MOTOR

CLUB MANUAL

Published by:

Motor Sports Association UK

Motor Sports House
Riverside Park
Colnbrook
Slough COPYRIGHT-FREE
SL3 0HG Motor clubs are encouraged to copy and
circulate this material among club officials
Tel: 01753 765 000 although as updated Guidelines will be
Fax: 01753 682 938 issued at intervals, care should be taken to
www.msauk.org use the latest information particularly
regarding technical or legal matters
Published 1992
Revised 2013

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 1

 Contents

INTRODUCTION 3 19 KARTING 66
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 4
20 CROSS COUNTRY 68
1 BASIC ORGANISATION 5
21 RACES 70
2 RESPONSIBILITIES OF CLUB OFFICIALS 8
22 RALLYCROSS 73
3 FINANCE AND TAXATION 13
23 TRIALS 74
4 MEMBERSHIP RECORDS 20
24 RALLIES 76
5 LEGAL 21
25 HISTORIC RALLIES 83
6 INSURANCE 22
26 CRUISES 91
7 LIAISING WITH THE MSA 25
27 DRAGSTERS 93
8 LIAISING WITH OTHER CLUBS AND THE
28 TIMEKEEPING 94
ROLE OF REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS 27
29 SCRUTINEERING 95
9 CLUB MAGAZINES 30
30 TEACHING BASIC NAVIGATIONAL
10 PROMOTING A CLUB 32
RALLYING 97
11 SOCIAL FUNCTIONS 39
31 RUNNING A NAVIGATIONAL RALLY 108
12 DINNERS AND DINNER DANCES 42
32 RADIOS 117
13 TABLE TOP RALLIES 45
33 SPONSORSHIP 119
14 RUNNING COMPETITIVE EVENTS– 34 RUNNING BUSINESS-LIKE MEETINGS 121
GENERAL 50
35 EVENT SAFETY MANUAL 123
15 RECRUITING, TRAINING AND KEEPING
OFFICIALS 55 36 CRISIS PLANNING 142

16 AUTOCROSS 56 37 FIRST AID 143

17 AUTOTESTS 58

18 HILLCLIMBS AND SPRINTS 61

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 2

 INTRODUCTION

The first edition of this manual, published in 1992, began with these words. “Motor sport faces many challenges
– environmental pressures; increasing costs of competition; difficulties of obtaining venues – to name but a few.
Perhaps the greatest challenge, however, comes from other organised activities, which through good
organisation and promotion offer people attractive and agreeable ways in which to spend their leisure time.

Changing social patterns are also affecting our sport – as an example, many clubs used to meet to watch an
annual motor sport film supplied by one of the oil companies; hardly necessary today with the amount of sport
on TV. As a result of the challenges and changes, motor clubs need to be well organised and lively if they are to
attract people who have so many other things competing for their precious leisure time.”

Those words still apply now, in fact even more so because the explosion in internet use has itself posed new
challenges.

It is hoped that this new edition of the Motor Club Manual will be of help in providing practical tips which should
make running a club easier and in stimulating ideas as to how to attract new members and to make sure that
the image and profile of motor sport in the community are well perceived.

These Guidelines have been prepared by experienced people in the various fields covered but we do not claim
this to be a definitive “know it all” manual; therefore, any suggestions or corrections which you may wish to
make would be very welcome, as these can be incorporated in future Guidelines which may be prepared as the
sport evolves and periodic updates are made. Where legal issues or contentious issues are involved, clubs are
advised to check that they have the latest information.

With very best wishes for the success of your club in the future.

COLIN HILTON
CHIEF EXECUTIVE

www.msauk.org

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 3

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The MSA would like to thank the following for their invaluable help in the preparation of this manual:

Stan Appleton National Federation of

Community Organisations
Martin Chinnery
Les Needham
Eric Cowcill
Tony Newsum
Roy Crowther
Gary Nicholls
Ian Davis
Ted O’Day
Allan Dean-Lewis
Paul Parker
Philip Evans
Nick Pollitt
Julian Fack
Bob Rae
Tony Fletcher
Peter Riches
Graeme Forrester
Dr Ian Roberts
Simon Fowler
Graham Smith
Drew Furlong
Rick Smith
Danesh Gangahar
Mike Sones
Paul Gladstone
John Symes
Colin Goode
Rod Taylor
Glen Horncastle
Ronnie G. Trouton
Rob Jones
Stuart Turner
Andrew Kellitt
Derek Tye
Robin Knight
John Upham
Derek Maclean
Steve Waggett
Simon Marks
Chris Worboys
Andy Millns
John White
Chris Mount
Howard Wilcock

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 4

 1

BASIC ORGANISATION

• The strength of any club depends on the go up by 5 each time, that could mean a club
effectiveness of its committee. Ideally this should heading for extinction!
be large enough to reflect the various interests in
the club but not so large as to be unwieldy. In • If ageing is a problem, consider forming a young
turn, much of the effectiveness of a committee members committee (under 25’s or under 21’s
depends on the chairman or woman. Duties of perhaps) with the chairman sitting on the main
officials are covered in more detail in Guideline 2 committee.
but the chairman should be the person driving
the club forward along clearly thought out lines • Other key officials as well as a chairman will be
and ideally within a three or five year plan. needed, not least an efficient secretary and
treasurer. Other functions which should be
• Clubs should consider holding “way ahead” covered, whether by full members of the
sessions in which a group (which should include committee or ex-officio ones are Magazine Editor
younger members) tries to look into the future (because communicating with members on a
and consider where a club wants to be in, say, 5 regular basis is imperative) and Promotions
years and – not least – how it can get there. Officer charged with media liaison and general
promotion. It may also be wise to put one person
• A forward plan could include such thoughts as. in charge of all equipment owned by the club,
o Should the club aim to buy specific including trophies.
equipment, even a club caravan?
o Does the club want to get an event into • When the first Manual was produced in 1992,
a specific championship? Information Technology was seen as something
o Does it hope to double its membership for the future. Nowadays it is taken for granted
in five years, stay static or what? If a but nevertheless in addition to the officials
club doesn’t have a long term plan then mentioned above, some clubs have found it
it can become directionless and just jog useful to have someone in charge of their IT side.
along or worse, slip backwards. Such a person should be someone well up to
speed with the technology and able to advise on
• A “way ahead” think-tank may throw up lots of such things as software for membership records,
ideas. It is then up to the committee to be entry lists, event results, archive storage,
realistic and set achievable not impossible websites, club magazine, e-bulletins and so on. In
targets in making things happen. addition, whilst most clubs will rely on officials
using their own equipment, an IT expert may still
• Ideally, committees should be rejuvenated at be able to advise on hardware from time to time.
regular intervals with, say, two new members per
year. This can happen if a specific number of • It may help to give officials important sounding
existing members drop off for a spell after a titles they can use when dealing with the outside
certain number of years’ service, although with world – Director of Communications or
many clubs it may be difficult just to persuade whatever.
enough people to get involved to even form a
committee – this can be dangerous because it • For officials to operate efficiently it will help if
can lead to people getting out of touch with their simple ‘job specifications’ are drawn up for them.
members, particularly younger ones. It is equally This avoids confusion and duplicated effort
dangerous if a committee is seen as a clique. because everyone will know who is (or is
supposed to be) doing what. It may be argued
• It can be a sobering but useful exercise to that ‘job specifications’ are too formal for what is
monitor the average age of the club, and its likely to be an amateur organisation. Not so.
committee, every five years or so. If numbers just Countless other social groups and organisations

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 5

 operate entirely with voluntary help (and we have to be at least as professional in the way
compete with motor sport for members and we operate.
media attention). If motor sport is to stay strong
• A committee will be more efficient if:– • The Treasurer should encourage the club to set
o Members are given “one pagers” in realistic subscription levels; life memberships in
advance of committee meetings, particular need careful costing to avoid losing a
reporting on, say, the financial situation clubs money in later years. Comparisons should
or summarising complicated issues to be be made with other organisations in the area –
discussed. bee keeping societies, etc.
o Members resist the temptation to
refight issues which were settled (and • Consider a category of Honorary Members for
voted on) at a previous meeting. local dignitaries who may be of help, or for older
o The wine hasn’t flowed too freely members who retire from the motor sport scene.
before the meeting.
o Sub-committees or working groups are • Annual General Meetings are often poorly
formed to consider specific issues and attended perhaps because they are considered
then report back to the main boring; consider having a guest speaker or some
committee. other attraction after the formal proceedings in
order to attract more members.
Once the basic organisation is in place:
• Clubs should join and support their Regional
• A club should have an attractive website Association – they cannot really criticise what
supported by a leaflet or booklet about itself to goes on in the government of the sport if they
attract and inform new members. don’t play their part in the democratic process.

• Club rules should be made as friendly as possible. • Clubs should liaise with local Sports Councils and
other bodies and should generally try to be
• Membership forms should be clear and friendly participative members of their community.
and should include space for people to record
their particular motor sport interests. • For the benefit of future members and not least
future Promotions Officers, clubs should keep
• It may help the club if membership forms enable proper records.
a ‘skills databank’ to be established showing
whether people have useful skills e.g. marketing, Sadly, things don’t always run smoothly and clubs
lobbying or building. sometimes fail. If there seems a danger of this with your
club, then consider some liaison scheme with an adjacent
• Committee members and club officials should club – perhaps putting yourself in effect “under their
aim for an open style of management and, umbrella”. This may be better than a direct merger
through the club magazine and website, should because experience indicates that if two clubs of 50
keep members informed of what they are doing members each merge, a year or so later there is one club
and why. of 50-60 members, while in the process a few key officials
may have been lost to the sport. Better of course to work
• The committee should aim for balanced social to keep a club lively so that the situation doesn’t arise!
and competition programmes, catering for all
members’ interests, not just their own. Finally, to reinforce the importance of the committee, the
final section of this Guideline Is the ‘Summary of
• It may be worth running a questionnaire in the Committee Procedure’ issued to their members by the
club magazine every few years to get a feel for National Federation of Community Organisations. Not all
members’ interests. clubs may need such a degree of formality but having at
least something along these lines will help to create an
• A regular meeting place should be chosen so that efficient committee which doesn’t duplicate its efforts or
members get used to gathering at such and such waste time with waffle.
a place on the second Tuesday of every month or
whenever.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 6

 Summary of Committee procedure
(Reproduced by kind permission of the National Federation of Community
Organisations)

At all Committee Meetings

1. The appropriate Secretary will present an order of business (prepared in consultation with the Chair) in the form of
an agenda which is normally circulated in advance of the meeting to committee members.
2. It will be necessary for a minimum number of people (the quorum defined in the constitution) to be present before
the committee can transact any business.
3. Punctuality is therefore all the more desirable; otherwise the meeting may not be able to start until late-comers
arrive.
4. A record of previous proceedings, in the form of Minutes, must be available, and be adopted as a true record before
further action may be taken on matters arising from the Minutes or, indeed, before any other item on the agenda
can be considered.
5. The Chair is in control of the meeting. All remarks should be addressed to the Chair, whose rulings (as to who should
speak next, for example) must be adhered to.
6. The Secretary will report correspondence received and, where the committee holds funds, the Treasurer will
present a statement of income and expenditure, and seek authority for necessary payments.
7. Any committee member may move a resolution relevant to the business in hand, but it may be a help in larger
committees for this to be submitted in writing, in advance, to the Secretary. Resolutions, unless moved from the
Chair, require a seconder otherwise they cannot be taken by the meeting. In any case, any amendments to the
resolutions have to be considered first.
8. Amendments (if more than one) are normally taken in the order in which they propose to change the motion. When
an amendment to a proposition is passed this becomes the “substantive motion” and the whole motion, as
amended, is voted upon. No amendment which is a direct contradiction of the motion is acceptable – after all, you
can speak and vote against it!
9. Debate on a motion may be ended by the Chair asking that a vote be now taken. Alternatively, a committee member
may propose “that the question be now put” or “move next business”. Like other motions, these require seconders
and the agreement of the majority of voting members to be carried. Note that moving ‘next business” leaves
matters unresolved ‘– no-one has the opportunity of voting on the matter under discussion.
10. Should the whole meeting run out of time, the committee may decide to hold over some agenda items for the next
meeting, possibly bringing the date forward. Alternatively, and particularly where there is too little time to deal with
important issues, the meeting may be adjourned (even in the middle of discussing an item of business) to a future
date where it can be continued from the point where it left off.
11. Formal votes in a large committee may, at the discretion of that committee, be conducted by ballot. Otherwise a
show of hands is quite adequate, the Chair usually counting the votes. In the event of a tied vote, the Chair normally
has a second, or casting, vote (see your constitution). It is usual procedure for the vote cast to break a tie to be given
in favour of retaining the existing position – the reason behind this being that committee members may, at a later
meeting, produce some other proposition to change it which is more acceptable to the committee. After all, you
want the support and backing of as many committee members as possible to implement its decisions! In the event
of the Chair declining to use the casting vote, the motion must be declared “not carried”.
12. Finally, at most meetings some individual committee members volunteer, or get designated, to undertake particular
tasks arising from the business of the meeting; if you are one of these, do them promptly (for example, if you are
“seeing” someone else, you may have to allow three attempts before you catch him/her in!), and inform as soon as
possible, the committee secretary or organiser of the activity, that you have done so, and the result of your action.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 7

 2

RESPONSIBILITIES OF CLUB OFFICIALS

The Officials of a club should be elected annually by club members at an Annual General Meeting and charged with the
responsibility of managing the affairs of the club in an efficient manner to ensure the prosperity and success of the club.

At the AGM, club members should elect the President, Vice President(s), Club Secretary, Treasurer; Auditor and Committee.
The number of committee members is at the discretion of the club although if it is a Limited Liability Company, the size of the
committee may be dictated by the Articles of Association.

Following the election of the committee, committee members should then elect a Chairman, Vice Chairman and any
specialist officers it deems necessary, the usual ones being a Competition Secretary, a Membership Secretary, a Social
Secretary, a Chief Marshal and a Press & Public Relations Officer (exact titles may of course vary). Clubs may wish to also
appoint other officials to look after particular activities such as Championship Secretary, Child Protection Officer,
Environmental Officer, Radio Co-ordinator, Awards Secretary, Equipment Officer, Magazine or News Letter Editor, Web
Master and Delegate/s to Regional Associations.

The duties of the various officials can generally be described as follows:

President Treasurer
Has no specific duties but it is usual to select someone who Responsible for keeping the club’s accounts in proper
occupies a leading position in the local community or in order and for planning the club’s finances. Preparing
motor sport whose association with the club will enhance its budgets and statements of account for presentation at
reputation and standing. The President should be committee meetings. Preparing the annual accounts for
encouraged to interest himself/herself in the club’s activities presentation at the annual general meeting. Providing
and attend at least some of them and be prepared to use all necessary information required by the Auditors. It
their influence and position to help the club whenever can be a big advantage it the person chosen as
possible. Treasurer has experience in the field of finance such as
banking, accountancy, etc.
Chairman
This is a key position in the club, equivalent to the Managing Competition Secretary
Director of a company, with the prime function of co- Responsible for arranging the competitive activities of
coordinating all the activities of the club and leading and the club. Ensuring that organisers are found for the
guiding the other officials in carrying out their duties. The events which the club promotes. Liaising with other
chairman is the keystone on which the success or otherwise clubs on the competition side. Keeping in touch with
of a club depends. the MSA and Regional Associations on all aspects of
motor sport competition and regulations. Organising
Vice Chairman club championships. Ideally this position should be
Acting as deputy to the Chairman, acting on his behalf in his filled by someone with experience as a competitor and
absence and generally assisting him in his duties. Some clubs organiser.
appoint people as vice chairmen for a year or two to ‘train’
them before they go on to become chairmen. Championship Secretary
If the club runs ‘in-house’ championships, this official
Secretary can be of help to the Competition Secretary by keeping
Responsible for dealing with all non-specialist matters and details of contenders and their scores and producing
correspondence and diverting to the correct official any current positions and results at suitable intervals.
matters requiring specialist attention. Keeping the minutes
of all meetings and circulating these to the members.
Sending out notices of all meetings.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 8

Membership Secretary Equipment Officer
Responsible for keeping records of the club membership. Responsible for maintaining all club equipment used
Dealing with applications from new members. Collecting for events and advising the committee when new or
subscriptions and dealing with membership renewals. replacement items are required.

Social Secretary Radio Co-ordinator

Responsible for arranging the social activities of the club and Responsible for keeping in touch with MSA and
ensuring that organisers and venues are found for such Regional radio Co-ordinators on the latest
events. developments and regulations. Arranging call signs for
club radio operators and dealing with annual licences.
Chief Marshal Arranging for radio training.
Responsible for keeping records of club members who are
available for marshalling and arranging for their attendance Awards Secretary
at events where marshaling assistance has been requested. Responsible for keeping records of club trophies.
Liaising with chief marshals of other clubs. Arranging Arranging for the purchase of annual awards. Preparing
marshals’ training. the list of award winners and organising the
presentation details.
Magazine Editor
Responsible for the compiling and production of the club Delegates
magazine, newsletter, or e-magazine. Obtaining and editing Responsible for attending Regional Association
all contributions from club members. Arranging for prompt meetings as the club representative. Reporting to the
distribution of the magazine to club members. committee on the activities of the Associations and
how they might affect the club. It will be seen that this
Web Master is a fairly long list of officials and not every club will
Where a club has a Website (as most now have), a Web need all of them; much depends on the activities of
Master may be appointed to have responsibility for setting each club and it is up to the committee to decide which
up the site and, importantly, maintaining it with current are needed. Then comes the problem of finding willing
material relevant to the club’s operation. It is essential that people to take on the positions. There is much truth in
a Web Master liaises closely with the Magazine Editor and the old saying that ‘one volunteer is worth ten pressed
Press & PR Officer of the Club. men’ and it is probably better to leave a position vacant
than fill it with someone who does not really want the
Press and PR Officer job. With the difficulty of finding members who have
This is an important position, not always given the enough time to spare to take on a position, it is always
prominence it merits. Responsible for the promotion of the a possibility that some of the smaller positions could be
club and its activities and to generally give the club a good duplicated. In the end, a club is as good, or as bad, as
image in the eyes of the public. Maintaining contact with its officials
the media and ensuring that the club’s competitive and
social activities are given maximum coverage. It is helpful if
this position can be filled by someone who is connected
with the media. The holder of this position should clearly
liaise closely with the Environmental Officer if the club has
one; in some clubs the same person fills both roles.

It will be seen that this is a fairly long list of officials and not every club will need all of them; much depends on the activities
of each club and it is up to the committee to decide which are needed. Then comes the problem of finding willing people to
take on the positions. There is much truth in the old saying that ‘one volunteer is worth ten pressed men’ and it is probably
better to leave a position vacant than fill it with someone who does not really want the job. With the difficulty of finding
members who have enough time to spare to take on a position, it is always a possibility that some of the smaller positions
could be duplicated. In the end, a club is as good, or as bad, as its officials.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 9

These additional pages for Guideline 2 – “Responsibilities of Club officials” are taken from “RUNNING A CLUB” published by
the Sports Council; they expand on the work of a Club Secretary. We are very grateful to the Sports Council for permission to
reproduce the material.

Organising A Meeting A Meeting Agenda

• Make arrangements for the meeting venue, There will be a meeting of the Committee at (place) on
including admission to the building, seating (date), from (time)
arrangements, and use of services, e.g., catering, 1. Welcome and introductions.
photocopying, etc. 2. Apologies for absence.
• Send adequate notice of the meeting to all 3. Minutes – to approve the minutes of the
concerned. Members need the papers well in previous meeting as a correct record.
advance, about ten days before the date of the 4. Matters arising – to consider any matters arising
meeting is ideal (this is enough time to read not otherwise included on the agenda.
them, but not too long so that they mislay
them!). Include the venue, time, day and date of 5. Financial report (i) to receive a report on the
the meeting, together with the agenda. The current financial position; (ii) to make any
agenda may be prepared in consultation with the decisions regarding budgets, fees, expenses,
Chairperson. If possible, the minutes of the payments, etc.
previous meeting also should be enclosed if they 6. Consideration of reports from officers and sub-
have not already been sent, together with any committees.
other correspondence or documents that 7. General business.
members need to read before the discussion on 8. Administrative business, including consideration
the topic. of statutory matters (e.g., date for AGM).
• If possible, prepare in advance a schedule of 9. Date of next meeting.
meetings for the year, and get it agreed by the
10. Any other business.
committee. Otherwise, it may be necessary to
consult all the members about their availability
before fixing a date. In any case you should
always consult the Chairperson before fixing the
date of any meeting.
• Give plenty of notice of the proposed time and
date of the meeting. A General Meeting or large
committee or council needs at least a month’s
notice. In the case of a smaller committee,
consult the members, enquiring when they are
available, prior to fixing the date.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 10

Writing Minutes • Minute decisions by following a standard style,
At the end of a complicated discussion, provide a brief, choosing the appropriate word to suit the
clear summary of what you think has been agreed. circumstances, thus;
Confirm in a few words the decision, the action to be
taken, who is going to take that action, and by when. The Meeting
Agreed – indicates a strong consensus to support a
The Secretary is in an influential position, but has the particular course of action.
onerous task of contributing to the discussions whilst
keeping a record of the meeting. Do not assume that you Recommended – indicates a proposal to another
will be able to remember all the decisions as memory committee or organisation.
fades rapidly. Short notes and jottings taken during the
meeting may seem perfectly clear at the time but a week Noted – indicates that a matter was reported, but no
later can cause puzzlement as to what was actually decision was necessary.
agreed.
Received – indicates that a report was presented and
Follow these guidelines when you write the minutes: accepted.
• List those people present, and record the
apologies for absence. Approved – indicates that a recommendation has been
• Follow the order of the agenda, and try to keep endorsed.
each section short. Give each subsection its own
separate heading, and give each point a separate Recognised – indicates that information was accepted,
paragraph. but no decision was taken.
• State the main issues, and decisions made. It is
Resolved – indicates that a motion was formally
not necessary to set down the various points of
proposed, voted upon and passed.
view that were expressed, or the proposers and
seconders of resolutions, unless there has been a
strong difference of opinion expressed, leading
Annual General Meetings
to a vote on the issue. The Secretary is responsible for preparing the Annual
General Meeting (AGM), and making arrangements to
• Do not take sides when recording a discussion.
ensure that all members receive the necessary
Try to be objective.
information. This may include:
• Record the full texts of motions, if a vote was
• Arranging venue, date and time.
taken.
• Collecting reports from other officers, notifying
• Write up the minutes as soon as possible after
members of the date, time and place of the
the meeting, while the discussions are still fresh
meeting, which needs to be done well in advance
in your mind.
(the constitution usually stipulates the minimum
• Circulate the minutes to all members of the period of notice required’), inviting and receiving
committee soon after the meeting (ideally within nominations for the election of officers (refer to
a few days, so as to inform those who were the constitution to find the closing date for
absent and to remind those who have some work nominations).
to do arising from the meeting).
• Arranging for the printing of the annual report
• Log action points that need to be followed up by and statement of accounts.
making a diary note for a fortnight’s time to
• Arranging for guest speakers, if this is usual
check that the jobs have been done.
practice.
• When minuting General Meetings, which are
• Arranging catering and hospitality.
usually governed by strict constitutional rules
regarding procedure, keep a formal record, stating
the names of proposers and seconders, and quoting The rules of all clubs and associations should state how
the exact text of resolutions, and the voting. notification of the Annual General Meeting must be given
to members. The Secretary should be aware of the special
• Committee Meetings can be minuted more
rules of the organisation and follow them strictly. The
informally, by simply stating the decisions which
meeting could be declared invalid if the rules have not
have been taken, unless any special request has
been followed.
been made to indicate disagreement.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 11

The AGM is an opportunity for all members to attend, Things to remember
learn and question how their organisation is being run.
To be a good Secretary of your organisation,
They can comment on the annual report and statement of
remember the following tips:
accounts, determine any amendments to the constitution
and rules, and elect the officers and committee for the • You need to be keen to do a good job.
coming year. At an AGM, decisions should not be taken on • You need to be well organised and
any item that was not included on the printed agenda. conscientious.
This ensures that if any changes to the constitution or • Correspondence must be dealt with
rules are being considered, all members have an promptly.
opportunity to think about the proposals in detail, and to
prepare counter arguments if appropriate • Follow the guidelines for meetings to ensure
that they are productive.
Things to avoid • The important thing about keeping records is
keeping the right records, and being able to
• Don’t make the committee deal with lots of find them quickly and easily. It will not take
trivial topics. It frustrates members and may long for you to become a very valuable and
annoy them if items which they think are more important member of the organisation. If at
important have been left off the agenda, or are any time you get the feeling that you are not
not reached. appreciated, try hinting that perhaps you will
• Don’t put the most important item at the end of not be standing for re-election next time.
the agenda in the hope that the committee will Suddenly you will find that everybody is
quickly deal with the other matters and then be unanimous in their praise for you.
able to concentrate on this item. If somebody
feels strongly about an item early on the agenda,
they are more likely to start a long discussion,
and you may never get to the important topic.
People are more attentive at the beginning of
meetings, and it is better to have their energy
directed to important items then, rather than
starting off by dealing with trivial points, which
may then get more discussion than they warrant.
• Avoid encouraging members to talk at length
about their own pet project or hate. (A written
agenda distributed in advance makes it much
easier for the Chairperson to bring the discussion
back to the important issues.)
• Don’t let matters arising from the previous
meeting take up most of the time at the next
meeting. This is frustrating because nothing new
is being accomplished, and it is nonproductive
because the meeting is talking about things
which have already been decided, or may have
already happened, rather than talking about the
future. Identify loose ends from the previous
meeting and set them down as agenda topics of
their own, putting them in priority order, near
the end of the agenda
• Don’t let the Committee forget about the people
they are serving. Too often, a committee
becomes immersed in its own activities, and
disregards the needs and interests of the
members.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 12

 3

FINANCE AND TAXATION

The finances of a motor club are the responsibility of the have the club accounts held in a Bank which is Convenient
committee with the administration being delegated to the for Club Officials to visit (eg. close to the place of work of
club Treasurer. If the treasurer has experience in the field the Treasurer), – so that payments in can be made
of finance, he or she will have no difficulty in financial promptly and any queries can be resolved directly than to
planning including keeping and presenting the club have it in a less convenient location earning perhaps very
accounts, but if on the other hand, this is not the case and little extra interest. Delaying payments out can enhance
the treasurer is keen but not particularly experienced, the level of interest accrued by the Club, but be careful –
then the advice of the club Auditors should be obtained as it can also damage the relationship of the Club with local
they can then brief the treasurer on the information they Traders, who could be useful to the Club in the future,
will require and the best way of providing this. They may perhaps as event sponsors or supporters. Better to pay
make a small charge for this. If so, it is money well spent them on time and retain their goodwill! Certain suppliers
to know that the club’s finances are properly controlled may offer cash discounts for early settlement – watch out
and its accounts are being properly kept and looked after. for those.

The treasurer should produce a statement of income and Most clubs will obtain their income from two main
expenditure with the current balance at each committee sources:
meeting and a cash flow forecast and outline budget are (a) Subscriptions from their members.
useful too, so that the committee members are kept up to
date with the state of the club’s finances and can take any (b) The profits from competitive events run by the
steps which may be necessary before it is too late for club.
approximate action to be initiated. At the end of each
financial year, the treasurer must submit the annual Against this income is set the club’s expenditure which
Income and Expenditure accounts for the approval of the again falls into two main categories:
committee and after this, he or she will submit them to
the auditor who will prepare the full accounts and balance (a) The cost of running the clubs general activities
sheet as required by law; they will then be presented to (overheads) including such items as insurance,
the members at the Annual General Meeting. printing and stationery, postage, advertising, cost
of club magazine, audit fee, depreciation etc. The
The committee must ensure that adequate control is cost of promoting competitive events.
maintained over the club’s expenditure.
(b) The profits from competitive events run by the
In the first place this means that any planned expenditure, club.
other than minor items such as postage, stationery etc.
must be approved by the committee with competitive Ideally, the overheads should be financed if possible from
tenders being obtained where desirable; such decisions the members’ subscriptions and the competitive events
should of course be minuted. The second method of should be self-financing with the aim of producing a profit
control is the nomination of persons authorised to sign which can be used for such items as the buying and
cheques on behalf of the club, this is usually any two of maintenance of equipment and the purchase of specialist
three nominees, say, the Chairman, Treasurer and one items such as radios, fire extinguishers etc. If the
other committee member. subscriptions do not cover the overheads, then some of
the event profits will need to be used to make up the
There are a wide choice of types of bank account today, shortfall and some should be set aside for a reserve fund,
and professional advice could be useful in best matching which every club would be well advised to create and
the needs of individual clubs. Many clubs will have both a maintain at a reasonable level to cover contingencies
current (cheque) account and an interest earning account which may arise from time to time and which have not
(e.g. Deposit or Cash ISA), so that money can be switched been allowed for in the budget.
as the need arises – large sums of money should not be The accounts for competitive events, certainly the larger
left unused in a current account if it can be earning ones, are inclined to require a degree of knowledge of the
interest elsewhere. Generally, it is more important to competitive activities and it is quite likely that the club

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 13

treasurer, although being a financial expert, may have continuous change according to the size of a club, the
little or no knowledge of the competitive side of the club’s type of events it organises and, not least, changes in
activities. If the club is lucky enough to have a treasurer Company Law made by successive Governments. Clubs
who is a competitor or organiser, then there is no should consider seeking professional advice.
problem, but if not, he or she may well have difficulty in It should be mentioned that these notes are in the main
handling these accounts because they will involve a lot of intended for the advice and information of committees
items and details which may be strange. Clubs might rather than treasurers who hopefully will either know
therefore be wise to consider running two separate how to handle the job, or if not, will seek professional
accounts, the first being a General account run by the club guidance. Bearing in mind that a club running, say, two
treasurer and the second being either a competition major events per year may well be dealing with a turnover
account or separate accounts for each event and these running into five figures the management and control of
would be run by a competition treasurer who would this amount of money is one of the most important
provide the detailed accounts which the committee will aspects of running a successful club and must be given its
require and then submit the necessary details to the club due priority at committee meetings.
treasurer for incorporation in the overall club accounts.
This system has the advantage that the committee can No one likes to pay tax, but the reality is that sports clubs
see the financial results of each event which might and associations enjoy no special exemptions from paying
otherwise be lost in a general account. If a club runs an tax in all its forms In the absence of proper research and
active social club with possibly its own clubroom, then forward planning unexpected tax liabilities can arise and it
this too would probably benefit by having its own account is essential that the Club is able to accommodate the
and treasurer. substantial additional costs that can be incurred as a
result. Whilst the Club’s Auditor should deal with any
Each club needs to decide what sort of profits they wish taxation matters as part of his normal duties, and offer
to aim for depending on the state of their existing suitable advice, the legal responsibility for prompt and
finances and their plans for future development and correct submission of the required information (and
spending. This will require a budget which should be retention of records for the required 6 years) remains
prepared by the treasurer, assisted where necessary by with the Directors of the Club.
committee members who might be responsible for any
specialist activities such as social events, club magazine Examples of taxes that a Club may be involved with are:
etc. When this budget has been prepared, the committee
will be able to decide on the subscription rates for the Corporation Tax
forthcoming year. At this stage of the year, it will probably Corporation Tax may be payable by a Club on its profits
be too soon to fix budgets for all the competitive events made in a given year, after certain allowances are taken
and these will normally be produced by the event into account. The amount of any sponsorship moneys
organising committees who will need to wait until a received, or the level of interest earned from Club
decision has been made on the type of event to be run accounts, may be significant factors.
(status, size etc.) but when these budgets are prepared it
must not be forgotten that allowance must be made for ‘Pay as you earn’ (PAYE) procedures apply to payments to
providing reserves for covering possible shortfalls in the employees. Whilst a Club may not technically employ
general account and maintenance of the reserve account. anyone care must be taken to correctly declare pay to
such as casual bar staff. Payment of expenses made to
Fixing the subscription is not easy, nobody likes increases, Event Officials may also attract the attention of the Inland
but the current trend of annual inflation makes some Revenue where it can be demonstrated that a ‘profit
increase a ‘must’ and there may be other items which margin’ exists in the level of payments made (e.g. for
have been under estimated on the previous budget which petrol or travelling expenses). In practice for most clubs,
will need increasing. If a club’s expenses call for a high such payments reflect merely a contribution towards
subscription, possibly in excess of the ‘going rate’ for the individual costs. Maintain a regular and thorough review
area, then members may be lost to other clubs, but on of such payments with your Auditors.
the other hand, consideration must be given as to what
the club is offering for its subscription. If it is providing all Registration for VAT with HM Revenue and Customs
those things which its members want, then a higher (HMRC) means that a club can claim back most of the VAT
subscription may be justified. Generally speaking, people it pays out (e.g. on Trophies). but the VAT element also
do not object to paying a higher price if they are sure they has to be charged out on membership subscriptions,
are getting value for money. tickets to the annual awards ‘do’, and any sales of club
regalia With a considerable amount of extra book-keeping
Whilst most Motor Clubs today are Limited companies, involved, including the submission of legally binding
this is a complex matter which is the subject of

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 14

quarterly returns, the best advice is – talk to your Auditors What qualities are needed?
first. Your local HMRC Office may also be able to provide The Treasurer has a most important job to perform, and it
an interpretation on current regulations. Remember that is important that the Treasurer is:
if your Club does decide to register for VAT, the whole
Club’s activity must be registered and will be equally open • Enthusiastic
to scrutiny.
• Well organised
Community Amateur Sports Clubs • Prepared to make a regular time commitment
For those clubs who pay rates (e.g. on their clubhouse) • Able to keep records
some reliefs are available subject to meeting certain • Careful when handling money and cheques
criteria. Further information can be found at
• Scrupulously honest
www.cascinfo.co.uk.
• Able to answer questions in meetings
Taxation is an increasingly important (and complex) area • Confident about handling figures and prepared
for Clubs and it is important that the Club Committee to take instant decisions when necessary.
appreciate all aspects of tax affecting the Club to ensure
that everything is kept in order to the satisfaction of all
What does the Treasurer do?
the relevant authorities.
Whether working alone or with the help of a paid official,
the Treasurer is ultimately responsible for:
These additional pages for “Guideline 3 – Finance and
taxation” in the Motor Club Manual are taken from
• Looking after the finances of the organisation
“LOOKING AFTER THE MONEY” originally published by
the Sports Council. We are very grateful to them for • Collecting subscriptions and all money due to the
permission to reproduce the material. There is also organisation
useful advice on the CCPR website – see • Paying the bills and recording the information
www.ccpr.org.uk/ourservices/ smartsport/finance
• Keeping up-to-date records of all the financial
transactions
What is a Treasurer?
• Ensuring that all cash and cheques are promptly
All sports organisations should keep accurate financial
deposited in the bank or building society
records, and one member of the committee (the
Treasurer) takes on this special responsibility. • Ensuring that funds are spent properly and
issuing receipts for all money received and
The rules of a club or association usually say that a recording this information and reporting
Treasurer should be appointed at the Annual General regularly to the committee on the financial
Meeting. The post of Treasurer is a voluntary position, position
although in larger organisations some of the Treasurers • Preparing a year-end statement of accounts to
work may be undertaken by a paid finance officer, In that present to the Auditors
case the Treasurer will have a supervisory role. • Arranging for the statement of accounts to be
audited
A newly elected Treasurer should meet the outgoing
Treasurer, the Chairperson or President (and the Auditor • Presenting an end-of-year financial report to the
if the organisation has one) to discuss the work that needs Annual General Meeting
to be done. Talking to the Auditor is particularly valuable • Financial planning including producing an annual
because at the end of the year the Treasurer will have to budget and monitoring it throughout the year
give the Auditor all the financial records, and it will be • Helping to prepare and submit any statutory
helpful to know exactly what will be required. documents that are required (eg, VAT returns,
PAYE and P41 returns, tax returns, grant aid
The Treasurer is the main person responsible for the reports. Even if these duties are delegated to a
finances, but must work closely with the other members professional officer, the Treasurer is still
of the committee. It is important that the finances are ultimately responsible. It is up to the Treasurer to
handled in accordance with the constitution and make sure that any delegated work is done
committee decisions of the organisaton. Whether the properly.
Treasurer works alone or with the help of a paid official,
the Treasurer is ultimately responsible for many functions
related to finance.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 15

What equipment is needed? Do not rely on your memory when handing out cheques.
To be an efficient Treasurer, you will need the following Always make sure that you have some proper
equipment: documentation.
• An analysis cash book to record money received
(receipts) and paid out (payments) Accounting for the money
• Calculator The accounts comprise books or ledgers which keep a
• Receipt book (in duplicate) to issue receipts for record of all income and expenditure, usually covering a
money received 12 month period (the financial year). It is advisable at the
• Box file or lever-arch file for storing papers with end of the 12 month period to have the accounts audited
which you are currently dealing (looked at and verified) by an independent person;
• Ring-binders (2) for storing the completed preferably someone with professional qualifications (the
documents Auditor). All the receipts and payments should be
• Petty cash box recorded in the account books, and a summary of these
• Financial information of the organisation from should be prepared showing all the receipts and
previous years. payments of the organisation during a 12 month period
(the financial year). If the organisation is a limited
If you prefer, you can use the same book to record both company, it must have a registered Auditor who produces
receipts and payments. If you do, make sure that you a report under the requirements of the Companies Act.
keep the two sections separate. If the book is wide Most members clubs, which are not limited companies,
enough, use left-hand pages just for receipts, and right- elect Honorary Auditors to inspect and verify the accounts
hand pages just for payments. which the Treasurer produces.

Record the receipts and payments in the cash book. Here

Paying the bills
are a few basic items that should be recorded for every
Bills should be paid within one month of receiving them,
transaction.
especially when dealing with companies you use often.
Their goodwill is important, and they will be more likely to
• Date of the entry
want to trade with you again and give you good terms or
discounts. if they know they will be paid reasonably • Person whom you are paying (or from whom you
promptly. It is also important to pay out-of-pocket have received the money)
expenses to volunteers promptly, since they have already • Cheque number (for payments by you) or receipt
paid out the money on behalf of the organisation, and are number (for receipts issued by you)
giving their time free of charge. Their cooperation and
• Reference number for that entry; this number
goodwill is vital to the success of the organisation. should also be written on the invoice or expenses
claim form for easy cross reference
Normally, bills will be for items which have been
budgeted, for expenditure which has already been • Details of the transaction (what was it for?)
approved or for routine items. If the Treasurer gets a bill • VAT element (only necessary if you are VAT
for something that has not been approved, and is not registered).
routine, the committee should be informed and asked for
guidance. Whenever cheques are paid into a bank or building
society, the receipts section of the cash book should be
It is a good idea for the committee to set limits for totaled, and a note made of the total amount put in the
financial decisions. If it is a very small amount (e.g. up to bank, with the date. These totals can easily be compared
£25) then the Treasurer could authorise it personally; a with the bank statements to make sure the two agree.
larger sum (e.g. between £25 and £100) might require
consultation with the other officers (Chairperson and Collecting money
Secretary), and a larger figure still (e.g. over £100) would
Always keep cash received separate from your own
require the approval of the full committee.
money. Keep a cash box solely for the club’s money, and
write receipts in duplicate as soon as you receive the
All payments should relate to a written invoice or
money. Hand one receipt to the person who pays you and
document. This also applies to claims for expenses from
the other one is your copy which should be kept in the
members of the committee. It is easy to produce a simple
book.
claim form for them to fill in before you pay them. This
helps the Treasurer and makes sure that all the payments
are properly documented.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 16

Deposit all cash and cheques in the bank or building understand the financial pressures that the committee is
society as soon as possible after receiving it. Not only is facing.
this efficient administration, it also makes good financial
sense, since money in bank and building society accounts Do not set a budget with a deficit, in the hope that
is likely to earn interest and reduce banking charges. something will turn up. Always aim for the budget to at
Invoices if you send out invoices to collect some of your least break even, and ideally build in a contingency fund.
money, you will need a book that shows that an invoice This caters for unexpected things that crop up during the
has been issued and later confirms that it has been year, or turn out to cost more than you anticipated.
settled. The people who owe you money, to whom Sometimes, you will find that your original budget was
invoices have been sent, are called Debtors. inaccurate, and it will then be worth preparing a revised
budget forecast with a more accurate prediction of the
If you receive lots of invoices to pay (i.e., bills), try to final outcome for the year. You can then make decisions
allow for these when the final accounts are prepared. based on a clearer idea of the total funds that are
Include the expenditure in the financial year to which it available to you.
relates, irrespective of when the bill is actually paid. The
people to whom you owe money are called Creditors. People who are going to have to work within a budget are
Accounts which allow for debtors and creditors are called much more likely to be careful with the money if they
Income and Expenditure Accounts. Sometimes you need understand the reasons for the decisions, and were
to use cash for small payments where it is impractical or involved in setting the figures.
unreasonable to use a cheque. This petty cash needs to be
handled carefully or it becomes difficult to control. A Statement of accounts
small analysis book (the petty cash book) is therefore The Treasurer should regularly prepare an up-to-date
needed to record the cash received, the cash paid out, statement of accounts showing the receipts and
and the balance in hand. This balance figure should be payments to date, the budget for the year, and the
updated whenever any cash is received or paid out and balance left. Break down the totals into a few important
checked against the actual cash in the cash box. If there is headings (e.g., administration, rent, affiliation fees, etc.).
any discrepancy, it needs to be sorted out immediately. If you want to include invoices which you have issued but
have not yet been paid in the totals, be careful to include
Do not make the mistake of bundling all the money only those invoices that you are certain will be paid.
together over a few days or weeks. The longer you leave
it, the more difficult and time consuming it will be to sort Accounts prepared purely on the basis of money received
out later. or actually spent are termed Receipts and Payments
Account. If invoices which have been issued or received
Don’t take short cuts or expect to remember exactly who by you are also included, it is termed an Income and
has given you what. Write everything down immediately Expenditure Account.
in a book or a file. Don’t be tempted to use just any
convenient scrap of paper and sort it out later, the power Financial year-end
of the human memory is not that great. At the end of the financial year, the Treasurer needs to
prepare a set of final accounts to be presented to the
Preparing a budget members at the ACM, accorm periled by an Auditor’s
A good Treasurer does not just record details of what has report if required. Make sure that there is enough time
happened, but also tries to forecast what is likely to between the financial year-end and the AGM for the
happen. This forecast (the budget) is very important for Treasurer to prepare everything and for the Auditor to
your organisation. When it is done well, it helps future have time to look at the documents, prepare the final
planning and decision making, and allows you to decide accounts, and submit a report.
whether to spend money, increase fees, or rethink your
activities. Audited accounts are the final statement of accounts,
after they have been checked and then filed by somebody
The detailed preparation of the budget is usually left to with recognised accounting skills (eg, a Chartered
the Treasurer and one or two selected officers. However Accountant) as being a true and accurate record of the
it should always be discussed with the committee for financial affairs of your organisation.
modification and approval. The budget does not need to
be presented to a General Meeting, but in a small Try to find an accountant who is a member of your club,
organisation you should involve the members, and keep or who is prepared to give his or her service on a
them aware of what is happening. They are much more voluntary basis, give the Auditor plenty of time to
likely to agree to an increase of fees or charges if they complete the work, and try to get everything into good

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 17

order before passing on the books and papers. The annual Balance sheets
accounts are prepared from your books and financial If you have an income and expenditure statement, you
records. There will be two statements required, which will will also need a balance sheet, which shows what the
differ slightly depending on whether you are working on a organisation is worth at a particular point in time. A
receipts and payments or income and expenditure basis. balance sheet is usually prepared for the last day of the
financial year. It takes account of debtors (money owed to
If you are working on a receipts and payments basis, you you) and creditors (money owed by you).
will need:
• Statement of receipts and payments for the A bank statement is the bank’s record of the
financial year organisation’s finances. This record may not agree exactly
• Statement of assets and liabilities as at the last with what is kept by the Treasurer in the cash book
day of the financial year. This shows the total because it can take a few days for credits and debits to
value of the organisation, and the whereabouts appear in a bank account.
of the various assets. If there are no outstanding
invoices or bills, and you do not have any fixed Bank statements should be obtained regularly (monthly is
assets (property, equipment, etc), the cash usually about right) and be checked immediately against
balance on the Receipts and Payments Account the books to reconcile the bank account with these books.
will be the only asset, and a separate statement This enables you to keep up-to-date and identify any
of assets and liabilities is unnecessary. mistakes or discrepancies. It will be much easier to sort
out any differences now, rather than several months
Receipts and payments later, and it helps you to avoid having an overdraft, which
A Receipts and Payments Account is prepared from the is expensive.
cash book and summarises monies actually received and
paid out during a financial period. No adjustments are Working with the committee
made for receipts or payments which relate to previous or The Treasurer should not work alone, but needs to know
future periods. It gives a summary of the actual financial what everybody else on the committee is doing! Similarly,
transactions, and the cash balance of the organisation on the rest of the committee ought to know about the
a given date. finances of the organisation.

