, and I want to pay tribute to him for everything he contributed over so many years. We will all miss him. He was a great guy, a wonderful colleague and a tremendous contributor to British motorsport.
My thoughts are with his wife Susan, his family and his many friends at this very sad time.
Hugh Chambers CEO, Motorsport UK
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