Club News January 2025

Welcome to the first newsletter of 2025.
Earlier this month we were pleased to announce that Ian Ashcroft and Mike Sargeant will be taking over as National Secretary and National Treasurer, effective 1st February.
There is still time to apply for the National Chair role, please contact nat.secretary@marshals.co.uk for an informal discussion about this key role.
Marshal DBS checks
Over the winter of 2021/22 Motorsport UK asked marshals in selected roles, where Safeguarding would be a particular issue, to apply for a Disclosure and Barring System (DBS) check if they lived in England, Wales or Northern Ireland (a separate scheme is in operation in Scotland). These roles included Kart marshalling, Drag Race marshalling and those marshalling in Speed Paddocks. DBS Certificates are valid for three years, and many are now coming to the end of their validity period. Motorsport UK is asking all impacted marshals to renew their certificates, and reminders are being sent out direct from Sport80 within 30 days of the expiry date of the current certificate.
If you are no longer marshalling in the impacted roles then Motorsport UK does not need you to renew your certificate and you need do nothing at this time.
If you are still marshalling in the impacted roles, and you do not receive a reminder within 30 days of the expiry date of your certificate, please contact the Safeguarding team, as your information may not be correct in Sport80.
If you are still marshalling in the impacted roles but you are now living in Scotland please contact Motorsport UK as you will need to apply for a Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) check instead.
Within a few days of receiving the reminder from Sport80 Motorsport UK will send you an invitation to renew, including a link to their chosen partner “Know Your People”. If you do not receive this second email within a week of the first, please contact the Safeguarding team, giving your Registration number and outlining the type of marshalling you do, so they can send you the renewal invitation with the appropriate link.
The Motorsport UK Safeguarding team can be contacted on safeguarding@motorsportuk.org.
Around the regions
The South East region has kicked of the season with our second visit to the Jota factory to see the progress on the new WEC Cadillac that they are campaigning this year. Details of the visit will be in the SE newsletter as our newsletter coordinator managed to get an interview with the team owner.
Following on from this success South East region members have the chance during February and March 2025, to visit team lotus and a trip to Tech Mahindra who marshals have been supporting with testing activities in 2024.
These race teams have dedicated their time as a thank you for all the work that marshals do every weekend.
The first meeting took place at Brands Hatch with the winter rally and marshals got to blow away the winter blues with a few incidents.
Volunteering database 2025
The volunteering database has been populated with circuit and hill climb / sprint events. Kart and some other events are being added as we receive the updated information – so please keep checking.
Note that for some events you are unable to apply directly through our system. In these instances, please check the “external website” link which may take you to a form and / or event organisers webpage. If instructions are still unclear, please contact regional volunteering coordinator and / or chief marshal for the event.
Furthermore, if you volunteer directly with organising club, please do not volunteer using the BMMC site – but just tick the “volunteered direct with organising club” box. This means your application is not duplicated but also registers your use of our system for statistical purposes.
Rallying
As normal, rallying continues through the winter with the following planned in February :
- Saturday 1st & Sunday 2nd Cambrian Road Rally
- Saturday 8th Snetterton Stages Anglia Motor Sports Club
- Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th Hexham Historic & John Robson Rallies
- Saturday 8th & Sunday 9th Taunton Road Rally
- Sunday 9th Riponian
- Saturday 15th Dishforth Targa & Classic Rally
- Saturday 15th Baldet Trophy
- Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th Valentine Road Rally
- Saturday 15th & Sunday 16th Moonbeam Rally
- Sunday 16th Border Access Knockhill Stages
- Sunday 16th Bramley Targa
- Friday 21st – Sunday 23rd Race Retro
- Saturday 22nd Fivemiletown Rally
- Saturday 22nd Bath Festival Targa
- Sunday 23rd The 2025 East Riding Stages Rally
- Friday 28th – Saturday 1st March Guernsey Rally
For more information please see https://brmc.org.uk/contacts
Motorsport UK Response to Natural Resources Wales – Thursday 16 January 2025
Motorsport UK has been informed by Natural Resources Wales (NRW) that significant damage to the forestry estate incurred during Storm Darragh in December 2024.