Of course, the total figures for money received and Get your committee to agree that the Treasurer must be
payments made will be itemised under appropriate kept informed well in advance of any significant
headings to give you the detailed information you need. expenditure that is being planned, even if it is within the
approved budget. This helps to avoid serious
Income and expenditure overspending or cash flow problems which could have
If you are working on an income and expenditure basis been prevented had the Treasurer known in advance.
you will need a:
• Statement of income and expenditure for the All members of the committee share a responsibility to
financial year ensure that the organisation is financially viable even
• Balance sheet as at the last day of the financial though they might prefer not to have to worry about
year. An Income and Expenditure Account money! They should be informed about the financial
includes unpaid bills (creditors) and any money situation and reminded at every opportunity that they
owed to you (debtors). have a responsibility to help look after the financial
wellbeing of the organisation.
Of course, the total figures for income (receipts plus
debtors) and expenditure (payments plus creditors) will
be itemised under headings which are appropriate to you
to give the detailed information you need. Any
depreciation (e.g. on office equipment) should be
subtracted from the surplus before closing the Income
and Expenditure Account for the year, and the net surplus
or deficit figure carried over to the balance sheet.
Purchases of Items that are being valued, on the balance
sheet as fixed assets (e.g. purchase of a new typewriter),
should not appear in the Income and Expenditure
Account.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 18

Tips To Remember The Bottom Line
You only need to know two things about money: how to If you have been appointed as Treasurer of your club or
manage it and how to get more of it! association, then with a little care and attention you can
ensure its financial well-being. You will get a great deal of
• Every club or association, no matter how small, satisfaction from playing such an important role, and you
should keep proper accounts and prepare regular will have the respect and thanks of everybody around you
statements. Every year many sports
organisations have to close down because of lack If you feel under pressure, confused, or that you are
of financial control, or poor financial planning! losing control seek help at once.
• An organisation which is slapdash in handling and
accounting for its money is likely to be sloppy in Advise the Chairperson or Secretary and ask for their
other aspects of its work. agreement to getting some professional advice.
Remember that you are a volunteer, not an accountant
• Money may not be the Root of all Evil, but when
and you are making a vital contribution to the well-being
dealing with other people’s money you can
of the club. It is much better to get some paid help to sort
expect high levels of interest and emotion. They
things out immediately, than for you to lose control of the
will always expect their money to be handled
finances, which may lead to the demise of the
with extreme care and sensitivity. Not only must
organisation.
you look after the funds with scrupulous honesty,
but you must be seen to do so.
We hope you have enjoyed reading this and have found it
• Sports organisations must be seen to be honest, helpful in your role as Treasurer.
or no one will have confidence to contribute
funds to them. Good luck and happy accounting.
• It is wrong for people to steal, but it is also wrong
to treat money so casually that people feel less
conscience-stricken about stealing it and less
afraid of being discovered. Try to establish a
system which prevents fraud, rather than one to
discover it.
• Do not over-estimate your ability to remember
details of financial transactions – write them
down!

The important thing about accounting, apart from being

accurate, is to be consistent, so that you can make
meaningful comparisons from month to month, and from
year to year.

• Always give receipts for money received and get

receipts for money paid out.
• Keys to the safe or petty cash boxes should only
be held by specified people who are always
responsible for them.
• Keep incoming and outgoing money separate.
• Pay surplus cash into the bank promptly, and use
a paying-in book.
• When opening mail or collecting tins containing
cash, there should be at least two people
present.
• Budgeting is one of the most important financial
functions for any sporting organisation, whether
large or small. Do not be tempted to try to
manage without a budget or you will be heading
for financial difficulties.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 19

 4

MEMBERSHIP RECORDS

Keeping membership records sounds as if it should be Membership cards

a simple job, and it can be PROVIDED proper thought There are many and various types of membership
is given to setting up a clear system. If possible this cards used by clubs, some contain a lot of information,
should be based on computer technology which can others are little more than a cardboard receipt!
then be used for the various mailings which will be
sent to members – but whatever system is adopted it Suitable cards can be obtained from the MSA; if you
must be easily understood and above all workable, if are producing your own, the appropriate wording to
the Membership Secretary moves away or falls ill, will be used on them is in the MSA Yeabook.
the club collapse? If so, the system is too complicated.
Data Protection Act
Whether records are kept on computer or in a card Basically, if a word processor or computer is used for
index or whatever, whoever maintains them should the sole purpose of producing a letter, report or other
adopt a methodical approach because experience document, which when printed, may contain
suggests that once records start to get out of kilter it information about an individual, the Act does not
can be a major task to get them back on track. apply. However, if the word processor or computer is
used to maintain membership records then the Club
Membership information will have to register under the Data Protection Act. Do
This obviously depends on the size of the club not ignore the Act – failure to register is a CRIMINAL
concerned, but it is always handy having certain offence!
information on your members. For example, if details
of occupation are requested on membership forms, There should be a disclaimer on your membership
you can always find out who are in financial jobs – form giving permission for a member’s details to be
they might make good treasurers, while those in the stored electronically.
building trade can perhaps help with the building of a
clubhouse or getting hold of supplies for events such Separate permission is required from members if you
as stakes and wood etc. Someone who works in the intend to circulate their details to third parties, and
Local Planning Department may be useful if you have a individuals have the right to refuse such permission.
venue problem, or if you have a major future project
to consider. Think laterally!

Similarly vehicle details are useful, members with old

or classic cars can be contacted when putting on
displays or exhibitions etc. But to be effective the
details need to be updated every year which is fine for
a small club with up to about fifty members, but
anything larger than that makes it an arduous task – it
depends on the dedication of the Secretary who will
usually have the job of updating the records.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 20

 5

LEGAL
Should a club be a limited company? One issue seems to confuse most of us - The
“Should we form a limited company?” is a common relationship between members and directors. The
topic at Motor Club Workshops – hence this Guideline. company’s members (shareholders, club members,
guarantors) are its controlling influence, he, they have
The first question to ask is whether an unincorporated the vote. The directors, although of a much higher
motor sporting club would benefit, if it formed and profile, are subservient to the members who
carried on its business as a limited liability company, it employ/elect them to run the day to day activities of
all depends! It certainly does aid other people and the organisation. However the rub is that under
organisations to know with whom they are dealing company law it is the directors who are normally
because information about the Company and its called to book if things go wrong. The directors in our
officers has to be filed regularly with the Registrar of limited company for instance would probably be the
Companies in addition to a copy of its annual self-same elected officers of the unincorporated club
accounts. All this information about the Club (which mentioned above. It is also important for budding
has now taken on a separate and independent identity directors to note the current statutory position is that
of its own) becomes part of the public domain. directors of a company may be personally liable for its
debts if they have allowed the Company to trade and
So there is a theoretical benefit to outsiders but what incur those debts whilst knowing it was insolvent.
about perceived benefits for club members? Firstly,
the choice of legal framework affects the liability of What if the Company, although breaking even on its
the club and its members differently depending on trading has no assets to speak of? Who in their right
whether it is incorporated or not. Put simply, in the mind would give unsecured credit? Certainty not
event of an unincorporated club ceasing its activities, everybody, and particularly not bankers. Those most
whether voluntarily or involuntarily, the officers of prudent amongst us often look for other ways of
that club are usually responsible personally for any underwriting the transaction when dealing with
liabilities of the club should its assets prove “companies of straw”, often in the form of a personal
insufficient to discharge its debts in full. The officers in guarantee, which usually means in practical terms the
this context usually embrace those club members directors putting their personal goods and chattels up
elected to sit on the main or controlling committee as collateral security. This brings us back to where we
viz., chairman, club secretary, competition secretary, started!
treasurer etc.
Obviously the best way to protect the club’s funds and
On the other hand, members of the limited liability the personal wealth of its officers, is to manage the
company are, in normal circumstances, only liable to financial risk from the outset.
the extent of their investment. The form of company,
which is adopted widely as most suitable for sporting
clubs, is that of Limited by Guarantee. Such a company
does not have shareholders but each member
guarantees that in the event of the company being
wound up and being proved insolvent, he or she will
pay (usually a nominal £1) if called upon to do so.
Conversely, company’s Limited by Guarantee don’t
distribute profits to their members. Such details are
embedded in the constitution and terms of reference
which in company terminology is known as the
Memorandum and Articles.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 21

 6

INSURANCE
These notes are not intended to cover every technical aspect of insurance, but just to give an overview.

There are three sources of threat to a club, organisation or individual. In no particular order

(i) Legal action (and possible compensation) from others claiming that there has been negligence. This action could
be against a club, an official, a competitor, the MSA or a venue. In the past there have been claims against all of
these in a ‘blanket assault’. This is known as ‘Public Liability Insurance’.
(ii) Personal injury to officials and competitors. This is not dependent on blame, a person is injured or killed and
some body suffers financial distress as a consequence. This is known as ‘Personal Accident Insurance’
(iii) Loss of assets, Equipment, vehicles; buildings and so on could be lost due to fire, flood accident or any other
mishap. ‘this has a number of differing names but for this document it will be grouped under the heading of
‘Asset Insurance’

All of these threats should be addressed by a combination of risk management and insurance. Much of the content of the
blue book is there to provide guidance on risk management, with procedures for running events, course design and
competitors safety equipment.

Insurance from a clubs perspective

Public Liability Insurance Personal Accident Insurance

Other than MSA permitted competitions a club may Because no two individuals have the same circumstances
provide a number of services and activities. Some of these it is more appropriate that individuals asses their needs
are automatically covered by an extension to the MSA and clubs do not get involved. There is a level of cover on
policy. So club nights, ‘classroom type’ training activities, officials, marshals and competitors when a permit is in
or static marketing activities (a car at a school fete) will be force.
covered. Activities involving moving vehicles are not
covered and clubs should be looking for additional cover. Asset Insurance
If a club owns a venue used for motorsport then they will A club should compile a list of all its assets and then
need a separate policy to cover all the activities that take decide which assets it wishes to insure. For example
place whilst there is no permitted event taking place, plus timing equipment, if a club owns an expensive timing rig,
any liability arising out of the course design and which is used at sprints, they should consider insuring this
construction. asset, but conversely ten cheap watches from the local
discount store are probably not worth insuring. It is
As an adjunct to this any club which has employees important that the asset list is comprehensive and
should get this cover extended to include ‘Employers accurately valued, clubs often have assets which have a
Liability’. This generally does not add much to the cost, large value and everybody takes them for granted. The
but is wise move as the definition of employee is so most common two examples are old trophies and archive
generous that a reasonably large club could be an material. Associated with this clubs should consider how
employer and not even thought about it. and where these assets are stored as there are many
examples of equipment left at a risky location because
nobody has given it any thought.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 22

 Insurance from an organiser’s perspective
Public Liability Insurance It must be remembered that any vehicles used on an
Any liabilities arising out of running an MSA permitted event in places where they are required to comply with
activity are covered by the MSA master policy provided Road Traffic Act must have ‘road insurance’ in their own
the event is run in accordance with the rule book. As an right. This may be included in the vehicles regular policy,
aside it is one of a stewards’ duties when representing the but it is always worth checking. As a generalisation any
MSA at an event to satisfy themselves that the event is vehicle used to carry an official to a ‘point of duty’ is
run within the rules. This means that all ‘signed on covered by its regular policy. Any vehicle used to move
officials’ are protected from any action against them equipment or people during an event may not be.
whilst fulfilling their event role. For this reason each
individual should be familiar with the relevant sections of Personal Accident Insurance
the blue book. The other important point is that ‘senior All signed on officials are provided with the base level of
officials’ are notorious for forgetting to sign on, and cover provided by the MSA. Again individuals should
organisers should be diligent in making sure everybody address their own circumstances and make their own
signed on. It is worth noting that the MSA policy provides arrangements.
cover for the duration of the event. So setting up a course
the day before would be covered, as would tidying up Asset Insurance
after the event. But site maintenance undertaken weeks Permanently owned assets should be considered by the
before the permit was issued would not. club or organisation that own them so that the cover is all
year and not just for the duration of the event. Short term
cover for ‘borrowed (or hired) can be obtained but should
be avoided as it tends to be very expensive.

Insurance from an official’s perspective

Public Liability Insurance already have) and then investigate what ‘Top Ups’ they
Any liabilities arising for performing duties at a permitted need. This can be a complex task and it may well be that
event are covered; it is worth noting that activities which an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) should be
are no part of the event are not covered. consulted. Two things should be remembered at this
point. Non motorsport people (most IFAs) seem to always
If using a vehicle as part of your duties and this requires ‘get the wrong end of the stick’ about motorsport.
you to drive in ‘public areas’ you should check that the Secondly a surprisingly large portion of existing policies
vehicle is insured and that you are a named driver and so will accept officiating at events.
protected.
Asset Insurance
Personal Accident Insurance Most assets are likely to be owned by a club. But where
Whilst there is an amount of cover provided by the MSA assets are privately owned they may well require insuring,
with the event permit, it may well prove to be insufficient. small quantities of equipment can probably be added to a
Each individual should review their personal household policy, but larger and more specialist items
circumstances and identify what cover they need (and may need separate cover.

Insurance from a business perspective

Any business that generates all or part of its income from supporting motorsport of leisure activities relating to motorsport
must seek advice from a suitable Insurance Broker.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 23

 Insurance from a competitor’s perspective

Public Liability Insurance Personal Accident Insurance

Any liability arising for your actions as a competitor are Whilst there is an amount of cover provided by the MSA
covered by the event permit provided you are acting as a feature of holding a competition licence, it may well
within the event rules. prove to be insufficient. Each individual should review
their personal circumstances and identify what cover they
Where you do need to consider insurance is at any testing need (and already have) and then investigate what ‘Top
or sponsorship activities. Ups’ they need. This can be a complex task and it may
well be that an Independent Financial Adviser (IFA) should
Testing at a permanent and structured testing venue may be consulted. Two things should be remembered at this
well have suitable cover. For example the established point. Non motorsport people (most IFAs) seem to always
rallying test venues, or any test session provided by a ‘get the wrong end of the stick’ about motorsport. This is
regular circuit, should have suitable cover. A ‘cash deal’ to especially true of competitors in the non-racing arenas.
use a bit of old airfield is unlikely to have any cover. Secondly a surprisingly large portion of existing policies
will accept competing in smaller events. If you get asked
Static displays may or may not have cover depending on to fill in a ‘motorsports questionnaire’ expect to see a
who is organising it, but cover for a static display is form which has little relationship to the sport you know.
relatively inexpensive and easily sourced. Even at a trivial
level this should be considered. If a car is put on display at Asset Insurance
sponsors’ premises the question should be asked. Competitors often severely underestimate the value of all
the cars, and equipment they have accumulated over
If your vehicle requires insurance under the Road Traffic time. The best advice is to review all your assets and then
Act then care must be taken to ensure your chosen decide what elements you wish to insure.
insurance company understands what they are covering.

Insurance from a venue’s perspective

Public Liability Insurance any other activities can be included in the farm
Whilst liabilities arising from a club running a permitted policy. A permanent venue which runs 7 days a
event on your site are covered, there are two important week as a commercial venue will need a complex
points to remember. network of covers and should be seeking the
services of an Insurance Broker knowledgeable in
• When a permitted event is taking place you are motorsport.
still exposed to a claim based upon a defect in
the infrastructure you have provided. For Personal Accident Insurance
example a barrier weakened by lack of There is no obligation on a venue to provide Personal
maintenance. Accident cover for its staff, but it might be seen as a
• When no event is running under a permit then valuable staff benefit.
any activity exposes you to a claim. Non motor
sporting use, maintenance, corporate hospitality, Asset Insurance
race schools, rally schools, track days and all the The assets list of a venue is likely to be complex and the
other activities venues take on. Consider the two sources of damage equally complex. This should be
extremes: A working farm that has three discussed with the same broker as the Liabilities issues.
permitted events a year will probably find that

Conclusion
The final guiding principle is ask before, not assume until after, and get it in writing. A simple domestic example is a mortgage
protection policy, if they have said that they accept your chosen activity, (in writing) your widow (widower) will get the
mortgage paid off.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 24

 7

LIAISING WITH THE MSA

What Regional Associations
The MSA is the governing body for four wheel motor sport The country is divided up into 15 regions and clubs are
within the UK. (The equivalent body for motor cycles is encouraged to join their local Regional Association. These
the ACU) Associations co-ordinate local dates, trying to avoid
clashes, run Regional Championships, and provide a
The International Governing body is FIA (Fédération means for clubs to discuss proposed or new Regulations.
International de l’Automobile). They mainly concern
themselves with International rules, especially of a Most Regional Associations meet 4 or 5 times a year. They
Technical nature. FIA is currently based in Paris where its have an elected Chairman, Secretary and Treasurer, and
World Motor Sport Council meets usually four times a in most cases have various Championship co-ordinators.
year. Member clubs are normally entitled to have one
representative in attendance at meetings. As far as
The MSA is based at Colnbrook (close to London, possible a representative of the MSA permanent staff
Heathrow Airport) and has a full time staff of some 32 attend one meeting of each Association each year.
people.
The MSA appoint or recognise a number of officials to
How assist with the running of events. These include Stewards,
If the MSA permanent staff are the Civil Servants for the Timekeepers, Scrutineers, Route Liaison Officers, Forestry
Motor Sports Government, how is the sport governed? Liaison Officers, Noise Inspectors, Sound Test Officials,
Radio Co-ordinators, Race and Kart Clerks of the Course
The organisation which approves the rules (the etc.
Parliament if you like) is the Motor Sports Council (MSC).
This comprises of some 30 people – the Chairmen of the Stewards
Specialist Committees and some independents, all of All events require a Steward or Stewards, and in many
whom meet three times a year to ratify rules proposed by cases the Chief Steward is appointed to the event by the
the Specialist Committees. MSA. The Stewards main duties are to see ‘fair play’ to
ensure that the event is being run in a safe manner. MSA
There is a range of Specialist Committees, covering all Stewards are usually experienced officials, who have
disciplines of motor sport, plus such things as undergone a programme of training.
Timekeepers, Scrutineers, Safety, Judicial, Volunteer
Officials, etc. The list of Committees and their members is Timekeepers and Scrutineers
published each year in the MSA Yearbook (the Blue Book). Timekeepers and Scrutineers are specialist officials, who
are required at certain events. It is the organising clubs
Membership of the Committees is by invitation, normally responsibility to approach these officials with a view to
for three years. Clubs and Regional Associations are appointing them for an event. Timekeepers are listed in
always entitled to put names forward for the various various groups according to their qualifications.
Committees. Committees are re-appointed in October
each year. Route Liason Officers (RLO)
Route Liaison Officers are appointed for a particular Police
One very important Committee is the Regional area and give guidance in respect of chosen routes for
Committee, which is composed of one representative events on the Public Highway. They have the power to
from each of the 15 Regional Associations. This withhold authorisation if a route is considered unsuitable
Committee forms the direct link between clubs and the or if public relations work is not satisfactorily carried out.
Motor Sports Council. Its members receive copies of all
the specialist Committee Minutes and they can comment Forestry Liaison Officers
on any item raised in a Specialist Committee. If the Forestry Liaison Officers act to assist clubs in putting on a
Regional Committee is not happy with the proposal, it can stage event in the forests. They know the relevant
ask for it to be referred back to the appropriate Forestry officials, suitable routes etc.
Committee for reconsideration.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 25

Sound Test Officials The application form and notes are available from the
Sound Test Officials are people nominated by clubs, Route Authorisation section of the MSA and tracing of the
usually through Regional Associations, who are capable of proposed route (from a 1:50,000 map) must be submitted
checking noise from competing and official cars during not more than six months or less than eight weeks before
events on the Public Highway. the proposed event.

Environmental Inspectors Copies of the tracing are sent to the relevant Police forces
Environmental Inspectors are trained officials, with for their comments, and in some areas it can be helpful to
calibrated equipment who can monitor noise at events contact the local Police before sending tracings in. The
and check that the club officials are checking noise in the appropriate Route Liaison Officer (RLO) must be
correct manner. Control of noise is a vital part of the contacted at 3 months and can often assist with advice.
Regulations, affecting, as it does, the environment and
the perception of motor sport. Each year the MSA re-register clubs and clubs are then
informed to publish their Fixtures on the MSA website.
The duties of all officials are detailed in the MSA
Yearbook. Care should be taken not to get confused about Communication
the responsibilities and powers of the various officials. Each club is supplied with copies of the Motor Sports
Help can always be obtained from Regional Associations Yearbook each year as reference for organising Event
or the MSA at Colnbrook. Officials. There is also a DVD version available.

Applying for a permit Four times a year the MSA Motorsports Now! is sent to all
Most competitions have to be authorised by the issue of a officials, licence holders and marshalls. This gives more
Permit. In a few cases a Certificate of Exemption is detailed information on rule changes etc.
sufficient. Details are given in the Yearbook.
An electronic supplement for motor club magazines, “e-
A permit application form must be obtained from the Wheels”, is mailed free to clubs every month.
MSA (available on-line under ‘Clubs’ and ‘Forms’) and the
completed form must be submitted at least six weeks How to help yourself
before the proposed event (8 weeks for National If you have a problem in respect of the rules, or an event,
‘A’/International events). Once the application is do not hesitate to contact the MSA.
approved, a “Permit” will be issued. The number on this
Permit must be published in either the Regulations or However, please bear in mind that if you want an
Final Instructions for the event, and the Permit itself must authoritative answer, your request must be in writing, so
be displayed adjacent to “signing-on” for the event. The that you can receive a written reply.
Permit shows that the event is authorised by the MSA,
and that it is covered in respect of Legal Liability The MSA offices are open Monday to Friday 9:00am –
Insurance. 5:30pm (5:00pm Friday) but if you intend to call please try
and keep your call to the period 10:00am to 5:00pm and
Route Authorisation excluding the lunch break.
Events on the Public Highway also require Route
Authorisation as well as the MSA Permit. This means that If a Permit does not turn up, or you have a major
the actual route has been checked for possible clashes problem, please do not leave it until the last minute on a
under the Motor Vehicles (Competitions & Trials) Friday afternoon to telephone. As the saying goes
Regulations 1969 (as amended). “Miracles we perform immediately, the impossible takes a
bit longer.”

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 26

 8

LIAISING WITH OTHER CLUBS AND THE ROLE OF REGIONAL

ASSOCIATIONS

There are several good examples of clubs working with • Liaison with statutory and other agencies (to
their motor club neighbours to good effect – whether it is include Sports Councils, Local Authorities, Police
the sharing of a motor sport venue, jointly promoting a and Government Departments).
large event or simply coming together to improve • Liaison with other sports and community based
attendances by having a joint Annual Awards prize giving. organisations.

Nationally, these benefits of working together are most • Acting as a first point of contact with the media
evident in the MSA Regional Associations: on matters of regional significance.
• Local appointment of championship co-
A Regional Association is an association of MSA registered ordinators to regulate and control
motor clubs. The Association is recognised by, and has the championships.
full support of, the MSA, and exists to represent the
interests and views of the member Clubs according to There are currently 15 Regional Associations across the
need, within their area of defined responsibility, and in whole of the UK, and in some parts of the mainland this
those areas where their member Clubs are active. may mean that there is some overlap of areas of interest.
It is now mandatory for all newly recognised MSA
Each individual Regional Association is empowered by the Registered Motor Clubs to be affiliated to at least one
MSA to manage agreed aspects of motor sport, and acts Regional Association, and it is highly desirable that all
as an advisory and liaison body between all member clubs are members of one – so how do you choose the
motor clubs, their individual members and the MSA. best one for you? Normally, this would be the one most
local to you in terms of your Clubs centre of activity
Through the forum of the MSA Regional Committee, each against the venue where a particular Association may
Association is responsible to the Motor Sports Council. meet, but this is not always the case – such as for national
one make Clubs – and so we have compiled the following
Membership of Regional Associations enables Clubs to check list to assist in your choice:
have direct contact with MSA Officials and Committee
Members in their locality and to access a wealth of • Is the image of the Association positive, and is
accumulated experience and guidance across a broad this image supported by an efficient
spectrum of motor sport. Membership widens the administration?
number of events and Championships in which Club
o Does it display evidence of a high level
members can compete. Regional Associations provide a
of professionalism in its style of
forum for general interaction between Clubs, including
correspondence or communication; in
discussion on proposed rule changes, development of
the format of its Yearbook; in the
safety measures, the arbitration of disputes, and the
content of its regular Newsletters?
promotion of training.
o Does it have a current Regional
Regional Associations will also have specific responsibility Development Plan, endorsed by the
for other matters which would typically include: National Governing Body, as a valuable
• Promotion of regional championships and tool for promoting motor sport to
arrangements for annual awards presentations. statutory bodies and identifying its
• Reporting on topics highlighted by MSA Specialist regional strategies for development and
Committees. facility requirements? Does it assist or
promote the sharing of facilities with
• Liaison with MSA licenced officials, event other sports and leisure groups?
organisers, and competitors.
o Is it pro-active in regional forums within
• Co-ordination, control and publicity of local
Motorsport; is it pro-active in other
fixture lists.
sporting forums regionally? Does it

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 27

 promote itself, such as through o What training initiatives does the
seminars or roadshows? Does it seek to Association promote, or is a partner in.
identify customers’ needs and re- Does it have its own Training Officer? Is
appraise services accordingly? Is the it involved in initiatives to promote the
Association able to offer assistance to involvement of young people in
member clubs in seeking out motorsport? Does it have links with
prospective venues and in joint schools/colleges or with youth-based
discussions with landowners? Are community schemes (e.g. Duke of
Association finances matched to the Edinburgh’s Award)? What other links
current services offered or required? does it have directly with the
community it serves or with community
o Is it able to offer a mediation service to
based organisations?
its member clubs, such as with the MSA,
statutory authorities and potential o Has it forged links with motorsport
funding organisations? manufacturers within its area? Is there
evidence of it being commercially aware
o Overall, is the Association seen to be
of the promotion and sponsorship
effective and demonstrate credibility?
opportunities that such links can bring?
Are there discount offers negotiated for
• Does it have a strong Championship series? member clubs for local products or
o With a range relevant to your Club services?
members; maintaining standards of o What part does the Regional Association
quality events run by its organising play in encouraging inter-club social or
member Clubs; willing to review existing competitive activities? Do Association
Championship and consider additions or representatives offer a facility to attend
changes. Does it produce and circulate Club evenings or ‘road shows’?
regular Championship reports and
points tables? o Finally, does the Association appear to
speak authoritatively with one voice
• What about the style of management of the from its region on behalf of all motor
Association? sport disciplines, including yours?
Remember – Regional Associations are
o Does it have an open management style
in the ownership of the Member Clubs
with decisions taken at meetings in a
within their membership. Your active
democratic way, involving all the
membership and participation will
member clubs present?
strengthen Regional Associations even
o Are MSA Specialist Committee further.
members, MSA Licensed Officials and
The majority of Regional Associations were formed in the
local Route and Forestry Liaison Officers
mid-1950s and their membership at that time reflected
in regular attendance at Association
the preponderance of Rallying Clubs then in existence or
meetings, and provided with an
being formed. They have, however, changed as the motor
opportunity to impart information and
sporting world around us has changed, and today
receive feedback?
encompass Member Clubs from across a wide spectrum
o Does it have a publicity/PR officer of the sport Race Clubs, One Make Clubs, Classic Clubs,
appointed and is there evidence of the Off-Road and 4x4 Clubs, and regional centres of National
Association being a first point of contact Clubs, and some Kart Clubs – in addition to the traditional
with media in the region (on matters of motor clubs representing all facets of Club level sport.
regional motoring/motorsport interest).
Does it have a ‘website’ which is
accurate and regularly updated?
o Where appropriate, are local date
applications controlled rigidly, with fair
and equitable arbitration of any clashes?

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 28

In a nutshell (and apart from the points previously
mentioned) consider the following key advantages of
being in membership of a Regional Association:
• It qualifies your Club for grant aid funding from
the MSA Club Development Fund (subject to
certain criteria).
• It gives your Club credibility with the local and
regional Sports Councils.
• It provides a direct channel of communication,
through the MSA Regional Committee, for points
of interest or concern to your Club and its
members to be brought to the attention of the
Motor Sports Council.
• It widens the opportunity for two way
dissemination of information on a host of issues
that affect motor sport in the UK.
• And the Cost? – Average Regional Association
membership is around £20–£25 a year.
A listing of Regional Associations, with contact details, is
included in the MSA Yearbook. Details are also available
upon request from the MSA

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 29

 9

CLUB MAGAZINES
Introduction Editors struggling for copy may be glad of
A club magazine, whether printed or by email, is the most something handwritten on the back of an
important way of communicating with members; it may envelope, although things will be a lot easier if
often be the only thing some members get for their slightly better technology is used.
subscriptions and therefore it should be taken seriously. • Decide what flavour you want – elegant or
earthy, luxurious or cheap and cheerful. Try to
Ideally a magazine should be produced monthly and on give your magazine a character of its own
the same day each month. Speed and topicality may be although get legal advice if you decide to be
more important than elegant computer graphics or deliberately controversial. Avoid four letter
expensive printing. words or off-colour jokes in it, you aren’t writing
a rag mag and members are difficult enough to
The standard of club magazines varies enormously and recruit without offending any.
the quality is not necessarily related to a club’s size. A club • Try to get skilled help in planning the layout of
should monitor what other motor clubs (as well as other the magazine and in designing the cover. Even
organisations competing for people’s leisure time) are consider drawing up a house style sheet for the
producing so that it does not get left looking second rate. magazine, spelling out whether certain words are
always hyphenated, capitals always used for
Enthusiasm is the key requirement and magazines work others and so on. Your readers may not all notice
best when one person is nominated as the editor. He (or the consistency but it will add a little something
very often she) should ideally be a member of a club’s to the quality.
main committee so that he is in touch with all that is
happening in the club. • Consult your printer about photographs, what
form he would like them in and so on, and then
Although the committee should let the editor have his set up a supply line for them – there will usually
head, it should give instructions on the financial be a club member at events who is a mild camera
performance expected; is a magazine expected to break buff who will be happy to see his work in print.
even (highly unlikely!), lose no more than ‘x’ or ...? • Some clubs successfully use cartoons in
Committee members may also be able to use their magazines but they do need care if they are not
influence to get advertising, and obviously they should be to look indulgently amateurish.
the ones to lay down what is or isn’t allowed. What you • Having sorted out the style of the magazine, the
can charge for ads will obviously depend on the quality editor should then try to PLAN AHEAD. Too often
and circulation of the publication – all the more reason for there will be a last minute scramble to get
making it as good as possible. Don’t forget that although anything out at all, yet a little planning can
taking ads makes a magazine look more professional, it prevent some of the panic. Christmas will
also means extra effort – take care to ensure that the probably come around in December every year …
effort is justified by the extra revenue. so why not think of a suitable feature for the
December issue several months ahead? A twelve
Printed magazines month plan will help an editor balance a
• With some idea of budgets, an editor should magazine so that over a year it covers all
consider the size and style of a printed magazine. members’ interests.
A5 is the most popular size, which is half the size • Having produced a magazine to be proud of, it is
of this piece of paper (the majority of clubs use important to get it to members as quickly as
this size) not least because of lower postage possible. If the club meets on a regular day then
costs than A4. schedule the magazine so that it can be given out
• The printing world is highly competitive so get then but do have a method of delivering copies
more than one quote. Above all, check on a to those not attending. Mail is the most reliable
printer’s reliability as well as quality. method but it can be costly and it does need
• Discuss with the printer what form he wants the helpers to stuff envelopes. Advertising leaflets
copy in and then let possible contributors know. can perhaps be included during the exercise in

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 30

 order to defray postage costs but watch that Possible things to include in a club magazine
inserts don’t take you into a higher postage rate. The constant complaint of editors is that they can’t get
• Print a few extra copies each month and send enough material – so this Guideline lists, in no particular
them to national enthusiast magazines, local order, the items which appear most regularly in club
journalists, club sponsors and neighbouring magazines which may provide one or two ideas. Most
clubs; put a few in local libraries and other places apply to e-mags as well as printed ones.
where you may reach potential new members. • Contents page
• What it is, e.g. “The magazine of the XYZ Motor
E-newsletters Club which does this and that”
There has been an explosion in e-magazines because • List of officials (first names are more user-
they’re very quick and easy to do and offer substantial friendly than just initials) addresses, phone and
cost savings. email details. Perhaps with a note asking
• A specially designed e-zine may be better members not to phone after a certain time.
received than simply putting a conventional • In what form the editor would, ideally, like to
printed magazine on line e.g. having to scroll up receive copy.
and down to read a two-column page is less easy • Calendar of events.
than a full width piece.
• Free DVD, perhaps of highlights of a major event
• It may need a bit of trial and error if you go the e- or of the club’s activity during the previous year.
zine route to get the right style for members but • Where the club meets and when.
as a guide, a highly experienced journalist deeply
• A disclaimer that “Opinions expressed are not
into the IT world reckons that no single item
necessarily those of the committee and officials”.
should be more than 150 words; no paragraph
should be more than 55 words; no sentence • Invitations from other clubs.
should be more than 30 words and no e- • Championship positions and points.
newsletter should contain more than half a • Editorial.
dozen items. Others may disagree with that list • Committee news with at least a digest of
but at least there seems general agreement that minutes.
you shouldn’t fill one with padding or stuff which • News of social events.
would not be out of date if published in a printed
• Reports on competitive events.
magazine at a later date.
• Subscription details and a membership
• Prior to sending any e-newsletters it may be
application form.
worth advising your Internet Service Provider
that you’ll be sending group emails out. There • Photographs (properly captioned and free of
copyright problems).
may incidentally be VAT issues with e-letters, and
you always need to consider Data Protection. • Date copy must be received for the next issue.
• With most airlines you now have to pay extra if • Welcome to new members.
you want a paper ticket, so maybe before long • Advertising rates.
people who are not on the net will have to pay • Sales and wants ads for members (usually free).
higher subs or at least supply stamped envelopes • Brief history of the club.
if they want printed versions of newsletters. • “Ten (or 20) Years Ago”. Snippets culled from old
• An important point: you should not copies of the magazine.
disenfranchise those without a computer if, say, • Letters from members.
you have rare spares for sale or scarce tickets for
• Copies of key letters, e.g. from someone offering
something. Give people time to apply by post.
a discount to members or from a celebrity.
• News from a key club sponsor.
• Regional Association news.
• Cartoons, Quizzes and/or Crosswords.
• News from local companies.
• Articles about members’ cars or trips.
• Club clothing and badges for sale.
• List of members who have businesses and are
prepared to give discounts to club members.
• e-Wheels, a page of news emailed to clubs

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 31

 10

PROMOTING A CLUB
Why Bother? Taking Stock
• Clubs should make an effort to promote • The person in charge of promotion should, with
themselves because most are ‘competing’ the main committee, find time to step back and
with countless other organisations in their area take a detached look at where the club is now
for media and public attention and, not least, and where it’s going. Ideally, all clubs should
sponsorship. With changing leisure patterns and have a forward plan, looking at where they want
the emphasis on ‘quality time’, the competition to be in say 2 or 5 years’ time. If you don’t have
for people’s leisure time gets greater, and our some sort of plan, in 2 or 5 years’ time you could
sport is not the only activity concerned about a find that you’ve actually gone backwards.
dearth of young members. • To help the planning process, some clubs have
• Motorsport cannot operate in isolation. It is found it helpful to appoint a small sub-
affected by outside events so we must fight our committee to review things and they’ve also
corner over land access and other issues. found it worthwhile to include the odd member
• The better relations a club has with its local of the awkward squad – many clubs have
community and the local media, the better someone who’s always sounding off about
chance it has of either limiting adverse publicity, things. Get them on board.
perhaps following an incident on an event, or • Clubs have also found it helps to conduct a
lobbying e.g. for venues. simple survey among members asking what they
• Promoting a club need not be expensive – effort want. If nothing else such a survey may guide
and ideas are more important than money. you to member’s interests, as well as to the
demographic makeup of the club. Incidentally,
• The suggestions in this Guideline are not
when doing surveys a tick box format makes
exhaustive and not all the ideas will work for all
them easier to analyse although there should
clubs… but all of them have worked for one club
perhaps be a space at the end for an expression
or another and may therefore be worth trying!
of opinion.
• Any stock taking process should ask: why on
Doing The Work earth should anyone join this club? And if the list
• If promotion is to be done properly, one club isn’t very compelling, maybe it’s time to think
member should be put in specific charge of it – how to strengthen it. If you can’t think of any
promotion should not just be something tagged ways then a review may at least lead you into
on to other club jobs. It may help to encourage considering a smooth merger with another club
volunteers for the press officer’s job to point out rather than a messy collapse. It may help to
that many of the thousands employed full time in condense your club objectives into a sentence or
motor sport are on the marketing and PR side. two, with everyone having a clear idea of what
• It helps if the person has some knowledge of the club’s aims are. Something like this perhaps:
public relations or marketing but this is not “To provide some interest for the young person
essential. Enthusiasm and common sense are the of limited means, who wants to enjoy his spare
most important qualities required. time with his car and other persons of similar
• The person doing the promotion job should be a ideas; for the family man – this would include his
member of, or at least attend, club committee wife and children if they are interested; for the
meetings so that they are fully aware of what is lay enthusiast, and also for the keen non-owner.”
going on. Worthwhile objectives from the inaugural
• If funds permit, a budget should be allocated to minutes of the Bexley Light Car Club … in 1955!
the post and there’s no reason why it should not • Any attempt to ‘take stock’ should look at the
be given an important sounding title to use when ‘image’ presented by the club. What about
dealing with the outside world. printed material? Is it looking tired and out of
date? Does the club have a ‘house style’ for all its

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 32

 literature so that there’s a consistent style? It many members take them up, but they
should. can still look attractive.
• Does the club have a website? Again, it should. o Does the club have special clothing for
Any club site should be easy to access; remember sale to members to encourage a club
that clear information is more important than spirit? As an aside, many clubs appear to
over-elaborate design. Above all, is the site up to be recognising that this isn’t a significant
date? An out-of date site signals to potential profit area and are switching to
recruits that the club is inefficient. Ideally of suppliers who make and supply to
course a club should have one person order. This avoids the hassle of stocking
responsible for its site. And he or she should be and obsolescence.
on the main committee. o Have you considered special incentives
• Beware! If clubs host internet forums, bulletin to help recruit members? Perhaps a
boards and the like, they should be aware of discounted subscription for a certain
potential pitfalls if they allow their websites to period for example. Such offers seem to
be used as platforms for defamatory material. A work well for magazine subscriptions
High Court case was brought by a Championship and for mail order companies. Maybe
football club against the owner and operator of a they could work for clubs too?
website. The club argued that some of the site’s o Have you tried getting existing members
users had posted false and defamatory messages to recruit their friends? Bring in so many
against the club and its directors. The club could new members and get a free rally jacket
not bring proceedings against those posting the etc.
messages, as their real identity was not known,
o Have you tried a recruiting drive via
only their screen name, so the only way to find
your website?
out the identities of the message posters was
from the website operator. The court granted a o Have you tried mailing lapsed members,
‘Norwich Pharmacal’ order in five of the 14 of whatever age or sex? Some clubs
postings considered. This required the website report a success rate of at least 10%,
operator to assist the victim by disclosing the and you don’t need many new subs to
identity of the wrongdoer. The judge held that cover the cost of a mail shot. A very
the club’s entitlement to take action to protect good time will be after a club’s
its reputation outweighed the rights of the anniversary celebration to which lapsed
message posters to maintain their anonymity members have been invited. Grab them
and to express themselves freely. while they’re remembering the great
times they used to have in the club.
• Does the club maintain regular contact with the
local or even national media? o Consider special recruitment days
where the club puts itself on show and
• What about the club’s trophies? Is there a
has experts on hand with their cars to
standard ‘off the shelf’ air about them or have
explain various aspects of the sport;
they a unique style, which makes them more
consider running longer introductory
memorable and reflects well on the club?
courses. Consider running such days
• All small details? Of course they are, but add during local festivals or National
them together and they make a big difference to Motorsport Week.
how a club is seen by people.
• So those are just a few areas to consider if
recruiting new members. But once recruited how
Internal Promotion do you communicate with them and involve
them?
• Word of mouth is still the most powerful form of
advertising when attracting new club members,
so by far the most effective recruitment aid is to Communication
have existing members enthused and likely to tell
• Some clubs report great success with ‘new
their friends.
member’s evenings’ where committee members
• So let’s look at some of the things that can give a (badged of course) meet newcomers and tell
club that extra edge. them how the club works. Other clubs have
o Does the club have special offers for found it helps to give new members a specific
members? They may have more of a ‘contact’ or mentor – someone they can call if
perceived than actual value because not they need advice about the club.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 33

