MOTORSPORT TITLE SAFETY TITLE
James Roberts
Risk versus reward
As governing body of four-wheel motorsport in the UK, Motorsport UK must work with its members and clubs to constantly review and improve motorsport safety. Reports are gathered from every event run under Motorsport UK permit, and while the majority are incident-free, any feedback from the officials’ reports that needs addressing is relayed to the Motorsport UK Safety Committee for review, and the committee can suggest amendments to the NCR, or updates to officials training and documentation to improve safety in for future events.
Review and revision of procedures maintains the knowledge base that all licenced officials can draw upon, and this extends into safety equipment and homologation of safety standards. It is the responsibility of the Competitor and / or the Entrant to ensure their vehicle and PPE meets the prescribed safety standards. The Motorsport UK Scrutineer will carry out checks at Events on Homologated Equipment, including looking for and confiscating counterfeit equipment.
Permitted events must include medical support and Rescue Units as per the regulations
Revolution- September 2025
Permitted events also carry a medical support requirement, with paramedics forming part of the safety crew. The costs of these layers of safety – from trackside to race control – are covered by the entry fees for the event, and so there is a correlation between increased safety provision and a higher cost-of-entry for Motorsport UK permitted events. Of course, the reverse can also be true. Lower costs at non-Motorsport UK Permitted Events may be reflected in the levels of safety and medical cover available. As with much in life, you get what you pay for.
However, while increased safety may come with a price rise in fees, both for event organisers and competitors, where an increase in safety can be attributed to a lowering of risk, it can also lead to lower insurance premiums. Across all areas of Motorsport, the rising levels of safety over the last five decades has given better protection to spectators, officials and competitors, while speeds and the thrills of motorsport have continued to rise. Balancing the rising risks with improvements in safety have prevented the costs of motorsport insurance from spiralling out of reach and retained the accessibility of motorsport for a wider and more varied participant.
Partnerships in action
Often it is the confluence of incidents that can lead to accidents and safety issues within motorsport, however, just occasionally, the same confluence of events can have a beneficial outcome, and one such instance can be seen in the addition of light panels to supplement the traditional flag signals at race circuits.
Light panels had been in use at several venues in the UK for some years before Motorsport UK began looking at their installation on a wider basis. However, their application lacked
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