As a result of this damage, NRW have cancelled the running of Rally North Wales on 29 March, and Severn Valley Stages, on 12 April, two events that were due to be held on their estate.
Motorsport UK have been informed by NRW that they have surveyed 20% of their estate with a drone, due to difficulty in obtaining safe access to their estate. Furthermore, they have not been able to access some forest blocks at all to properly assess the damage. NRW are expected to continue their surveying over the coming weeks.
Updates on future events beyond the end of April are subject to the conclusion of the surveying.
Hugh Chambers, Motorsport UK CEO commented, “Motorsport UK has worked continuously with NRW in recent years to ensure a long-term future for the sport on the estate. Whilst we are disappointed about the cancellations, we understand the position of NRW and have offered our assistance to them and their staff at this difficult time.”
Motorsport UK and Rally4Wales are committed to assisting affected Events, Clubs, Organising Teams and Championships in ensuring solutions can be found where possible.
Motorsport UK remains in contact with staff members within NRW and will update the motorsport community when further updates are available. All queries should be directed towards Rally4Wales and Motorsport UK with NRW resource focused on clearing the damage in as timely manner as possible.
Membership and Grading
A big thank you to all who have renewed memberships by card payment from October 1st, 2024. This has kept Mike and Colin busy all through the Christmas period
New membership applications are still increasing with 23 new applicants pending acceptance into the club. The database now shows 3045 fully paid-up members.
A reminder that digital Membership cards will be sent out at the end of January / beginning of February, once all of the direct Debit payments have been collected and the database updated.
Congratulations to the following members who have upgraded:
Alex Horne Race Grade 1
Gwyn Alford Race Grade 2
Jason Smith Race Grade 2
Ben Seaton Race Grade 3
Paul Simon Race Grade 3
Geoffrey Pearce Race Grade 3
Anthony Brown Race Grade 3
Christopher Davenport Speed Grade 3
Joshua Walters Off Track Grade 1
Training
With the 2025 Training season underway it’s time to spruce up the overalls and get our learning heads on!
British Motorsport Trust (BMT) supported Marshals and Officials Training, 2025.
With the BMT grant aid now confirmed the following regions will be delivering marshals and Officials training as below:
Midlands Marshals Training now completed
North West 8th / 9th February 2025 – Race Marshals training
South West 22nd February 2025 – Race Marshals training
South Midlands 2nd March – Kart marshals training
BRMC Keep an eye on the BRMC website for details on their online and face to face training sessions throughout the year.
Sunday 16th Feb PFi Kart Circuit nr Grantham (NG32 2AY)
For more information, please contact Clare Mills – clare@tvkc.co.uk
Please contact your Regional Training Coordinator for further details.
Al Page hopes to attend as many of these events as possible, so if you are attending and have any training related questions It would be great to chat. Remember to keep a lookout for the publication of additional training dates in your, and other, regions and sign up early to avoid disappointment.
Don’t forget you can still keep your marshalling knowledge topped up over the winter season by visiting the Motorsport UK Learning Hub where online modules are available. You can access this through your Sport 80 login.
Autosport International 9-12 January 2025 (Steve Hill)
A big thankyou to those that set up and spent seemingly endless hours manning the stand.
Thursday was a day twiddling our thumbs, very quiet but we all caught up friends and acquaintances.
Friday more productive but a trade day is not a way to sign up new members although many Marshals visited us to chew the cud and give their views on their marshalling life.
Saturday a busier day and most productive with many younger cadet potential Marshals which was great to see and hear their interests.
Sunday started quiet but mainly down to train services not running (John Edwards spent several happy hours hanging around in Wolverhampton for a train that never appeared)
Overall a show that needs reenergising, what happened to the 12 halls it used to be in.
A big thankyou to Ollie O’Donovan from The Shannon Group who kindly lent us his WRX Proton competition car and also Sam Clennal who delivered it from Darlington early on Wednesday and picked up at the end of the show.
We awarded two very deserving Marshals trophies at the show.
Jayne Poston being presented by Stuart Oliver British Truck driver.
Jane Beale being presented by Ollie O’Donovan World Rallycross driver