 • Essential of course is some sort of club magazine. the club with marketing or exhibition experience
These are important enough to warrant a who can help with a simple but professional
separate guideline – see Guideline 10. looking display, featuring an exciting car where
• Above all, does the club have a healthy social and possible? Simple pull-up display panels can be
competition programme? Or is it totally focussed useful for such occasions. But if, like some clubs,
on one event? And if so, could the club survive if you buy one, keep the wording fairly ageless so
the event failed one year or for that matter if we that it doesn’t need updating too often. Some
faced fuel rationing? It’s happened before. clubs have even got such units sponsored.
• Can anything be done to ‘add value’ to an • Is it possible to join a town’s ‘twinning’ campaign
existing event or is it worth experimenting with a by linking with a motor club abroad?
new one? One club successfully ran a relaxed • Will local authorities co-operate in a course of
touring run – as many clubs do – but got added evening classes on motor sport related matters,
value, certainly in terms of press coverage, by e.g. car preparation. Can links be forged with
adding an economy element. local schools?
• Involving people by something even as simple as • Are there any community opportunities for club
asking if they can supply raffle prizes when they action, which will generate media coverage? If
apply for dinner tickets may help that all- roads get blocked can a rally car be used to
important club spirit and sense of involvement. struggle through the snow to pensioners? Can
The more motivated members are, and the less Santa Claus come to town in a competition car
cliquey a club is, the healthier it will be. for a change? The possibilities are endless and if
a motor club doesn’t take them, then the media
space will be filled by more dynamic local groups.
Community Relations
• If a club is lucky enough to have a clubhouse, can
• A club is, or should be an integral part of its local it be offered to charitable groups for use? Is it
community and should be active in this role. A clean, with up to date display material?
club may need the tolerance of local residents
• Do you have a regular meeting place? And if so
over Rights of Way, sponsorship, noise problems,
does it have a plaque outside – the sort you see
etc. and the better links it has with its community
where Round Tables meet on a regular basis?
the better treatment it is likely to receive.
And is there a club notice board in the meeting
• Is the club listed in the phone book, on local room, either installed as a regular fixture or
websites and in guides to local associations? something brought along to each social evening
• Liaise with other clubs, whether car or by a committee member? The dartboard
motorcycle, in your area – you may be competing cupboards often seen for sale in charity shops
for members but you’re on the same side when are ideal for this.
promoting or defending our sport. At least keep • Have you considered reciprocal projects such as
an eye on what other organisations in your area quizzes with other, non-motoring groups in the
are up to. You may be able to learn from them, area?
even if it’s only who’s advertising in their
magazines.
• If you face hostility from local residents over a Lobbying
venue you use – door slamming late at night • You only have to consider the anti 4x4 lobby,
perhaps – then take firm action via posters or concerns over road safety, noise, environmental
warnings in your club magazine. issues and so on to realise that we could well
• Put your events in local diaries, those kept in have to fight our corner in order to survive in the
libraries for instance, or in ‘coming events’ future. And clubs may of course have to lobby
features in local newspapers and magazines, or over local issues affecting them.
on local websites covering events. • The best advice if lobbying seems to be:
• Does the club need to advertise in local o Clearly identify the issue and don’t get
publications? side tracked. Stick to the main, key
• Place run-ons of the club magazine in libraries, points. If you have a lot of facts to put
doctors’ waiting rooms, etc., anywhere they may across, do so as an attachment to any
attract new members. correspondence to avoid the main
message becoming too detailed and
• A club should be represented where possible at
therefore off-putting.
town shows, fetes and so on. Is there someone in

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 34

 o Make sure you really do have an issue. If Public Speaking
you don’t really have a case, it’s
• Can anyone in the club be persuaded to give talks
sometimes better not to start fighting.
about the sport and the club to other
o Decide your target audience. Who are organisations in the area? Talking to them is a
you trying to target, galvanise or very good way of building useful friends (not
impress? This will help you work out the least among young farmers perhaps) and maybe
best way of reaching them. Often it may even recruiting new members. Many people get
be members of your club because you nervous about speaking but it is still worth the
want them to actually put pen to paper effort and there are many books on the subject
for a write-in campaign. CAMRA have that will help. The MSA has sent clubs an outline
correspondents on standby around the talk to help in this area.
country ready to write to newspapers
and phone local radio programmes
about issues. If they can do it for real The Media
ale, we should be able to do it for our • The first thing to stress is that there’s absolutely
sport. no magic about dealing with the media. It simply
o Whether following that idea or not, a means building bridges with relevant
club should have a designated publications and journalists to help project news
spokesman or spokeswoman. It doesn’t about your club.
have to be the club chairman or • The better your PR is – in terms of supplying
secretary if someone else is lighter on “oven-ready” copy, pictures, video on a “just in
their feet in an interview situation. time” basis and free of charge/copyright, the
Many campaigns fail because of the better your chances of getting a good showing.
front man. • If a newspaper has a web editor/reporter then
o As an aside, it helps if a club has a skills cultivates them. Newspaper websites need to
database – it’s useful to know when provide a lot more than the news you find in the
lobbying if a club member is in market paper and people involved in them might well be
research, public affairs or whatever. interested in marginal sports, which is how ours
o Make sure any claims you make can be may sometimes be regarded. • A key is to have a
backed up by fact. You may embellish a record of all the people you need to be
little, but if your opposition prove that contacting – their names, addresses, phone
you’ve lied they’ll clobber your case, numbers and, above all, email addresses as this is
perhaps terminally. likely to be their preferred route for
o Avoid getting personal. You’ll put off communication. Include in your list ALL the likely
potential supporters and you may even media outlets for your news, whether local or, in
get sued. Litigation is too often the some cases, national. Don’t forget local free
buzzword today. newspapers or magazines or even hospital radios
for that matter – a lot of people work in
o Talk to people and get involved. If you hospitals. If you spot that someone new has
don’t have representatives on local joined a media outlet, write to introduce yourself
groups meeting to discuss local issues, and explain about the club. And make sure you
then your voice simply won’t be heard. amend your own records about that outlet. You
o If action is needed, unite with other never know, you may find they’re motorsport
groups affected by the same problem. enthusiasts.
• There’s nothing magical about that list. Nothing • Read the publications yourself from time to time
costly either. It just means being watchful about so that you get a feel for what’s likely to appeal
threats to our activities – early warning is to them. With some smaller newspapers and free
essential – and being ready to take action when sheets it may even be worth offering to write a
we face them. regular column on motorsport and maybe
general motoring too. If your offer’s accepted,
check their deadlines and make sure your copy is
ALWAYS on time. You must, must, keep your
promises.
• Where possible ASK journalists in what form
they’d like material and when their deadlines are

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 35

 – miss a deadline and you probably won’t get the more clubs put out quotes from their
story used in the next issue. chairmen outlining plans for the coming
• If you build a rapport with journalists, try to year?
strengthen that by inviting them to sit in a o Don’t necessarily stick to motorsport. If
competition car perhaps even navigating for a there’s a local debate raging about
driver who isn’t desperate for points, or to speed cameras, maybe chip in with a
attend events like club dinners; they’ll probably release that anyone wanting to drive
say ‘no’ but they will remember that you asked. fast may enjoy the sprint being held on
Incidentally, you may improve your chances with such as such a date.
the media if you have, say, a mayor or other VIP o Always include contact details with a
present. As an aside, one club has discovered press release.
that, pre-war, local mayors and newspaper
editors were ALWAYS made honorary members.
If Sending Printed Material:
• Releases should preferably be double-spaced and
Press releases
on one side of paper only.
• Having built up a list of media contacts – and
• Special paper or NEWS rubber stamped across
include worthwhile local websites – the way to
the top of your club notepaper may help your
communicate with them is by press releases, and
story get noticed.
the rules are the same whether sending them by
post or email: • Leave space for journalists’ amendments or copy
instructions at the head of the page, and leave
o Remember the ‘W’s’ – who?, what?,
good margins at the side.
why?, where?, when? A release should
answer most if not all of those • You’re most likely to be sending releases by e-
questions. Who is involved, what are mail although there’s a case for only sending
they involved in and why. And where timely material this way – don’t clog up in-boxes
and when is it happening. with newsletters that could equally be posted.
Only email real news stories.
o Be clear – don’t make it a guessing game
to find the reason for the press release.
o Keep it simple, concise and to the point. If Sending Material By Email:
What you hope may be feature articles • Forget fancy graphics. Media outlets don’t need
should be no longer than 450 words, logos, letterheads etc. It’s a waste of space and
news stories 300 or so. time. In our digital world it’s more important to
o Avoid long sentences and use plain send information in a format that requires little
English. Care with acronyms – put the or no work by a journalist. Graphics simply get
full version and then the initials. deleted and slow down transmission. Keep in
o Make it easy for journalists. If they have mind that motorsport news won’t be a high
two stories, one oven-ready to go in the priority for newspapers or magazines – don’t give
paper, the other needing work, which them an excuse not to use your material.
will they use? Correct, the oven ready • Avoid attachments where possible. Some outlets
one. simply ignore them; others have computer
o Avoid jargon. If journalists can’t firewalls that go as far as automatically blocking
understand what you are on about, they attachments.
won’t use the story. • Hide your address list; there are programs that
o Try to give things a local angle. Local will do this. Sending a list of the recipients at the
papers may – quite rightly – carry a local top of your email release looks unprofessional.
planning issue as a page one lead, even
though a war has broken out.
o Personalise a release. “John Smith
Chairman of Anytown Motor Club said”
is better than an impersonal “The
Anytown Motor Club announced today”.
o Plan ahead. January 1st is fairly sure to
roll round every year – so why don’t

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 36

Photographs • Pictures must be copyright free – they won’t be
used if there’s any doubt.
• At every event there’s usually someone taking
pictures, yet how many clubs bother to feed • Pictures must be clearly captioned. And captions
them to the media? Very few. Yet it’s not should be no more than 30 words. Captions
difficult. should list first names and surnames of everyone
on the picture, where they are stood and, if
• Persuade someone in the club to become the
appropriate, what their position with the club is.
‘official’ photographer either taking the pictures
themselves or arranging for others to do so. • Finally, ensure that club pictures are retained
Local newspapers will almost certainly have more somewhere. In 100 years’ time your successors
important things to do than send photographers will be glad of them when feeding the Mars
to your events. You’ll have to feed them. Journal with stories on your club.
• Establish in what format media outlets prefer to
have pictures. Most publications will prefer you Radio & Television
to email electronic pictures. • Check the
• We shouldn’t neglect radio. There can be
minimum size and resolution that publications
opportunities and in fact some club people have
need for decent reproduction. This may vary
gone on to have their own weekly radio
between outlets. One PR Company we spoke to
programmes because they’ve proved a reliable
advised against sending ANY high-resolution
source of news and comment.
images on spec by email as they can clog up
systems and make you very unpopular. Tell • Remember it doesn’t have to be the club
people where they can download them if needed chairman or secretary who speaks or gets
– from the club’s own website for instance. interviewed if someone else has a more user-
Perhaps put a low-resolution thumbnail with the friendly voice. But whoever it is:
release telling people to call if they need a high- o Don’t use alcohol to soothe any nerves
resolution image. before an interview.
• Don’t send computer printouts – they may look o Don’t waffle
OK to you, but they won’t when they’re scanned o Don’t use in-jokes, jargon or, of course,
in. bad language
• Don’t embed pictures in documents either – it’s a o Don’t attempt clumsy plugs for sponsors
struggle or even impossible to get them into a
o Do be honest – radio can be very
newspapers picture system and results are
revealing
usually not good.
o If you know when a radio piece is to be
• Journalists won’t thank you for clogging up their
broadcast, get it recorded in case it will
inbox or even in-tray. Don’t make them wade
impress potential sponsors.
through half a dozen pictures. Choose the best
one or two and just send those. • All those things apply to television too. With the
added and obvious rider that the way you are
• At prize giving’s, get as many trophy winners as
dressed and the way you project will be even
possible into the same picture – a whole series of
more critical. Just don’t give up on television.
pictures of one or two people shaking hands,
There could be opportunities – let’s face it there
holding trophies or certificates will be a turn-off
are enough channels around. As an example, one
for many publications.
club sent a well-crafted press release and a video
• Think what will make a picture attractive, and get of fire fighting taken at previous training day to a
people standing as close together as possible. TV station, inviting them to send a reporter along
The normal ‘personal space’ we give in real life to actually fight a fire. It worked.
looks enormous in a picture so snuggle up close.
• Children may help to get a picture published –
although don’t inflict them on members via your
club magazine but do note the Child Protection
issue (see Guideline 6). It’s a sign of the times
that media outlets will almost certainly want
proof that children featured in photographs are
either yours or, if not, you’ve got the permission
of their parents.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 37

No Publicity perhaps even fatal, on an event. The MSA has
detailed guidelines on this which includes such
• But you put in a lot of effort, you build bridges
things as:
with the media… yet you still get little or no
coverage. What can you do? The first thing to do o The importance of pre-event planning
is vow not to get angry or give up. Keep plugging o Establishing contact with the Police
away. before an event. This will make it a lot
• Maybe you can piggyback on stories put out by easier to deal with them after an
local companies involved in the sport. incident.
• Write – or if there’s someone with more o The need to quickly convince journalists
influence in the club – get them to write, to that the event press officer is their best
editors explaining that the club is an integral part source of information – otherwise
of the local community and ask why it’s being they’ll go looking elsewhere and
ignored. And pull strings – if you know someone confusion may arise. It follows of course
who knows an editor then try that route. that the press officer must have clear
lines of communication so that he or she
really does know what’s going on.
Bad Publicity o In general you should hope for the best,
• Instead of no publicity, what happens if you but plan for the worst. That way you’re
actually get publicity, but it’s bad? most likely to maintain control over a
• First take a deep breath because an instant over- situation.
reaction may make things worse. If you’ve got
time to think – perhaps because the next issue of
Anniversaries
the offending publication doesn’t go to press for
some days – use some of the time to really think • Use significant birthdays in the life of the club,
things through. 50, 75 or 100 years for example, to generate
local publicity and at the same time reach out to
• If the club itself simply got something wrong
lapsed members. Clubs have had success with
don’t be afraid to say “sorry” – it can be a very
anniversary cakes being cut, perhaps by their
disarming word.
oldest and youngest members together. Pictures
• If something was damagingly and provably of members receiving certificates after being in a
inaccurate then point that out firmly but club for, say, 25 years have also got published.
courteously. But otherwise, just consider – if an
• ‘Then and now’ stories are popular with local
anti-story is tucked away on page 7 of a
newspapers and magazines. These are much
newspaper and you send a blistering letter about
easier to arrange if old material is available, and
it, you may just earn yourself an even more
clubs should encourage someone to act as an
damaging story, but this time on page 1.
‘archivist’ and contact older members for their
Remember that threats of writs may simply make
memories and, with luck, memorabilia. Local
journalists think you’ve got something to hide.
newspaper files may prove useful for stories
We’re NOT advocating a ‘lie down and let people
about the highlights of the club.
roll over you’ approach. We ARE advocating that
you think carefully before marching off to war. • For the sake of future generations (when they
are celebrating 200th and 300th anniversaries of
• However close a link you build with a journalist,
the club) keep ALL club magazines, event
it may be safer to avoid bad publicity if you
regulations, committee minutes and so on.
assume that there’s no such thing as ‘off the
record’.
• It’s worth stressing that clubs should have clear Finally
policies on Child Protection. Adverse publicity in • To repeat a point made earlier: it is vital for clubs
that area could be very damaging. See Guideline to promote at a local level if our sport is to hold
6. its own against the many competing activities
• There is of course one other area where you may and if it is to fight off the challenges we face.
get bad publicity and that’s if there’s an accident, • Good luck with your efforts!

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 38

 11

SOCIAL FUNCTIONS
General • Clubs should remember the promotional
opportunities of social events and involve the
• Although a majority of members may be
media where possible. It has been known for a
attracted to a club by the thought of competing,
club to get sponsorship for a quiz simply by
a healthy social programme can play a key part in
persuading a local radio station to take an
keeping a club strong and lively.
interest in it.
• The annual dinner or dinner dance is likely to be
so important in a club’s calendar that it deserves
a Guideline to itself (see Guideline 13) but Quizzes
whatever the social function, the key as with A quiz is one of the most popular club activities and is also
competitive events of course – is to plan and pay one of the simplest to organise. Basic tips:
attention to detail. • Keep it simple!
• When organising social activities, remember that • Make sure your question setters are experts. Do
the way a function is run “says” something about they know more than the contestants?
a club. If you invite, say, sponsors (or potential
• Don’t make questions too difficult otherwise
sponsors) or possible new members and an event
people will “switch off” and become
is a shambles they will hardly be encouraged to
disinterested.
support or join you in the future.
• Make sure individuals or teams know the rules
• If a club has a healthy social programme with,
before the event begins so that there are no
say, a table top rally (see Guideline 14), quiz,
arguments. Stress that mobile phones are not to
scalextric and kart evenings, it is worth
be used to phone a friend!
considering a Social Championship which helps to
link the events together and build momentum. • Don’t get into arguments on stage.
One club for instance runs a Social Championship • Always have ample questions available.
which covers quizzes and table top rallies and • If there is any question of a tie-break, make sure
also embraces simple driving tests and that the question-master and the contestants
navigational rallies. understand it.
• Make sure the question-master is a strong
For each event points are scored as follows: character who can keep control. Make sure he
knows his stuff and at least understands all the
1st: 20 points questions even if he doesn’t know the answers.
2nd: 10 points
• The question-master needs an assistant to keep
3rd: 8 points
score; have a brief rehearsal in advance.
4th: 6 points
• If you have film or audio questions, double check
Organiser: 20 points on technical facilities well before the start.
Helpers: 5 points • Ideal formats for a social evening is to show a
Other entrants: 5 points film or DVD, then have a quiz followed by a break
while entry forms are collected. After the break
The Championship is open to paid up members only, it another film or DVD will allow more time for
runs over 12 months and points are announced every marking before winners are announced – in
month in the club magazine. The award is presented at reverse order – at the end of the evening.
the annual dinner and the winner receives just as much
applause as the other champions!
• Encourage members to invite friends who are
potential new members to a few functions. The
chairman or other official should warmly
welcome them and in a (brief) speech outline
what the club has to offer. Have application
forms available.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 39

Film/DVD Shows
• DVDs are almost universal these days – films are • Agree on expenses and fees (if any) in advance
included because members may have old ones and not on the night.
featuring the club, although ideally these should • Find out if overnight accommodation is required.
be transferred onto DVD. In any case, arrange to have him/ her met, and
• If borrowing/hiring DVDs from commercial provide clear instructions on ‘how to find’.
concerns, allow plenty of time for hiring/
delivery/collection. • Check and double check that your participants
• If possible, borrow or hire a large screen system. have agreed the time, date and place. If possible
If using ordinary TV screens, make sure no-one have at least one ‘reserve’ to cover dramas.
has to sit more than 10 yards away, or they will
lose detail.
• Limit participants to 3 or (maximum) 4 for a
• If the audience is going to be large, arrange to forum. Any more is difficult to handle in a ‘show
have more than one screen. business’ manner,
• Before the evening, fix the location of screen/ • Agree on length of function in advance. How
recorder/player and seats. many intervals, will the bar be open, when/
• Check availability of power sockets. where, will any videos/films be shown?
• Know where all the fuses are. On the day
• Before the evening, check the ability to black-out • Have a pre-event briefing with participants – will
or at least darken the room. you introduce them on stage, bring them up
• Once equipment is installed, run a film to set the individually for one-to-one chats, introduce them
focus and check the sound levels. individually then chat all together, etc.?
• Before the evening starts, check, check again, • If possible, chat to celebrities beforehand, to
then re-check all the equipment. agree on the form of the interview, and sketch
out questions/subjects.
• Make sure your operator knows all about the
equipment. Make sure he or she rehearses its • Decide whether or not you will take questions
use, especially in the half-dark. • Detail someone from the audience.
else to be in charge of main (‘house’) lights. • Does a celebrity want any questions to be
• Don’t show films non-stop. After 30 minutes, say, ‘planted’ in the audience? Does he want to be
break for a few minutes. fed any particular questions or theme? Find out
in advance.
A lot of detail just to show a film? Well it’s all common • Don’t embarrass the subject – agree on subjects
sense really and members (and potential new members) not to be mentioned, like divorces, crashes, cock-
may have more regard for the club if things run smoothly. ups – before you go “on air”.
• If you are using P.A. equipment, check it, check it
Forums & Celebrity Interviews again, and then re-check it.
Before the day • If conducting an interview with a celebrity, ask
• Find out who your members would like to listen short, simple questions – don’t make debating
to – engineer, rally driver, racing driver tycoon, points and don’t interrupt his/her answers.
journalist, TV personality, or whoever? • If you are to have a ‘Vote of Thanks’ or
• Having chosen personalities, approach them with presentation to the personalities (or bouquet of
a choice of dates – give a lot of notice and be flowers if a lady), make sure the presenter knows
realistic about who you are likely to be able to when/where/how in advance.
get. • If you have any club celebrities, like rally or
• After fixing a date, agree with them about the racing championship winners, arrange for them
format – lecture, informal chat, visual aids to to be present to have pictures taken with panel
accompany, etc. Busy people may prefer an celebrities.
interview session rather than have to prepare a
talk.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 40

Timing
Club members will enjoy a social function more if it runs smoothly, so a timetable should be drawn up for an event and the
organisers should see that things run roughly to time. As a guide, the following is a draft, tried and tested timetable for a
successful series of forums run across the country:

Bar opens 7.00pm Doors open

7.20pm Announcement of ‘10 minutes until bar closes’

Bar closes 7.30pm Club Chairman stands up; “Welcome. We have an interesting evening lined up for you – films –
forum – raffle etc. Start off with film of X, and then John Smith will introduce his panel of experts
to you.”

7.35pm Lights down. First film starts.

Bar closed 8.00pm Film ends. Lights up. Chairman introduces panel one by one and they join him at the top table.
Question and answer session starts. Questions planted in case audience slow to start asking them.

Bar opens 9.15pm Q and A session ends. Chairman announces raffle and 20 minute break. Panellists available to sign
autographs.

Bar opened 9.40pm Audience sit down again, raffle draw takes place, prize winners remain seated. (Panellists may
wish to leave at this point).

9.40pm Second film.

10.20pm Second film ends. Club Chairman stands up: “That’s it – many thanks for your support and thanks
to the panel.” (Clubs may wish to present celebrities with small memento of club as a ‘thank you’).

10.25pm Prize winners collect their prizes.

N.B. Note the emphasis on closing the bar at intervals. The disruption of members clattering in and out with drinks while
people are on stage will irritate and should be avoided.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 41

 12

DINNERS AND DINNER DANCES

Basics because they often mean people are split into

• A dinner or dinner dance will often be the two groups with a central dance floor.
highlight of a club’s social calendar. It should be a • Wherever you choose, do be quite clear about
lot easier to organise than a competitive event the arrangements and PUT THINGS IN WRITING.
but to be successful needs just the same planning Who at the venue will be there on the night as
and attention to detail. your contact in case things go wrong? Does the
• A clubs committee should first perhaps consider price of the meal include the cost of the room? It
why a dinner is being run: because it is a should but there may be an extra charge if your
tradition, to raise funds or to round off a year numbers fall below a certain level. What charges
and either just break even or even be subsidised. do you incur if you have to cancel?
These considerations will help establish a budget • When you visit to vet a venue (you should), note
and a feel for the general flavour of the event. if the room has a “dead”, dreary area which
• Keep in mind that some clubs have found lunches could do with brightening then arrange for a
to be more popular than evening functions. competition car, or motor sport posters or a
display of flowers to liven it up on the night. And
• If you are likely to struggle to get an event off the
check if lights can be adjusted to vary the mood
ground, consider liaising with a nearby club to
in the room, e.g. down for dancing and so on.
run a joint dinner. One event of, say, 100 people
will have more atmosphere (and negotiating • Is there somewhere to display a club banner?
strength with venues) than two of 50.
• Once objectives are clear, the committee should Menu
appoint a small group (it can even be a one man • Don’t select food so way out that half the guests
or woman band) to get on with things, simply won’t touch it, or something so complicated that
reporting back at intervals. Committees should the chef will be stretched beyond his ability.
firmly resist the temptation to spend hours Vegetarian options must be available.
discussing details of menus, table plans etc. • Establish what the procedure will be for ordering
• The organiser(s) should of course rope in other wine; some clubs build a certain amount into the
people as necessary, e.g. to collect prizes for a basic cost of the tickets. • Pay attention to detail
raffle, or small items – key rings and so on – as with the venue e.g. it’s not life or death whether
table gifts. If a club member is to be the Master flower displays tone with tablecloths but if they
of Ceremonies on the night (instead of a paid do, things will look that much better.
toastmaster) then he or she should be involved in • Consider something original for the printed
the organizing team so that he knows what is menus – the courses set out as a race grid or
supposed to happen and when. whatever. Perhaps include a contact name and
phone in case guests wish to join the club.
• Carry the same printing style through to the
Timing tickets and place cards if you have them.
Unless you are brave enough to try a summer barn dance,
winter will probably be the time you will choose, but so
Guests
will countless other organisations, so BOOK A VENUE
Obviously you will need an intelligent guess as to total
EARLY and do allow plenty of time for other aspects of the
numbers early in your planning. Don’t forget your local
organisation.
MP and mayor (and even other key council people if you
need good links with them), sponsors, journalists,
Venue landowners etc. Someone should be nominated to look
• In many areas there may be only one suitable after these people on the night, buy their wine and other
venue but it there is a choice, go for one with drinks, so that they are not neglected.
adequate car parking and one where you won’t
have to rearrange the room for dancing after the
meal. Long thin rooms are less than ideal

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 42

Speakers Bands, Discos & Cabarets
• Be realistic. If you are a small club and expect 35 • Much will depend on budgets and the average
people at your dinner, a race or rally star is age of your guests. A good disco is better than a
unlikely to fly in specially from Monte Carlo. You lousy band.
may love your club dearly but don’t expect • Few clubs will be able to afford a cabaret at their
others to automatically do so too. For this reason dinner. An alternative may be to get a few club
you should budget to cover travel and hotel members to make fools of themselves with some
expenses for a key guest expected to make a skit BUT don’t let such things run on too long or
speech. Some star drivers may even expect a fee be so full of ‘in’ jokes that most of the room
as well. don’t know what on earth it’s all about.
• Confirm speakers in writing, telling them where • Consider background music during dinner and
the dinner is, when it is, what dress it is, how perhaps to fill the long pauses which sometimes
many are likely to be there, what you expect occur as people walk up during prize-givings.
them to do, how to find the venue etc. And then
have a contingency plan in case they let you
down at the last minute! Raffles Etc.
• If you decide to have a raffle to swell funds or
just as a bit of fun, then nominate someone to
Dress run it and TAKE IT SERIOUSLY. Nothing is worse
Lounge suits, casual or evening dress? It will depend on than trying to prize money out of people when
your club. Evening dress tends to add something to an all you can offer is a tired box of chocolates and a
occasion but members struggling to maintain a can of car polish. If you can’t put on a reasonable
competition programme may not welcome the extra cost display then don’t bother. Don’t jeopardise your
(if you do take this route, put ‘black tie’ on invitations and relations with local traders by scrounging too
tickets to avoid confusion). “Dress optional” may be the hard for prizes.
answer with club officials at least encouraged to dress up.
• The draw of raffle prizes can perhaps be used to
provide a break during dancing but don’t turn it
Tickets into a boring marathon with an endless parade of
• All the attention to detail will be wasted if no one people trooping up to the front. State what raffle
comes to the dinner so plan the sale of tickets proceeds are to be used for and perhaps
with care. The event should be plugged well in consider donating a portion to the Motor Sport
advance in the club magazine, on the website Training Trust, the Motorsport Safety Fund or a
and with the local media (correspondents should local charity.
be invited as guests of course) and perhaps
• If you decide to have an auction to raise funds at
committee members should be charged with
a dinner then find someone who knows what he
shifting a certain number of tickets each.
or she is doing, stress that things must not drag
• Clubs have come unstuck with their finances on, and prime a few people to bid so that it
when people have promised to sell tickets and doesn’t become an embarrassing flop.
then not done so they should be told of the
importance of meeting sales targets!
• Consider trawling among lapsed members – if Timetable
they enjoy the dinner they may rejoin. When the basic planning is completed, a written
timetable of who does what and when should be drawn
• Keep in mind that the ‘flavour’ of an evening can
up, agreed with the venue and then given to all
be affected if it ends up with a majority of people
concerned. You probably won’t stick to it of course but it
being ‘friends of friends’ rather than committed
may help to keep you roughly on track; the biggest danger
enthusiasts – a detailed analysis of the FIA in a
is of enjoying the pre-dinner drinks so much that the
speech by the chief guest may be less than
event begins half an hour after the start time on the
enthralling to them.
tickets (instead of 15 minutes after which is the norm)
• Ticket prices? Up to you depending on your and then the whole evening drags progressively further
financial aim for the evening; keep an eye on behind schedule. The timetable should make it clear that
what other organisations in the area charge. serving staff must be finished and, ideally, bars closed
before speeches start.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 43

You need to strike a balance so that things run smoothly • Have a clear system for identifying who has won
without people feeling they are being over organised. If which trophy. If in doubt tie or stick labels onto
you have a “comfort break” do appreciate that it may be awards so that there can be no confusion.
difficult to get people back and seated ready for speeches. • Try to find out if winners are actually present. If
not, either get people primed to receive awards
On The Day on their behalf or simply announce their wins
• Consider placing a club banner near the entrance then move quickly on.
as a welcome
• Try to find volunteers to be near the entrance to Publicity
greet guests and make them welcome. More • Use a dinner dance as a way of promoting your
formal clubs may have the president or chairman club. Alert the media to the fact that it is
positioned to greet everyone. happening and invite key journalists.
• Have a table plan (with large lettering because • Local newspapers are unlikely to send
people may not want to fish out their glasses) photographers so email them your own pictures
placed high up so that It can be seen • Check that of key officials, prize winners etc.
the microphone is working. If you have a series of
• Put a blow-up of your club badge in a suitable
speakers, position them so that the mike can be
spot and liaise with any photographer to ensure
passed along in one direction to avoid wires
prize winners stand in the right place so that the
getting tangled.
badge features in all photographs.
• Have a few switched on members primed to act
• Put a potted history of the club on the menus
as “noise marshals” ready to nip out to stop, say,
plus an address for potential new members to
clatter from an adjacent kitchen during speeches.
contact.
They should check that no venue phones can
ring.
• If you decide to clap in the top table (becoming After The Ball Is Over
less common), co-ordinate it so that guests are • Hold an inquest, ideally within a few days before
not kept waiting too long for the VIPs. • Be sure things are forgotten. What went wrong? What
speakers are available before starting the formal can be done better next time? Keep a written
part of the function – some of them may need to note.
be rounded up from the smoking area outside! • Mark up a timetable with the times things
• The chairman should remember to thank key actually happened so that you know better next
helpers, sponsors, etc. during his speech … which time.
should not be too long. • Does the running order need rejigging?
• Bouquets of flowers for key wives and helpers • Think about booking for next year.
always seem to be well received. • Write to key people thanking them.

Awards Presentations It may all seem a lot of work just for a dinner dance (many
• Too often these are a shambles; aim to do better. of the points apply to other social functions as well of
• Try to keep the whole thing to a maximum of 30 course) but it is worth the effort because if club members
minutes otherwise attention will flag. enjoy themselves it will help to make the club stronger,
• Tape or tie bases or lids onto trophies so that while if outside guests enjoy themselves it will encourage
they don’t fall and break toes. them to join or help the club in the future.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 44

 13

TABLE TOP RALLIES

Principles All types of navigation that could be found on a
• Table Top Rallies are a useful training aid for 12-car, or navigational road rally – generally your
beginners and an enjoyable competitive event Table Top will comprise longer sections than car-
for more experienced club members. based rallies.
• Table Top Rallies are generally map exercises
• If you use something of your own, or that you
these days – essential practice for navigators and
have seen on rallies, that is fine but don’t forget
a good chance for drivers to appreciate what the
to include a clue at the head of that section.
“other half” has to deal with (and to pick up skills
themselves).
Further ideas
• Quick thinking and accurate plotting are the basis
• Meet neighbouring clubs for inter-club Table Top
for success – as in car based rallies.
Rallies – a chance to build useful bridges in an
enjoyable way.
Compiling a Table Top Rally • Not so many years ago, Table Top Rallies often
• Instructions must be clear, just as they would be involved questions on rules, time keeping, stage
for a “real” rally. rally techniques (tyre choice, service schedules
• Make sure that the marking system is fully etc.). Though this is much less common these
explained so that disputes can be avoided (e.g. if days, how about an event for crews (established
some answers are in the form of map references, drivers & navigators) which will help to prepare
how much tolerance will be permitted for the them for real rallies or to ease them gently over
3rd and 6th figures?). Have a disputes procedure, the step from single venue to multi-stage rallies.
just in case. • Include the Table Top Rallies in your club
• The event should last no more than one hour. championship, or novice development
Interest declines and frustration increases after programme.
this time – and you also want to get papers • A Table Top Rally (without time penalties) can be
marked, results declared etc. in sensible time. run in the club magazine – replies by post or
• Be specific as to which map and, importantly, email or marked at the next club night.
which revision (bottom right hand corner of an
OS sheet – small print above the title) is to be Next steps
used. Stick to one map to keep costs down. • Groups of clubs could run Table Top series for an
• Consider the needs of experts and beginners established clientele, plus newcomers looking to
when compiling a table top – give the beginners broaden their horizons after enjoying club
more time, or a clue sheet perhaps? • Do not events.
make your event too hard – you wish to • A national championship of table top rallies
encourage new people to take part, to enjoy and exists. It is internet based and classes exist for
complete the test so that they come back to the Masters, Experts and Novices. More details can
next table top and to bring their friends too. be found at www.table-top-rallying.org.uk
• Suggestions for route plotting:
o Map references
o Spot heights
o Compass bearings
o Tulip Diagrams
o Herringbones
o Grid Lines

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 45

Table Top Rally – Example
General rules
1. O.S. Map 151 Edition C2 is to be used.
2. CRO – coloured roads only. WUW – will use whites. MUW – may use whites.
3. Roads that either do not go, or go off the map, are ignored. For the purposes of this event, all gates are considered
to be open!
4. Always take the shortest route consistent with the information given.
5. A master map will be available for inspection once the rally is complete. Any queries to be directed to the organiser.
Any disputes will be considered by the Steward.
6. When considering map references, the tolerance allowed is

Penalties

Time taken for the section 1 mark/min

(over the allocated time)

Wrong location for final 2 marks

control

Incorrect passage check 2 marks

Not attempting a section 20 marks

(in organiser’s opinion)

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 46

 SECTION 1

(In order Map References)

Start MTCI, Broughton Castle 4181/4382’/7 to WC 2

WUW Time allowed is 8 minutes.

Via 424¼384, 422¾392¾N, 421¾397, 397383, SW 381402, 386403¾

390½402, 396423½, 387¾408¾ NNW, 389429½, 393449, 400431¼

TC2 is at the next junction

PC ‘A’ How many times does your route go from white to coloured roads?

PC ‘B’ List the spot heights on this section

PC ‘C’ Map reference of most easterly point on this section

TC2 Map reference

SECTION 2

TC2 407½427½ ENE to TC3 (Long Herringbone)

CRO Time allowed is 10 minutes (Spot heights shown to help you!)

TC3 at the next junction

PC ‘D’ How many gradient arrows on this section?

PC ‘E’ How many “places of worship” on this section?
(only count those whose symbols cut the road edges)
PC ‘F’ List the A+B roads used on this section
TC3 Map Reference

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 47

 SECTION 3

TC3 403490½SE to TC4

WUW Time allowed is 10 minutes
SSW, ESE, NNE, SE, NNE, NW (CROSS M40), E, SE, SE, N, NNW, E, NNE, E,
N, SW, NNE, NW, NNW, N, ENE, NE, NE, N, NE, SSE, SSE, WSW, S
TC4 at next junction
PC ‘C’ How many times does your route go from white to coloured roads?
PC ‘H’ List the spot heights on this section
PC ‘I’ How many churches and chapels on this section?
TC4 Map reference

SECTION 4

(Directions leaving grid squares)

TC4 436519 ESE to TC5

WUW Time allowed is 8 minutes
6, 11, 21, 22, 24, 28
1
13
23
16
10
25
12
15
18
20
27
3, 49, 14, 11, 19

Leave the grid squares in the order given. TC5 is at the next junction

PC ‘J’ How many times does your route go from white to coloured roads?
PC ‘K’ How many times does your route cross grid lines 50?
PC ‘V’ List the letters along your route
(As with the churches, only include the letters cutting the road edges)
TC5 Map reference

SECTION 5 (Spot Heights)

TC5 504½514NNW to MTC 6

WUW Time allowed is 8 minutes
117, +26, –14, –3, +40, –20, –12, +42, –23, –40, +2, +6, –34, +27
MTC 6 (Finish) is at 458½613
PC ‘M’ How many times does your route go from white to coloured roads?
PC ‘N’ At what map reference does your route first cross the Oxford Canal?
PC ‘0’ How many telephones on your route?
MTC 6 At what feature is MTC 6

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 48

 TABLE TOP RALLY – ANSWER SHEET

PC ‘A’ 6
PC ‘B’ (157) 141, 171, 138
(Bracketed 157 is just off route at a junction – not worth making a fuss over unless tie decider is needed!)
PC ‘C’ 428392
TC2 407½ 427½
PC ‘D’ 2
PC ‘E’ 3
PC ‘F’ B4100, A423, B4086, A422 (all twice) TC3 403 49½
PC ‘G’ 5
PC ‘H’ 117, (167), 156, 173, 146, 127
(Bracketed 167 is just off route – not worth making a fuss over unless tie decider needed!)
PC ‘I’ 2
TC4 436519
PC ‘J’ 3 (including going onto red at TC5)
PC ‘K’ 13
PC ‘L’ P ford
TC5 504½ 514
PC ‘M’ I
PC ‘N’ 457¼599
PC ‘O’ 2
TC6 Windmill

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 49

 14

RUNNING COMPETITIVE EVENTS–GENERAL

Other Guidelines explain specific areas of organisation for Chart A – Lines of Communication
particular disciplines of our sport, however when
organising any competitive event there are common areas
of organisational skills and event structure, whether you
are organising a closed-to-club autotest or a national
stage rally. Above all, a club should go into any event with Steward(s)
its eyes wide open on the financial front. This means
proper budgeting over costs and entry fees and, where
appropriate proper security for gate receipts. Clerk Of The
Course
The most important aspect of any event is the
Secretary of *Chief
management structure, its chain of command and Scrutineer *Timekeeper
the Meeting Marshal
responsibility. Too often good events are marred by the
“one man band” approach, where an official, often a Clerk
*Entries *Assistant *Assistant
of the Course, is trying to run the whole event with little Marshals
Secretary Scrutineer Timekeeper
help or assistance from other club members. As a club you
must ensure that this does not happen, and this section of
the manual should help to increase your awareness of the
importance of the various key positions necessary within
all events. *These are the officials that are not essential for all events

The size of the Event Committee or Management Team Clerk Of The Course
depends very much on the size, status and nature of the The Clerk of the Course has overall responsibility for the
event. With small club events it is possible to combine event, its organisation and running on the day. He shall be
certain roles and areas of responsibility. However, one responsible for the conduct of all officials, competitors
overriding condition must be realised by all those who and spectators, and for the event’s compliance with MSA
accept positions on the event committee: any official of a Regulations and any legislation as appropriate. The Clerk
meeting may not also compete in that meeting. of the Course is also responsible for hearing all protests
and for any post event inspections of vehicles or
The key positions for any event are, the Clerk of the components.
Course, the Secretary of the Meeting, and the Scrutineer.
This is the very minimum number of nominated officials However, he/she has much to do prior to the event itself,
required to organise any event. On the day of course do coordinating other officials in arranging venues, drafting
not forget that you will also require marshals to help the the Supplementary Regulations, and ensuring that
nominated officials run the event, In addition you will also everybody else knows what he/ she is doing. Ideally
require at least one Steward. Whilst the Steward is a he/she should delegate as much as possible to other
nominated official, his duties and responsibilities do not responsible officials in order not to be swamped by the
start in practical terms until the meeting itself, so we will nifty gritty aspects of organisation. Only then, and with a
explain their important contribution later. Most events strong coordinated team will your event run smoothly and
involve the timing of competitors, so you will also require become a pleasure to organise.
a Timekeeper. Other important officials to be considered
dependent upon the discipline being organised, are Chief During the period prior to the event the Clerk of the
Marshal, PR Officer, Judges of fact, Driving Standards Course should be in regular contact with the other
Officers, Noise Test Officials and Pit Observers. Before members of the Event Committee, especially the
explaining the areas of responsibilities of these positions Secretary of the Meeting. Ideally this should be done
you must establish a line of communication or chain of through regular meetings of the Event Committee,
command. This should follow the principles portrayed in thereby providing a forum to monitor the event’s
Chart A. progress and to discuss and overcome problems. He/she
should make regular reports to the club and its committee

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 50

and solicit additional help and resources as needed. The Timekeeper
Remember that you will need marshals on the day and The Timekeeper as the title suggests, operates and is
cultivating club members enthusiasm for your event at responsible for the equipment and method of recording
club nights will help to motivate members and their the times of competitors. He/she will report directly to
friends to give their time to your venture. the Clerk of the Course and act upon his/her instructions.
The Timekeeper will often be assisted by Assistant
Secretary Of The Meeting Timekeepers and will be responsible for collating the
This job as its title suggests is an administrative and results of the event.
supportive position to the Clerk of the Course. Whilst not
appearing as glamorous and attractive as some other The Chief Marshal
duties, a good secretary is absolutely essential to ensure At smaller club events the duties of the Chief marshal may
that all paperwork is correct, that the notices, signs, block be assumed by the Clerk of the Courses but at larger
tape, etc. have been ordered and are available to the events, especially those of a multi-venue, nature, or which
officials who need them, that all arrangements with cover a large area, it is common to appoint an individual
landowners are finalised, and that entries are received to deal specifically with these areas of responsibility.
and processed.
The Chief Marshal is responsible for recruiting the
The Secretary will ensure that the Supplementary marshals essential to the running of your event. Once
Regulations are printed and widely circulated as recruited these officials need managing if they are going
appropriate to the events status and will normally be the to be an effective part of the team. The Chief Marshal will
official to coordinate enquiries from prospective entrants. ensure that the right people are allocated and that all
positions are covered adequately, carrying out the
Some larger events appoint an Entries Secretary to liaise instructions of the Clerk of the Course, and that
solely with entries, sending out bulletins and other pre- appropriate marshal’s guidance and training is provided
event paperwork. This releases the Secretary of the or arranged.
Meeting to concentrate on the other duties already
outlined. Stewards
On the day the Steward(s) are the most senior officials
The Scrutineer present. However, they do not run the event, but oversee
The Scrutineer, or Chief Scrutineer is responsible for the entire meeting, both the organisers and the
checking that all vehicles, including any official vehicle competitors and must remain independent of the
that will traverse a significant part of the course route, organisation and any incidents in order that they may
comply with MSA Regulations in respect of eligibility and fulfill their duties properly.
safety. He/she will also be responsible for checking that
where MSA Regulations require protective clothing to be The responsibilities of the Steward start by ensuring that
worn that competitors’ Items comply with the the Clerk of the Course and the organisation team are
requirements. running the event to the requirements of the MSA as
contained in the Yearbook, and to any legislation that may
For small club events it may be possible for one official to affect the event. They are also the official to whom a
fulfill these duties, but commonly at larger events where competitor must appeal against decisions taken by the
there are more things to check, the Chief Scrutineer will Clerk of the Course.
be assisted by Assistant Scrutineers.
Basic requirements for a Steward are impartiality,
Prior to the event the Scrutineer should have an input to common sense, experience in the running of events, and a
the drafting of the Supplementary Regulations and be sound working knowledge of the Regulations, both event
available to assist the Secretary of the meeting with and MSA.
technical and eligibility questions from prospective
entrants.

