Hindsight can be a wonderful thing. And there are certainly some decisions and actions Motorsport UK has taken in recent months surrounding the thorny issue of track limits that, with the benefit of hindsight, it admits could have been handled differently. It is reassuring to hear such honesty from the organisation’s CEO Hugh Chambers, even if it does not alter what has gone before.
But now there has finally been confirmation that stricter new rules that redefine a track-limits breach as being when any part of the tyre goes beyond the white line or outer edge of a kerb will be implemented across UK circuit racing from the start of next month, some fundamental questions must be raised.
Autosport has vociferously argued against the changes and, despite attending a meeting with Motorsport UK and other key motorsport figures alongside senior media players last week, remains unconvinced. Not least because of the inescapable difficulty of enforcing the new rule in a way that is fair, accurate and consistent for all.
However, regardless of whether you fervently support or are vehemently opposed to the plans, changing the rules in the middle of the season does not make sense. It would be like the England and Wales Cricket Board deciding to redefine what constitutes a no-ball in cricket in the thick of the County Championship campaign. And when one of the key reasons for implementing the change is to make things more simple, tweaking the playing field in the middle of the year just creates confusion – especially when the community is only being officially informed two weeks before the rewritten rule takes effect.
As it is, the absence of any communication from the governing body since the consultation on the proposed changes was launched in January to the present day has left everyone from competitors to clubs in the dark. Some organisers have reported being inundated with queries at the start of each event from drivers uncertain whether the new limits are being applied.
Another problem with changing the rules mid-year is the majority of the training for officials is carried out during the winter break. Instead, a session for clerks and stewards has hurriedly been arranged to inform them about the updated regulations, while it is far less clear what official guidance is being given to judges of fact – the people ultimately at the heart of the issue as the ones determining who has offended. Again, this is another problem that could have been avoided had the change not been pushed through in the middle of the year.
Source: Autosport