Once the event has begun, and scrutineering is

completed, the Scrutineer must remain available to advise
the Clerk of the Course on any matters that may arise, e.g.
protests regarding eligibility, or in the case of an accident
to establish whether the cause was mechanical etc.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 51

It is important for a club to establish proper relations with Chart B
the MSA Steward, where appointed. To do this:
Before Event
1. Try and achieve phone or letter contact well Time Action
before the event. Tell him any last minute details 12-10 Decide on nature of event, key officials
time to arrive, how to get there, where he can Months and provisional date. Approach
stay, park his car, any food/ lunch arrangements. landowner for provisional date and
2. Ask him if he has all the paperwork he requires venue availability.
and check he has sufficient passes to get in.
3. Be sure the Club Stewards are on site when he
arrives. (If it is an MSA Steward). 9-8 Propose event at Regional Association
Months Dates Meeting.
4. Have time to introduce him to your other Club
Officials and drive him or walk with him around
7 Months Agree officials, date and venue. Seek
the important areas well before the start of
permission from landowner for venue.
practice/competition.
6 Months Arrange site visit and plan the course.
5. Ask him to tell you where he will be throughout 5 Months Confirm all Senior Event Officials.
the event, so that you can get hold of him if 4 Months Draft Supplementary Regulations. Order
necessary. collate event equipment. Apply for
6. Make some effort to have some premises Permit. Print and distribute SR’s.
available in the event of bad weather if a formal 3 Months Acknowledge entries. Begin PR work as
Stewards Meeting is required. required.
7. Invite him to inspect the course before the start 2 Months Finalise event paperwork.
of practice (where relevant) and the event. 1 Month Send Final Instructions
8. Assume he has stewarded before, has done your
job long ago and knows most of the tricks. He will
be trying to establish a friendly relationship - After The Event
respond accordingly. 1 Week Issue Results
2 Weeks Return Permit and fees, together with
event documents, results and Stewards
This then is a brief summary of the key officials required
Report.
to run an event and their areas of responsibility. Not all
will be necessary for every type of event and there are of
course other positions which are not covered here. This then is the typical procedure for organising an event:
1. First you will decide on the type of event and the
There is of course more to event management and date you wish to run, at this stage you will
organisation than just choosing the right people. As with probably have an idea within the club as to who
any form of recreation that requires the organisation of will Clerk the event. At this stage you will need to
an event there is the inevitable paperwork and liaise with the landowner as to the availability of
bureaucracy. The accompanying Chart B provides a typical the venue.
time/ task picture, showing the sort of lead times required 2. The date will be submitted to the Regional
to organise an event. These tasks may be subdivided into Association to which your club belongs for their
(a) seeking and (b) giving. In (a) you will include such tasks dates meeting. Once the date has been ratified,
as seeking permission from landowners, Police Highway not clashing with a similar event within the
Authorities and residents as appropriate to your event. association, you may then proceed to the next
You will also have to obtain the permission of the MSA by stage in the at process.
way of application for a Permit and if using the Public 3. The club committee will select the persons to
Highways you will be subject to the Motor Vehicles organise the event and confirm the date in your
(Competitions & Trials) Regulations, administered by the club calendar. At this stage you should have
MSA in respect of England and Wales, and RSAC selected the venue.
Motorsport in respect of Scotland.
4. Approach the landowner and negotiate terms for
the use of the venue for the date required having
In (b) you will include those tasks which involve you in
surveyed the venue as to its suitability and to
generating things such as Supplementary Regulations,
outline the broad plan of your event.
route or course planning, processing and confirmation of
entries, and the actual organisation of manpower as 5. The event Management Team should now be
previously outlines. finalised and confirmed.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 52

 6. Start drafting the Supplementary Regulations for 15. The Secretary of the Meeting must now send the
the event The bare bones of the SR’s must follow following to the MSA’s Events Department:
the requirements in the relevant section of the Copies of all paperwork issued to competitors
current MSA Yearbook. and officials, copies of the signing on sheets, the
7. Once drafted your SR’s need to be approved by Stewards Report, copies of results and return the
the MSA This is achieved by applying for Permit together with the remittance within 14
permission to run the event. The procedure is days.
simple.. First you must complete a Permit 16. Hold a debriefing meeting with key people so
Application Form, available from the Clubs & that you learn by your experience.
Competitions Department, or downloaded from
the MSA website. You must complete the form This then is the correct procedure for organising an event.
and enclose a set of draft SR’s. meet the The other Guidelines in this manual will explain the
minimum advance period of application, which specific needs and requirements for individual disciplines.
for most events will be six weeks. It you apply However one area of administration not covered above is
late your application may be refused although if your event will use the Public Highway.
typically a penalty will be applied depending
upon the reason for delay. Some smaller or less All events which traverse the Public Highways whether in
competitive events do not require a full permit whole or in part are governed by the Motor Vehicles
and these are detailed on the application form. (Competitions & Trials) Regulations 1969. as amended,
Here different periods of notification may apply copies of which are available from the MSA Authorisation
so make sure you read the document carefully! Department. The legislation is administered for and on
Typically the confirmation by way of the issue of behalf of the Department of Transport by the
your permit, will be received within two to three Authorisation Department of the MSA. In order to provide
weeks of receipt of your application. On line effective liaison the MSA has a network of Route Liaison
applications will (where possible) generally Officer (RLO’s) for each Police Authority area who are
improve these response times. there to help you plan your route and liaise with the
8. Now you may issue your SR’s to prospective Police and the Public. The addresses of the RLO’s may be
Competitors. Obviously to give as many found in the current MSA Yearbook.
competitors chance to plan their prograrnme,
the preceding sections should be completed as The legislation applies to any event which is competitive
early as possible to achieve the maximum period whether the competitive part of your event is on the
for entries to be accepted Public Highway or not. Therefore any event from a club
9. SR’s now being available, entries should start to Treasure Hunt to an International Stage Rally must
be received by the Secretary of the meeting. comply with the requirements.
10. Whilst the Secretary is busy acknowledging
The legislation makes various provisions for different
entries the Clerk of the Course should be
types of event, some will require formal application for
finalising the route or competition course. In so
authorisation to be made to CAS, other types of events
doing arrangements should be made to order the
may be automatically authorised if complying with the
necessary equipment, e.g., bunting, arrows,
necessary requirements.
Warning Notices, timing equipment, noise meter
and any other equipment, as necessary to the
The basic criteria are as follows:
running of the event.
(a) Your event has a fixed route which competitors
11. As the day draws ever nearer the issue of any are required or are likely to traverse but has no
additional paperwork needs to take place along more than 12 competing vehicles. Such events
with the issue of any Final Instructions as are authorised automatically under Regulation
necessary. 5(a) of the legislation. The requirements being
12. The Event that neither you nor your club organise another
13. After the event you will need to collate and issue event for 12 vehicles within 8 days of one
results. This may be done on the day or within another. If organising an event which complies
seven days depending upon your SR’s and the with Regulation 5(a) you should contact the
instructions from the Clerk of the Course. Police with your route and you must contact the
RLO’S as applicable and apply for the necessary
14. The Steward will have completed a report form
Permit from CAS, Events which typically run to
and submitted this to the Clerk of the course.
this regulation are the Treasure Hunts and
Navigational Rallies organised for no more than

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 53

 12 vehicles. However even these events often As with the other events previously described, you must
have more than 12 competing vehicles in which contact the RLO’s and apply for the necessary Permit.
case see (b).
(b) Your event has a fixed route which competitors It is important that the legislation is complied with, for if
are required or are likely to traverse and in which not then any permit and resultant Insurance cover will be
the number of competitors entered will exceed null and void! If you have any queries you should contact
12 vehicles. Route by definition means the route CAS.
of the event and therefore you may not argue
that you have a number of routes each with no The final area of great importance is the use of Public
more than 12 vehicles. Such events may have no Rights of Way by Events (ROW). This is a very complex
more than 180 vehicles in respect of daylight issue but the following is a general guide to what you can
events and 120 vehicles in respect of night and cannot do. Please bear in mind that a review of Rights
events. Such events require formal authorisation of Way and issues affecting them is ongoing, and
by CAS, the procedure for which is as follows: an legislative changes as a result are inevitable. You should
application shall be made to CAS no less than 2 therefore check with the MSA the validity of the below
months before the event and no more than 6 guideline information before relying on it to define the
months, the application shall include a route of your event.
completed form (Application for Authorisation)
and two copies of the route on tracing paper to There are three basic types of Rights of Way; Footpaths,
the scale of the Ordnance Survey 1:50,000 Bridleways and By-ways Open to all Traffic (BOAT), all of
Landranger series of maps. The route tracings which may be used subject to the following conditions:
shall include the location of the start and finish
and all controls or places where the competitors Footpaths and Bridleways may be crossed or traversed
are required to stop or leave the Public Highway but you must obtain permission from the Highway
and the time of the first competitor. You must Authority under Section 33 Road Traffic Act 1988. BOATs
also contact the respective RLOs as applicable at may be used but as they are subject to a public vehicular
least 3 months before the event and he/she will right they are subject to The Motor Vehicles
advise you of any additional requirements (Competitions & Trials) Regulations 1989.
applicable to the area for which he/she is
responsible. Therefore a BOAT may not be used for an event where
competitors are required to exceed an average speed of
(c) Your event has no route, and no merit or award
30mph. With all such ROWS you may not organise a Race
for the lowest mileage, and in respect of that
or Trial of Speed as this is prohibited under Section 12 of
part of the event which uses the Public Highway,
the Road Traffic Act 1988.
there are no performance tests, and competitors
are not required to visit the same places, except
This concludes the general points for running competitive
that they may be required to finish at the same
events, subsequent Guidelines cover particular disciplines,
place by a specified time. Events which typically
but the final hint for a successful event is this: make sure
comply are Navigational Scatters and such an
that you read and understand the MSA Regulations and
event qualifies for automatic authorisation under
the legislation as appropriate.
regulation 5(b) of the legislation.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 54

 15

RECRUITING, TRAINING AND KEEPING OFFICIALS

The number of Officials and Marshals required for Club practically based providing, for instance, the opportunity
Events should not be underestimated. Whilst a Club for a Marshal to put out fires with an extinguisher in a
Autotest meeting may run effectively with only a handful, safe and controlled environment, and hence building the
a Forest Rally qualifying for a Regional Championship may skill and confidence to deal with a real incident should
actually need upwards of a hundred people. that arise on a future event. Major Club and
Championship events often run their own training
Recruitment of new Officials and Marshals should be sessions for the benefit of marshals at a local level.
given a high priority by every Club. These people are
volunteers who are prepared to give their time freely, and Membership of one of the dedicated Marshals Clubs can
many new Marshals of today will become the senior provide a progressive pathway for upgrading, through
marshals and officials of tomorrow, so once you recruit identified training needs and practical application of skills,
them, do make them feel useful and involve them as part to the higher echelons of the sport. Race, rally, speed and
of the club team – the chance of entering a free raffle, kart marshals are included on the Marshals Register
even a letter to say thank you after the event (and do administered nationally by the MSA. Personal record
include a set of results!) often goes a long way. cards issued as a result include a record of Training
session attendance, and show current grade and club.
Recruitment possibilities are endless, but include by word
of mouth, personal contact at events, club magazine, local A range of free publications is available from the MSA
media contact (radio/newspapers), library and college with tips on how to find, brief and keep marshals, and the
notice etc. It is a good idea to nominate your own Club Motorsport Safety Fund also produces booklets, DVDs and
Chief Marshal, who should maintain a register showing other training resources to assist in this area. For further
marshals interests and availability, and who would then information see www.motorsportsafetyfund.com
liaise with individual Event Chief Marshals.
Club Officials are provided with the opportunity to attend
Many Clubs have found the running of a ‘Marshals Seminars or Workshops which are organised by the MSA
Championship’ (with a trophy presented at the annual to exchange information and widen understanding of the
club ‘do’) assists enthusiasm and retention of marshals. sport. Progression from Club Official to MSA licensed
Official is possible through varying modular training
Whilst most marshals will gain their experience through programmes matched to the individual needs of different
‘on the job’ training on events, it is important that this is Officials (Clerks of Course, Stewards, Scrutineers etc.)
supplemented by attendance at formal Training Days.
Utilising MSA Training Instructors. An extensive (Specific details on these programmes are available from
programme of Training Days covering most of the the MSA).
disciplines of Motor Sport is arranged annually at venues
nationwide, and supported by funding from the British For the future, the MSA is committed to the continuing
Motor Sport Training Trust. These Training Days, although development of its existing training initiatives as
including a theoretical content, are as far as possible appropriate, for both MSA Licensed and Club Officials.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 55

 16

AUTOCROSS

Introduction • A limited number of penalty markers may be

used to define the track, and hitting these will
• Autocross is a low cost speed event for cars of all
incur a time penalty. Marshals must be
types which takes place on an unsealed surface
positioned in safe places to observe these
of grass or stubble, in effect a sprint on grass.
markers.
• A permit for an Autocross event will only be
• A paddock for the competing cars, and parking
issued to a Club which is registered with the
for spectators are ideally accommodated in an
MSA.
adjoining field.
• Competitors must hold the appropriate MSA
• Good access for trailers, emergency vehicles etc.,
Competition Licence.
from the public road is essential, especially if
• Both the Timekeeper and Scrutineer(s) must be inclement weather is encountered. • The venue
MSA licensed officials. should be signposted from the main road.
• The MSA will appoint a Steward to all Autocross
events. All other officials are appointed by the
Vehicle Regulations
organising club.
• All cars must be passed by the Scrutineer before
• Subject to relevant experience, competitors can
taking part in practice or the competition.
take part from the age of 16.
• Racing cars are not permitted.
• There is a junior autocross class of vehicle in
which 14 year olds are allowed to take part. • Cars must be fitted as a minimum with a three
point safety harness (diagonal and lap strap).

The Course • A medium size (hand operated minimum) fire

extinguisher compliant with MSA regulations
• Ideally, a field of at least 18 acres is required to must be carried.
allow for safety requirements.
• An external circuit-breaker (for the electrics) is
• The track is a continuous loop, measuring not mandatory, but is recommended.
between 800 and 1200 metres in length. It
• A roll cage is not mandatory (except with certain
should be flat or gently undulating, and be free
vehicle modifications) but is strongly
of large stones. Sharp corners should be avoided.
recommended.
• No part of the track may be close to hedges,
• Detailed vehicle regulations are in Section G of
fences, trees, electricity poles etc.
the MSA Competitors’ Yearbook.
• A plan of the proposed track must be submitted
to the MSA before a permit can be issued.
• Depending upon the width and length of the Safety
track, cars start singly, in pairs or in fours. Cars • Drivers must wear a crash helmet and overalls to
may have several runs, but are timed current MSA standards.
individually, normally with the fastest single run • The minimum medical coverage is one Doctor (or
determining the winner of each class. MSA Registered paramedic) and one ambulance.
• Ideally the start line will be offset from the track • The ambulance should be equipped with the
to avoid rutting and to facilitate the smooth basic resuscitation equipment.
running of the event.
• The local hospital should be advised that the
• No straight may be more than 200m in length, event is taking place.
and the start must be at least 100m from the first
• The Clerk of the Course should have under his
corner.
control either a licensed rescue unit, or a vehicle
• Section 6 of the MSA Competitors’ Yearbook equipped with specified emergency gear.
specifies the minimum distance that spectators
• It is strongly recommended that a breakdown
may be from the track, location of fire
vehicle, capable of lifting two wheels of a
extinguishers and other safety requirements.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 56

 competing car off the ground, is present. • Straw
bales must not be used as track markers.
• All competitors must receive the opportunity of
completing practice runs in accordance with MSA
regulations before the competitive runs start.

The Environment
• Subject to careful planning, Autocross has
generally not caused environmental problems,
but ensure compliance with set noise levels for
competing vehicles. Keep away from dwellings
and habitation in general. Try and minimise the
effects of dust and stop mud getting onto the
highway at access points in inclement weather.
• After the event ensure that the field is
completely cleared of all rubbish etc.
Clubcross
• There is a more basic form of autocross which is
called clubcross. This can only be organised at
clubmans permit level.
• Competitors can take part from the age of 14.
• Competitors may only use vehicles as defined in
the MSA regulations. The maximum permitted
engine capacity for road or economy production
saloons is 2000cc. Cars must run on road pattern
tyres.
• The circuit length is restricted to 800 metres and
only one car can run at a time. No practice, apart
from the opportunity to walk the course is
permitted.
• MSA licensed officials are recommended.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 57

 17

AUTOTESTS

Introduction means of roping or fencing at least 10m from the

This Guideline has been written to help Club Officials edge of the course in each direction, and at least
organise Autotests, Production Car Autotests and 20m from the finish line.
AutoSOLO events. It is vitally important that the Clerk of (d) “Motor Sport Can Be Dangerous” warning
the Course and the Secretary of the Meeting study the notices must be displayed as required.
specific regulations for Autotests of the MSA Yearbook. (e) All open cars and specials are recommended to
fit a safety roll-over bar.
Aim of Autotesting (f) No passengers may be carried in a timed
The aim of Autotesting is to drive around a set of Autotest. One passenger must be carried in the
markers/pylons/posts adhering to a set route in as short a front seat in a Production Car Autotest.
time as possible. The route is set out in a test diagram and
(g) Normally competitors are not permitted to travel
usually involves competitors using both forward and
more than 100m without having to stop astride a
reverse gears. They may be required to cross lines, stop
penalty line. In any “all forward” timed test
astride lines, park in “garages”, pass and circle around
drivers must be required to make a change of
pylons, perform spin turns, handbrake turns and reverse
direction at most 50m after a previous change of
flick turns. Penalties are given for striking marker pylons,
direction. In AutoSOLO events, the maximum
line faults or incorrect manoeuvres.
distance between changes of direction is 60m.
AutoSOLO events comprise all forwards, non-stop tests, (h) Competitors must either stop astride a penalty
all on sealed surfaced areas, and arranged such that line or make a change of direction of at least 90°
“batches” of entrants are either: at most 25m before the Finish Line of all tests.
(a) Competing (i) All safety requirements for speed events apply to
any timed test run on a course/test area more
(b) Marshalling
than 200m in length and/or open to racing or
(c) Preparing for the next test sports racing cars.
(j) The minimum age for an Autotest or AutoSOLO
They are intended to encourage both entry level and Driver is 16, and for a Production Car Autotest
experienced competitors, at Club level, by allowing, or Driver 14 years old.
making compulsory, marshalling by entrants at each
(k) It is recommended for safety reasons that drivers
event.
shall be on the ‘inside” during forward and
reverse spin turns.
The competitor with the fastest time and the least
penalties is the winner. (l) Competing vehicles must comply with all MSA
Technical Vehicle Safety Regulations.
Safety Jobs Prior To The Event
(a) Autotesting is inherently a safe and inexpensive (a) Select suitable site/venue for the event.
branch of motor sport. Speeds are not very high (b) Get WRITTEN permission from landowner.
because competitors normally use only first and
(c) Appoint key officials Clerk of the Course –
reverse gears. The lower risks for driver’s results
Secretary of the Meeting Test Timekeepers
in lower costs as helmets and fire protection
Line/Pylon Fault Judges Scrutineer – Results
clothing are not required.
Official Test Equipment Officer.
(b) The organisers must provide a First Aid Kit at
(d) Plan layout of tests and draw test diagrams.
Autotests. They must also provide Fire
Remember the object is to test driving not
Extinguisher(s) of at least 5Kg in units of not less
memory skills.
than 2Kg capacity available for ALL test sites.
(e) Apply to MSA for the vitally Important Organising
(c) All spectators and non-essential marshals to the
Permit or Certificate of Exemption and Event
test, who are not protected by a solid physical
Insurance. The application for the permit must
barrier capable of stopping a car, shall be kept by

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 58

 be made on a form prescribed by the MSA not (l) It is also recommended that Autotests
less than 6 weeks before Clubman and National competitors should stop astride the finish line. In
‘B’ Grade events and not less than 8 weeks for AutoSOLO, a “flying finish line” is used, with a
National ‘A’ Grade events. Supplementary STOP line at a suitable distance beyond. This
Regulations giving exact details of the proposed allows the Timekeeper to stop the watch when
event must be Included with the permit the front wheels cross the finish line and not
application. when the car stops.
(m) Most competitors like to walk the test before the
Advice On Running The Event event. Organisers should allow time for
competitors, especially inexperienced drivers, to
(a) If at all possible appoint a Clerk of the Course
walk the tests.
with past experience as an Autotest organiser or
competitor. (n) Production Car Autotests must be arranged so
that the entire test is visible to the Driver from
(b) Consult current competitors about test layout
the start line and it must be possible to complete
and test diagrams, especially if an inexperienced
the test with a maximum of four engagements of
Clerk of the Course is being used.
reverse gear.
(c) Before finalising the exact layout of each test, get
(o) Insist on safe parking and slow driving between
an experienced driver in a suitable car to drive
tests.
the test at moderate speed.
(p) Hold a Drivers’ briefing before starting the event.
(d) Make sure the locations of pylons and lines are
Discuss any queries about the test layout or test
carefully marked and measured so that the test
diagrams at this briefing. Instruct Drivers to
will remain exactly the same for each competitor
address all queries to the Clerk of the Course.
throughout the event.
(q) Display results as soon as possible after the last
(e) A competent Timekeeper with an accurate
test.
stopwatch is essential for each test. If possible a
Timekeeping Clerk to record test times on
competitor’s time card and club master sheet is Autotest Vehicles
recommended. A wide variety of vehicles can be used for Autotesting. In
(f) Adequate line/pylon Fault Judges are essential the British Autotest Championiship there are six classes:
for each test. These officials must be carefully (a) Saloons up to 1100cc, under 11ft overall length;
briefed by the Clerk of the Course about how to
(b) Saloons over 1100cc, under 11ft overall length;
recognise a fault. The Fault Judges should hold
up a “Fault” flag until acknowledged by an (c) Saloons between 11ft and 13ft overall length;
agreed signal from the Timekeeper at the end of (d) Saloons over 13ft overall length;
each test. (e) Sports Cars;
(g) Practicing of tests is not permitted. (f) Specials.
(h) Eligibility of Drivers and Vehicles must be
checked before starting the event. Individual clubs often offer different classes, for example:
(i) Drivers are under starters orders when o Front-wheeI-drive sports cars and
instructed by an official to proceed to the start specials;
line of a test. The driver must be seated in the o Rear-wheel-drive sports cars and
car with the engine running at the start of the specials;
test. o Saloons under 11ft 8ins overall length;
(j) It is very helpful to the timekeeper if the Start o Saloons over 11ft 8ins overall length.
and Finish lines of each test are within sight and
fairly close together. It also helps to speed up the Many competitors now build specialist cars for
running of the event If the start and finish lines Autotesting which are relatively cheap to build and run.
are far enough apart to allow the next
competitor to wait safely on the start line while Production Car Autotest Vehicles
the previous competitor is executing the test. The aim of Production Car Autotests is to encourage entry
(k) It is recommended that a “rolling” start line is level motor sport, using series production road going cars
included about 0.3m before the actual timing that are taxed, insured and have a valid MOT Certificate if
start line. This allows the Timekeeper to start the required. The cars must be driven to the event.
stopwatch when the front wheels cross the start
line.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 59

Suggested Classes:
1. All cars up to 12ft long.
2. All cars over 12ft and up to 14ft long.
3. All cars over 14ft long.

Organisers are free to determine their own classes.

AutoSOLO vehicles.
All cars must be have been driven to the event, be taxed,
insured, and in possession of a current, valid MOT
certificate where appropriate.

Classes are usually defined by engine capacity, and/or

front or rear wheel drive, or whether 4x4.

Organisers are free to determine their own classes.

Autotest Championships
Many Autotest Championships are run by the Regional
Associations of Motor Clubs. In addition, the BTRDA run a
championship which has rounds almost exclusively in
England. The British Autotest Championship has rounds in
Scotland, Northern Ireland, Wales and England and many
clubs have their own internal club championships.

For further information, please refer to the Who’s Who

section of the Blue Book for committee members, and the
Regional Structure, where associations running Autotest
Championships list their Co-ordinators.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 60

 18

HILLCLIMBS AND SPRINTS

Introduction SECTION 2: NEW CLUBS
Hillclimbs and Sprints are very similar in concept and (a) Appointments at b & c below should take place
operation. Both involve a wide variety of cars from Road during the ‘off season’ proceeding the year
going Saloons to Formula 1 engine Racing Cars. The cars before the year of the first event.
start singly, over a clearly defined sealed surface course, (b) Appoint the Clerk of the Course who possesses
timed electronically to a high degree of accuracy. The an MSA Officials Licence appropriate to the grade
general resource requirements, both human and of event. He should be familiar with GR B.a. It
equipment, tend also to be similar. may be necessary to ‘import’ a licensed Clerk of
the Course from another club until your CoC is
To make this guideline simple and easier to understand, it licensed to the appropriate grade.
is divided into sections. Each section provides for different
(c) Appoint a Secretary of the Meeting
organisational experience and circumstances, and
provides further sections to be read: (d) Read the content of Section 1 (c & d) above

1. New organising team from experienced Club Has the proposed venue been used before?
organising event at existing venue. Go to If NO Go to Section 3
Section 1. If YES Go to Section 4
2. Club NOT having organized Hillclimbs or
Sprints at all, or not for many years. Go to SECTION3: EVENTS AT NEW VENUES
Section 2. (a) Consider the content of GR A(a)
3. Experienced Club organising event at a NEW (b) The main difference between Hillclimbs and
venue. Go to Section 3. Sprints is that the former has a significant height
4. Experienced Club organising a NEW event at differential between the lowest and highest
an existing venue. Go to Section 4. points of the course.
(c) Inspect the proposed venue to consider whether
References are made throughout to the MSA General certain essential criteria can be accommodated.
Regulations (GR) in the MSA Yearbook (‘the Blue Book’). It These include:
is essential that copies of this publication are available for i. Course MUST be asphalt, concrete or
study by prospective organisers. The references made similar sealed surface throughout its
should be read in conjunction with that Section of this competitive length
guideline.
ii. Start and finish areas, including an
adequate area after the latter to enable
SECTION 1: NEW ORGANISING TEAM cars to reduce speed to a non-
(a) Prepare for major changes in senior personnel in competitive level, must also be of a
organising team well in advance similar surface
(b) Ideally all new senior officials should be able to iii. Adequate space must exist to
‘shadow’ the existing incumbents, including accommodate a paddock of sufficient
attending organisers meetings of the event in the size to cater for competing cars, their
year before they take over their roles, and during trailers and towing vehicles and also the
that previous year’s event, so they have a vehicles of officials (including marshals)
complete grasp of the role they are assuming. and any ambulances and rescue units.
(c) New senior officials may wish to attend similar The paddock is normally sited before
events run by neighbouring clubs to consider the start, but can be after the finish, and
how other clubs operate. need not be of the same surface as the
(d) All senior officials should be familiar with GR course.
A(a), C(a) and I. Go to Section 5 iv. The start area must have sufficient
space for assembling competing
vehicles. Where it is necessary to

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 61

 traverse the course to return to the iii. Specific insurance cover where owner
paddock a suitably sized area is required requires this, MoD property in
after the finish. particular.
v. Suitable space, at both start and finish (e) Where the criteria, after inspection, at c. above
but at a suitable distance from the can be met the proposed course should be
course, should exist for siting inspected by the MSA’s Technical & Risk Control
Timekeepers and their equipment. Manager. Since he is likely to make modifications
vi. Space must available, of adequate size, to the original proposals (which may include
to accommodate the Environmental course layout and hazard protection methods) it
Scrutineer for noise testing. is pointless to proceed any further before this is
done.
vii. If spectators are to be admitted,
separate enclosures are required, a (f) Planning permission may need to be sought.
suitable distance from the course and Usage may be acceptable under a General
an adequate area for car parking for Development Order (known as the 14/28 day
them will be required together with rule). Usage under a GDO can be revoked,
adequate access arrangements. whereas a Planning Order may not be. Discrete
checks might be considered appropriate with the
viii. It should be borne in mind that the
Local Authority Planning Department for possible
course should be replicated on each
objectors to Motor Sport Venues. Certainly if the
occasion it is used, and any plans
proposed venue is to become permanent and be
prepared should make this possible.
used frequently, involving considerable financial
ix. Propose course should not be traversed outlay then the Planning Order route is
by a Public Footpath or Bridleway as this advisable.
is likely making use of the proposed
(g) Check for existence of local churches, or other
course legally unacceptable.
establishments, which may require quiet at
x. Hazards alongside the course (including specific times or other special requirements.
structures such as walls, gates and Liaison with Parish Councils may be appropriate.
buildings, fencing, trees, telegraph poles
(h) When all of the above criteria are reconciled a
or other ‘furniture’) maybe acceptable,
Track Licence may be applied for.
subject to suitable protection measures
being taken to minimize the effect of (i) Where MoD property is involved, specific
competing cars coming into contact permission should be obtained from the Base
with such features. Clubs may consider Commander and also a licence sought from the
it prudent to conduct a simple risk local Defence Land Agency, to enable its use. Go
assessment. Identify every hazard, to Section 5
however minor; consider the potential
harm which could result from contact SECTION 4: NEW EVENTS AT EXISTING VENUES
and the likelihood of that happening.
(a) If the existing venue is a race circuit, agree with
This will focus the mind to the
the operator the location of start, finish and
examination process.
format of the event because if the venue has not
been used before for Sprints then the track
Prior to proceeding further, contact the MSA to arrange licence will need to be extended to
an initial venue inspection to be carried out so as to accommodate this.
ascertain if an application for a Track Licence is likely to be
(b) Before considering events at an existing venue
successful.
care should be taken to liaise with other Clubs
already using the venue. Your club should ensure
(d) Clubs MUST have:
the date(s) for your event(s) should not
i. Full and complete written agreement compromise the date(s) used by other Clubs. The
with the owner(s) all of the land to be other Club(s) may be the holder of the existing
used by the event (c.iii- vii above) Track Licence and you will need to seek their
ii. Written agreements with owner(s) must agreement to use it.
include all financial arrangements (c) Check the layout and format covered by the
(venue rent, and charges made for existing Track Licence. Consider whether an
public entrance, car parking, alternative layout and/ or format could be
programme sales etc.) employed by your event(s). You will need to

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 62

 liaise with the holder of the existing Track (b) Duties & Responsibilities of Officials
Licence to seek its amendment to accommodate Clerk of the Course – Has overall responsibility for the
your planned layout and/or format. event and is responsible for ensuring it operates within
(d) Then consider the logistical requirements of your the Regulations, Track Licence and Event Permit
event: conditions. He will normally have a Deputy, who can act
i. How many cars does the Track Licence on his behalf and sometimes an Assistant who can assist
allow on track at any one time? the Clerk and his Deputy.
ii. Is there a return road, or some other
way by which competing cars can return Secretary of the Meeting – Responsible for all event
to the paddock without traversing the documentation including: Ensuring event date(s) included
course? If not cars will have to be on MSA and invited Championships’ Fixture Lists;
dispatched from and back to the Application for Event Permit; Preparation and distribution
paddock in batches. of Supplementary Regulations; Supervision of receipt of
iii. What space is available for entries and allocation of numbers; Preparation and
accommodating cars after the finish? distribution of event’s Final Instructions; Supervision of
This will affect the size of batches. compilation and distribution of event results.
iv. What size of entry can be considered
(taking into account i.–iii. above)? How Chief Marshal – Responsible for the recruitment and
many do other clubs accept? It is better allocation of all marshals. These will be required to ensure
to start with known numbers which can all posts on course are manned, also an adequate number
be handled, leave optimistic ambition of start line marshals also an adequate number of
until you have experience at the venue. paddock marshals. If appropriate ensuring adequate
Go to Section 5 numbers of marshals to control spectators. Preparation of
information packs for all marshals posts.
SECTION 5: ALL EVENTS
(a) Officials Stewards – Should be persons experienced in motor
sport. The 2 Stewards appointed by the club will be joined
i. The following Officials must be
by a third appointed by MSA. The Stewards are
appointed: Clerk of the Course, Chief
responsible for checking the event is run in accordance
Scrutineer & Chief Timekeeper (all of
with all terms and conditions of the permit and track
whom must hold MSA Licences for their
licence. They also have an overall responsibility for
role appropriate to the grade of event;
satisfying themselves that matters of safety are not
the latter two Officials will employ
compromised. They will liaise with the CoC for any
sufficient further officials to perform
matters they have any misgivings about before an event
their roles); Secretary of the Meeting,
will proceed. They are the second judicial body in an
Doctor or Registered Paramedic, Club
event, hearing and adjudicating on appeals against
Stewards (2).
decisions of the Clerk of the Course.
ii. The following additional Officials are
advised: Deputy/Assistant Clerk of the
Course, Entries Secretary, Chief Marshal, Entries Secretary – Assists the Secretary by distributing
Chief Paddock Marshal, Course the event Regulations, receives entries from competitors
Controller. and allocates numbers to each competitor. In some cases
will also be responsible for compilation and distribution of
iii. The following Officials are optional
results (although some events have an additional Results
should the circumstances of the event
Secretary to perform this task).
permit or require; Chief Results Officer,
Awards Secretary, Commentator, Press
& Publicity Officer. Course Controller – Responsible for ensuring that no car
leaves the start line until the course is clear and an
All of the above Officials should be appointed at an early adequate interval exists between each competing car. The
stage to enable them to be involved in the overall event Chief Timekeeper will often provide him with a button to
planning and preparation. depress when it is clear for a car to leave the start line;
this has effective control over the start lights.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 63

Chief Paddock Marshal – Ensures competitors are kept parking their vehicles, possibly taking
informed when they are due to run, and that they are money and issuing tickets at the gate,
assembled in good time and that there is always an possibly selling programmes?
adequate number of cars in assembly so that the start line o Are spectators needed? Will the event
is consistently ‘fed’ with cars. be financially viable without them?
(c) Competitors o Are there suitable areas, well clear of
the course, where spectators may be
If the number of accepted competitors is too high, it may
contained safely?
present difficulties later in the event if insufficient time
o Is there suitable and adequate space to
exists to complete all the runs. If too few are taken, more
park their cars, separate from
time may be available for further runs. However this will
competitors and officials?
only be possible if the event Supplementary Regulations
are appropriately worded (e.g. ‘at least two timed runs’
If spectators are to be accommodated then the following
rather than ‘two runs’ where the number of runs are
will be required:
detailed). Factors to be taken into account in determining
the number of competitors which the event may o Publicity to ensure potential spectators
accommodate are: are aware of the event, its date and
location
i. Curfews – The earliest time to start and
the latest time to finish. This will o Direction arrows on approach roads to
determine the total time available. An venue
appropriate interval will need to be o Spectator access and exits, separate
factored in for a lunch break and from competitors preferably, plus car
possibly to accommodate local church parking areas all which need to be
services. signed and manned to ensure maximum
ii. Paddock size – This should be able to use is made of area available
house competing vehicles (and it will o Personnel to take gate entry money,
need to be borne in mind that many will issue tickets and sell programmes
have trailers and tow vehicles too). An o A commentator, with an efficient PA
overly congested paddock makes life system, who has access to times of
difficult for everyone concerned and competitors.
should be avoided.
o Commentary sheets will have to be
iii. Access – Does the event require that issued to competitors to ensure the
cars have to drive back through the commentator has information about
course to return to the paddock? Time them
for returning ‘batches’ will also have to
o A paddock transfer system will need to
be taken into account, as will possible
be set up and manned
further delays if cars are trying to access
the assembly area whilst other cars are o In some instances, where spectator
trying to regain their paddock positions. areas are on both sides of the course,
personnel with separate communication
iv. Track Licence – How many cars on track
to allow the course to be crossed when
at any one time is permitted by the
it is ‘closed’.
Track Licence.
o Separate first aid staff may be required.
v. Average time – You will have to try to
estimate the average time taken, across
the whole of the entry, per car, per run
to complete the course.

(d) Spectators
o Are spectators allowed? – Many MoD
venues prohibit spectators.
o Does the venue owner require you to
make arrangements to accommodate
spectators?
o Do you want spectators? – Can the
venue cope with them? – Do you have
the manpower to cater for receiving and

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 64

(e) Timescale for organisational arrangements • Day of Event paperwork required
• Pre-season bookings o Track Licence
o Venue & Venue Licence (MoD venues) o Fire Extinguisher Certificate
o Invite Championships o MSA Permit
o Invite Clubs o Major Incident Plan
o Timekeepers o Supplementary Regulations
o Scrutineers o MSA Yearbook
o Doctor or Paramedic o Final Instructions
o MSA Licensed Rescue Unit & Crew o Entry List, with amendments
o Ambulance & First Aid staff o Signing on sheets for Competitors;
o Breakdown/recovery vehicle Officials & Media (3 different forms)
o PA system • Radios booked o Confirmation of acceptance all invited
Championships
o Fire extinguishers order (if hired) or
serviced (if owned) o Confirmation of acceptance all invited
clubs
o Toilet supply (if temporary venue)
o Event log
o Caterers
• Day of Event (or day before if access possible)
o Access to any buildings or caravans for
signing on competitors and officials. o Number paddock
o Arrangements to obtain road closure o Build course, ensure this accords with
orders (Channel Islands, Northern course build plans and Track Licence
Ireland and Isle of Man) o Equip marshals posts
o Arrangements with local council to
obtain temporary closure/rerouting of Event Log
public footpaths etc.
An outline towards “best practice” is included here, and
• 3–6 months before Event this may be modified dependent upon the character and
o Ensure Track Licence is in place. style of event.
o Advice Local hospital and police
A multi column log sheet is suggested with columns for
o Prepare and distribute Supplementary
each car’s start time (this can be every car or every 5th or
Regulations
10th cars for example), number, reporting post no (where
o Get MSA Permit radio messages are received), action taken (dependent
o Order awards upon the nature of the message), other cars affected (cars
o Order any passes required for affected by a “red flag” and re-runs necessary) and notes
competitors and officials (which can be used for more detail about radio messages,
particularly when a serious incident takes place)
o Order any refreshment tickets required
for officials
It is valuable, for post-event analysis, to record on the log
o Lorry or large van (depending on how that the radio check is complete (you can detail each post
much equipment required for course number and official if you wish to ensure none are
building) booked forgotten) and a time when this has happened; when the
• One month before event Stewards Inspection takes place; when practice starts (for
o Prepare entry list and allocate numbers each run) and ends (for each run) and likewise for each
timed run (and Run off where relevant).
o Prepare Final Instructions
o Finalise Awards order and collect In the case of multi lap Sprints it is helpful, for liaison with
o Distribute Final Instructions and Entry the Course Controller, if an extra pair of columns are
List, together with any personnel and added. One to show a car on his out lap (tick when
vehicle passes, to Officials (shown at 5.a. complete) and another when a car is on his in lap (tick
above) plus MSA Steward and when complete). This is helpful to indicate the status of
Championship Co-ordinators each competitor.
o Distribute entry passes to marshals and
other officials

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 65

 19

KARTING
Introduction The Organisation
a) Karting is a motor sport the rules of which are set Now that you have identified and found your “officials”
out in Section K of the Blue Book, “Specific you may then apply to the MSA for a permit to run an
Regulations”, together with the appropriate event. Application should be made at least eight weeks
general regulations. before an event. .
b) Senior Officials and all competitors have to be a) Now that you have identified and found your
licensed. “officials” you may then apply to the MSA for a
permit to run an event. Application should be
c) Kart races can take place on permanent racing
made at least eight weeks before an event.
circuits or on a temporary track, e.g. airfields, but
all circuits have to be licensed by the MSA before N.B. Permits can be obtained on line.
any competition may take place. b) You should then prepare (in conjunction with
d) This guideline has been written as a brief your established senior officials) a set of
summary for the Secretary of the Meeting. “Supplementary Regulations” (SRs) the content
of which must follow the requirements set out in
Section A 28 of the General Regulations. When
The Club complete, the secretary should make application
a) The secretary of a club must apply to the MSA for for an event permit. You should ensure that the
recognition prior to arranging any competition closing date for receipt of entries is sufficiently
b) Once the club has received formal recognition early to allow acknowledgement of entries,
from the MSA, the club is able to start to preparation of lists of competitions and
organise a race meeting. The “base” level is “officials”, grid positions, etc., together with the
“clubman” restricted to club members only and ordering of trophies and if provided, the
up to 15 invited clubs; these need to be specified preparation and printing of Race Programmes.
in SRs. c) Send the SRs and an Entry Form to each “would
c) First identify the important personnel for the be” competitor.
meeting, some of whom have to be licensed by d) Avoid taking “Late Entries”. This encourages
the MSA*. The main functions to be filled are: persistent late entry and either prevents
o Clerk of Course* completion of essential paperwork or, causes it
o Assistant Clerk of Course* to be done again.
o Club Stewards (2 min): e) A Club Championship, not permitted during the
first two years of a new club, needs to have its
o Chief Scrutineer*
Club Championship Regulations, approved in
o Deputy Chief Scrutineer*
principle by the Kart Championship Control
o Scrutineers* Panel, by September of the preceding year.
o Starter
o Paddock Marshal The Meeting
o Lap Scorers a) Arrive in good time. Allow yourself plenty of time
o Meeting Secretary to “set up”. Remember that many competitors
o Paramedic/Ambulance facility will have questions which you will be expected to
o Marshals deal with in addition to your own duties.
d) You may refer to the “Blue Book” for names of b) The Meeting Secretary (with assistants) will
suitable licensed officials who may be able to arrange for all officials and competitors to “sign-
assist you either to initially set up or in the event on”. In addition, each competitor’s MSA
of announced but unforeseen absence of a competition licence must be inspected together
regular licenced official. Please remember that with their membership card. Each competitor
many are committed to regular attendance at who is under the age of 18 must have their Entry
meeting of other clubs, but most people are Form and signature at “signing on”,
willing to help if available. countersigned by parent or guardian. Paperwork
like signing on forms are part of the resources on

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 66

 the www.msauk.org website. k) The Paddock Marshal is responsible for the
c) The following must be available for Inspection on correct and timely assembly of competitors on
race day: the dummy grid(s) ready for commencement of
practice/racing.
i. The Track Licence
l) Ensure observance of any “noise” restrictions
ii. The Event Permit (and Championship
imposed by an outside authority or licence
Permit if the meeting is part of a series).
requirements. In this context, restrict the running
iii. Fire extinguisher certificate(s). of engines prior to the start of practice and after
iv. Scales certificates and/or check weight completion of racing. Include such restrictions in
certificates. the SRs.
v. Licence of Registered Paramedic or m) Ensure that the results of each race are timed
“evidence of a contract”. and “declared” on the official notice board as
vi. All Entry Forms and “signing-on” sheets. soon as possible after the completion of each
race.
vii. Major Incident Procedures
n) After completion of the meeting the following
d) A list of all competitors and “Officials”, together
must be forwarded to the MSA
with a race sequence must be prepared, made
available to the Senior Officials and affixed to the o A Race Programme, corrected if
notice board. Alternatively, a Race Programme necessary (or List of Competitors and
may incorporate this information but must Officials).
include the Motor Sport warnings described In o A copy of the results.
the Blue Book. o The original Event Permit – duly
e) Ensure that all equipment necessary is available completed and signed.
for the meeting. Flags, Start Lights, fire o Cheque for permit fee and insurance.
extinguishers, scales, and the like. A full list of the
o) If you have spectators try to ensure that
minimum requirements is set out in K 30 of the
sufficient programmes are available and that any
Blue Book.
PA system is used not only for the benefit of the
f) Communication between the CofC (who has competitors but also to meeting.
overall responsibility for the meeting) and the
p) Keep animals away from the circuit but if present
rest of the team is essential. If radio hand sets
ensure that they are kept tethered and safely
are available for use, ensure that the batteries
inside a vehicle whenever race or practice is
are charged and spare batteries are available.
taking place (see Blue Book).
Alternative and clear means of communication
must be established if radios are not utilised.
g) The CofC and MSA Steward (if present) will And finally
inspect the track for safety matters prior to a) Meet and discuss how the meeting went with the
racing or practice commencing. Any deficiencies senior officials (and others). Identify what went
will have to be corrected prior to starting the wrong and find out why. Consider ways of
meeting. improvement. Incorporate in the next meeting.
h) About half an hour before the meeting the CofC b) Write the SRs for the next meeting and send out
is obliged to hold a drivers’ briefing. Ensure that invitations to all last meeting’s competitors and
the competitors know the time of the briefing or any others that might be interested.
announce it at the meeting.
i) The Chief Marshal will hold a marshals’ briefing And start all over again!
prior to going to post.
j) All officials and marshals must be in position
prior to practice or racing commencing. The CofC
will ensure that the circuit is property manned,
including Paramedic and ambulance(s) and staff.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 67

 20

CROSS COUNTRY
Under the heading “Cross Country” there is such a diverse of the local authority and obtain the necessary
range of events that it is simply not possible to cover each permissions from the Highway Authority (Section
type of event in great detail. Historically there was a 33 Road Traffic Act 1988). In many cases this can
presumption that Cross Country events were only run by be done on line and by e-mail.
Cross Country clubs, but increasingly motor clubs are also
including them on their calendar of events. Obviously there are many other factors to consider such
as the access, neighbouring properties which might not
Cross Country presents certain organisational difficulties, share our enthusiasm for motorsport, depositing mud on
which do not apply to organisers of other events at all, or the road when leaving the site etc. and other motorsport
certainly not to the same extent. The terrain is the most events already taking place in the vicinity near to your
difficult aspect to get right for being a natural surface; it is date. You need to liaise with the MSA appointed Route
subject to the weather. To the casual observer one might Liaison Officer if using the Highway, and the Forestry
presume that as the majority of vehicles are 4x4 they can Liaison Officer if intending to apply for an allocation to
tackle almost anything. This presumption might still hold use Forestry Commission property. In Wales applications
good for a small trial, but the popularity of Competitive for use of MOD property are made by first contacting the
Safaris and Hill Rallies means that the ground must be Welsh Association of Motor Clubs MOD Liaison Officer.
selected to sustain the large number of competitive
vehicle movements without becoming impassable. In such So what of the events themselves?
a situation not only will your event be spoilt by delays, or
abandonment, but lasting damage may be caused to the Promotional Event
venue and that will guarantee that you, and maybe other
The purpose of a Promotional Event is to allow for new
clubs, will not be able to use the site again.
and prospective members of a club to experience cross-
country driving in a controlled manner. The event must
Environmental issues, such as the course layout and tyre
take the form of a set liaison route, which may
choice, must be carefully considered to minimise damage
incorporate optional trials type sections for the more
and ensure a good working relationship with landowners
adventurous enthusiast. It is not a competition, but the
and the future use of the site. Control tyres have already
route must be marshalled.
been adopted successfully by the MSA British Cross-
country Championship to address this issue.
Selection of the route is important because you do not
want to put off novices, either with intimidating terrain,
Once you have selected a venue for your event, there are
or terrain which is going to damage vehicles. Remember
three other aspects, unique to Cross Country, which must
that this is for beginners, not experienced club members
be considered when designing your competition course
using specially prepared vehicles.
whether it is to be a Competitive Safari or a Trial.
The Promotional event qualifies for a Certificate of
• First, avoid natural watercourses. Whenever a Exemption, which means that provided that you make a
vehicle is driven through water some formal request in accordance with A21, the public may
contaminants will escape and pollute the water participate, but not officiate.
and the statutory authorities take very strong
action against such pollution. Gymkhanas and Treasure Hunts similarly qualify for
• Secondly, do not set out your course in such a Certificates of Exemption, so it is possible to organise a
way that damage is caused to trees, bushes etc. variety of competitive events suitable for recruiting new
Quite apart from there being a General members to a club. Remember that if a Treasure Hunt is
Regulation requiring organisers not to do this, going to use the public highway then you must comply
the resultant environmental damage attracts a with the Motor Vehicles (Competition and Trials)
similar response to those involving watercourses. Regulations. Please see the sections in this Manual
• Thirdly, you must check for the presence of concerning Event Organisation and Rallies.
Rights of Way. Make sure you check this point
thoroughly with the Rights of Way Department

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 68

Tyro Trial Timed Trial
A Tyro Trial is a step up from the Promotional Event and is As the title implies, a Timed Trial is a trial where the sections
designed to provide the newcomer with his or her first are timed. The results are based upon the competitor’s time
taste of competition as a club member. (Tyro is Latin for taken, plus any penalties accrued for touching markers.
novice or beginner.) Unlike an un-timed trial, however, the competitor is still
required to complete the sections after incurring a penalty.
The regulations set specific requirements on the severity
of the trials section and for the types of competing Competitive Safari
vehicle, which must be fairly standard road legal vehicles. The second most popular type of Cross-country event, the
In addition 13 year-olds may drive, provided an Competitive Safari, is a timed event where a course of at least
experienced person is sitting alongside, and the a mile long is set out at one venue and where competitors
regulations allow for all of the family to be in the vehicle are required to complete a specified number of runs over the
through the sections, provided of course that they are course. The course is timed at an average speed of no more
properly seated and belted. than 30mph for clubman events and no more than 50mph if
safety cover appropriate to a National ‘A’ Hill Rally is
Apart from these restrictions, a Tyro Trial is organised in provided. It is not a race.
the same way as other Cross Country Trials.
Hill Rally
Trial The Hill Rally is a Cross Country special stage rally, where
The Trial is the most prolific type of Cross Country event. stages are established at different venues. Due to the
The event comprises a series of sections, set out over considerable cost, logistical organisation and commitment
challenging terrain, which competitors must attempt needed to organise a Hill Rally, there are very few such
without stopping or touching one of the pairs of markers, events in the year. They operate a class structure based upon
each pair being known as a gate. the International regulations and attract competitors from
overseas.
Most events are set out at one venue, but it is possible to
organise a multi-venue Trial. However this would require Baja
all vehicles to be road legal and the event would be The Baja is a cross-country endurance event, of at least
subject to the Motor Vehicles (Competitions and Trials) 400km of competitive sections, run to the FIA Prescriptions
Regulations. and catering for vehicles in classes T1 and T2 as well as two
wheel drive vehicles. There is usually a separate event with a
There are no classes specified in the General Rules and class for National ‘A’ vehicles and another separate event,
Regulations, however there are two common types run by run under an ACU permit, for motorbikes and quads.
most clubs. First, there is the Road Taxed Vehicle (RTV)
Trial. As this implies, the vehicles must be road legal, but Vehicles have to be able to carry fuel for long stages and
unlike those eligible for the Tyro Trial, many clubs allow there are longer intervals between servicing than on hill
quite extensive modifications. Secondly, there are rallies. The timing is also according to the FIA regulations
Modified or Cross Country Vehicle Trials. The regulations which allow vehicles which miss time controls to stay in the
only require the necessary safety equipment and the event, although accumulating significant time penalties. This
sections are suitably challenging. type of event seems to be increasing in popularity.

Junior Trials Team Recovery, Winch Recovery & Challenge

Junior Trial Vehicles were developed by the MSA as a Other events which may be organised include Recovery
method of introducing very young competitors to Cross Events, either based upon a team of vehicles working
Country motorsport in a safe way, under the supervision together to complete set tasks, or Winch based events where
of their parents, or adult friends. They comprise a two the use of such equipment is necessary to complete the set
wheel drive vehicle, adapted from a front engine lawn or tasks. There are also opportunities to organise navigational
garden tractor, with the cutter deck and all ancillaries events, such as Orienteering, where the skill of map reading
removed, and fitted with a 4 stroke, petrol or diesel is paramount, rather than that of negotiating cross-country
vertical crankshaft engine of the industrial and terrain, and Point to Point, where a team of vehicles work
commercial restricted type. These trials are open to together to find controls or code boards. Challenge Events
drivers aged 8 – 18 years old and are set out by are where an event comprises several different disciplines,
experienced club members to be challenging for young e.g. winching and trials, and where the safety cover required
drivers, but safe at the same time. Young drivers soon must be that appropriate to the highest grade of permit
learn the skills of driving cross country and can become
involved.
very competitive!

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 69

 21

RACES

Arranging a race meeting for the first time is a big Arrangements must be made for the following, either
undertaking, both in terms of the organisation and the through the Circuit owners/managers or by the Secretary
financial implications. The first question which should be of the Meeting:
asked is whether there is any necessity for running your • Race Rescue Unit
own meeting rather than joining forces with one of the
• Ambulance. • Doctors.
smaller clubs which already does so. There are a few race
meetings run which are not as well-supported in terms of • Breakdown Recovery vehicles.
entries as they need to be to make them viable.
Final Instructions, which will set out the final timetable of
Having made the decision to proceed, the basic steps are: events in full detail, will need to be prepared and sent out
• Appoint a Secretary of the Meeting – he/she will be with passes a few days after the official Closing Date; this
responsible for all the planning and paperwork is usually about two weeks prior to the event. Copies of
these Finals should also be sent to the Clerk/s of Course,
• Locate a Clerk of Course – an experienced one will be
Club & MSA Stewards, Scrutineers, Timekeepers,
most beneficial in these circumstances.
Commentator, Doctors, Race Rescue Unit/s and to the
• Find an experienced Chief Marshal – preferably one who Circuit owner’s management.
is able and prepared to make all the necessary
arrangements for this side of the event. Getting closer to the event, the following need: arranging:
• Laurels – usually one for each race winner.
These three people should form the main organising
• Trophies usually for 1st, 2nd and 3rd overall.
committee for the event. Other officials who will need to
be chosen are: • Programme – allow one per competitor, one per
marshal and all officials and ask the circuit for
• Club Stewards (two).
advice on the anticipated spectator attendance
• Chief Timekeeper – he/she will organise their and allow for one for every two spectators. Do
team. not print an excess – they are not cheap. (NB. If
• Chief Scrutineer – he/she will also organise their this is the first race meeting organised by the
team. club, spectators are not allowed under MSA
Regulations.)
Having contacted the circuit owner/manager and
arranged a date for the race meeting, get confirmation of In the final few days leading up to the event there is some
what is included in the circuit hire and for how much. This more paperwork:
will be starting point for your budgeting. • Drivers’ signing-on sheets.
• Officials signing-on sheets.
Since this is your first event, you will not be able to run
championships (except for any which are registered in • Programme Amendment forms for listing of any late
your clubs name at the MSA). You will therefore need to entries/cancellations,
invite mentors of other clubs to participate in the various • List of novice drivers for the Clerk of Course.
races. • List of drivers requiring upgrade signatures for the C of C
and Chief Marshal/Observer.
The next stage is to prepare the Entry Forms (or
Supplementary Regulations) with reference to Section B
of the MSA Yearbook. A draft will have to be submitted
with a Permit Application form to the MSA at least six
weeks prior to the date of the event preferably sooner to
allow you more planning time. Once the Permit has been
approved, Entry Forms can be circulated.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 70

On the day, the Secretary of the meeting will be
responsible for ensuring that all drivers have the
necessary licence and club membership card. He/she will
have an MSA report form, to complete regarding the
details of the meeting and the names of the officials; this
will be handed over to the MSA Steward along with copies
of results sheets and any Official Bulletins issued on the
day.
The Clerk of Course takes over the actual running of the
meeting in terms of what happens on the circuit. This is
why an experienced Clerk is exceptionally useful since no
guidance will be needed.

The MSA Steward is present not to hinder the running of

the meeting, but to ensure that the necessary regulations
are adhered to. He and the Club Stewards may be called
to adjudicate in any disciplinary matters which cannot be
handled by the C of C, or where protests/appeals have
been submitted. In the majority of club race meetings,
their presence is simply a requirement and they seldom
need to get involved in the race meeting.

The race meeting is not officially over until 30 minutes

after the publication of the results of the last race; this
allows the requisite time period for any protests/appeals.
Once this period has passed, the Secretary of the
Meeting, the Clerk/s, the Stewards and the Chief Officials
can declare the meeting closed and go home.

After the race meeting, the Secretary of the Meeting has

some more paperwork to complete before the meeting is
finally ‘wrapped up’. The documents which have to be
forwarded to the MSA are:
• Completed Permit and payment of Insurance.
• Copies of race results.
• Race programme and amendment sheet.
• Copies of drivers’ signing-on sheets.
• Copy of Final Instructions.
• Copy of any Official Bulletins.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 71

 Planning for a Race

Last few days

9 Months

6 Months

3 Months

2 Months

-2 Weeks
Race day
1 Month

2 Weeks

1 Week
Circuit Date Arranged
Permit Applied for
Entry forms sent out

Arrangement of:
Doctors
Ambulance
Race Rescue
Breakdowns
Commentator
Timekeepers
Scrutineers
Club Stewards
Order Trophies
Order Laurels
Print Programme

Final Instructions to:

Competitors
Marshals
Officials
MSA Steward
Timekeepers
Scrutineers
Circuit
Prepare Signing-on sheets
Paperwork to MSA
Results to: Press
Circuit
Sponsors

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 72

 22

RALLYCROSS
Copy to follow

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 73

 23

TRIALS

Whether Car Trials, Classic Trials or Sporting Trials, each type is distinctly different, and the type a club wishes to organise will
depend on
a) The range of vehicles available to club members
b) The terrain available for the event

When first organising a Trial, it is likely a club will promote it for the benefit of its own members or invite a limited number of
geographically local clubs. The event would then be run under a Clubsport or Clubman permit. Events can upgrade to
National B permit if required.

The Vehicles The Events

Car Trials Car Trials

Almost any road type car, front or rear wheel drive, and Normally a single venue event, the terrain needs to be
possibly 4x4 “soft roader” vehicles. challenging but non damaging as cars will have limited
mods and limited protection.
1. Limited modifications
2. Modern cars, taxed and driven to venue Each hill, or section, should be set out according to the
3. Older and/or slightly modified cars driving ability of competitors, and the performance of
4. Minimum driver age 15 their cars. There should be 12 “gates” to pass through on
each section, and a separate start gate.
Classic Trials Care should be taken not to cause irreparable damage to
‘Classic’ refers to the type of Trial, not the car, although the ground; sections should therefore be altered and if
vintage and post-vintage cars regularly compete in what is necessary moved between rounds.
the most original and historic form of Trialing.
1. Any road going A minimum of 6 sections is advisable, up to 10 even
better, and 4 rounds should fit in to the timetable, 2 in
2. 2 wheel drive car, tax & MOT 2. Specials, buggies,
the morning and 2 in the afternoon.
kit cars,
3. 3. Underbody protection
Sporting Trials
4. 4. Minimum driver age 17 Similar facts as Car Trials, but sections need to have much
more gradient, can be on rougher ground, and often only
Sporting Trials 3 rounds are required.
1. Specialised purpose built 2 wheel drive
cars strictly complying with the National Classic Trials
Trials Car Formula. Multi venue events - the sections being much longer than
Car and Sporting Trials, often ¼ or ½ a mile, on farm
2. Non road going open cars
tracks, forest trails and other interesting and testing
3. Fiddle brakes, low gearing. terrain.
4. Strong, light, high power to weight ratio.
5. Minimum driver age 16 One-day events can involve 50 or more road miles and up
to 15 observed sections, some events can span 2 days and
even more sections.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 74

 Equipment

Car and Sporting Trials

Each section will need at least 26 posts, usually wood
(broom handles are often used). Left and right posts
should be different colours (yellow on the left has become
favoured), and numbers 1 through to 12 (on cards or tags)
attached near to the right hand posts.

Classics
Marker posts and sign boards may only be needed for
start and finish of each section, as scoring is usually either
“fail” or “clean”.

Where to learn more Car and Sporting Trials:

www.msauk.org
or btrda.com Classics:
www.actc.org.uk

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 75

 24

RALLIES
Introduction • Navigation Rally – These events are of a similar
Rallying is one of the most popular forms of motor sport format to road rallies, however the navigational
in Britain, with around 1,000 permits for events issued by skills of the crew are a major factor in determining
the MSA each year. The organisation of any rally requires the winner. Sections must be timed to the minute
a large amount of detailed work to ensure that the event only. With navigational rallies the technical
runs correctly with the minimum of impact upon the regulations relating to competing vehicles are
general public. slightly relaxed as a performance car is not
necessarily the key to success on these events.
There are numerous different types of rallies ranging from • Twelve Car Rally – Organised by motor clubs for
the humble club night navigational event through to the their own members and usually taking place on a
international Stage Rally; however, the same basic weekday evening these events are of a similar
principles apply to all events. format to Navigational rallies, but are limited to
twelve cars only. They usually have a route of
All motor clubs organising rallies, whether they use the between 50 and 80 miles and are ideal for the
public highway or not, are required to comply with the beginner to learn the ropes.
relevant sections of the MSA Yearbook.
• Navigational Scatter – A navigational event
where crews are expected to visit a number of
Rallies can be split into two main categories which can
predetermined points but the route to visitation
then be subdivided further:
is generally free. The crews will be expected to
locate clues at each point. some of which they
Road Events may have to get out of the car to locate. For
These are events whose main element of competition these events no merit is placed on visiting more
takes place on the public highway. Road events often than 75% of the controls and timing is only
require competitors to maintain a time schedule over a governed by a finishing time.
demanding route with time controls along the route. The
route will be defined by various navigational techniques
which may be issued to competitors at regular intervals Stage Rallies
along the route. Cars used may be totally standard or Stage rallies are events where crews compete against
prepared to a limited level in compliance with the each other on timed sections known as special stages.
relevant Technical Regulations. It is not necessary to have These sections must take place on either private land or
a fully prepared car to compete on these events although roads closed by law to all other traffic. The stages are
a few minor modifications may be helpful. The events can timed to the second and the emphasis is upon driver skill
be subdivided as follows: and car control, rather than navigational skills. Cars must
be prepared to a high standard and a check for
• Road Rally – A competitive event which can be compliance before each event (scrutineering) will take
timed to the minute or second with a route place. Each stage is linked by a section called a Road
length usually in the region of 100 to 180 miles Section which may be on a public highway and is timed at
traditionally taking place overnight on a under 28 mph average speed.
Saturday/Sunday. Only limited route information
can be given out in advance and the There are two types of Stage Rallies:
maintenance of a strict time schedule forms the i. Multi-Use Stage Rally – A rally which uses parts
basis for the competition. of special stages more than four times during the
day of the event; they usually take place on one
• Endurance Road Rally – A competitive event
venue with no public highway link sections.
which consists of sections on the public highway
Disused airfields and race circuits are popular
timed to the minute and also Special Tests on
venues for these types of events.
private property which can be timed to the
second. These can be either one day events or ii. Multi-Venue Stage Rally – An event where
can take place over a number of days. Vehicles stages are located at different venues which may
are restricted to a maximum of 1400cc (petrol) or be used no more than four times. Stages are
2000cc (Diesel); some additional modifications linked by Road Sections often on the public
for safety purposes must be made. highway.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 76

Organisation CAS Authorisation Address
All rallies need a permit to be issued by the MSA prior to Motor Sports Association Ltd
them being held. The permit must be applied for at least Motor Sports House
six weeks (eight weeks for National A and International Riverside Park
events) prior to the event. The permit contains detailed Colnbrook
information as to what is required to have been Slough
undertaken prior to its issue. SL3 0HG

A rally must comply with the relevant section of the MSA RSAC Motorsport Ltd
Yearbook. The information that competitors must comply PO Box 3333
with, together with any other relevant information such Glasgow
as the start venue, mileages, surfaces, etc., will be G20 2AX
contained in a set of Supplementary Regulations which
are issued by the organising club. These Supplementary Insurance
Regulations will also include an entry form. These By issuing a permit for an event the MSA automatically
regulations are usually available on the event or club’s arranges a Legal Liability (third party) insurance cover to
website. protect clubs organising events. These policies provide
protection against any third party claims to the club and
Authorisation its officials.
All rallies that include sections run on the public highway
are governed by the Motor Vehicles (Competition and In addition competitors on stage rallies on private land
Trials) Regulations. A formal application for approval must benefit from insurance against third party claims.
be made by the event organiser to the MSA Competitions
Authorisation Section (CAS). They handle all events within Where private land is used on a rally, whether for a
England and Wales. The Royal Scottish Automobile Club special stage or otherwise, the landowner may require the
handles applications for Scotland. club to make good any accidental damage that may occur.

Some types of events are automatically authorised The MSA can arrange contractual liability cover to protect
provided the local Route Liaison Officer (RLO) approves clubs from any such claims. This cover must be arranged
the route of the event. These events are detailed in the in advance of the event by the organising club with the
MSA Yearbook (Blue Book). MSA. Cover cannot be arranged for damage to road
surfacing.
Multi-Use Stage Rallies which do not use the public
highway are exempt from this procedure. The motor vehicle insurance policies held by most
competitors will specifically exclude the use of the vehicle
Any application for authorisation must be submitted no on public roads for rallies. Where a competitor is unable
earlier than 6 months and no later than 2 months prior to to arrange their own insurance through their existing
the event. The official application form must be policy the club should arrange for a suitable scheme and
accompanied by 2 copies of a tracing detailing the whole include details of this in the Supplementary Regulations.
route of the rally taken from 1:50 000 scale Land ranger
OS maps together with locations of controls and a time The MSA quarterly glossy magazine ‘Motorsport Now!’
schedule. A copy of the tracing should also be sent to the often includes advertisements from a number of
relevant Route Liaison Officers. Upon receipt of the providers of motorsport insurance services.
tracings the CAS section will copy them to the local police
authorities for the area being visited. Event Officials
For any rally there are numerous tasks that must be
Prior to the event a per capita fee will be payable based undertaken. The size of the team that undertakes these
on the total number of starters and mileage of the event. tasks will be dependent upon the size and nature of the
Authorisation will not be granted unless this fee is paid to event being organised. For a twelve car rally perhaps one
the CAS. person can undertake all of the duties; however for a
major event the following officials will be required:
Applications in Scotland are slightly different as the
tracings are made on 1:250 000 scale maps and letters of
authority must be submitted to RSAC motorsport from
local police authorities whose area the route traverses.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 77

 • Clerk of the Course: The Clerk of the Course is Public Relations
the event manager. This person has overall All rallies require some form of Public Relations exercise
responsibility to ensure compliance with the (PR) to be undertaken along the proposed route. The
relevant regulations. They must also keep the exact amount of PR work required is detailed in Section H
event on track in its early stages of organisaton of the MSA Yearbook.
to ensure that deadlines are achieved by the The PR work is necessary to minimise the disruption
other team members. The Clerk of the Course caused by an event, warn people on the route of the
also acts as the first judicial body when protests event and to protect the future of the sport. It must be
are made. The Clerk of the Course may have an carried out by trustworthy club officials and far enough in
assistant if required. This is a useful position for a advance of the event so that problems can be overcome
new organiser as it allows them to gain a taste of in plenty of time. Re-routes may be required and these
what it is like organising an event. must be processed via the CAS.
• Secretary of the Meeting: Responsible for the
general event paperwork and to manage “the When undertaking PR work it is essential that a diplomatic
office” for the Clerk of the Course. The Secretary approach is made and that you do not ask for permission
will be involved with signing-on and competitor from the householders en route as this can lead to
liaison. Much of the documentation for the event unnecessary difficulties Inform them of the event, leave a
will be produced by the Secretary. It is a busy PR Letter and ensure that a report is prepared on each
role and for smaller events may be combined visit which is available to the Clerk of the Course. In
with the role of Entries Secretary. England and Wales you must also refrain from implying
that the Police have authorised the event.
• Entries Secretary: to be responsible for receiving
entries and relevant fees and organising event
The RLO(s) for the area may request that additional PR
signing-on with the Secretary of the Meeting. (
work is undertaken in sensitive areas.
• Chief Marshal: The role of the Chief Marshal
should not be underestimated as it is this The PR Register must be available for inspection by the
person’s job to arrange the supply of marshals Clerk of the Course, Stewards and RLO(s).
for the event and to ensure that they know what
to do and where to go. In the present climate
Road Event Specifics
recruting marshals can be extremely difficult and
A road event can be quite a complex beast to control,
someone who has several contacts could be a
however by following a series of pointers problems should
useful person to fulfil this role.
be minimised. In particular night time events can cause
• Timekeeper: To arrange the supply and the most problems as they run at anti-social hours in
distribution of timing equipment for the event. remote locations.
Also required to ensure timing equipment is
accurate and set in accordance with MSA Sections on road events need to be carefully planned
Requirements and tolerances to BBC/ Telecom depending on the type of section. Standard and Regularity
time. Sections are the competitive elements of the route and
• Scrutineer: To ensure that the competition may be timed to a legal maximum average speed of 30
vehicles all comply with MSA technical mph. Often “whites” (unsurfaced tracks) are used on
regulations that applies to the specific event. these events to maintain a challenge to competitors. The
• Stewards: On Road or Navigational rallies of routes of these sections should be designed to avoid built
clubman status only one Steward is required. All up areas wherever possible.
others need three Stewards one of whom should
be appointed by the MSA. The Stewards are Neutral and Transport sections are the linking parts of the
there to act as impartial observers and to ensure route whose main purpose is to allow competitors to
that the event is run in accordance with the travel through villages, PR sensitive areas and along long
regulations. They also act as a second judicial stretches of main roads to link different parts of the event
body should an appeal be made against the together. These can onIy be timed at 20 mph average in
decision of the Clerk of the Course. It must be the case of Neutrals. Transport Sections can be timed at
noted that Stewards should not be permitted to 30 mph average.
undertake any other official post.
Whilst planning the event route you must be mindful of
the style of event, the time of year and the length of
route. It is also essential to take into account locations of
the start, finish and importantly petrol/rest halts. In

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 78

remote locations it may be difficult to find a garage that Communication range and he may well be
will open in the middle of the night to service your required to make some important decisions. For
competitors. this reason when appointing a Radio Controller
you need someone who is both conversant with
The time control locations that you select need to allow all current radio procedures and can work under
plenty of space for the marshal to park and to allow other pressure.
road users to pass when competing cars are waiting. This • Stage Commander: The Stage Commander is
is especially important at the end of a long Neutral or responsible for ensuring a Stage is fully ready to
Transport section where a queue of several cars may run by the appointed time, and for dealing first
develop. hand with any safety and operational details.
• Press Officer: Depending on the size of your
This brings us onto marshals. For a road event a large
event, you may well be inundated with media
number of marshals are required. However by planning
requests for information. One person should
the route effectively you can allow many of the
handle this. If you have an incident on your
marshalling crews to “double up” and thus help reduce
event, all media enquiries should be directed to
your manpower requirements. Marshals should be given
this person. If you are unfortunate enough to
specific instructions of what to do and how to find their
have a fatality on your event, all media enquiries
control point, never assume they have a map with them!
should be directed to the MSA.
It will also be necessary to man any gates and/ or fords en
route to reduce the risk of problems occurring – such as Forestry Commission
livestock escaping from a field or a car drowning out and To organise a rally using Forestry Commission land clubs
holding up the whole event. are required to apply to the MSA on the appropriate form
in the year before that in which the rally is to be held. The
Event paperwork: The paperwork for every event is Regional Association that the club is a member of must
different, however by maintaining a consistent, clear and endorse the application to the MSA.
informative approach, the competitors will know what is
going on and what to expect. Route cards, time cards and If the application is successful the club will be notified that
other documents must be checked by the organizing team it has an allocation to use Forestry Commission land. The
for correctness. The route cards in particular should also granting of an allocation does not guarantee that forestry
be checked by a trustworthy independent person. roads will be available in the area that you may wish to
run the rally. The club must start discussions with the
Stage Event Specifics appropriate Forestry Liason Officer to discover what
Officials forestry roads may be available for their use.
For Stage Rallies there are some extra Officials who need
to be appointed and some of the previous Officials must The Forestry Liaison Officers are listed in MSA Yearbook.
be licensed by the MSA.
Servicing
• Chief Timekeeper: The Chief Timekeeper must
On any type of Stage Rally you will be expected to provide
be from the MSA appointed list of Timekeers.
an area for the servicing of competing cars. Dedicated
• Chief Scrutineer: The Chief Scrutineer must be service areas should be arranged at suitable locations
from the MSA appointed list of Scrutineers with sufficient space for the number of expected entries.
appropriate to the grade of event. The Chief Time controls should be situated at the entry and exit to
Scrutineer will also be responsible for booking a these areas to allow the time that can be spent servicing
number of other scrutineers depending on how to be limited.
many entries are received for an event.
• Chief Safety Officer: The Chief Safety Officer is
responsible for booking the relevant Safety,
Rescue and Recovery vehicles along with Doctors
and Paramedics. He is also responsible for
producing an event safety plan and ensuring that
this is adhered to on the day.
• Radio Controller: The event Radio Controller is a
very important job on any Stage Rally, but
especially on a Multi-Venue event where the
Clerk of the Course may be out of

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 79

Timetable
To assist organisers the following is a guide as to when certain elements of event organisations should be undertaken and by
whom. Seasoned organisers may do things differently, however the timetable has not been prepared for, nor is it intended to
be, a fully detailed all-embracing list but more a useful aide memoire.

When Description Action By

Pre-Event
Year Apply for Forestry Commission Allocation.
Prior Club Secretary

12 Attend your Regional Association’s dates meeting to submit your proposed date and maps/venue
Months for the event. You may have to debate the date with other clubs and amicably agree on a suitable Clerk of the Course
date, particularly if the event is to be a championship round. Club/Competition Secretary

Book your venues for your next event.

Organising Team
Decide on the type of rally (Road, Navigational, Multi Use or Multi Venue. etc.).
8 1. Appoint main officials, the minimum requirements are:
Months o Clerk of the Course
o Assistant Clerk of the Course (Asst)
o Secretary of the Meeting
o Entries Secretary
Clerk of the Course
o Media Officer
o Timekeeper
o Scrutineer
o Chief Safety Officer
o Chief Timekeeper
Safety, Medical and Recovery to be booked. Chief Safety Officer
2. Set event budget and decide on how to deal with official expenses. Organising Team
3. Make sure you hold regular progress meetings throughout the planning process and
keep your club committee informed. Above all make sure you have Clerk of the Course
adequate/experienced help.
7 1. If running a Road or Multi Venue event decide on your liaison route:
Months o Consult the relevant RLOs about your draft route;
o Travel the whole route, investigate any problems and locate suitable control
locations; Asst Clerk of the Course

o Determine the start, petrol, rest halt, and event finish venue(s);
o Consider noise and scrutineering locations.
Write to invited Regional Associations and Championships to confirm the date and
details of the event and formally invite them. Secretary of the Meeting
2. Once you have agreed a draft route, prepare your tracings of the whole route. These
tracings should show the following:
o Route of rally with direction arrows;
o All time controls with times for car 0 to BBC/Telecom time.
This must include for any Main time controls and petrol test halts;
Asst Clerk of the Course
o The type of section between each control: Timekeeper
o Two or more grid lines (one vertical and the other horizontal so that the
RLO/MSA can locate the route);
Two copies of the tracing showing the whole route should be sent to the CAS complete with form
E404, and a covering letter. A further copy of the tracing showing only the sections of route
relevant to each RLO area should be sent to each RIO.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 80

 6 The tracing should not arrive more than six months before the event. Clerk of the Course
Months Consider visiting the local Police HQ to discuss your proposals with their traffic co-ordinator as
this may prove to be useful particularly as a PR exercise. Clerk of the Course/Asst

Appoint all other officials as listed below:

• Environmental Scrutineer (noise test);
• Stewards;
Clerk of the Course/Asst
• Course car and closing car crew;
• Results Team;
• Chief Safety Officer to prepare event safety plan.
Organise Rally Timecards (there are several styles available to use) select one suitable for your
event and ensure the results crew are happy with it Do not order them yet as times may change Timekeeper
due to re-routes. Clerk of the Course

Apply for event permit using the standard MSA Application Form.
Write to any venues you am proposing to use confirming details and request written
confirmation of acceptance back of your agreement. Secretary of the Meeting

Write to local Headquarters of the National Farmers’ Union (NW) to notify them of the event.
Arrange rally plates (consult RLO as to their use in certain areas of the country) Secretary of the Meeting
Entries Secretary
Prepare PR letter and arrange copies (you will need a lot of these). PR Co-ordinator
Chief Marshal to prepare an open invitation letter for marshals to assist on the night and send it
out to all local clubs and other prospective contacts. Chief Marshal

5 You should now have comments back from the Police and the National parks (if you are passing
Months through any). Consult with the relevant RLO as to what to do if you are unsure. Clerk of the Course/Asst

Prepare draft of the supplementary regulations and arrange advertisers, printing, and covers. Secretary of the Meeting
4 An equipment list is required for all equipment that is needed including:
Months • Stakes, Arrows; Clerk of the Course/Asst
• Code Boards/Control Boards; Equipment Co-ordinator
• Official notice board.
Equipment co-ordinator to obtain equipment. Equipment Co-ordinator
Write to Motorsport News and obtain an insert in the What’s On column of the Rallies Editorial Secretary of the Meeting
3 Print Supplementary regulations and collate. Regs should be sent to all clubs invited and any
Months registered championship contenders. Secretary of the Meeting

Arrange for the correct amount of clocks for the event and order them from your supplier Timekeeper
Contact Insurance Brokers or providers to obtain application forms for event insurance cover and
driver application forms. Entries Secretary

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 81

 2 Chief Marshal to ring round and visit local clubs to canvas for assistance on the night. Chief Marshal
Months Organising Team
PR co-ordinator to arrange and meet volunteers to carry out PR work in sections. Potential
problems to be visited by PR co-ordinator themselves. PR Co-ordinator

PR co-ordinator to travel the whole route and check for any potential problems. PR co-ordinator
must be briefed by the CofC on any information available from RLO. PR Co-ordinator

Prepare navigation for the whole route in its present form, consider any areas where crews may
go wrong and possibly arrow or use NO boards. Clerk of the Course

PR work to commence and a record log to be kept by the co-ordinator of all households visited,
as this may be requested by the RLO. Any problems must be notified to the CofC who should PR Co-ordinator
investigate these to ensure they are satisfied that the problem can be alleviated/minimised.
PR work should continue with an aim to be completed not less than two weeks before the event,
as this gives time to organise any re-routes that may be necessary. PR Co-ordinator

Check with all venues that your arrangements still stand and that scrutineering/noise test venues
are available. Secretary of the Meeting

Make any final route modifications required as a result of PR work. Check these with the relevant
RLO and send two copies of tracing of reroute with a revised time schedule to CAS. If the re-route Clerk of the Course
has occurred less than 5 days prior to the rally, ring the CAS and Police direct.
Check with the local Police to ensure they are aware of the start arrangements. Clerk of the Course
Prepare any marked up maps for the Course cars and stewards as may be required. Asst Clerk of the Course
Chief marshal to contact all marshalling volunteers to ensure they know where to turn up for
signing-on, etc. Chief Marshal
Check that all those persons with a job to do on the night are aware of their job and their
meeting arrangements (hold a briefing meeting if necessary). Clerk of the Course

Check navigation/route cards again, prepare them for printing and print enough copies for your
entry and senior officials/stewards. Asst Clerk of the Course

Entries should be coming in well now and these should be acknowledged (a postcard will do). A
provisional seeding list can be made. Entries Secretary

Arrange event blanket insurance certificate not less than 21 days before the event. Secretary of the Meeting
1 Arrange production of Timecards, Check sheets, Road book, Safety Plan. etc. Clerk of the Course
Month Secretary of the Meeting
2 Prepare entry list – seeded on the information given to competitors on their entry form. Clerk of the Course
Weeks Prepare Final Instructions and print ready for posting. These should include an entry list and
times of arrival at the start etc. Secretary of the Meeting

After entries closing date. Prepare final entry list, copy and post with a set of final instructions to
all entries, senior officials including stewards. Entries Secretary

Ensure results crews are in a position to collect time cards. Secretary of the Meeting
Equipment Co-ordinator should be aware of what is required on the night in the form of putting
out stakes/boards etc. It may be an idea to put the stakes out the day before the rally. Equipment Co-ordinator

CofC needs to visit petrol and any other areas considered necessary where problems that may
have occurred can be solved. Clerk of the Course/Asst
At the finish ensure all crews complete a damage declaration form and hand in Time Cards. Entries Secretary
Aim to get the results published as soon as possible after the finish of the last car (ideally within
60 minutes). Secretary of the Meeting

Deal with queries a soon as possible. Secretary of the Meeting

Post Event
7 Days Arrange sending of Final Results to Officials, Competitors, etc. Arrange sending of Full Copy of all Secretary of
paperwork to MSA including permit and insurance fees. the Meeting

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 82

 25

HISTORIC RALLIES

Introduction industry in parallel with other aspects of motor sport in

Since the last Guideline for Historic Rallies was written, the UK.
this aspect of the sport has become an established and
popular branch of the sport. In the main, the majority of Organising team
those involved have recaptured the spirit and Clerk of the Course
sportsmanship that is remembered as being part and The responsibilities and duties of the Clerk of the Course
parcel of rallying in the fifties and sixties and the most are well documented in the Motor Sports Yearbook (the
successful events are strong on atmosphere. Historic Blue Book) and in other Guidelines in this Manual. Any
Rallying should be fun and whilst the element of prospective Clerk of the Course should acquaint
competition is one ingredient, the social aspect should themselves fully with the relevant information.
not be overlooked.
It is important that a Clerk of the Course judges the right
Cars built up to the end of 1981 are now eligible to take spirit for an Historic Rally and keeps in mind that some
part in Historic Rallies and organisers can cater for competitors may be new to the sport so regulations and
vehicles with hugely disparate performance potential. A instructions should be crystal clear.
good event will have some aspect that will test the drivers
of the fastest cars but must still satisfy those (including Secretary of the Meeting
people bringing older and perhaps more exotic vehicles) The role of the Secretary of the event tends to be that of
to whom completing the course may be challenge office manager. The Secretary will have the most contact
enough. The disparity amongst the vehicles is a major with competitors before and after the event.
factor in attracting spectators (sometimes these
spectators actually pay for the privilege at some of the The Secretary should be involved in the ‘signing on’ of
stage rallies). competitors and usually becomes involved to some extent
in the results of the rally. They must have a working
Sadly, the many pressures on the use of the countryside knowledge of the penalty system and it can be helpful if
by all sort of sporting and recreational users is being felt they have had some input into the design of the
by Historic Rallies as well as their modern counterparts. documentation (particularly the time cards) as it is this
Whilst many onlookers along routes will look upon the paperwork that must be interpreted correctly to establish
older cars with some affection, more and more people the winner.
now just see an event as more people in cars that should
not be there, so careful choice of routes and speed Chief Marshal
schedules, plus diligent work with Route Liaison Officers The job of Chief Marshal is becoming increasingly difficult.
to address known trouble spots is essential. Readers of Not so long ago there was a plethora of would-be
this Guideline should also look at Guideline 25, as much of marshals ready to turn out day or night. Those times are
the detail relevant to rallies for modern cars is equally unfortunately no longer with us although marshalling is
applicable to rallies for historic cars. one of a number of areas where Historic rallying has the
edge on other branches of the sport. You can turn to that
However, the interest in Historic Stage Rallying is at an all- band of enthusiasts who were members of your motor
time high with large fields of better and better-prepared club some years ago but have lost touch; it may be just
cars the norm. In addition to the flagship British Historic the excuse they need to come out of retirement and meet
Rally Championship, most Regional Associations give old friends and see again the cars in which they used to
Historic awards within their Championships. Younger rally compete. There is also a generation of potential new club
fans (many of whom were not born when most of the cars members out there and the appeal of the ‘Historics” is
were first built) are enjoying the sights and sounds of two- such that youngsters new to rallying are prepared to
wheel drive cars sliding around the stages. In addition to become involved.
enthusiastic owner-drivers, there are many car
preparation experts around the country earning a living The Chief Marshal nowadays needs to have computer
building and running the cars. In the twenty years or so skills. More and more recruitment takes place via e-mail
since its inception, historic rallying has grown into an and websites and keeping information and pleas fresh and

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 83

frequent on this medium is vital to filling all the available your event is part of a championship, the championship
posts. The amount of information that is created and organisers may have such a person for all the qualifying
circulated in connection with a contemporary event rounds. This is particularly useful as he or she will have
would leave someone without electronic access buried seen many of the competing cars on other events.
under a mountain of paperwork and struggling to keep up
with the ongoing changes as routes evolve. Of course, the With the exception of Clubman Road Rallies there must
expectation of marshals’ paperwork including be three Stewards of an event. One of these may be the
instructions, check sheets and control locations (often MSA Steward should they decide to appoint one. The
including local map printouts) is burgeoning thanks to the responsibilities and duties of the Stewards are detailed in
advent of the “home office”. Section C2 and U of the Blue Book. A Steward is a little
like a referee at a football match – if you know he is there
The Chief Marshal should have sight of the route at an it is a poor game or a poor referee.
early stage, perhaps three or four months prior to the
rally; he should have at least a provisional time schedule Sponsors
together with the locations of the controls and, ideally, It was once felt that the concept of sponsorship and
could act as overall co-ordinator of the public relations Historic rallying sat a little uncomfortably with some but
effort with perhaps sector marshals undertaking the ‘leg the economic reality is such that the additional income is
work’. He will be, in this way, aware of any reroutes that a must to allow organisers to cope with ever-increasing
may be necessary and any special requirements such as expenses, whilst keeping entry fees realistically low. In the
‘no’ boards at certain junctions, arrows, quiet boards twenty-first century, it is expected that events and
and/or marshals agreed during the course of the PR work. championships will have websites, decals and (possibly)
Keep in mind that the PR work for an Historic rally should sun strips, rally plates, organisers and co-ordinators that
be just as thorough as for any other. can attend events and issue printed publicity material and
information, as well as event costs such as fuel for PR
The Chief Marshal needs to be (or work closely with) the crews and the provision of event signage. This is a raft of
Equipment Officer and an inventory of the equipment spending that is not always appreciated but has to be
required on the event should be drawn up and funded. As with all projects, the sponsor should be able to
maintained. It will be necessary to move considerable benefit from association with the event or championship.
quantities of tackle – control boards, stakes, bollards, By setting out clearly the aims of both sides, a partnership
banners, cones, etc. during the course of the rally and a can develop to the good of all. A long-term arrangement
van or trailer is a must for any Chief Marshal. is better than a string of one-year deals – not least due to
reduced costs of not always replacing the branding. The
The allocation of controls to the troops is the task of the true costs must be evaluated and covered to make the
Chief Marshal who should establish the experience of sponsorship worthwhile.
people at his disposal to ensure that the more
knowledgeable are allocated the potentially demanding Whilst stage rally cars are sometimes completely
duties. Convince those who insist that they are available decorated, like their modern counterparts, road rallies are
for only a limited period – usually the early part of a night most unlikely to welcome any significant branding with
event that they should actually man a slightly later decals being limited to motor club badges and some
control, thus enabling the stalwarts to ‘double up’ taking discreet previous event stickers. Regulations must be
one control early and one late in the event. carefully written and studied to ensure that the
restrictions are clear to all.
Remember that as Chief Marshal it will be expected that
you will be first on the scene to set up the Scrutineering, Sponsorship is not, in the opinion of some Historic rally
the start area, the special tests, etc. and that you will be organisers, always worth having because the cost of
dismantling and checking in equipment when the other setting up and printing extra pages in the regulations,
organisers are already in the bar! multi-coloured covers and special rally plates, together
with the extra work involved in giving the sponsor value
Other Officials for money, can be more than you are actually getting. This
You are required to have various other officials on a rally. can actually put up entry fees which cannot be the object
of the exercise.
A list of Scrutineers and Timekeepers together with their
grade appears in Section EE of the Blue Book and Section Help in kind may often be of greater benefit than hard
FF of the Red Book respectively and it is the organiser’s cash. Materials, equipment, assistance with printing or
responsibility to contact suitable people for the relevant subsidised accommodation, use of venues, etc., can be
duties. With Historic rallying it may be desirable, if not equally valuable and may be much easier to obtain.
altogether essential, to appoint an Eligibility Scrutineer; if

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 84

Local authorities can be very helpful and an approach to Planning
the appropriate department costs nothing; after all it is There are a number of hoops, some of which are
one of their duties to provide recreation and leisure mandatory, through which you must jump to run an
facilities. Local Councils own a considerable amount of Historic rally.
land and they may be prepared to make available
parkland, industrial sites, car, parks, etc, at little or no
cost. They also have considerable influence and their Regional Associations will co-ordinate event applications
involvement can lend a very desirable air of legitimacy and they generally have Dates meetings in July / August
and respectability to the proceedings. The presence of the so that calendars can be submitted to the MSA by
Mayor or Chairman of the Council flagging away September.
competitors at the start or presenting the awards at the
finish may help not only the image of the event but please Choosing the date for your rally is of the utmost
any other sponsor by virtually guaranteeing press importance. Submitting the date and other details
coverage, at least at a local level. In addition the police through the Regional Association should ensure that
may be more amenable to the idea of assisting with traffic clashes with other motoring events do not occur but it is
control if the ‘Chairman of the Police Commission’ is equally important to be aware of other activities being
beaming down from the start ramp. Any approach to a held on the same day and take the necessary steps to
Local Authority must be made in good time, the avoid them. Carnivals, Rag Day Parades and even Bank
committee system may take forever. Holiday traffic can seriously disrupt your rally and you and
your motor club could be crossed off the Mayor’s
A sponsorship deal must be arranged well beforehand to Christmas card list if your route meets that of a civic
achieve the maximum benefit for all parties. This means procession head on.
at least six months before the date of the rally. The
sponsor will almost certainly want the company name on The growth in historic rallying in recent years has seen a
the Supplementary Regulations for the event (SRs) and all corresponding increase in available events. On the road
the event stationery. Similarly all pre-event publicity rallying side, this has seen entry numbers fall and many
should include a mention of the sponsor. Make sure that historic rallies run in parallel with modern / endurance
any agreement is confirmed in writing. It is far better to events. In stage rallying, the British Historic Rally
spend a little time sorting things out properly at the Championship runs with strong numbers (again with
outset than to have misunderstanding, embarrassment modern cars in parallel events sharing stages) but
and possible acrimony later. contenders in Regional Championships often find
themselves running as a small number amongst modern
Always keep the sponsor up to date with progress clubmen as event organisers offer awards to all classes of
throughout the preparations for the rally. Invite them to cars in an attempt to fill places and balance their books.
planning meetings and let them, it they wish, get Even the long distance events cannot guarantee full fields
involved. You may well find the original arrangement is due to ever increasing costs and a myriad of events (many
supplemented by other benefits if the sponsor run by overseas organisations as well as UK organisers).
appreciates your needs and is aware of the effort that you Only those events offering something different and good
are putting in to their event. value are likely to attract a significant number of entrants.
Hosting a round of a successful championship may bring
Ensure that the sponsor gets an invitation to the start of strong support but it is wise for an organiser to plan for
the event and the prize giving. Give them details of the the event of that championship “moving on” as they strive
route and information about the cars and competitors. If to stay fresh, or even for that championship to wane in
they are interested enough to put up their money and lay popularity. It is necessary to identify a particular niche for
the company reputation on the line they may well wish to your event in a competitive market. To this end, it is
spectate and take friends to see the action. important to consider in some detail what you intend to
run and whom you are trying to attract.
Finally, after the event a letter of thanks will not go amiss.
You may want a sponsor next year

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 85

Route Authorisation late you will not get the entries you need for a successful
If you intend to run a traditional road rally or a touring event.
event using the public roads involving more than twelve
competing vehicles, you must apply to the MSA for route It will be necessary to print between seven hundred to a
authorisation (see Blue Book, Section K). All motoring thousand sets of the SRs if you hope to attract up to
competitions held on the pubic highway are governed by ninety competitors. The ratio of ten to one seems a waste
the Motor Vehicles (Competition & Trials) Regulations when you consider the fate of ninety per cent of the
1969. Under this legislation the Authorisation department documents but there is little alternative. Regrettably you
of the Motor Sports Association Limited acts as the must speculate to accumulate.
Central Agency for England and Wales on behalf of the
Minister responsible for Transport. Scotland is handled in Consider having regulations available online too, though
a similar fashion, albeit with a different system of not as a substitute for printed regulations. On-line entries
processing, by the Royal Scottish Automobile Club. You are also possible either by using PayPal or by accepting an
may wish to present an intricate and testing challenge to entry as provisional until a cheque is received.
competitors in the heart of Wales or a scenic tour through
the Dartford Tunnel but in either case you must make an The Events
application to the relevant office between two and six Historic events are divided into three categories:
months prior to the planned date of the event. The 1. Stages
application must be made on the official form (E404) and
2. Road events or ‘Retros’
be accompanied by two duplicate tracings, taken from
current 50,000 scale 0.8. maps, showing the public 3. Touring events.
highway route and detailing the control points and time
schedule. 1. Stages
The same principles as modern events apply in respect of
The Permit vehicle safety and all requirements (only a few of which
No motorsport event may take place without the are dependent on the age of the vehicle) are set out in
permission of the MSA. The MSA signifies its approval by the Blue Book’s Section H.
granting an organising permit. Applications for the permit
must be made on the appropriate form not less than eight An emphasis on smoother stages is important because of
weeks before the date of a National ‘A’ event and not less the less technological nature of historic rally cars. The
than six weeks before the date of all other events. British Historic Rally Championship events run the
Sections A2 to A24 of the Blue Book sets out all the ins Category 1 historic cars (pre 31.12.1967) first on the road
and outs of what you can or what you cannot do and on gravel events. After a short break, the Category 2
Appendix 3 lays down the fees you will be charged. (1.1.68 to 31.12.1974) and Category 3 cars (1.1.75 to
31.12.1981) run interspersed due to their parity of
capability and performance. This allows the older, less
Supplementary Regulations
robust cars access to the roads whilst the tracks are in the
The SRs or Regs are the means of informing the potential
best condition and has been a most successful innovation
competitor what you are offering. They normally follow
– running historic cars first on non-championship gravel
the draft regulations submitted within the permit
events will help to attract entries. Rather surprisingly,
application form and should contain all the details that
greater entry numbers are seen on the gravel rallies
you have given to the MSA. What the SRs must include is
possibly because smooth gravel surfaces subject drive
explained fully in Section A28 of the Blue Book.
trains to lower stresses than running on tarmac surfaces
with contemporary tyre compounds.
Remember when compiling the ‘regs’ to concentrate on
making them clear and unambiguous. If you are running a
If an organiser wishes to run an event for historic cars as a
road event give details of how many tests, how much
“tag-on” to a modern event, they must have a specific
regularity (miles and controls), how many road miles and
Permit and Supplementary Regulations for the historic
the nature of the navigation. If you are proposing a stage
cars, and the event must be at least in some part different
event explain how many stages there will be, what the
(usually missing out rougher or double used stages) for
mileage (stage and road) will be and a genuine description
the MSA to consider the historic event as a different rally.
of the surface of the stages.
Of course, organisers can just run classes for vehicles
complying with the regulations for Historic Stage Rally
Producing the ‘regs’ always takes longer than you
Cars and put up awards for the same as part of their
imagined it was going to, so allow plenty of time. Aim to
modern permit. Such events will not, typically, offer
publish them ten to twelve weeks before the rally, six
competitors the advantages of preferential running order
should be an absolute minimum. If you leave things too
on the stages.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 86

2. Road Events or ‘Retros’ (b) Special Tests
Usually there are three elements to these: Although these are run against the clock they are not out
and out speed tests like sprints or stages but are much
a) Traditional Road Navigation
slower (30 mph maximum average) and usually much
b) Special Tests shorter than special stages so the extra safety
c) Regularity Sections requirements are not necessary; they are tests of driver
skill and judgment. They take place on private ground and
(a) Traditional Road Navigation it is up to the organiser to obtain permission from the
This part of the event must be run at a strict 30 mph owners of suitable venues. Organisers will know their own
average. In order to make it interesting therefore it is areas best but remember that a lot of factory car parks
necessary to select challenging and twisty roads but it and industrial private roads are not used at the weekend
should not be necessary to resort to rough ‘whites’ which and it’s a lot easier to persuade the owners to permit
are particularly unpopular with competitors with valuable historic cars at 30 mph than modern cars at 75.
and fragile machinery.
Once you have found the sites you have to design the
Even an A40 Somerset can comfortably average 30 mph tests, so that no one can average more than 30 mph over
down most B roads so the more challenging yellows must the length of the test. There are various ways of doing this
be selected, and it is recommended that you search hard and you will have your own ideas, but a few pertinent
for the most intricate and complicated route you can find points are noted below.
within the territory available and which does not include
public relations problem spots. Stop astride a line and restart (can be hard on old
differentials so don’t include too many).
Without detailed ‘local knowledge’ it is not always i. Stop astride a line, reverse to another line and
possible to choose a route from the map. It is necessary to restart (even harder on transmissions!).
spend some time driving around the yellow roads in your
ii. In and out of imaginary ‘garages’ and twisting
chosen area to see which are straight and wide and which
round in small spaces.
are narrow and challenging. In this survey it is also
important to seek out ‘tricky slots’ and ‘not as map’ iii. In general terms drivers don’t like reversing too
junctions, and include them in your overall route often (these cars have fragile and expensive
wherever possible. The odd ford (as long as it isn’t too gearboxes) so about one reverse every three
deep) always adds a bit of spice, as does the ‘impossible’ tests seems to be acceptable.
hairpin, and rain also helps to make it more difficult to iv. The drivers prefer the more straightforward
average 30 mph and thereby ‘clean’ your route. tests, so they can go competitively without
having to ask the navigator which side to go of a
If you are in an area where there are no tight metaled particular cone.
roads and where it is very easy to achieve 30 mph, you v. If you are letting cars off every minute you must
have to resort to ‘plot and bash’, including some of the get all your twiddly bits over in the first part of
traditional time consuming methods of navigation, such the test, i.e. within sight of the Start Marshal, so
as spot heights, herringbones, km squares tulips or even it’s safe to let the next car go even if the previous
map references out of order. Tread carefully however, car hasn’t reached the stop line.
because a good proportion of your entry will be novice or
vi. Because of (vi) above radio contact between
at least inexperienced navigators, and you don’t want
start and finish is desirable especially if line of
them to get completely lost, thereby causing further PR
sight does not exist. A separate exit to keep it
problems as they traverse roads with dwellings which
flowing is best – avoid car parks with one
have not been visited. Also, this way they get bored and
entrance so cars leaving have an exit control
don’t enjoy the event. Your skill as an organiser is in
away from the start – it minimises chaos. (viii) If
making your event difficult enough so that the most
the nature of the test permits only one car on it
expert crews feel challenged, while the out and out novice
at a time, such as if the start and finish are
can have a good time and understand what is required of
adjacent; make sure that even the slowest car
him even though he cannot keep to the schedule.
can complete the test in less than a minute
otherwise queues will build and competitors
It is more logical (and safer) to run your traditional road
become anxious as their permitted lateness is
navigation during the hours of darkness and a pattern of
eroded.
these events has developed whereby they commence
with a daylight run of tests and regularity and then after a
halt for a meal the rally recommences with the traditional
road navigation.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 87

N.B. Diagrams of the tests you propose to run together e.g. by a white line on the road.
with the time allowed and the length of the test must be 5. Likewise have your timing point at IRTC’s
sent to the MSA for approval. You will not be allowed to (Intermediate Regularity TC’s) accurately fixed.
run a test which is unsafe or does not comply with the 30 More on this later under ‘marshalling’
mph average speed limit.
Choosing Average Speeds
(c) Regularity Sections
This comes down to common sense. Take into account
In these the competitor does not know where the next
whether your event is run in the daylight or dark. 30 mph
control is. You merely tell him which way to go and how
on narrow roads in the daytime is dangerous and crews
fast until the stated end of the regularity section. There is
who experience that will not enter your event a second
no need to have a control at the end. This can be given as
time. Likewise an average speed much less than 30 mph
a distance or map reference. You set up secret checks at
on main roads is equally dangerous. Pick the average
one or more points on the regularity to check competitors
speed and road so that they are ideally matched and
are following the set route and given average speed.
there is no need to ‘press on’ while it is not so slow to
annoy other road users. Try running consistently at 20
The old adage that competitors make the best organisers
mph or less to find out how really slow it is.
applies to regularity sections more than any other aspect
of rallying except, perhaps, the choice of route for night
30 mph 2 minutes per mile
sections or Autotests. Organisers must constantly bear in
mind two main principles: 24 mph 2.5 minutes per mile
1. Accuracy is all important. 20 mph 3 minutes per mile
2. Average speeds must be carefully chosen to minimise 17.2 mph 3.5 minutes per mile
complaints by the general public and to give the greatest 15 mph 4 minutes per mile
enjoyment to competitors.
The slower you go the longer and longer it takes! Lorries
Accuracy and other road users do not appreciate rally cars going
Take one example: steadily at 20 mph on wide roads! If you wish to make
your event more challenging require competitors to
At 20 mph one mile takes 3 minutes or 180 seconds. Or to change their average speeds. This point need not be
put it another way – If a competitor is out by more than identified in the ground and there need not be an
10 yards he is a second early or late. intermediate control at the change of speed point.

Unlike stages or test, any inaccuracy by the organiser is Controls and Route
not ‘the same for all crews’. There is only one correct time Plan your intermediate controls where there is a
and that is spot on. Both earliness and lateness are maximum element of surprise – it is no use having one a
penalised. Thus if an organiser’s mileages are wrong the competitor can see half a mile away as they have ample
perfect crew is penalised, while the crew who gets it time to adjust their speed.
wrong can gain.
Bear in mind that time controls on public roads in the UK
Complete accuracy is gained in a number of ways; must be at least 2 miles apart.
1. Your measured distance must be what you use
on the event. A measured mile is insufficient. Try Don’t site intermediate controls too soon after using or
to get between 3 and 4 miles on a road without crossing a main road – there’s no harm telling competitors
junctions, roundabouts or villages which give a that they’ll have at least half a mile after any main road to
choice of line. adjust their pace to the correct due time.
2. When measuring your regularity avoid wheel
Consider also the form of route information for the
spin on the wheel you are measuring from, and
regularity section and when it is to be handed out.
drive in the middle of the correct side of the
Consider map references or tulips and whether to use
road. Do not cut corners. Be consistent with 1.
difficult triangles or junctions. Be consistent how you
3. Tyre wear, and particularly tyre pressures can drive these when measuring your route. If using the latter
vary your distance. Use the same car and try to your mileages should accord with your regularity
measure your regularities and your ‘measured mileages.
mile’ at about the same time. Do not do one this
month and the next two months hence.
4. Mark the start of your regularity very accurately,

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 88

Marshalling & Instructions the amount they are into the minute (59 seconds in the
Never allow two cars to start a regularity section at the case of H78). That makes the event technically illegal. Or it
same time. Competitors will expect to start ‘on the becomes a lottery every time the accumulated seconds
minute’ and will appreciate a countdown 15–10–5–4–3– add up to an extra minute.
2– 1–GO. If you do and those crews are good they should
remain one yard from each other throughout the section! A system known as ‘Jogularity’ is increasingly popular.
Regularities are not like stages or normal road sections Crews are given a lengthy schedule similar to a tulip road
when crews go at different speeds. Because of this you book but with many more intermediate landmarks. Each
should not penalise crews for lateness at the start of landmark or junction has both a distance and an interval
regularities or you should brief marshals to give an ‘in’ time, measured from the section start and dependent on
and ‘out’ time; with a delay allowance for crews who are the required average speed. Intermediate controls remain
held up through no fault of their own. secret but are always at one of the points listed. This can
be easier for novices as it reduces the need for speed
The Marshal at a timing point (IRTC) needs to be very tables and trip meters.
experienced. He must either time crews on sight, when
they pass an exact given spot, or when they stop on your Results
line. You must instruct the marshals and also let The main advantage of timing regularities to the minute is
competitors know which method you are using. Bear in with results. Conversely timing IRTCs to the second can
mind 10 yards can be one second! Your instructions to the cause delays with results. You need a computer capable of
Marshal as to the exact point of timing cars are vital to taking seconds from seconds or a number of first class
organising a good event. Also let competitors know which people good at arithmetic.
method you are using. The marshal should also give the
crew a slip of paper showing the exact measured distance Technical
and correct time to his point. If there are a series of IRTCs Given that the accuracy of one’s measuring device and
this should be from the last IRTC and the start of the the information that it provides can allow anyone to have
regularity section (should the previous IRTC be missing, a perfect result, electronic average speed computers
etc.). should not be permitted on regularity events. Organisers
should check cars thoroughly at scrutinising for illegal
You can save marshals by using “self-start” regularity start instruments and maybe have a spot check during the
controls. Competitors wait at a very clearly defined board course of their event.
until their own due time, completing their own time card
entry (in whole minutes). That entry is signed by the Conclusion
marshal at the next control. Do not be dismayed by the length of this section.
Regularity sections are growing in popularity for Historic
The regulations for your event should give a 1 or 2 second events. Competitors need some experience at regularities
or whatever penalty free ‘window’ at an IRTC. This will and the numbers capable of competing on them are
iron out any very minor discrepancy in marshalling or growing, but they also require organisers who fully
measuring distances which are bound to arise. The exact understand all the ramifications if the growing popularity
window is at your discretion and can reflect your of regularity is to continue. Combined with some tests
confidence in your organisational ability to get it as right and a fairly short night navigation section they make for a
as possible. socially acceptable and relatively low cost form of motor
sport.
Timing to the Minute or Second
Timing regularity to the minute is not an easy solution 3. Touring Events
when you have a series of IRTCs! Read H83 and H78 in These are mainly local events for people with older cars.
particular, i.e. 9 minutes 59 seconds is recorded as 09 Here scrutineering and timing is less formal and they
minutes. Now read H54 which states ‘the time of arrival at often contain no timing at all and the winners may be
any Intermediate Time Control … with the time of arrival decided by a Concours D’Elegance, or indeed there may
at the immediate preceding Time Control’. The theory be no overall winner at all.
behind this is that it prevents crews speeding to make up
lost time. Once time is lost it cannot be recovered under
the Statutory Regulations (the law) covering rallying.
What this means is that if you are timing regularity to the
full minute you must place your controls at the exact
point where competitors are due on a full minute. Failure
to organise your event in this way can result in two things.
Firstly competitors must speed to immediately recover

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 89

Three final points
1. Don’t dismiss some proportion of overall
penalties as concours points as it encourages
good standards of turn-out. Also it keeps some of
the performance heat out of it – historically
right!
2. Special tests are difficult to suit for all – a tight
courses means a 30 mph average may just test a
Mini or Sprite, but be impossible for a Zephyr or
Rover. Consider an element of regularity, i.e.
time a first lap, then time a second lap – best
man matches his first time at second attempt.
This way a good driver in a Humber Snipe can
match a wild man in a Cooper S.

If tempted to run an historic event alongside an

endurance road rally remember that endurance
cars may average 40mph on their tests whilst
historics run at 30mph. It can be made to work
but it needs careful test design and the two
groups to be seeded and run separately.

3. There are many historic rallies – so many you

should ensure your date does not clash. Ring
round the well-known Historic Rally Clubs or the
Motor Sports Association and you should be able
to find a slot in the calendar which will help you
attract a decent entry.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 90

 26

CRUISES

This Guideline is in Q&A form and tries to answer the main questions clubs are likely to have about this rapidly changing area.

Q1 - What is a cruise? namely Drifting and Time Attack. These activities

A “cruise” is a meet organized by a collective number of have their origins in “street racing” in Japan and
people who share a common interest in the modification America and are seen as the “legal” way of taking
of standard road going cars. These tend to be of a such dangerous activities off our roads and thus
younger age than that of traditional motorsport. Events allow drivers to do this in a safe environment.
can be anything from 5 or 6 people meeting in their local Please note that these activities cannot be
car park to larger events which can typically see tens of currently covered by permit from the MSA and
thousands of people meet in dedicated showgrounds. any club wishing to organize such an activity will
therefore need to ensure that they have
Q2 - Why should more traditional club bother about separate insurance cover.
cruises and similar events?
Two main reasons – if something goes wrong with a Q4 - So, what exactly is Drifting and Time Attack?
Cruise event or one causes local problems with police or a) Drifting
public, more conventional clubs may still get blamed – Drifting is a high skill level motorsport in which
guilt by association if you like, so it is in our interests to drivers control a car whilst in slides from side to
see that such events are well run. The other reason is that side at very high speed, normally between 80–
cruises appeal to youngsters and if we don’t build bridges 110mph through a fixed course. It is carried out
to them we could be losing many potential recruits. on a tarmac surface, usually a racing circuit and is
judged on speed, angle of attack, execution and
Q3 - What events come under the general Cruise style rather than conventional racing whereby
umbrella? the winner is usually the one which passes the
Cruise events can be categorized into two broad areas. finish line first. Drift cars are normally mid-sized,
(a) Static Events rear wheel drive sports cars and the majority of
These can be defined as Concours or show the field is made up of Japanese manufactured
events, where individuals meet to show their cars due to the sport being born in Japan.
cars and compare them with other like-minded However with drifting expanding worldwide, it is
individuals. Traditionally they can be divided into becoming more popular for American and
similar cars e.g. MR2 Owners Club or modified European built cars to be used as a base model
car owners from the same area e.g. Cruise South for a Drift car. The goal is to apply enough power
East. Activities are far and wide and can include to the rear wheels to break the tyres traction and
Best in Show, Show and Shine, Best in Group, to initiate a slide whilst accelerating the car
Best ICE (in-car entertainment) etc. However, the forward, creating the Drift. Once initiated, the
common theme is that all cars are static and Drift must be maintained throughout the turn
there are no on-track activities. These events can and the rest of the course, using nearly full
be run under a “Certificate of Exemption” permit power, slight braking and precise counter
issued by the MSA. steering movements, achieving a gracious Drift
from the first corner to the last whilst navigating
(b) Dynamic Activities within point scoring ‘ clipping points’, a section of
All other activities other than those above would a corner marked out by the judges as the correct
be included under this heading and would see Drift ‘line’.
cars moving/ competing in a controlled and safe
environment. Whilst many of these events take
place at traditional race circuits, there are some
which take place at showgrounds or disused
airfields. Activities can include 0-60 challenge,
slalom courses and track sessions. Importantly
there are two new activities which are popular,

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 91

 b) Time Attack Q7 - OK, I’m hooked. What do I need to consider before I
Time Attack is a circuit based event whereby organize a cruise event?
competitors drive hard against the clock to set Like any other motorsport event, if you fail to plan, plan
the quickest lap time around a circuit. Not only to fail. Who do you want to attract? Why do you think
do they have the task of doing this but they will they will come to your event rather than someone elses?
be one of many cars and drivers, specifically Can we incorporate them into other events you are
invited with the pedigree to fight it out alongside organizing? What sort of activities do you want to run?
the industries finest, even including some Who will do risk assessments? Are we covered for
belonging to private individuals. Starting off in insurance? Speak to the MSA about “Certificate of
Japan, Time Attack, Super Lap and Tuner Battles Exemption” permit. Liaise with your local police. Go to
were organised by the media as a proving ground other events and learn from their mistakes. Above all
to see the difference between street tuned cars, remember, these people are potential new members to
produced by the tuning industries most your club!
respected tuners. Held at various circuits in Japan
although mainly Tsukuba, Time Attack rose in
popularity as the stakes began to rise and the
tuners had to keep on developing new and
improved machines with which to conquer their
competition on track with. Since the early days
things have moved on and there are now
different levels of vehicles entering the
competitions, from road cars to full-on
specifically engineered Time Attack cars made
mostly of carbon fibre as the sport has evolved.
Its drivers normally consist of the racing
industries finest, draftedin by tuners to pilot
these unlimited machines in the bid to become
the quickest.

Q5 - So how cruise clubs are there?

Literally hundred, with different cars and areas being covered.
Certainly more than would be economical to list them here.
Ten/fifteen minutes on Google will unearth a huge number of
these. Search under “Manufacturer” Owner clubs and you will
unearth cruise clubs for all car types – you will probably find a
cruise club for a specific car model even if you area of interest is
specifically only an Opel Corsa GLSi 16v, or similar. Again, cruise
clubs can be organized under regions such as North West or
even by county and for that matter by town. All of these tend to
have dedicated websites which run forums for members and
websites are generally a hive of activity. Get clicking!

Q6 - Are there any formal regulations e.g. noise limits,

safety clothing, roll cages etc.?
Whilst static events will see organisers having to meet
Health and Safety requirements and seeking authorization
from their Local Council, there are specific regulations in
place for Time Attack and Drifting. These follow rules
similar to those set down by the MSA and they can be
accessed by logging onto either:

www.timeattack.co.uk or www.europeandriftchampionship.eu

Please note however, that currently these activities are

not governed by the MSA.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 92

 27

DRAGSTERS

Copy to follow

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 93

 28

TIMEKEEPING
Introduction For example – Rally Clocks may be used for Autotests,
Timing is the basis upon which the performance of Cross Country Safaris, Autocross, as well as Rallies. In
competitors is compared and is used to determine the certain circumstances they may also be used for Speed
result of many competitive events. Events. Some events use traffic light start systems, and
whilst not always necessary they help to ensure fair
Most UK motorsport events are timed using equipment competition and may enhance the event.
which is certified by approved testers for its use and
operated by MSA licensed timekeepers. Car and Kart Races may need equipment which is certified
accurate to up to 1/1000 second, linked to photocells and
The type and accuracy of the equipment used will vary may also require the use of transponders (radio identifier
dependant upon the event being timed, but much modules fitted to the vehicles) or similar identification
equipment can be used on a variety of events meaning devices. Timing may also be carried out at multiple
that timekeepers can move easily from one discipline to locations around a circuit, pit exit, pit entry, and
another. intermediate locations as well as at the control line.
Timekeepers Speed Events also need highly sophisticated and accurate
Timekeepers are graded according to their ability and clocks, with the start, finish and sometimes intermediate
knowledge, with training programmes available to allow locations all being linked by cable or sometimes radio
progression to higher grades. modems and using photocells to trigger the clocks.
An MSA Licensed Timekeeper at an event must be a Many events also require time information to be made
minimum of 18 years of age, but trainees may start at 16. available to spectators, both at the venue and elsewhere.
Cadet Marshals may undertake some timekeeping This may include large displays, scoreboards, video or
associated tasks under the age of 16, subject to Health & television monitors to pit lane, garages, press room,
Safety and Child Protection issues, as per MSA guidelines. commentators, or internet access which allows live access
Timekeepers are divided into Race, Rally, Speed and Kart to event data, and access to printed results. Rallies often
categories according to their knowledge, though these use remote terminals for easy access to results within the
definitions do not prevent them carrying out tasks at any event headquarters or elsewhere.
event. The grade of event will determine what grade of Technology moves apace and increasing use of new
timekeeper is necessary to be Chief Timekeeper. innovations is made. GPS (Global Positioning Systems) is
being used increasingly to synchronise time clocks and
Responsibilities also to provide information on the location of competitors
Timekeepers are an integral part of the organisational
– this live tracking of competitors is especially useful on
structure of a motorsport event and should be involved in
rallies, and cross country events where it is a major
the planning of the event at Club level.
benefit to event safety.
The Chief Timekeeper is responsible for all aspects of the
timing of the event, the booking of individual timekeepers Summary
to assist in the operation and any equipment which may Accurate and efficient timing is essential to the smooth
be necessary; for the setting up, distribution and running of an event and the subsequent determination of
collection of the equipment before and during the event, the order of performance of the competitors.
and should make reports to the Clerk of Course or
Stewards on timing matters. Whilst modern computerised equipment makes timing
operations easier, old fashioned stop watches with pen
They should not leave the event until all matters relating and paper are perfectly adequate on occasions.
to timing have been resolved.
Age and physical ability need not be a barrier to anyone
wishing to participate as a timekeeper – in fact
Equipment timekeeping often provides an opportunity for people to
The equipment necessary to time an event may be owned
be involved in an important aspect of motorsport without
by the organising club or may have to be hired – it is the
the expense required to compete.
responsibility of the Chief Timekeeper to ensure that
equipment appropriate for the event is available.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 94

 29

SCRUTINEERING

The object of scrutineering is to help the competitor to a noise test should take place on all vehicles entered for
enjoy a safe event. There is also the need to check that the event. You may choose to use the services of an
the driver and vehicle complies with regulations set out in Environmental Scrutineer for this task. Vehicles used by
the MSA Yearbook, and any regulations which may have officials during the event should also be subject to
been written for the event. examinations and sound checks. In particular any exhaust
system shall be of permanent construction and not give
A Scrutineer of an appropriate MSA appointed grade must rise to gasses entering the cockpit of the car.
take charge of the scrutineering team at all Races, Speed
events, Kart races, Road and Stage rallies and at all other All scrutineering should take place in a well-lit, safe area,
National “A” permit events. away from traffic and other hazards associated with
motor vehicles. There should be no smoking in the area
Where the event is not required to use an MSA appointed and a suitable fire extinguisher should be available.
Scrutineer, persons of known competence may be used in Parking of vehicles awaiting scrutineering should never
the role. interfere with the general public.

The matter of payments to Scrutineers is a decision to be The number of scrutineers should be sufficient to deal
made by organisers. There are guidance figures for with the size of the entry in accordance with the
suitable payments given in the MSA Yearbook. Where organiser’s timetable. Each Scrutineer should not be
long distances are involved the Scrutineer may also wish required to deal with more than 10 cars per hour.
to make a claim for accommodation expenses. Arrangements must be made to ensure that the
competitor has signed on and had his vehicle scrutinised
The other members of any team may be of lower or before taking part in an event. A label should be fixed to
higher grade. Trainee scrutineers are not permitted to all vehicles to indicate that these processes have been
pass off cars at these events. The Chief Scrutineer, or the completed.
nominated deputy, should remain on duty for the entire
event. The basic requirements which a lay Scrutineer should look
for are that the vehicle is safe and complies with the
In arranging an event you should ensure that all details regulations for the event. The regulation requirements for
are passed to the Chief Scrutineer prior to the event. all events are to be found in the MSA yearbook under the
These details must include date and times of Vehicle section for Competitors or/and under the
scrutineering; finish time of event; venue; any regulations for a particular type of event.
supplementary regulations for the event. etc. etc. If you
don’t tell him he won’t know! The vehicle should be presented in a clean condition and
free from any loose items such as spare wheels, petrol
Scrutineers are trained to an MSA programme. Details of cans or luggage. Any ballast used during the event must
this training system are available from the MSA. A DVD be secure.
giving basic advice to prospective trainee scrutineers is
also available to new scrutineers and may be of interest to The competitor should expect that the Scrutineer will
other persons involved in the organisation of motorsport check the braking system, fuel supply system, steering
events. The minimum age for a Scrutineer is not expected system, security of seat and seat belts, and tyres as an
to be less than 18 years. absolute minimum. For most vehicles there must be a
fire/ liquid proof bulkhead between the fuel tank and
Scrutineers are not empowered to dismantle vehicles, this engine compartment to protect the passenger area of the
a job for the owner. Some Scrutineers have received car. Oil and/or petrol leaks should be an immediate
additional appointments as Technical Commissioners or reason for failing scrutineering. Lines carrying fuel should
Eligibility Scrutineers and will be able to offer additional be metal or metal braided when fitted inside the cockpit
technical assistance to any organiser. of the car. Where required, numbers should comply with
MSA regulations.
Where there is any possibility of annoyance to the public,

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 95

Wet batteries are not allowed in the cockpit of the car
and battery earth leads must be obvious or be marked in
yellow.

Any video equipment fitted to the vehicle must be

approved by the Scrutineer, and the organisers must
approve the use of the recording.

The competitor or his representative must be available to

open areas of the vehicle and answer any questions asked
by the Scrutineer. Where appropriate the legal
requirements for road use will also be checked. The
general visible condition of the vehicle should be good, as
cars in poor visible condition create a bad impression with
the venue owners and the general public.

Where safety clothing is required to be worn, the

Scrutineer will require that the clothing be inspected, to
ensure that it complies with current MSA regulations.

Care should be taken before publishing any results that

the vehicle has not been sealed at a previous event or
that there are any technical disputes. Where any protest
regarding technical matters is made, organisers should
ensure that the costs of such protests and the
arrangements for future examination are fully explained
and agreed with the competitor and any protestor.

In the event of a serious accident the Scrutineer should be

required to make a written report to the organisers. In
carrying out the examination the Scrutineer or others
should not test or dismantle any item which is likely to
require examination by a police officer at a later date.

All organisers should have in mind a suitable venue for

vehicle storage in the event of a serious incident.

It must always be remembered that running your event is

a team effort and the Scrutineers are very much a part of
your team and will be only too please to give advice
before, during and after the event on matters related to
vehicle safety and eligibility.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 96

 30

TEACHING BASIC NAVIGATIONAL RALLYING

Introduction If there aren’t enough maps, computers or other bits to

Many clubs have problems recruiting people to their go round, the students can pair up and share.
ranks, and then keeping them. This Club Manual Guideline
has been produced to help address this. There is some hyperlink technology below, but of course
that won’t work if you’re reading a paper copy of this. If
Preparation there is an abbreviation that you are not familiar with,
Anybody proposing to run a class, or a course of classes, there is a brief glossary at the end.
should plan it thoroughly.
Structure Of The Course
The size of the group and the ages and likely abilities of This is best decided on the basis of the numbers and the
the participants should be taken into account, and tutors existing skills of the pupils. Some people can absorb it all
should be ready to tailor lessons according to the live in- in a single session, while others, especially larger groups,
session feedback. may need two or more, as people’s aptitudes or previous
map knowledge, for example, may vary considerably.
It’s a good idea to run these classes just before a real
event, preferably one that is designed mainly for the class A lot depends on the pupils’ attention spans and maybe
participants. on the presenters’ personalities too. Bigger groups tend
to be more unwieldy and it takes longer to ensure
One University club, for example, runs an annual series of everybody has understood the material.
‘Fresher’ classes that culminates in a 50-mile ‘Training
Rally’ comprising only two ‘classes’ (in a different sense), The above University club generally uses two lessons, at
one for novice drivers and the other for novice navigators. least two tutors and a mixture of theory and practical
They team up each novice with an experienced partner, tests.
the average speeds are set well below 30 mph, and the
whole series is usually very successful. Content Of The Course
Once again, this is best decided by you, and it will depend
The preparation for a course should include a briefing to on the length and number of sessions.
tell people what kit to bring. This is likely to comprise a
map, a pencil, a rubber, a calculator and a notepad. But You may opt not to use all the stuff suggested in this
these items should not be mandatory. Some of them may Guideline, but it may give you some ideas. For example,
not have maps, so some old ones should be supplied to you may decide to run a follow-up tutorial after your
allow for this. novices have done a few events, or maybe a stand-alone
non-expert ‘master-class’.
Using Technology
Modern digital information technology can be used to You may also have other ideas of your own, which is
good effect in any class, regardless of its size. great. So what follows is a general outline, but not
necessarily a hard and fast syllabus.
A projector can let everybody see illustrations at the same
time. But if a projector is not available, files can easily be A brief description of the rally format is a good idea.
copied into a few laptop computers, which are almost Supplementary Regulations (SRs, or ‘regs.’), final
ubiquitous these days. instructions, etc. should be explained, as well as start,
finish and Control procedures, food provision, Damage
It is very easy to prepare lessons in computer files, and to Declaration form, insurance, and anything else that you
include maps, diagrams and specific local examples in full may think of.
colour. These files can replace the traditional printed
handouts, with extra material that the students can refer Whatever content you choose, it should be progressive
to later if they wish. and coherent and allow consolidation time. All areas
should include visual demonstration and oral explanation,
as well as practical opportunity.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 97

Some Meat On The Bones take online orders and dispatch for next-day delivery. See
Session Introduction the short list below. [As an aside, the author received a
The first thing that should be said in any introduction to map CD from a New Zealand supplier overnight. Wow!]
navigational rallying is that these events are not races;
that they take place on open public roads; and that There are lots of interesting pictures that could be shown
drivers must always be responsible, and aware of other about maps. For example:
people, including pedestrians and those that may be
trying to sleep near the route. • The small-scale maps that contain the map
catalogues of Britain or Ireland; here’s the latter
The next thing follows on from the above point, i.e. that one;
car performance is the least important aspect of
navigational rallying, and that any car is suitable, provided
it is in a safe condition, especially as regards tyres,
steering, brakes and lights. The most important part of
the team is the navigator, which should become clear as
the session progresses.

You should outline the basic behavioural and technical

rules, like lighting, noise, warning triangles, Quiet Zones,
Give Way junctions, etc.

Tell them about the importance of correct route and the

use of code boards at an early stage, and give a brief
explanation of timing. A detailed description of timing
should be left until later.

Only after this pep-talk (mainly for the drivers) is it

appropriate to start thinking about navigation.

An Introduction To Maps
Maps are the most important piece of kit that any
navigator requires. They must be the correct ones for an
event, down to the ‘edition number’ quoted on the Parts of the legend e.g.
legend. They will usually be the latest versions of the
maps, which are subject to frequent revision.

The 1:50,000-scale maps published by Ordnance Survey

Great Britain (OSGB) and Ordnance Survey Northern
Ireland (OSNI) are among the very finest in the world,
although they are not flawless. A good understanding of
maps is of major importance, so it is worthwhile labouring
some aspects, especially how to interpret grid lines, grid
squares, grid references, contours, spot heights, road
colours, etc. But that can come later.

OSGB maps are called ‘Landranger’. There are 204 sheets

covering Britain and the Isle of Man.

OSNI maps are called ‘Discoverer’, and they comprise 17

sheets, and share their numbering system and grid with
OSI (OS Republic of Ireland).

It would be good to have a sample of at least one of each • Map samples to illustrate particular features (a
type of map to hand, in case anybody wants to compare picture tells a thousand words; there are several
those from the different publishers. They are very easily of them below).
obtained from various map dealers, many of which will

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 98

All these are readily obtainable from various places, Other aspects of roads could be discussed. There are two
including OSGB’s website and others. types of yellows, for instance. And in Britain – not in
Northern Ireland – there are two types of A-class roads,
If you want to impress your audience with some map not counting dual carriageways.
trivia, you could tell them about the military re-
triangulation of Britain in the middle of the 20th century An understanding of road types is fundamental, and often
that resulted in the fantastic maps we have now. It was a driver can recognise them by their width and quality.
led by a Major Martin Hotine, it took about 17 years to Sometimes this can be useful.
complete, and the results proved the value of having done
it to very high standards. Navigators’ Equipment
At some point you will need to introduce the Romer. They
An initial baseline was measured very accurately near the are not essential for basic exercises, but they should be
south of Britain. Trig points were built all over the land to introduced at the first lesson, so that the students can get
exact specifications and standards. The surveying was one in time for the next. Some help should be given with
done at night to eliminate heat haze. The whole country procurement. The club could get a stock in for sale to
was cross-triangulated many times. After it was finished, a students, or at least buy enough to go round before the
24km northern baseline was measured, at a distance of next lesson.
880 km from the start line, and the difference between
the measured and calculated values was an amazing 42 You should take a full kit of other stuff to let them see
cm. That beats the general surveying accuracy standards how easy it is to gather most of it. It’s just common stuff
(1/100k) by a factor of over 20. like pencils, rubber, compasses, ruler, tracing paper,
calculator, etc.
Map Suppliers
There are many map supplies, below are a few websites The main exception is a Poti, but a novice navigator can
that are worth trying. do without one of these for a while. You should also have
www.osni.gov.uk a head torch and a magnifying glass on display to prove
www.tso.co.uk this point.
www.mapkiosk.com
www.centremaps.co.uk Don’t forget a map board, and explain why it should be
made from a cardboard carton. In case you don’t know,
What Is A Road? it’s because, if the car comes to a sudden stop, the map
This may be obvious to most of us, most of the time, but board is softer than the stomach.
just occasionally there is room for doubt. A local example
should be sought out and discussed. Basic Clue Types
Yes, let’s use the shorter term, as it’s easier to type and
Here’s one that arose in a real event. it’s in common parlance. So ‘Route Instruction’ becomes
‘Clue’, despite any protests you may hear.

This is where we really get down to the nitty-gritty of rally

navigation.

There are hundreds of different types and variations of

clues, but there are a few that are generally regarded as
the basic ones. The following sequence is not necessarily
based on any particular criteria.

Grid Lines (GLs)

Does it really need any explanation? Of course it does.
The organiser considered the white at Purves Hall to be a
Even if the concept of a GL is obvious, what are
through road, until it was pointed out at the finish that
competitors supposed to do with them?
the broken line has a slightly longer pitch than an
unfenced road (also shown). This means it is a path, but it
Well, usually they will be expected to cross them. Obvious
looks like a road if you’re not careful. It wasn’t meant to
enough? Yes, most of the time, but what if the road
be used, but it did affect the solution of the route
partially crosses a GL and then comes back? A definition is
instruction for one navigator, who had a mental block and
needed. Final instructions usually contain such a
couldn’t see the other clues to the correct solution.
definition, but it is helpful if newcomers are warned of it.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 99

Here’s one. important to get it right.

Grid Squares (GSs)

Once again, this is almost too simple to require any
explanation, but it is so fundamental to an understanding
of maps that it needs to be spelled out, to make sure
people really do understand it.

A GS is the most basic form of Grid Reference (GR). It is

often regarded as a 4-figure GR.

It should be spelled out that the square is right and up

from the junction of the two lines that define it.
This is a real example to illustrate different ways of
That brings us to the concept of the Easting and the thinking on this matter. Here’s a grid square with a 10 x
Northing, and the easy way of remembering which comes 10 division constructed in it.
first – along the corridor before climbing the stairs!
Alphabetical order also applies. Consider the MR xx2yy6 (in reality, 422688). The relevant
division lines are slightly thicker.
And any reference to a GS should be explained. What
does it mean? What are they supposed to do with it? The organiser’s intention was that the route should go
Well, usually competitors are expected to pass through a along the short white, through the picnic area.
list of GSs. Most of us know this, but newcomers aren’t
clairvoyant. But some competitors considered (correctly) that the 6-
figure MR is not the point at the junction of the two lines,
Lists of GSs can be presented in different ways. A but the 100-metre square to the right and above it, which
straightforward list is obvious enough, but how about this completely covers the red road. Therefore you could drive
fairly common variation? along the red and still comply with an instruction to pass
through this MR.
1234 +1 –100 –1 –1
Strictly, the organiser should have used an 8-figure MR to
Find a local example and make them think about it. define this diversion properly, e.g. 42206880 or
42306885. With hindsight his intention was obvious, but it
There are other variations too, like N S E W to cross GLs in was lax of him to define it as he did.
the specified directions, etc.
The point is that people should be made aware of such
Grid References (GRs) – 6-figure discrepancies, although not necessarily at a beginner
There are plenty of explanations of how to create and plot level.
these. It’s spelled out on the map legends.
The real answer to this issue is for organisers to
But there is also a lot of misinterpretation, even by understand the issues, and to design their clues not to be
organisers. A thorough organiser will explain and define ambiguous. Alas, some organisers are not sufficiently
exactly what he means by a 6-figure GR (often called ‘map experienced to spot all these things.
references’, or MRs), but there are lots of organisers that
don’t, so it’s worthwhile for novices to understand the A newcomer event should be done with particular care in
different possible meanings. But it could be a bit over- this respect. If it is taken into account in the planning,
complex, so it should only be gone into if the instructor then there is no need to bring up this point at the
believes the class will actually take it in. induction course. It can be left until later.

Some detail is offered here, as it is considered very

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 100

But maybe there is a case for making the point at an early Here’s an example once again.
stage. If newcomers aren’t told exactly what a 6-figure
MR means, they may never find out and the myth may be
perpetuated ad infinitum.

Grid references – 8-figure

Pretty obvious, really, after the previous example, but
worth a few minutes to explain how and when the
technique may be used.

For example, it will generally only be used to define points

to the nearest 50 metres, because that is as accurate as
anybody can normally be expected to work to at the 1:50k
scale. But in some events it can be down to the nearest 25
metres, e.g. 123½456¾, or 12350 45675.

As with GSs, usually a list of GRs will mean that the route
passes through them. Occasionally it may be that you
need to avoid them. If so, it will probably be stated, at
least at novice level.
There’s a 71 at the top right, but where is it? It’s almost
impossible to know, so it would be wrong to incorporate
Drawing The Route it into a clue.
At some point the students should be advised how to
draw a route on a map. Consistency is the most important Then there’s another 71 at the bottom left. Where is that
aspect. This means an individual choice of how to do it, one? Well, there’s a rather inconspicuous dot to the left
but then maintaining that method. of and fractionally above the 7, so that’s it.
This can be done at any convenient time. They should be But how about the 76? Well, that’s the ‘Triangulation
advised to take care not to obscure a potentially Pillar’ (commonly called a ‘trig point’ or TP), and it’s
important map feature that could throw their navigation slightly off the road. So a clue that included it would need
later. to state that you pass within 50 or 100 metres of it, rather
than pass through it.
A line drawn across a very small white could cause
confusion, especially if that white looks like a yellow. Yes, it’s splitting hairs, but in a rally class, even if the
students aren’t made aware of it, the teachers should be,
And yes, once again this cautionary tale is based on a to ensure it doesn’t become an issue in the training rally.
novice navigator’s experience. The pencil line obscured
the small tarred white, which made him completely lose Tracings
the place, and several minutes too. Too obvious, maybe? But an example or two should be
tried. Not everybody has the same spatial awareness, and
Spot heights (SHs) diagrams and such things can be a problem for some. So
The previous paragraph applies to these too, i.e. ‘pass be patient and help them out.
through’ or ‘avoid’.
Herringbones
The actual SH is not at the number, but you have to find A few people seem to have difficulties with these, so it’s
the small dot. Some of these are slightly off the road, so worthwhile being prepared for a very basic and thorough
you may need to be careful to decide if a particular SH is description. This is where a link to another file would be
valid in view of this aspect. good to have up your sleeve. If it’s not needed, you can
skip past it. But if somebody has a problem understanding
the concept you can resort to it. Here’s another example
from a real event to illustrate it.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 101

 Approach and Depart Directions
Occasionally an organiser will give GRs with this additional
information.

NNE 123456 NNW, for example, means that you approach

the GR FROM the north-north-east and depart TO the
north-north-west.

Pictorially, it would look something like this.

Number Strings
This tracing becomes this There are numbers all over the place on a map, so a
herringbone when it’s pulled number string can be a combination of GLs, GSs, SHs, road
straight and condensed. numbers, GRs, and perhaps a few other odd ones that
present themselves to an organiser on his map. The best
Don’t even mention the more complex ones at this stage. advice is to take care.
It will just cause needless consternation. It’s probably
good to explain the usual convention for the driver Sometimes the number grouping will be deliberately
reading a herringbone clue slip to the navigator with the wrong. For example, 123456 7890 could really mean GL
car at rest. “Miss a left” = take the rightmost option, 12, a 6-figure GR and GL 90, just to cause confusion.
whatever it may look like. Etc.
Tulip Diagrams
Don’t even mention the more complex ones at this stage. Again, there are lots of variations, and again there are
It will just cause needless consternation. some people that have problems with it. But it’s not hard
to explain the principles.
It’s probably good to explain the usual convention for the
driver reading a herringbone clue slip to the navigator They may, or may not, be accurately depicted. Their
with the car at rest. orientation may, or may not, be correct. The arrows
and/or balls may be omitted from some of them. But of
“Miss a left” = take the rightmost option, whatever it may course at novice level it will generally be easy.
look like. Etc.
Illustrations are very easy to draw in MS PowerPoint and
Junction Descriptions copy into Word. You can draw them in Word too, but they
These can take many forms, but one very common one is can cause problems if they are moved, so it’s best to use
PPT and copy them into Word as composite bodies. There
RYR RRB BBY YYY YYY YYY YBB BBY are several techniques for doing this.

These can sometimes fox even an expert navigator. One Clock Faces
guy chose the wrong tee-junction from a yellow to a These take many forms, but only the basic ones need be
green and then couldn’t see how the rest of them shown to novices.
worked. He had taken a blinkered view of the green TJ. He
should have looked beyond the nearest one as soon as he Enter on the hour hand and leave on the
saw there was a problem. Another mental block! minute hand, with correct orientation, is
usually the easiest, but there is some debate
If you ever see RYY, it’s an organiser mistake. There are about how to describe this example, say.
only a handful of such junctions in the country. One
organiser has done it at least twice. On the second The route goes from east to west. Is it 2:45 or 3:45
attempt, fortunately it was spotted before the event. It though? Check where the hour hand is at each of these
should have been RRY, of course. times.

Another variation is There are different opinions on this. Whichever one you
support, you should make your class aware thatthere are
TJTL XRSO SRTL FR XRTR TJTL TJTL others.

This interpretation applies whether the clock faces are

listed in pictorial or narrative form. The latter is the more
usual.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 102

General Comments How deeply you go into these topics is for you to judge on
It’s best if all examples are based on your own local area. the basis of the time available and the other aspects
Apart from anything else, the map availability will be already mentioned.
better (both new and old).
Perhaps a follow-up session could be run after the
It may be useful to incorporate a little bit of local students have done a few events. A small group of semi-
knowledge too. You can describe a place on the map that experienced people can feed off each other under the
they will probably know, and it makes the map seem guidance of an experienced tutor.
more real.
It is even better if that tutor can prepare a list of topics
You should use as many examples and exercises as you that may be brought up, and find examples to illustrate
can fit into the time available. Start drawing a route on a problems and their solutions. If the pupils have questions,
map right from the outset. If they are in pairs, get one to he can deal with them. If they don’t, he can fall back on
read instructions while the other plots, as if in a car. If what he has prepared.
need be, make more time. If anybody has problems, be
patient and explain it again and again. And be prepared to Insurance
use examples on the map to bring it into focus. If This has changed from time to time, so the exact technical
necessary, go out and look at the place in question and details are being left out.
see how the map relates to the terrain. Point out map
features, like phones, bridges, woods, etc. But the students should be made aware of the legal
requirements, and of the usual solution. You, the tutor,
If you have to help somebody that is struggling, you could should know the current position on this, but if you
offer the others something else to do, e.g. get them to haven’t competed or organised for a while, you should
create a clue of the type that you are currently working consult people in your club that have, to check that it
on. Give them a start and finish and let them get on with hasn’t changed again.
it. This will give them a challenge and consolidate what
they have learned so far. You could offer the students a contact in your club that
can help them to fill in their first entry form, etc.
If necessary, run another lesson to make up for time lost
with stragglers. Advanced Topics
Some topics may be essential in some parts of the
If you have some passion for maps you may be better able country, but in others it may just cause confusion if they
to explain their intricacies and their uses to those that are dealt with in a novice class.
don’t have much experience of them.
The next item is one such case.
It should be said, of course, that anybody that has no
conception of what a map is should perhaps consider a Regularity Sections
different sport. Having said that, some individuals have There are various local philosophies on Regularity
struggled at the start, only to progress on to different sections, so no technical material is offered here, as you
motor sport disciplines that don’t need the same degree probably know more about how it works in your own area
of map skills, like stage rallying or autocross. So these than anybody else does.
people shouldn’t be dismissed, but encouraged as much
as possible and maybe guided towards other areas where In areas that don’t use them, it’s probably best not to
their own talents can be brought out. even mention them, as it could cause confusion. So you
should judge this one for yourselves.
Such a person may be a perfectly good driver, and if he
finds a navigator that is happy with this, then there is no There is no reason why stuff like this can’t be dealt with at
problem. But many navigators benefit from having a a subsequent lesson, of course. But maybe it should be
driver that understands navigating, so it should be taken dependent, yet again, on whether a person is likely to
into account when seeking a regular partnership. encounter the genre.

Other Topics Main Time Controls (MTCs)

If time and other constraints permit, you can add items These may have special provisions. They will almost
like the three-quarters rule. It’s unlikely that a newcomer always be mandatory to visit within maximum lateness
crew will break this, but they will need to know about it (30 minutes).
pretty soon. Hence the item in the ‘Timing’ section below.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 103

In some cases late penalties may be applied with respect Any subsequent lateness is calculated with respect to this
to Scheduled Time, if an MTC is at the start of a new revised timetable, so a crew is not penalised repeatedly
‘sector’, e.g. after a rest halt cum lateness reduction for having dropped time previously.
opportunity.
This means that they can stay on the same lateness as
Timing long as they want without further penalty. This is
This is an important part of any rallying. It can be quite designed to discourage lateness reduction where it may
daunting at first. It looks complex, but it isn’t really when not be appropriate, and is known as ‘Penalty-free
you understand it. lateness’.

It is vital, therefore, that you, the instructors, should be Any subsequent additional lateness is penalised on its
thoroughly familiar with all the intricacies. For the benefit own merits with respect to Due Time, and Due Time is
of anybody that isn’t, a brief précis is offered here. It may adjusted again by the amount of that fresh lateness. As a
also be useful for organisers or results officials that want result, the difference between Scheduled Time and Due
to revise their knowledge. Time should equal the total amount of accrued lateness –
unless a crew has reduced lateness (next item).
Standard Time
This is the time of day at which a notional Car 0, which Lateness Reduction
doesn’t actually exist, is supposed to be at each Time This is allowed, subject to certain rules.
Control (TC). 1. If they report before Scheduled Time they will
get the usual penalty for that infringement.
It is pre-determined by the organisers and is the
2. They are not allowed to complete a section in
fundamental building block of an event’s timetable.
less than three-quarters of the time allowed for
that section, if the section is greater than 4 miles.
Scheduled Time
There is no specification for sections up to 4
This is fixed for each crew in turn, and is equal to Standard
miles, and lateness reduction is generally taken
Time plus the crew’s competition number.
to be unrestricted in these cases.
In general, the Scheduled Time for each crew is printed on In some cases organisers will impose more
their respective Time Cards, but if not, there should be an restrictions of their own. This will always be
easy way for the navigators to calculate it, either from the spelled out in some way. For example, they may
Standard Time or by adding up the Time Allowed for each say that lateness reduction is not permissible
section in turn. except at certain named Controls.
Some organisers will tell you (usually on the Time
It is much easier for all concerned, including results crews, Card) the allowable lateness reduction for each
if Scheduled Time is printed on Time Cards. And section – often called ‘make-up time’.
organisers have no excuse for not doing it, as spreadsheet 3. A competitor that ‘cuts and runs’, and misses at
programs like MS Excel make it very easy to print bespoke least one Time Control, is allowed to make up as
Time Cards for each crew. much lateness as he wants, subject only to the
‘early’ penalty.
Early Arrival
A competitor that reports to a Time Control ahead of Outside Total Lateness (OTL)
Scheduled Time is penalised by 2 points per minute, The maximum lateness allowed is 30 minutes, unless the
generally. organisers decide to specify a different figure, or to
extend it in special circumstances, and in writing.
Late Arrival
A competitor that reports to a Time Control after Anybody arriving at a TC later than this is deemed not to
Scheduled Time is penalised by 1 point per minute, have even been there and gets a big penalty.
initially.
It may, therefore, be worthwhile for a crew to make up
But then a change takes place. Scheduled Time is time if they can, to reduce the risk of going OTL if they
unchanged, but a new concept is introduced. have a big problem later. But of course any such time
make-up must be done carefully to comply with the above
Due Time conditions.
This is Scheduled Time plus the lateness that has just been
applied.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 104

When To Report To A Time Control made significant progress, thereby gaining a slight edge
Generally they will be allowed to report to a TC up to 1 on the other crew. The author has been the driver of the
minute ahead of the desired time, and wait for that time winning car at least twice in such circumstances.
to come. In the meantime, the marshal can fill in the Time
Card, etc. Interior Lighting
It may be good to mention this if you have time. These
They will generally be credited with the minute that is pictures may be helpful.
showing on the clock as they pass the Control Board,
unless the organisers are being extremely fussy about the Fluorescent
rule that says, “The time of arrival at or departure from a strip-light
control will be the time at which the Time Card is that can be
presented by the competitor concerned, providing all clipped to
crew members and car are within the control area”, which visor
is to be found (with some difficulty) in the part of the
Road Events Section of the Blue Book that deals with
Timing. One brand of ‘Poti’. There are others,
including at least one that uses LEDs
Late Arrival At A TC (view below)
If a competitor arrives late, he/she may ask for the minute
that is showing on the marshal’s clock at the time of
reporting to the Control. One type of
LED strap-on head torch
However, it may be worthwhile waiting for the next
minute, if it is about to turn, for various reasons, albeit
tenuous or trivial ones:
• Unless there is a good chance of completing the
following section in the time allowed, starting it a Clip-on
few seconds later can reduce pressure a little in LED
that next section. head
• If their own minute has another car occupying it, torches
it could reduce congestion at the following TC if
the competitor waits for the next minute.

These apply especially if the crew has been able to reduce

lateness at the TC in question. Why bother taking an early
time if they could lose it again at the next TC?

Further Topics
Some of these items are out of sequence, and you may
feel they are important enough to be included early on in
your course.

Following Another Car

Novices should always know the locations of all the TCs,
so it really shouldn’t be necessary to resort to following,
but sometimes, if all else fails, it can be useful. Of course
it’s always possible that the crew being followed is equally
unsure of the route, so it is a risky move.
View through LED Poti
However, even expert crews have used this tactic to good
effect, where they know their opponents, and they trust
them to have plotted the route correctly.
In-Car Dialogue
You may decide to tell them how the crew members
If one navigator plots it before another, the second crew communicate almost continuously, and how they describe
may opt to follow the first car while continuing to work on things to each other. But perhaps it should be in sketch
the clue. By the time they have it plotted, they may have form until after a couple of events, so as not to
overstretch them.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 105

Map Editions Navigator comfort
Even organisers have got this one wrong, so it can’t be It’s vital for the navigator to be as comfortable as
emphasised enough. possible. The most important aspect is the stomach.

It’s important to ensure that every aspect of the edition The best advice that can be given is to eat a small meal
number is taken into account. about 2 hours before a rally, and then to take an anti-sick
pill at the time advised on the packet.
It usually has a letter, and perhaps a number and/or
underlining. Some even contain an asterisk. Other useful things to consider are drinking water, car
temperature and fresh air at the face. In a long event,
Here’s an example that has some underlining. some top-up food may be worthwhile, e.g. sandwiches,
There’s more you could glean from this map extract if you sweets, flask of coffee and/or a biscuit or two.
want to. Sample point? Grid letters?

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 106

Abbreviations and Glossary
Most of those reading this will be experienced competitors, but for the benefit of others, the following glossary / aide-
memoire may be useful.

It could be re-produced and added to for your own classes. Well, we do use rather a lot of jargon, and we tend to take it for
granted, and you should be conscious of the need to explain it.

AR All Roads (see CAR)

B Brown Road (As shown on map)
CAR Consider All Roads (When solving a clue)
CL Contour Line
CRO Coloured Roads Only
E East
F Fork, or perhaps Ford (Context makes it clearer)
G Green Road
GI Graticule Intersection
GL Grid Line
GR Grid Reference
GS Grid Square
GW Give Way
IGR Ignore Grated Roads
INTR Ignore ‘No Through Roads’
L Left
MR Map Reference (=GR)
MS Mile Stone
MTC Main Time Control
N North
NAM Not As Map
OTL Outside Total Lateness
PC Passage Control
R Red Road or Right
RA Roundabout
S South
SO Straight On
SR Side Road (Often called ‘SLOT’ for short)
TC Time Control
TJ Tee Junction
TL Turn Left
TP Triangular Pillar or ‘Trig Point’
TR Turn Right
W West or White Road (context usually makes it clear which one it means)
WD Wrong Direction
XR Crossroads
Y Yellow Road
Etc…

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 107

 31

RUNNING A NAVIGATIONAL RALLY

Introduction Glossary
This task is fraught with difficulties. Many novice There’s a short glossary at the end of Guideline 31, which
organisers have succeeded only in creating more is a companion to this one. If there is any jargon below
problems, resulting in lots of competitors getting put off that you don’t understand, try there.
the sport forever. We have a big enough issue of losing Route Survey
members without making it worse in this way. After you’ve drafted a possible route, you need to drive
round it at an early stage to log mileages, etc.
So it MUST be done correctly to be of any value. It needs
to be thoroughly planned and prepared. Every possible It’s worthwhile noting trip-meter readings at every
pitfall should be taken into account and a solution junction and potential Control location. This way, you can
designed into the plan. Right, that’s all very well in theory, calculate the length of each section (when you decide
but even the best organisers can get it wrong. So the where to put the Controls), and of the whole event. If you
purpose of this article is to try and help you to foresee have to make any changes later, you don’t need to
and minimise the problems before they happen. It should measure an entire section from scratch. You can piece it
be read in conjunction with Guideline 31. together and estimate new distances, and confirm it by
measurement later.
Overall Strategy
The club must ensure organisers are competent to run an Control Locations
event of the relevant status and type. A novice team can During the initial survey you should look for potential
sometimes be used on a 12- car, but bigger events need Control sites. If you see a promising place, note the map
properly qualified people. reference and trip-meter reading, write a brief description
and move on. You may find a better one just round the
Generally, the Clerk of the Course should be an next corner. You can decide which places to use when you
experienced competitor, and have done as many other get home, based partly on the mileage, but mainly on the
jobs as possible in a team before he gets to take charge. overall suitability.
This applies to all disciplines of course, but it is often
neglected in navigational rallying, which can be a big What determines this suitability? The major factors are:
mistake.
• No houses within 500 metres, unless you are
Other team members should also have at least some prepared to get written consent from them all
experience of competing in this type of event, which has • Parking space for marshal’s car, off the road; a
unique requirements. gateway, hard verge, layby or passing place will
usually suffice, subject to not causing undue
Route Planning congestion to other traffic, especially if the road
Before you can do anything else, you need to find start is narrow (usually OK after dark)
and finish venues. • Not on an A-class road, unless in a layby
• Away from bends that could cause danger or
Then when planning the route, you should avoid, as far as congestion if a queue forms; a Control or a
possible, built-up areas, known PR-problem areas, places Control Board just after a bend or a brow is
that may be susceptible to flooding, etc. Or if you do asking for trouble; don’t scoff, it has been seen
choose to use a road that could be affected by water, you • Other Public Relations (PR) issues; no, you’ll have
should plan an alternative one and incorporate all the to work these out for yourself, as there are no
necessary paperwork to enable a switch to be made a few hard and fast rules on dealing with the public.
hours prior to the event if it becomes necessary to divert.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 108

Paperwork may even be motor sport people themselves. Others may
There are lots of things to do here: be future competitors.
• Supplementary Regs. and final instructions;
It’s the difficult people that can cause problems. If
• Permits, including for 12-car rallies anybody is totally unreasonable, you may have to decide
• Route authorisation whether it is all bluster, or whether you really do have a
• Police approval(s) problem and it may be better to find an alternative route.
• Council approval(s)
Normally, a previous organiser in your club will know
• Landowner and/or resident approval in some these people and how to deal with them. There is one
(very limited) circumstances; more below known to the author that just likes to make a noise, so he
• Insurance provision is always the last person in that cul-de-sac to get a visit,
• Preparation of results spreadsheet and he doesn’t get the friendly approach any more, just
the formal letter. His complaints have never gone beyond
• Signing-on sheets, including insurance
the bluster.
• PR letters, including bespoke ones for certain
circumstances; and it’s good to make one for the Everybody within 100 metres of the route must get a PR
competitors and marshals to carry; it should visit or letter. The Blue Book says so, sensibly.
contain a brief statement of what is happening,
and a contact number for any complaints But there is more to it than that. Farmers may live a long
• Entry list way off the road, but they may have livestock alongside it,
• Time Cards so you need to be aware of this and speak to them too,
• Route instructions (a.k.a. ‘Clues’) even if it means driving a mile up a white road to find the
farmer.
• Marshal information packs
• Damage declaration forms Some large estates can be hard to contact, but over time
you can compile a list of the people that ought to be
PR Work advised. The author met a Chief Executive of one of these
This is an important part of any rally. We don’t want to while recceing a route on one occasion and has kept him
antagonise the public. Most of the time, it’s simply a informed of all events around the relevant lands ever
matter of letting them know what’s happening. This is since. Now that is good PR. The man has been very helpful
best done by personal contact. subsequently. He gives information about people that
should be contacted, including names, addresses and
You do need to have letters to leave where there is phone numbers.
nobody home, but normally you should knock on doors
and speak to as many people as you can. Route Instruction Planning
This needs very careful thought. More importantly, it
Try not to give the impression that you’re seeking their needs to be very carefully checked and vetted by at least
consent. That can invite trouble. All you’re doing is two other people, and preferably by a lot more.
politely letting them know that a few cars will be passing
their house. Give them the date and approximate time And they must be competent people, who are willing to
and direction. You should also be willing to chat to them be thorough, frank and positive in their criticism, although
for a while if they want you to. they (and you) should also be fair and willing to engage in
debate. You should always reach a consensus.
The only time you need consent is if you want to place a
Control within 500 metres, or in some cases where there The ideal method of having instructions checked is to
is timing to less than a minute. send the first draft to two people, get their comments and
incorporate the results of the debate, then send them to
It really is about Public Relations. Treat it as a chore and it two more people, who will see them fresh and without
could come back to bite you later. Treat it as a way of prejudice. The reason for suggesting two is that one may
maintaining the public’s support and you will get on much be tardy in replying, perhaps for good reasons. It’s a belt
better. and braces approach, which never does any harm.

Most people, if approached sensibly, will be positive,

appreciative and friendly. Some may have relatives that
compete, so you can have something to chat about. Some

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 109

Route Instruction Creation If you, the Clerk of the Course, don’t have the requisite
There is almost nothing that cannot be produced in Office skills, it shouldn’t be hard to find someone in your
Microsoft Office, or other similar program, so it is possible club or organising team that does.
to create an entire set of very detailed and elaborate
instructions without putting pen to paper. Indeed, the You can add maps, subject to copyright, if applicable. And
author has done this. The only time a pen was used was you can add things to maps, as shown here.
to make survey notes in the car. Even this could have
been done on a laptop, but a paper and pen method was
actually easier.

Diagrams were drawn in PowerPoint (part of MS Office)

and the whole lot was assembled in Word. Here are three
examples (NAM = not as map, etc.).

This one was not handed out, but was used to create the
tracing opposite.

Maps are available on CDs from at least three different

software companies and probably dozens of map
retailers:
www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/oswebsite/getamap
www.multimap.com

OS Northern Ireland is not so co-operative, but you may

be able to download small samples of their Discoverer
A B C D E F maps from the Multimap site. Look for a reference to an
‘old site’, if it still exists.
1 W SRSO FL
Just remember that their use in any kind of publication is
restricted, and permission may need to be obtained.
2 E2
A way round this is to give competitors links to the
relevant website in advance and suggest that they
3 XRSO P SRTR
download any required material themselves. This clearly
has limited usefulness, but it may help in some situations.
4 SH TJTR An example is where a tiny portion of a map adjacent to
the prescribed ones is needed. To save the competitors
buying another map, a small extract can be helpful.
5 U F XRTR
Generally with OSGB, any extract can be distributed to a
limited number of people without permission. So those
6 FR XRTL TJTL
without internet access can still get a hand-out. Hence the
above ‘if applicable’ reference.
7 SRTL H

8 GL Y

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 110

Route Authorisation Marshal Recruiting And Management
The exact procedures for this vary around the country, so It’s important that somebody is delegated the job of
the best way to find out about your individual finding enough marshals. There is always a shortage of
requirements is to seek local advice. willing people, and somebody usually has to spend an
evening on the phone trying to drum up enough
Usually, a map needs to be prepared showing the route. It manpower to go round.
is submitted to the Route Liaison Officer for approval.
More often than not, there will be just enough, if you
The same map can usually be sent to the police and have a strategy that enables them to be re-deployed at
council authorities. another post. This needs some planning too. You need to
work out how long it takes a marshal to drive from one
It is often possible to do all this electronically. The map post to the next and try to calculate the most efficient
can be prepared in PowerPoint as above, using samples overall strategy.
off the OSGB Get-a-Map website or commercially
available CD maps, and sent by email to the relevant You also need to take account of each individual marshal’s
people, provided you can find their email addresses. experience and abilities. That’s why you have a Chief
Marshal. These are his jobs.
Marshal Briefing
This is a much-neglected area. Marshals are usually the More Detail On Clue Planning
last people to be told what is going on. It’s good to keep Anything that makes a competitor ask, “What on earth
them informed, especially about their own posts. But does this mean?” is generally too hard and may be
there is other information that they can be given about unacceptable.
the overall strategy if they are recruited far enough in
advance. This may enable them to help competitors if a It’s always a difficult balancing act. Knowing your
query arises. competitors’ abilities is helpful. Having said that, any
organiser can get it wrong, and competitors can have the
For their own posts, it’s not enough just to give them a odd mental block too.
Map reference and a time. They need to know the
direction of approach, the time of the opening car and the The main thing to remember is that the competitors are
first competitor, the closing time, and whether they need the paying customers. They may also be your friends and
to wait for the closing car if they have another post to go you probably don’t want to be lynched at the finish, so
to, etc. you need to tread a fine line between making it too hard
or too easy.
The approach needs to be stated unequivocally, in the
form ‘FROM the north’ or ‘southbound’, not just ‘North’. Generally, if you are on the easy side you won’t be far
Such lack of precision has been seen, causing disputes wrong.
between marshals and opening officials. We don’t need
that kind of problem. This is also why you need to seek as many opinions as
possible. It’s not only to check for mistakes. Others may
It’s also good to give them the latest entry list, so they will be able to see problems that you can’t. And if anybody
know if all the cars have reported. sees an alternative solution or has problems in finding any
kind of solution, then you MUST re-think it.
A picture of their location can be helpful, and an A4 map
extract to help them find it exactly. Well, there’s no Some organisers don’t use devious stuff, but use time-
guarantee they will have a map of their own. consuming clues to separate the top crews. They can even
spell out all the STOP junctions without giving too much
For this reason, a few old maps should be on hand at the away, because it takes time to plot them all.
start to issue to those that don’t have one. And some of
them may not read the regs,, so it’s worthwhile telling Others rely on the odd trick to get a result.
them in advance which maps they should bring.
One of the best events that the author competed in
Most of the time, though, an A4 page of 50k and an A4 comprised lots of short, easy sections. Two crews were
page of 250k should be enough to help them find it, the clean until the second last section, when a small trick was
latter in case they don’t know the area. thrown in. One crew dropped 4 minutes, the other 5. Both
crews had had a very enjoyable night, and the organisers
got a result. Job done!

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 111

Supplementary Regulations (SRs) It’s also an opportunity to display the various boards in
Most organisers use previous SRs as a template for their use, e.g. Control, Code, Quiet, Caution, etc., and to give a
own. This is fair enough, but care should be taken to pep-talk on behaviour, warn of conditions, explain
ensure that every detail is fully considered, rather than unusual or complex features, etc.
just changing dates and leaving everything else in place,
parrot-fashion. Opening Car Official
It’s best to get somebody that is familiar with the route,
Final instructions but in case you don’t, you should prepare a marked map
This is another oft-neglected part of organising. for him. It’s best if he can do it himself, preferably by
being one of your clue checkers, but if this is not feasible
There are lots of things that need to be defined, clarified – and realistically, sometimes it’s not – then you will have
or explained, but some people seem to be a bit lax in this to do it for him. An old map is good enough for this
respect. purpose.

You should remember that there are novices taking part He also needs to be able to make decisions on problems
as well as old hands. If you assume they will all know what that may arise, and to advise marshals if they have
you mean you could be asking for trouble. queries. For this reason he should be well-informed and
knowledgeable.
Lots of things can be slightly ambiguous, so if there is
anything that can be misconstrued you should define it. The Chief Marshal may be an ideal person to do this task,
Examples are: as long as he hasn’t been unduly held up at the marshal
briefing room.
• Whether a road crosses a Grid Line; see Guideline 28 for
a typical diagram of this
Lack Of Marshals
• Whether a crossroads can be used twice; and if so, what This is an increasing problem as numbers dwindle. There
constitutes a crossroads; you may need to define it with are mechanisms for coping with it, though.
diagrams if there are any that could be taken as two
junctions (staggered crossroads) One way is to issue clues in batches, jumbled and coded
• What a gated road is so that the correct one for any given section cannot be
• Reinforce the Give Way and Quiet Zone messages; and discovered until a ‘decode number’ is issued by a marshal,
define how these should be recognised – boards, street or by a ‘special code board’ in the absence of a marshal.
lighting, white lines on road, ascending order of colours, You could use this technique for some of your clues, if not
etc. all.

Marshals Missing
Setting Up The Route It may also be worthwhile making provision for a marshal
You need to go round the whole route a few hours before getting lost and not being in place.
the start and check for last-minute problems, place code
boards and Quiet boards, etc. You may also want to mark One way to do this is to have somebody following the
the exact position that you want your marshals to be in, opening car, to be left behind if necessary.
using a small piece of red and white tiger tape tied to a
fence or a bush, for instance. If the marshal turns up later, the ‘roving marshal’ should
have enough information to let him catch up with the
Most of these boards will be well away from routes that opening car in case it happens again. An assistant chief
competitors will be using to get to the start, however if marshal would be ideal for this role, as he should be fully
there is one that can be spotted, it may be best to leave briefed in all the marshalling requirements.
that one for the opening car to place, but don’t ask the
opening car to put out loads of them as it takes too long. Caution Boards
An opening car can sometimes struggle to maintain These should be used sparingly, so as not to create a ‘cry
schedule as it is, so try not to overburden it. wolf’ situation. But there are places where the conditions,
the terrain or some other factor can make a corner or a
Verbal Competitor Briefing brow potentially very hazardous.
This should be used to emphasise particular points of
concern, or perhaps to clarify a matter that has been There are some very nasty hump-back bridges, for
raised as a question. instance, which are not always very obvious.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 112

 It has the additional problems of weight reduction due to
the brow, and a lot of loose gravel on the road, reducing
grip even further.

These are all definite candidates for cautions.

Lateness Reduction
There are some myths that should be corrected. At least
one organiser has said, “The three-quarters rule will not
apply, except at certain stated Controls”, but this rule is
strictly inviolable.
This one is extremely lumpy and not conspicuous from a
distance. And it’s compounded by being at the very What he really means is that lateness reduction will not
bottom of a map. Even a top crew could miss it, especially be allowed and vice-versa. Another one has wrongly
approaching from the south. imposed penalties for lateness reduction in sections of
less than 4 miles. But the 4-mile limit applies to the three-
There are also cases where a bend after a brow can be quarters rule, not the lateness reduction rule.
especially prone to being misread by a driver. Some
hairpin kinks are not shown well on maps. To summarise, lateness reduction is allowed unless the
SRs specify otherwise. And there is no ¾ rule in sections
The next example is even tighter than it looks here, and up to 4 miles! There is no restriction!
bearing in mind that this map is shown at twice the
normal scale, it can easily be overlooked by a novice However, lateness reduction is not allowed at all in a
navigator. Neutral Section, only in a Standard or Transport Section.
Regularities are best dealt with by seeking local advice, as
the local conventions vary a bit.

Results
This needs careful preparation. Most people use
computer spreadsheets nowadays, and they seem to
work well. But even here there are pitfalls.

For example, on one occasion a crew was given a clean

sheet for one of its time cards, when in fact that time card
was never handed in. The results team had failed to spot
it.
But the main problem is that both approaches are
prefaced by a slight brow, and the driver can see the road The solution is to have a check sheet that can be ticked
beyond the kink. If the navigator fails to spot it, the driver for each time card.
could come over the brow at high speed and see a hairpin
about 20 metres away. Alternatively, in Excel you can use an IF function. IF the
value of a sub-total is zero, a column can display an X, or
The next one is similarly deceptive if you’re coming from similar, to flag up a possible omission. This should prompt
the north. the operator to check if it is genuine. The relevant column
can then be hidden or deleted before the results sheet is
printed.

Spreadsheets can also sort rows into any order of your

choosing, so you may decide to rearrange the rows into
the finishing hierarchy, to make it easier for everybody to
see their relative places.

It is vital that the results team understand the timing and

penalty mechanism. Ideally, they should be experienced
competitors.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 113

They should know the penalty structure and the time with Due Time to assess lateness.
schedule of the event, and the number of route checks in 7. Alternatively, work out the time taken for the
each section. Generally, the last item will be planned, but section and compare it with the time allowed.
the exact details will not be known until the codes are
8. So, has more time been dropped? If so, then a
placed on the day of the event.
penalty will have to be applied, except in
Transport or Neutral sections.
There is an explanation of timing in Guideline 28, but
another slant is offered below to help you to understand 9. Has lateness been reduced? If so, has the three-
it, if you don’t already. quarters rule been broken? If this is in order,
then there is no penalty.
If a computer spreadsheet is being used to log the 10. It’s good to print the allowable ‘make-up time’
penalties and produce the results, it should be created by (lateness reduction) on the time cards.
the results leader, in collaboration with the Clerk of the 11. Are you allowing lateness reduction? If you want
Course, the Timekeeper, the Chief Marshal and anybody to restrict it, you must say so in the SRs.
else that may have input to offer. This is very easy with
12. Has the previous TC been missed? If so, then
email, where each person can examine the file and offer
there is no ¾ penalty, as the route has not been
ideas to the results official.
followed – they have missed some of the route.
Due Time is based on the last recorded time. A
Timing And Penalties lateness penalty may be appropriate.
As a reminder of how this works, there are a few things
for a results official to consider when marking the time
cards. Time Card Design
The time cards are very important, and their design
Firstly, there are the route checks. He should be given the should be considered carefully.
up-to-date list of those in each section and compare that
with the ones written down. They must be as simple as possible, so that each marshal
can find his bit easily and quickly. A sample card for the
Secondly, are there any ‘Wrong Directions’ (WDs), missed marshals will help prepare them for this.
TCs or double visits?
The cards should also be results-team friendly.
Thirdly, there is the timing to consider. This takes a little
more thought. For example, each results person should be able to see
each competitor’s Scheduled Time at each Time Control,
Assuming the results official knows the Scheduled Time at a glance, without having to refer to previous time cards
for each Time Control as he is proceeding through the or other documents. Previous cards may not be available,
time card – and why shouldn’t he, when you can print because the results team may be split into more than one
them on the time cards (see below) – he can compare the group. In any case, cross-referencing takes time.
recorded time at each Control in turn with that Scheduled
Time and make a decision on penalties based on the Therefore you should print individual Scheduled Times on
following criteria: the time cards. It’s easy in a spreadsheet, such as
Microsoft Excel.
1. Is the competitor more than 30 minutes behind You could just print Standard Time and let the crews work
Scheduled Time at any given TC, i.e. ‘Outside out their own Scheduled Times. But this makes more work
Total Lateness’ (OTL)? If so, a 30-minute penalty for the results people, with potential for errors and time
must be applied, unless the SRs specify a taken. Bespoke cards help every-body and ensure the best
different penalty or maximum lateness. possible accuracy.
2. Is the section Standard, Transport, Neutral or
Regularity? This can affect make-up. You should also make provision for the last recorded time
on each time card to be carried forward into the start of
3. Is the recorded time ahead of Scheduled Time? If
the next time card, so that the results team can keep track
so, apply an ‘early’ penalty, at the rate of 2
of Due Times too.
points per minute ahead.
4. Is the recorded time later than Due Time? Time card designs have taken many forms, but one user-
5. You need to work out Due Time, by adding the friendly style has been around for a long time, although
section time to the previous recorded time. maybe not used by many organisers. It has a kind of
6. You then compare the current recorded time multiple-choice method, as shown in the sample on the
next page.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 114

It reduces the amount of writing by competitors and Time Card Production
marshals, and therefore also the potential for handwriting Even this relatively complex Time Card is very easy to
to be misinterpreted, or for codes to be written in the produce in a spreadsheet, as the program can be made to
wrong place. do all the changes from one competitor to the next, just
by a single entry in the cell that shows the car number.
The green ellipses would be drawn round the codes by The author is not an expert with Excel, but even he
the competitor and the red ones round the times by the managed to work out how to achieve this task.
marshals.
If you don’t have the requisite spreadsheet skills, it’s likely
Each section can have the same fixed number of potential that you will be able to find somebody that can help, just
code boxes, but the number used will vary between as with the route instructions.
sections. Any boxes incorrectly marked are liable to
penalty. To offer some guidance, the file used to produce the
template below has 3 worksheets.
Looking at the sample time card in detail, you can see that
two codes have been recorded in Section 1, and the time 1. The ‘front page’, the one that will get printed, and into
is clean. which the car numbers and crew names will have to be
typed, one at a time just before printing – although even
In Section 2, without even doing any arithmetic, you can the names could be automated if you want.
see that car 6 has dropped 1 minute and gets 1 penalty.
2. The basic timing table, which will calculate the Standard
(Codes are ignored here from now on, as the point has
Time at each TC from the start time and the individual
been made.)
section times. Of course, you can change these at any
time before printing without having to do lots of
In Section 3 another 2 minutes have been dropped, so 2
calculations, as the program will do it for you.
more penalties are incurred.
3. The main calculation sheet for all the individual
In Section 4 the crew has made up a minute, so there is Scheduled Times, which takes data from sheet 2 and from
no penalty, assuming make-up is allowed. the car number on sheet 1.

In Section 5 they get a further 4 penalties. The data calculated here are then automatically copied
into sheet 1 to create the finished product. So once you
At TC 6 they get a 30-minute penalty for not reporting. have the spreadsheet set up, just by typing the car
number in the relevant cell in sheet 1, you can start the
At TC 7 they get a WD, but no time penalty, because they calculation process, and sheet 1 will automatically display
have reduced lateness. Even if they had apparently the entire range of times.
broken the three-quarters rule, there is no penalty, as
they have missed some of the route by not reporting to The template has no provision for an early time to be
TC 6. entered. Well, it would be an extremely silly competitor
that accepted an early time with such an obvious system,
It’s not hard to see how it works. Due Time is immediately wouldn’t it? But you could modify it if you really want to!
underneath the recorded time at the previous TC, so
lateness can be worked out just by a simple visual count
of boxes.
The same applies to lateness reduction, and the
comparison with the allowable reduction, without even
using any arithmetic.

Codes are easier too, as the results crew can see where
they have been circled, and they don’t need to read them
or check if they are in the right row.

There is one small drawback with this time card design.

You need to plan exactly which code boards will be placed
in each section. This may mean a little more time is
needed to find each one when placing them at the
roadside. But it is a small price to pay for a slicker results
system. It’s an essential part of good preparation.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 115

 Festival Rally Time Card 1 PERMITTED
Car Number 6 LATENESS
Sched Actual Time REDUCTION
TC Time (Lateness)

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 116

 32

RADIOS
Radio communication is a very important and essential Purchasing Radios
function on many motorsport events. It can provide the
• Any radio operating on the MSA’s frequency
Clerk of the Course and his team of officials with vital
MUST be:-
information regarding the administration of the event and
provide a medium in order to feedback information and o Licensed through the MSA
instruction to event personnel. o Certified by a competent radio supplier
o Supplied to the MSA’s license
Radio communication is also used extensively during the specification.
notification of and subsequent dealing with, safety related
• Your Regional Radio Co-ordinator will be able to:-
incidents. It is this area where controlled radio
communication is vital in assisting with the rapid response o Advise on the licensing process
to a notified incident. o Provide details of radio suppliers
o Provide details of the radio specification
Types Of Two Way Radio Communication
• The Blue Book recommends that secure Radio Schemes For Events
frequencies are used for event communications • Each Regional Radio Co-ordinator will have:-
to ensure the privacy of information.
o Historical knowledge of their area
• PMR frequencies can be used but you should be
aware that the frequencies are not secure. o Be able to advise on the planning of a
radio scheme for your event
• The MSA holds a radio license for the purpose of
administering the safety aspect of events. This o Where to source radio marshals
frequency is:- o Information regarding the use of other
o 81.575 Mhz FM (the MSA Safety & secure frequencies
Medical Frequency) operated per event
by; Operators (Radio Marshals)
o Radio Marshals • You should ensure that any Radio Marshal you
o Doctors/Paramedics Rescue units intend to use should be:-
o Recovery Crews o From a Motor Club which holds a radio
• The MSA recommends, in MSA Yearbook, that its license with the MSA
Safety & Medical Frequency is used for safety o From a Motor Sport related Radio Group
purposes only. which holds a radio license with the
• This frequency is licensed exclusively to the MSA
Motor Sports Association and is therefore secure. o Dedicated to radio duty and have no
other duty which would compromise
the event radio operation
Information
o Provided with (per event); An up to date
• The MSA have appointed a national network of
Entry List An up to date Stage Safety
Regional Radio Co-ordinators and their remit is
Plan An up to date time schedule Full
to provide to individuals and event organisers:-
details of the stage(s) they are to
o Information operate on
o Assistance • Radio Marshals should operate in pairs, ideally,
o Training but where a Radio Marshal is single manned, the
• The name of the person who is responsible for Controller MUST be made aware of this
your area is listed in the Blue Book in Appendix • If Cadet Marshals are to be used as Radio
8(d). Marshals they MUST be accompanied by an
experienced adult Radio Marshal

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 117

Radio Controllers
• The MSA Safety & Medical Frequency is a simplex
system, i.e. only one person should talk at any
one time, the use of a radio controller(s) is
essential. The Radio Controller MUST be licensed
by the MSA and will provide:-
o A controlled network operation
ensuring an efficient exchange of
messages
o An information conduit between the
event organisers and the event arena
o A monitor for all aspects of the event
and keep a timed log
o A means to ensure all Radio Marshals
are in contact with the Controller by
using Links and Relays where necessary
Training
• It is recommended that all Radio Marshals and
those intending to use the MSA Safety & Medical
Frequency should attend a radio training day.
• Details of National Training Days can be provided
through the MSA’s website or from your Regional
Radio Co-ordinator
• Club training nights can be organised with the
assistance of your Regional Radio Co-ordinator

Rules And Regulations

• The use of the frequency is governed by the
Radio Communications Authority but is further
regularised by the MSA.
• Details of the MSA regulations can be provided
by your Regional Radio Co-ordinator, the Blue
Book or via the MSA website.
• The MSA also have a booklet available which has
advice on the use of the MSA Safety & Medical
frequency. This booklet titled –
o Radios on Motor Sporting Events
ADMINISTRATION, APPLICATION &
OPERATIONAL GUIDE FOR FM
FREQUENCY and can be supplied by the
MSA at Motor Sports House or via the
MSA website.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 118

 33

SPONSORSHIP

A club hoping to attract support for an event or whether in newspapers or television, mention this and
championship must recognise that any marketing and keep copies of material to show to potential sponsors.
sponsorship deal is, or should be, a two way business
deal, not charity or patronage. Of course local Next prepare a draft proposal including:
organisations may support a club for other than full • An introduction to the event and the organisers.
blooded commercial reasons but nevertheless a club must
• Specific details about the event – where, when,
aim to offer value for money.
how many entrants/ spectators etc. (c) Specific
benefits as listed above. (d) Possible media
Clubs should also recognise that finding support may not
coverage.
(in fact almost certainly will not) be easy as there are
countless other sports and activities out there seeking • A final summary possibly mentioning how much
support. And marketing and sponsorship practices money is sought and how it will be spent.
change; for example when this manual was first produced
TV programme sponsorship was rare, now it is By completing this exercise you will have a clear picture of
commonplace and sucks up money which would what you are offering and you should then be able to deal
otherwise go elsewhere. with any queries.

Although, as with a lot of selling, there is no guarantee of Once you have drafted the basic Information, try to get a
success at the end of the day, your chances will be hard-nosed business friend to take an outsider’s look and
improved if you plan your approach carefully. The sales play devil’s advocate and based on this, put it into a more
skills required are the same as for any other selling formal presentation. This could range from a
activities so you may benefit from reading marketing straightforward letter (well typed of course) to a
books. brochure, to a presentation involving slides and a DVD – it
all depends on how much sponsorship you are after, what
First, consider what you have to offer and if it can be you are offering and to some extent the size of company
improved. If you seek support for an event would it be you are approaching. Of course a well-produced approach
more appealing if part of a championship? Can you get a via e-mail may well be the best method of approach,
local radio or newspaper interested in a quiz? If you have particularly to technology orientated companies.
a club room or caravan available for sponsors, is it time it
had a quick coat of paint? • When producing your written presentation, do
clearly describe it as ‘A Marketing Proposal for
Next, list all the possible benefits to a potential supporter, Company X’ ‘Produced by XXX for XXX’ –
these could include: title to the event; company name on company, executive and title.
competing cars and official paperwork (such as cover of
• The next stage is to approach potential sponsors
regulations and programme); advert in programme and
but before contacting companies first consider
regulations; banner advertising opportunities at the start,
‘who you know’ because personal contact is one
finish and throughout the route; opportunity to organise
of the most effective ways of raising sponsorship.
displays and promotions around the event; hospitality
The Committee of a club and other influential
opportunities; web link; benefits from local TV and other
members should be roped in to help in the
media coverage. Plus, if relevant, the community relations
search. Strings are meant to be pulled, so pull
benefits of supporting a local club in the local community.
them.
Consider the possibility of goods and services instead of • If this fails and you have to approach companies
money. For example: get your local printers to produce cold then cast your net widely and plan your
Regulations, Road Books and similar FOC; this is still approach in a businesslike way. And don’t give
marketing and the rewards for the provider no less up – if the first approach to a company results in
relevant, but it will save you £££ and cost them far less a negative response, perhaps you can change the
than the commercial price. proposal slightly and go back later a second or
If an event attracted media coverage in previous years third time, when the outcome may be more

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 119

 positive. partnership continues in years to come; it is
• Do make sure that your written approach is much easier to keep a sponsor than to search for
personalised; ‘Dear Sir’ will go straight in the a new one. This does not generally mean taking
rubbish bin, whereas ‘Dear Mr Smith, Sales & your sponsor out for expensive meals every week
Marketing Director’ may get read – at least it but simply involving them and helping them
shows you know who may make the decisions! achieve their own objectives. It your sponsor is
not actively involved in the event, it is in your
• The aim of a written approach should be to fix a
club’s interest to at least keep him or her
meeting at which a club can present its
informed.
proposals.
• Think what extra you can offer sponsors. A
• Don’t go to such meetings mob handed but do go
simple plaque presented to them at the annual
with people who are articulate and can present a
dinner may help make them feel welcome and
case well. If you have someone who is great
that much more part of the club.
“once you get to know them”, maybe leave them
out of the presentation team… • Above all, don’t take the money and then forget
a sponsor.
• Rehearse the presentation, preferably in front of
someone used to such proposals.
• Don’t waffle – if you have 30 minutes allocated
for a meeting then don’t make the presentation
longer than 10 minutes so that there is time for
discussion. • Don’t use motor sport jargon – not
everyone will understand it.
• Don’t promise what you can’t deliver, that’s a
sure way of having a disappointed sponsor (and
maybe even litigation).
• Do plan the presentation to reflect the status of
your event and the area of business of your
target company – a 15 minute sound and laser
show asking for £500 for your closed to club PCT
will not set the correct tone!
• How much should a club ask for? This obviously
depends on the importance of the event which is
why involving the local media will enhance the
value. Try to relate the sum you seek to
something e.g. ‘that would only buy you two ads
in the XYZ paper’. Remember you can negotiate
downwards on price but rarely upwards.
• If you reach an agreement with a sponsor then
put things in writing, either a simple letter of
intent or a formal contract. This will help avoid
“who said what” arguments later if things go
wrong or a key person on the sponsor’s side
moves on. Incidentally, if a deal does break down
or a sponsor decides to quit at the end of the
contract period, don’t slag them off in the media.
All that will do is deter other potential sponsors.
• If the club is registered for VAT (or will be above
the limit when the sponsorship is taken into
account) then VAT will need to be charged and
provided for in the agreement. Corporation tax
may also be payable on the sponsorship income.
• Look after your sponsor to ensure the

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 120

 34

RUNNING BUSINESS-LIKE MEETINGS

This Guideline is designed to help clubs and individuals Venues

faced with putting on presentations, whether to try to
1. Consider the image you are trying to project –
raise sponsorship, to recruit new members, to convince
the choice of venue should reflect this. If you are
people about a Rights of Way issue or to train new
seeking sponsorship it might be unwise to splash
officials. If you are trying to motivate or inform people
out and hire a lavish stately home; if you are
then the more care you pay to the meeting, the more
trying to project a forward-looking, dynamic club
likely you are to succeed and the more professional you
it could be equally unwise to hold the meeting in
will appear to your audience. Many of the points will
a scruffy pub with peeling paint.
seem blindingly obvious and of course they are …but
many of them get forgotten, sometimes by quite major 2. Is the proposed venue big enough?
companies! 3. Does it have enough rooms if you want to hold
break-out sessions?
Planning 4. Is there adequate parking?
1. Objectives. What are you really trying to 5. Will guests know how to find it or do you need to
achieve? Be quite clear in your objectives and give them a Post Code for Satnav, or send them a
don’t have too many of them for one meeting map?
otherwise you may confuse people. 6. Can the room be darkened if you need to show
2. Audience. Who are they and what will they be visual aids?
expecting from the meeting? Try not to 7. Is there adequate seating and is it comfortable?
disappoint them. How many people are likely to
8. Are there adequate and convenient – and clean –
turn up?
toilets? And will they be monitored and kept
3. Invitations. Who to send to and in what form, clean by the venue?
and how far ahead of the day?
9. Are there any ‘dead’ or scruffy areas in the room
4. When to hold the meeting. What date and what that need concealing or livening with posters or
time? Are there any clashing events? Will key flowers?
presenters be available?
10. Is there somewhere to store briefcases,
5. Where. Keep in mind that some venues book up cardboard boxes etc.? If there isn’t and you have
way ahead. to store them under a table, at least put a cloth
6. Organising team. Who is to run the meeting? in front of it to conceal the clutter.
Ideally one person should be in overall charge 11. Are there adequate power points if you need to
(with helpers of course). use projection equipment?
7. Finance. Is the meeting big enough to need a 12. Book a venue in writing and be clear on
special budget allocation? cancellation charges.
13. Establish who will be your contact at the venue
on the day.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 121

Sound And Light On The Day
1. What are the acoustics like? Will microphone/s 1. Be there early.
be needed? If in doubt it is better to have them. 2. Do you need to reserve parking for key guests?
2. A lectern will help to focus attention on the 3. Is the room easy to find or are signs needed?
presenters.
4. Have all used coffee cups, old newspapers etc
3. Will hand held mikes be needed for questions? been removed and briefcases etc stored out of
4. Can the lights be dimmed if showing visual aids? sight so that the room looks tidy?
5. What visual aid equipment will be needed? Can 5. If speakers are still fine tuning what they are
the venue supply? going to say then ask other people to act as
6. Is any noisy building work scheduled near the ‘‘greeters’’ to make people welcome and
venue and if so can it be stopped during your perhaps sign them in.
meeting? 6. Lapel badges will help the audience recognise
7. Can all phones (and possibly noisy extraction who is who.
fans) be switched off to reduce noise? 7. If people are likely to arrive early, consider
8. Is any screen mounted as high as possible? showing a DVD or at least have background
Whatever you do there may still be people at the music to make things a bit more welcoming.
back who can’t see.
9. Keep in mind that an endless series of Power Afterwards
Point Presentations can become soporific! 1. Send letters of thanks where necessary.
2. Hold a debriefing meeting, consider what things
could have been improved and make notes of
Rehearsing them so that you get them right next time.
It may seem to be going a bit too far to suggest a
rehearsal for what may be a fairly simple meeting but Good luck!
unless you have considered who is to say what (and when
and for how long), who is to do any introductions, who is
to handle questions etc. then your meeting may not flow
as smoothly as it could and should. Not least, a rehearsal
should iron out any duplication between the pitches to be
made.

Above all, rehearse with any visual aid equipment you

plan to use. If you have to fumble to get equipment to
work or illustrations are out of order or upside-down then
you are not likely to impress potential sponsors.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 122

 35

EVENT SAFETY MANUAL

Preamble required and should not be reduced in any way.

In recognition of the impact a SAFETY MANUAL has on the
overall safety operation of events and the transient To distinguish this important document and make it easily
nature of most of the end users, the MSA has instigated identifiable, the front cover should carry the words
an initiative to standardise the format of this document. SAFETY MANUAL diagonally in a bright colour (preferably
fluorescent green – the primary consideration is that the
The compilation of the attached is a result of analysing words SAFETY MANUAL should stand out).
many Safety Manuals from various events nationally. In
most cases current events publish the information In addition, the outer back cover should be blank and be
contained within this pro-forma but not necessarily within of the same colour as the SAFETY MANUAL lettering to
one document, hence there should be no extra work assist with ease of rapid identification.
involved in providing a standalone ‘SAFETY MANUAL’.
The presentation of the Stage Safety Diagrams and Stage
For those events which may not meet this minimum Information Sheet i.e. Stage Diagram on the left hand side
requirement, the new presentation will act as a checklist of the manual, facing up and the corresponding Stage
enabling a clearer understanding of an event safety Information Sheet on the right hand side, is in line with
scheme. current common practice.

In addition to analysing existing documents, consideration Within the ‘pro-forma’ manual attached are sections
was given to who are the end users and how to make the which already contain some narrative. This content is
presentation uniform, understandable and logical. included as a helpful guide and will vary according to the
type and location of events.
In recognition that a majority of the end users frequently
attend many events nationally it is logical that their prime It is intended that the SAFETY MANUAL as attached will be
source of information should remain constant in a stand-alone document and should not be incorporated
presentation and, where possible, in content. into any other publication nor should it include any non-
safety related information.
The circulation of the complete SAFETY MANUAL is
recommended to be to all Event Officials concerned However, sections from within the manual may be used in
directly with safety but must include:- isolation as handouts e.g.:-
• Event Radio Controller • Marshals’ Safety Notes
• Course Cars Stage Commanders • Stage Safety Diagrams
• Deputy Stage Commanders • Radio Operators’ Check Sheet
• Stage Safety Officers • Incident Report Form
• Doctors
• Paramedics
Attached is a ‘pro-forma’ SAFETY MANUAL which is
• Sector Marshals intended to be a typical minimum requirement for MSA
• Rally Ambulances authorised rallies.
• Rally Rescue Units
• Stage Safety Units
• Rally Recovery Units Stage
• Radios (One copy to each mandatory radio
location)
The content of the SAFETY MANUAL, its presentation and
circulation, as advised, is designed to be the minimum

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 123

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 124

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY

CONTENTS APPENDICIES

Appendix 1 - Marshals’ & Radio Operators’ Safety Notes

Section 1 - Foreword
Appendix 2 - Radio Users’ Operational Notes (86 MHz)
Section 2 - Health & Safety Policy
Appendix 3 - Radio Users’ Operational Notes Additional
Section 3 - Medical & Rescue Policy Overview
Frequencies
Section 4 - Incident & Delay Procedure
Appendix 4 - Radio Operators’ Check Sheet
Section 5 - Red Flag Policy (if applicable)
Appendix 5 - Incident Report Form
Section 6 - Senior Event Officials Contact Details

Section 7 - Overall Event Time Schedule

Section 8 - Event Non-Stage Call Signs (all frequencies)

Section 9 - Service Area - Diagram/Information Sheet

Section 10 - Special Stage - Safety Diagrams &

Information Sheets

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 125

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY

Section 1 - Foreword
(Introduction narrative relevant to the event).

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 126

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY

Section 2 - Health & Safety Policy Section 3 - Medical & Rescue Policy Overview
The Saygo Motor Club applies high standards to all The Clerk of the Course will appoint an Event Safety
aspects of its organisation including Health & Safety Officer (ESO) who will be experienced in the current
matters. operation of rally stages and appreciate the potential of
rally cars in differing weather conditions. He/she will be
In order to achieve this aim the Club will work in the spirit responsible for ensuring that there are effective
of the Health & Safety legislation rather than simply arrangements to supplement the general marshalling
comply with it. strength organised by each Stage Commander as follows:-

In turn the Club expects that every person participating in a) There are predetermined arrangements available
the rally, whether competitor, official, marshal or to every Stage Commander for summoning
spectator, shall take all reasonable care for the health and appropriate emergency services via rendezvous
safety of themselves and other persons who may be points if necessary, to the scene of an incident.
affected by his/her acts or omissions during the operation b) At each stage, unless the complete route is
of the event, in order to achieve the highest standards of visible from the start or finish areas, there is
safety performance. provision of an effective radio communications
network, operated through a nominated
Accordingly, as a minimum, the event will be managed in Controller linking officials at the start, finish and
accordance with:- intermediate points with on-stage Medical and
MSA Yearbook Rescue Services. This frequency must be secure
MSA Officials’ Yearbook from misuse and be either the MSA Safety &
Medical Frequency or a privately licensed
The Clerk of the Course is the person responsible for frequency to DTI regulations. The Controller
Health & Safety matters in connection with the event, to must be experienced in the use of radios and in
whom support staff have been allocated to monitor all controlling a network and he/she must ensure
Health & Safety regulations and aspects of the event. the disciplined use of the radios.
c) That there is in use a system of ensuring that
Areas of special concern are where competitors service competitors are positively monitored and
and refuel their vehicles. checked through each stage and there is in force
a method for locating missing and/or overdue
All work to vehicles MUST be undertaken with the safety competitors.
of the persons performing the work being of paramount
importance. Refuelling of vehicles and the transport and A Chief Medical Officer (CMO), who must be a Doctor,
storage of fuel must be in accordance with the latest HSE must be appointed who, in consultation with the Clerk of
guidelines. the Course and the Event Safety Officer will be
responsible for ensuring that the required level of Medical
and Rescue cover is provided and for the detailed
organisation of doctors, the planning and deployment
within stages, the organisation of ambulance meeting
points and the notification of hospitals in relation to the
stages.

The CMO, ESO, Stage Commanders, Doctors and Rescue

personnel should be aware of the ambulance meeting
points relevant to the stages and the available stage short
cuts.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 127

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY

Section 4 - Incident & Delay Procedure

Minor incidents will usually be dealt with by the marshals on the stage and every effort must be put into avoiding suspending
or stopping the stage.

ONLY in the case of personal injury, fire, danger to life and/or a stage blockage should the running of the stage be suspended
and then only with the sanction of the Clerk of the Course.

Should you be required to take action with regard to one of the instances above then:-
• Remain calm Ascertain location of the incident
• Ascertain nature of the incident
• Establish:
o Is anyone injured?
o Is stage blocked?
o Is there a risk of fire?

If the stage has to be suspended it is the Stage Commander’s responsibility to decide on the correct level of response to be
used in order to deal effectively and efficiently with the incident. Once decided upon the Stage Commander will advise the
relevant personnel and update the radio network in order to advise the Organisers of the current situation.

When dealing with an incident it is vital to keep notes with timings of information received and actions taken. This is the
purpose of the Incident Report Form appended to this manual.

At the scene of an incident the priority is of course minimising the danger to life. Marshals at the scene should keep
spectators away from the personnel attending the incident and, if necessary, ensure that subsequent competitors are
warned of any obstruction or dangers on stage.

Incident personnel should make on site arrangements to keep the Radio Controller advised of the ongoing situation in order
for that information to be relayed to the Stage Commander and Event Organisers.

Should it be deemed necessary by the person in charge at the scene of an incident to request assistance from the National
Emergency Services, clear and precise information concerning the type of assistance required should be passed to the Radio
Controller. If requesting medical assistance this information should include number of injured parties, type and extent of
injuries, rendezvous point designated and preferred route off stage.

In all cases incidents should be cleared as soon as is practically possible in order to minimise the delay time incurred.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 128

Incident Handling Flow
Report of Incident/Accident
Chart

Advise

Stage Commander
Service Commander
Chief Safety Officer
Clerk of the Course

Acion

Stop Stage
(If required)

Mobilise
In Stage Public Domain
Rescue Unit National Emergency Services
Doctor/Paradmedic/Recovery (as appropriate)

Response Advise

On Scene personnel to maintain On Scene personnel to maintain

Minor Incident
incident site as is incident site as is

Mobilise Next

Remove Competitors
Remove blockage (if National Emergency Services Take guidance from National
appropriate) Air Ambulance (if available) Emergency Services on scene
Reinstate stage furniture

Next Serious but non-life threatening Potentially life threatening

Restart stage procedure

Action Advise
(when/if appropriate)

Remove Competitors
Take to RV point On Scene personnel to maintain
Remove Blockage incident site as is
(if appropriate) Call Police
Reinstate state furniture

Action Action

Restart stage procedure Now Police incident and further

(when / if appropriate) action is dictated by Police on scene

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 129

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY

Section 5 - Red Flag Policy

Under normal circumstances there must be no movement of any non-competitive vehicle, (other than Official Course cars)
onto the stage once it has opened, without specific approval of the Stage Commander and then only after suspending the
stage and being satisfied that the stage is cleared of competing cars.

However, on any special stage where, in emergency circumstances, it may be necessary to authorise the movement onto the
stage of a non-competitive safety vehicle BEFORE the stage is cleared of competing cars, a system of red flags must be in
place. These are only to be situated at radio points and will only be displayed on the direct specific instruction of the Clerk of
the Course or the Stage Commander.

Red flags must only be used when there is a possibility of non-competitive safety vehicles moving onto a stage AHEAD of
competing cars.

There must always be a red flag displayed at the point where non-competitive vehicles join the route of the stage and any
subsequent radio points passed en route to the incident.

Competitors MUST be advised, in writing, which stages are operating this system and the procedure which competitors must
adopt should they see Red Flags being deployed.

Competitors who are shown a red flag on a stage where they have been notified in advance of such a system being in use,
must cease competition and come to a standstill at the side of the stage as soon as possible, ideally at a marshal’s radio
location. They must not continue until advised to do so by an official of the event.

Once the instruction has been given to withdraw Red Flags, competitors will usually be allowed to proceed to the end of the
stage NON COMPETITIVELY, but specific advice should be provided to the competitors, along with the instruction to
withdraw the Red Flags.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 130

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Section 6 - Senior Event Officials Contact Details

DESIGNATION LOCATION/NAME LANDLINE MOBILE

Rally Headquarters
HQ Office
Rally Control
Results
Clerk of the Course
Documentation
Hospital
Radio Control
Senior Officials
Clerk of the Course
Deputy Clerk of the Course
Assistant Clerk of the Course
Chief Medical Officer
Event Safety Officer
Communications Officer
Course Cars
C1 (Clocks)
C2 “000” (Safety)
C3 (Spectator Control)
C4 “00” (MSA Timekeeper)
C5 “0” (Course Opener)
C6 (Course Closer)
Co-ordinators
Scrutineering
Start & Finish Areas
Sponsor Liaison
Judge of Fact
Public relations
Passage Controls
Stage 1
Stage 2
Stage 3
Stage 4
Stage 5
Commander SS1
Commander SS2
Commander SS3
Commander SS4
Commander SS5

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 131

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Section 7 – Overall Event Time Schedule

CONTROL LOCATION C1 C2 C3 C4 “0” C5 FCD C6 Latest Time For

“000” “00” “App” Stewards
TC 0 Pre Start Holding 07:15 07:45 08:15 08:30 08:45 09:00 11:30
TC 1 Start 07:17 07:47 08:17 08:32 08:47 09:02 11:32
SS 1 Stage One 08:00 08:30 09:00 09:15 09:30 09:45 12:15 09:10
TC 2 Time Control 2 08:28 08:58 09:28 09:42 09:58 10:12 12:42
SS 2 Stage Two 08:30 09:00 09:30 09:45 10:00 10:15 12:45 09:40
TC 2A Service A In 08:35 09:05 09:35 09:50 10:05 10:20 12:50
TC 2B Service A Out 08:45 09:15 09:45 10:00 10:15 10:30 13:00
TC 3 Time Control 08:57 09:27 09:57 10:12 10:27 10:42 13:12
SS 3 Stage Three 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:15 10:30 10:45 13:15 10:10
TC 3A Service B In 09:35 10:05 10:35 10:50 11:05 11:20 13:50
TC 3B Service B Out 09:45 10:15 10:45 11:00 11:15 11:30 14:00
TC 3C Re Group In 09:50 10:20 10:50 11:05 11:20 11:35 14:05
TC 4 Time Control 09:57 10:27 10:57 11:12 11:27 11:42 14:12
SS 4 Stage Four 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:15 11:30 11:45 14:15 11:10
TC 5 Time Control 10:27 10:57 11:27 11:42 11:57 12:12 14:42
SS 5 Stage Five 10:30 11:00 11:30 11:45 12:00 12:15 14:45 11:40
TC 5A Pre Finish In 11:15 11:45 12:15 12:30 12:45 13:00 15:30
TC 5B Pre Finish Out 11:30 12:00 12:30 12:45 13:00 13:15 15:45
TC 5C Finish 11:35 12:05 12:35 12:50 13:05 13:20 15:50

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 132

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Section 8 – Event Non-Stage Call Signs (All Frequencies)

DESIGNATION NAME 86MHZ Other

Radio Control
Rally Headquarters
Senior Officials
Clerk of the Course
Deputy Clerk of the Course
Asst. Clerk of the Course
Chief Medical Officier
Event Safety Officer
Communications Officer
Course Cars
C1
C2
C3
C4
C5
C6
Co-ordinators
Scrutineering
Start & Finish
Sponsor Liaison

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 133

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Section 9

Ambulance Meeting Point Details Hospital Details

No: NGR: NGR:
Location: Location:

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 134

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Section 9 – Service Area Information Sheet

Event: Date:
Service Area Name: Number:
In Control NGR Approach via:
Out Control NGR Approach via:

Timings
Arrival: Hrs Location NGR:
Operational: Hrs Car’0’: Hrs FCD Hrs Closer: Hrs

Call Sign/Personal Information

DESIGNATION CALL SIGN NAME

Radio Control
Service Commander
Safety Officer
Doctor
Rescue
Service Relay

Safety References

AMP No: NGR: Location:

NGR: Location:
Telephone: NGR: Location:
NGR: Location:

Emergency Services Operators are usually geared to identify locations with a postcode. It may be worth finding the postcode
of a nearby cottage/house and use that as the rendezvous point to meet Emergency Services there. When minutes and
seconds count, it is worth doing the prior research. A full OS Grid Reference (two letters and ten numbers) should be
regarded as an alternative, although perhaps unavoidable in a very isolated area.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 135

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Section 10

Ambulance Meeting Point Details Hospital Details

No: NGR: NGR:
Location: Location:

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 136

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Section 10 - Stage Information Sheet

Event: Date:
Service Area Name: Number:
In Control NGR Approach via:
Out Control NGR Approach via:

Timings
Arrival: Hrs Location NGR:
Operational: Hrs Car’0’: Hrs FCD Hrs Closer: Hrs

Call Sign/Personal Information

DESIGNATION CALL SIGN NAME
Radio Control
Service Commander
Safety Officer
Doctor
Rescue
Recovery
Start
Location
Location
Location
Mid-Point
Location
Location
Location
Service Relay

Safety References

AMP No: NGR: Location:

NGR: Location:
Telephone: NGR: Location:
NGR: Location:

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 137

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Appendix 1 If there are more spectators than you can
adequately control, inform your Stage Commander
Marshals’ & Radio Operators’ Safety Notes
via the nearest radio point.
Radio operators are also Marshals.
Representatives of the media will be clearly
Thank you for giving your assistance to this event, it is identified and are allowed to place themselves
greatly appreciated. We trust that you will have an enjoyable anywhere. HOWEVER, they should be encouraged
and safe day’s rallying. to stand in safe areas and at no time place
REMEMBER TO SIGN-ON! themselves or anyone else in danger. Remember
that these individuals will have signed-on and
1. ARRIVING AT YOUR POST
therefore operate under their own cognisance.
Park in a safe place, preferably at least 30 metres
from the stage route. If you have to move stage 6. INCIDENT PROCEDURE.
furniture, ensure you replace the items as found. Should you witness directly or be advised of an
incident, BEFORE investigating yourself, send a
2. COURSE OPENING
colleague to alert the nearest radio operator. Once
Once the stage has reached ‘READY STATUS’ you have detailed information regarding the
(usually 60 minutes prior to the first competitive car incident ENSURE that this is passed immediately to
due) only designated ‘COURSE CARS’ should be on the nearest radio operator.
stage. IT IS VITAL THAT YOU ADVISE THE ORGANISERS VIA
3. COURSE CLOSING YOUR NEAREST RADIO OPERATOR OF DETAILS
A ‘COURSE CLOSING CAR’ will be running as close as REGARDING AN INCIDENT AS THEY OCCUR. If
possible behind the last competitor. As there will be appropriate:-
live competitors on stage when the Course Closer i. Render the required assistance in order to protect
enters the stage, you should remain on location the scene and to help those involved directly in/or
until the closer reaches the stage finish. This action with the incident.
is in recognition that competitors could still ii. Make sure the competitors OK/SOS board is out
encounter difficulties, which may require the with the side relevant to the seriousness of the
attendance of the Rescue Unit from the stage start. incident facing oncoming competitors.
Once your stage is ‘closed’ and you have been iii. In cases where there is a danger to the life of the
stood down, either by radio or personally by your occupants, i.e. vehicle fire, vehicle over a drop,
Stage Commander, please dismantle your junction immediately assist the crew from the car, with
and leave the stage in stage direction, unless given your personal safety as a paramount concern.
instruction to the contrary, exercising care.
iv. Where there is no immediate danger to life but
4. MULTIPLE FIELDS there are injuries, leave the occupants in the
Where an event has more than one field of vehicle, but talk to them and observe their actions
competitors there will probably be a gap between until the help you have summoned arrives.
these separate categories. You MUST remain on v. With a serious incident, do not move any objects
station and alert to any unauthorised movement on or items from the scene of the incident. This
stage. applies to stage furniture, logs, debris, etc.
5. SPECTATORS & MEDIA vi. On completion of the incident make out a written
Ensure that no unauthorised vehicles drive onto the report and hand this to the closing vehicle.
stage.
Public footpaths will not be closed. Please advise If you are involved or associated with any incident,
walkers, cyclists and others, of the event – its please ensure that you make no comment
direction, dangers and the code of safe spectating. regarding any aspect of it to a member of the
Ensure spectators are kept well back from the stage public or media. Any requests for comments or
route and away from the outside of bends. It is information should be directed to Rally
easier to stop spectators entering these areas than Headquarters.
to move them once they have become established.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 138

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Appendix 2 11. Always make sure that your messages are clear
and concise.
Radio Users’ Operational Notes
12. Remember that this frequency is primarily for
This event will operate a controlled radio network utilising
Safety & Medical issues. Keep administrative
the MSA Safety & Medical Radio Communications
message content to a minimum.
Frequency. By observing the simple guidelines set out
hereunder you will greatly maximise the efficiency of this 13. If your radio should ‘fail’, visit your nearest radio
network. point, if practical, and inform Control of your
problems.
1. Upon arrival at your stage or given location
please check that your set is switched on, the 14. If you receive information on an incident and you
microphone and speaker are connected and that believe that your radio is not operating, before
the volume and squelch/mute (if fitted) are following the action in Appendix 2–13. above,
adjusted to the correct levels. MAKE SURE YOUR call Control with the details of the incident. It is
AERIAL IS CONNECTED AND THAT THE COAXIAL possible that your radio may still be transmitting
CABLE IS INTACT AND IS NOT TRAPPED PRIOR but not receiving.
TO SWITCHING ON YOUR SET. 15. Remember never to use the Safety & Medical
2. Ensure that your radio is monitored at all times. Frequency as a chat channel at any time
Radio traffic not directed to you is still important especially during or travelling to and from
and you need to listen to it.
3. ENSURE THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF WHERE Appendix 3
YOUR MICROPHONE IS AND THAT THE PTT Radio Users’ Operational Notes – Additional Frequency)
(Press to Talk) BUTTON IS NOT TRIGGERED (Preamble outlining specific operation, deployment and
UNNECESSARILY. This frequency is single channel usage of each additional radio frequency. It is recognised
and spurious transmissions can seriously that this will differ from event to event.)
compromise the safety & medical coverage of an
1. Upon arrival at your stage or given location
event.
please check that your set is switched on, the
4. Make sure that you know your call sign and all microphone and speaker are connected and that
those on your stage or specific location. the volume and squelch (if fitted) are adjusted to
5. Do not park close to other vehicles using radio the correct levels. MAKE SURE YOUR AERIAL IS
equipment or computer equipment. CONNECTED AND THAT THE COAXIAL CABLE IS
6. Do not park under trees or beneath electricity INTACT AND IS NOT TRAPPED PRIOR TO
cables. SWITCHING ON YOUR SET.
7. Always work through Control. 2. Ensure that your radio is monitored at all times.
Radio traffic not directed to you is still important
8. Remember that Control will be able to hear
and you need to listen to it.
outstations you cannot. If Control does not
respond immediately do not call repeatedly. 3. ENSURE THAT YOU ARE AWARE OF WHERE YOUR
Wait until the Controller announces that the MICROPHONE IS AND THAT THE PTT (Press to
frequency is clear or that Control is at ‘stand-by’. Talk) BUTTON IS NOT TRIGGERED
UNNECESSARILY. Even if you are using a duplex
9. When you are given permission to go ahead by
frequency a microphone activated in error will
Control, pass your message directly to Control or
disrupt the efficiency of this frequency.
the outstation you wish to speak to. If you
cannot contact the required radio directly ask 4. Make sure that you know your call sign and all
Control to assist you. those on your stage or specific location.
10. If you are having trouble contacting Control, try 5. Do not park close to other vehicles using radio
moving your location slightly. A move of a few equipment or computer equipment.
feet can make a significant difference. If after 6. Do not park under trees or beneath electricity
moving you still cannot establish contact, call a cables.
radio you have a strong contact with and ask 7. (Continue with additional notes which relate to
them to inform Control of your situation. You will application and operation of each additional
be advised what action to take. frequency).

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 139

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Finish time sheet

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 140

 SAFE AS YOU GO RALLY
Appendix 4
Incident Report Form
PLEASE TAKE TIME TO COMPLETE THIS FORM AS SOON AS IS PRACTICAL. WHEN COMPLETED PLEASE
HAND THIS FORM TO THE STAGE SAFETY OFFICER (SSO) OR THE CLOSING VEHICLE.

STAGE
Name: No:
Location of incident/occurrence:
Competitor number(s) involved:

TIMINGS
Of incident/occurrence: Hrs (Witnessed / Advised)*
Reported to Control/Organisers* Hrs
Request for assistance Hrs (Doctor/Rescue/Recovery)*
Arrival Of: Doctor Hrs Recovery Hrs
Rescure Hrs SSO Hrs

Request for National Emergency Services made by:

At: Ambulance Hrs Fire Hrs Police Hrs

Arrived: Ambulance Hrs Fire Hrs Police Hrs

Nature of Incident/Occurrence:

Action(s) taken:

Witnesses (Names & Address):

Condition of Driver

Co-Driver

Other

Signed: Name: Date:

Please use the other side of this sheet for any further information. Thank you for your co-operation.
*Delete as applicable.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 141

 36

CRISIS PLANNING
There is no simple definition of a crisis, as its sheer nature can take many forms – whether it is an ‘act of God’ such as fire or
flood, disruption caused by so-called ‘industrial action’ or some other civil emergency such as a ‘Foot and Mouth disease’
epidemic that restricts activity/movement in a given area.

The fact is that any such crisis can and probably will have detrimental effects upon the activity of your Motor Club and events
it may be planning to run, and if the crisis coincides with the major event that provides your Club with the majority of its
income for the year, the financial implications could even be terminal.

So it makes sense to think ahead to the next crisis – hopefully of course it will never happen – and make sure that your Club
has its own ‘Crisis Plan’ to ensure as far as possible that the long term effects to the Club are at least minimised in such an
eventuality, and that the Club remains alive and able to resume its full activity when sport recommences.

Each crisis demonstrates the wisdom of those Clubs who have planned ahead by building a ‘war chest’ of funds. The size of
the chest is of course down to you to decide, but it would not be unreasonable for this to enable your Club to function
administratively for up to twelve months (including the production of Club magazines and the organisation of social events
which would become even more important to keep the club together during a period of disruption to the Sport), and at the
same time exclude any income from sporting events. Additionally, any event – and particularly so major events – which your
Club is planning incur often considerable costs which the Club would have to meet in the event of late cancellation or
postponement, so you should build in an amount to cover this also.

Recent experience has also shown that extended use of e-mail and Club websites has been instrumental in effecting better
and faster liaison between Clubs and their members (and indeed with other Clubs) which has helped to keep people
informed and up to date on situations as they develop.

In the longer term, there is wisdom in planning ahead further by ensuring that your Club perhaps has a profile of events or
venues which do not rely purely on one type of event or one particular venue being utilised – sayings about swings and
roundabouts come to mind!

Unfortunately, crises are a bit like buses – you may wait a long time for the next one, but then two come along in quick
succession. Of course, it is probably impossible to plan for every eventuality, and whilst time spent in Committee in crisis
planning and seeking perhaps some extra commitment from your membership to build a ‘war chest’ may not be popular at
the time, one day when the crisis happens your membership (and the Committee) will praise you for your foresight.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 142

 37

FIRST AID

Introduction Approaching The Scene

This Guideline has been written to make you think about As a general rule the more noise a casualty is making, the
what you should do following an incident and outlines less likely they are to die in the next few minutes. When
some basic first aid measures. It does not contain a you make your initial assessment look for quiet casualties
detailed description of necessary techniques and and go to them first.
manoeuvres as these should be learnt at proper training
sessions, such as those organised by St John Ambulance They are the ones most likely to be compromised by an
Brigade, Red Cross, St Andrew’s Cross and the Order of obstructed airway or have breathing difficulties for
Malta. example. They will die if these problems are not alleviated
or treated quickly.
There is no substitute for practice – think seriously about
attending a first aid course, or even organize a first aid First Aid
teaching session on a club night. Your initial lifesaving approach to the casualty is as simple
as A.B.C – Airway, Breathing and Circulation.
This Guideline may be freely reproduced and clubs may
consider running it in their magazines to spread the Guidance on Resuscitation changes from time to time and
advice as widely as possible. so you should follow the most up to date guidelines.

Personal Safety Airway

This is the most important factor! You do not help a 1. Is the casualty conscious? If they are talking, they
situation by becoming a casualty yourself. must be breathing.
STOP AND THINK – THEN ACT 2. If unconscious, are they breathing? Feel for
Protect yourself and the scene from oncoming traffic, warm breath coming from the mouth or nose.
using warning systems, vehicles and lookouts as 3. Not breathing? Clear their airway. You may need
appropriate. to remove the helmet (remember this should be
a two person task with neck stabilisation).
Remember crashed cars are sharp and jagged; they may Maintain the airway – perform a chin lift (with
be hot and may contain (or leak) corrosive liquids. Certain the least head tilt necessary to open the airway if
other materials used in car manufacture may be a neck injury is possible). If a neck injury is more
corrosive, particularly if subjected to heat. Suitable gloves likely or certain then a jaw thrust without head
and eye protection should be worn. tilt is the best manoeuvre to open the airway.

Fire is a possible hazard, so do not smoke and isolate the TAKE CARE – an unconscious casualty may have a
vehicle electrics. neck injury – twisting and bending the neck are
potentially dangerous. Movement of the head
Assess the situation:
and neck should be kept to the minimum
What type of assistance is required and how are you going necessary to maintain the airway.
to summon this help? In motor sport as elsewhere it is
often better to spend a few minutes evaluating the nature
of the problem and then present concise and accurate
Information.

This will enable those In charge to provide the correct

help more quickly.

Ensure help is on its way.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 143

Breathing Fractures
Is the casualty breathing? If not, then begin artificial These are broken bones, generally obvious by pain at the
ventilation. This is a skill best learned and practiced under site. The limb may be deformed, but it is generally better
supervision on a manikin, so consider taking a first aid to support the limb in the most comfortable position and
course. not to attempt to straighten it, without medical advice. If
medical or rescue help is not readily available, splinting
Very simply, mouth to mouth respiration involves you may reduce discomfort. Remember that the sound limb or
forming a seal between your mouth and the casualty’s. patient’s body, with some padding (e.g. clothing), makes a
You breath out, so that by using sufficient but gentle useful temporary splint
pressure you blow air into the casualty, causing their
chest to rise and fall. Summary
• Assess the scene
Unless the casualty starts to breath for themselves,
continue artificial ventilation. • Ensure your own personal safety and make sure
help is on its way
Circulation • Wear suitable and appropriate protective gear
If the casualty has stopped breathing, their heart is also • Remember – The Quiet Casualty!
likely to have stopped too. If their circulation is not
• Use the A.B.C. approach
restarted promptly then the brain and the heart itself will
become irreversibly damaged. If there are no signs of a • Act calmly as this will help everyone – don’t be
circulation, start chest compressions. afraid to stop and think.
• Reassuring the casualty is very important.
Bleeding Introduce yourself, explain who you are and that
Obvious bleeding may be controlled by direct pressure help is coming. Talk to the casualty and try to
upon the wound. Use a clean pad, handkerchief, etc. gain their confidence.
Remember that blood is potentially infective so try to • If you wish to know more, consider a first aid
avoid contaminating your skin if possible, especially if you course.
have an open wound or cut yourself. You should aim to • Develop your marshalling skills, and become a
wear suitable protective gear such as gloves when dealing
licensed rescue crewman.
with body fluids. Elevation of a bleeding limb, if possible,
will also help. Do not try to apply tourniquets or clamp • And finally, watch the Motorsport Safety Fund’s
bleeding vessels. DVD “Motorsport First Aid”. Produced specifically
for motorsport, it covers many relevant aspects
Spinal injuries of resuscitation and first aid for those involved at
Unconscious patients, those complaining of pain in the all levels in the sport.
back or neck, and those complaining of abnormal
sensation (e.g. pins and needles) in the hands or feet, may
have a spinal injury. Apart from maneuvers necessary to
establish an airway they should not be moved without
medical or rescue advice.

Burns
Small burned areas (e.g. hand, arm or leg) are best
treated by the immediate application of cold, clean water;
this will reduce pain and halt the burning process).

Clothes contaminated with chemicals should be removed

and the surface washed with large quantities of clean
water. Pour liberal amounts of water over the burn to
remove the heat, but take care to prevent hypothermia in
the casualty.

Burned limbs may be placed in a clean plastic bag to

reduce fluid loss. Once cooled the burn may be loosely
covered by an appropriate, specific burn dressing. Burned
limbs will swell so don’t wrap dressings tightly around
them, lay them on instead.

MSA Motor Club Manual Page 144