MG Car Club
Postponed Rounds
MG Car Club has now refunded all entry fees to those competitors that were due to race with them at both Silverstone International and Brands Hatch.
If you do not believe that you have received your refund, please contact motorsport@mgcc.co.uk
MG Car Club continues to monitor Government and Motorsport UK advice and will update you all as soon as the time to go racing again is upon us.
Stay safe and well,
Mark Baulch.
MG Car Club Competitions Secretary.
Motorsport UK COVID-19 Update – 24th March
| Motorsport UK have today, in the light of Government advice, now extended the period of suspension of motorsport permits to the end of June. This effectively prevents our hoped for resumption with MG Live, that will therefore be postponed while we await developments and possible replacement dates. We will therefore hope that by June 1st, matters are becoming clearer and that we can perhaps see a resumption of MGCC Motorsport on July 1st. We will therefore plan that, if that looks a possibility, we will issue the Donington entry forms on June 1st, but again with the proviso that no monies will be taken until after July 1st when we hope for a green light for the MG Car Club’s Donington meeting on 11th/12th July. In the meantime stay safe, isolate and let’s get this dreadful epidemic under control. Together we can beat it. Please contact the Club’s Competitions Secretary,Mark Baulch, if you have any queries regarding the Club’s racing. Read more Motorsport UK extends permit withdrawal In light of recent developments in the COVID-19 crisis, and following the address to the nation by the Prime Minister on the evening of 23rd March, Motorsport UK has today extended its suspension of all organising permits and Certificates of Exemption for motorsport events until at least 30th June. This move provides clear guidance to event organisers, venues, competitors, officials and volunteer marshals of the role that Motorsport UK must play in supporting the broader UK public health agenda. In recent days the feedback from our members and the community was a need for increased clarity to allow them to plan appropriately and, should the need arise, put in place necessary contingency measures. Motorsport UK Chairman, David Richards explained, “Motorsport UK has a vital role to play with its community in re-inforcing that, at this time of national emergency, we must all stay at home to play our part in protecting the NHS and ultimately saving lives. Today, the government have required that we effectively lock-down for a period of three weeks, however given that the most vulnerable in our society are required to isolate for three months, it is evident that the most responsible course of action was to propose a longer suspension of our sport. When we reflect back on this time, it will be a brief, but vital, hiatus from our everyday motorsport life and we must put this in perspective. This is a time of national unity and we need to come together with the broader public community to do all we can to support this battle and ultimately save lives.” Motorsport UK will continue to monitor the prevailing advice from the UK Government in respect of the COVID-19 international pandemic and will update the motorsport community accordingly. Read the full statement |
Motorsport UK COVID-19 Update
17th March 2020
Firstly, in these unprecedented times, our thoughts are with all of you and your families and we wish you well.
Please see the announcement below from Motorsport UK. In light of this, both our Silverstone race meeting on 28th March and our Brands Hatch race meeting on 18th/19th April are at present postponed. Whether in the remainder of this year we will be able to obtain suitable alternative dates will depend on developments in the future and how long the embargo goes on for. We will keep you all fully informed.
We are arranging for refunds to be made to all entrants in full for the Silverstone International and Brands Hatch meetings.
Please be patient with us whilst we organise next steps and expect further communication shortly.
This announcement also includes previously mentioned race meetings, but also rallies, trials, sprints, hillclimbs and road runs so please check with the relevant organisers if you were due to attend any of this type of event.
The Club is continuing to monitor Government guidance and will continue to update this and other event guidelines, across all Club events, including MGLive!
Many thanks,
All at MG Car Club
Motorsport UK COVID-19 Update
It is with regret that Motorsport UK is suspending all organising permits and Certificates of Exemption until at least 30th April 2020. This suspension follows the latest guidance issued by HM UK Government in response to the outbreak of COVID-19. This position will be constantly reviewed given prevailing information.
As the National Governing Body, we would ask all Motorsport UK members to act responsibly and follow the Government’s guidance during this difficult time.
We thank all of our members, organisers, officials, volunteers, staff and their families for their support during these unprecedented times. We will continue to monitor the situation and will resume sporting activity as soon as we are able. We also have a responsibility and duty of care to our staff who will be working from home, so please be patient with any queries you may have.
David Richards, chairman of Motorsport UK, explained, “Clearly we live in challenging times and exceptional measures are required. The decision to suspend Motorsport UK permits on a temporary basis is not one that was taken lightly as the industry employs many thousands of people. However we have an over-riding responsibility to our members and the friends and families of our community. Furthermore, our social responsibilities extend to the broader population and the potential drain on valuable public health resources on which we are all reliant.
“The situation is very fluid and we will continue to monitor developments over the coming weeks and hope that we can resume the annual motorsport calendar at the opportune moment. In the immediate short term our efforts need to be focused on ensuring that the industry that backs up the sport has the financial support that it requires from the Government in order that it can be sustained beyond this extraordinary scenario.”
CALLING ALL CLASSIC SALOON RACERS
BMH AND MGCC ANNOUNCE A NEW 58-CAR RACE FOR MGLIVE!
British Motor Heritage (BMH) and the MGCC have a long history of collaboration, and this is set to continue through 2020 with the announcement of an all-new 58-car race for MG Live! (June 13/14). It will be for pre-‘66 classic saloons, and represents a particularly exciting opportunity for the owners of these popular cars, as it’s being staged on the Grand Prix circuit – the track on which F1 was born 70 years ago this year.
The regulations are basically the same as those for the Goodwood St Mary’s Trophy – the only other stipulations being the requirement of the cars to run on Dunlop Historic Race tyres and pump fuel. The event will be of 40-minutes duration, allow entries from either one or a pair of drivers, and will be preceded by a 20-minute qualifying session. Said BMH’s Managing Director John Yea: “The criteria have been specifically chosen to ensure a truly mixed field of everything from MGs to Minis and Lotus Cortinas to the mighty Ford Galaxies, so the sight and sound of the 58-car grid should certainly be something to savour!”
The race is by invitation only, so anybody wishing to participate should email details of themselves and their car asap to motorsport@mgcc.co.uk.
Other 2020 collaborations between BMH and MGCC
BMH will also be supporting the MGCC’s five other 2020 race meetings. The backing will range from the provision of a ‘welcome centre’ at every venue, to that of a course car and multi-vehicle display for the Donington meeting over the weekend of July 11/12.
Said Bill Silcock, Chairman of the MGCC: “We greatly cherish our relationship with BMH, a company that is not only a valued supporter of our events, but without the products of whom many of our members’ cars would arguably be in inferior condition, or perhaps no longer exist at all.”
Further information on British Motor Heritage can be found at www.bmh-ltd
Introducing Mark Baulch – the Club’s new Competitions Secretary
The MG Car Club is pleased to announce that we have a new Competitions Secretary, our current Awards Co-Ordinator Mark Baulch.
Mark replaces our previous Competitions Secretary, John Hutchison, who stepped down at the end of last year. John spent just under six years with the Club and during that time worked with the Race Sub Committee to organise the Club’s race programme. Over the years our Club Racing has gained a high reputation for the efficient way our events are organised and run, which John has fully contributed to. He will be a hard act to follow and we wish John every success in his future endeavours.
As well as having been Awards Co-Ordinator for MG Car Club for the previous four years, Mark is also the Deputy National Press Officer for the British Grand Prix, Co-Ordinator of the RallyMaker progamme at Wales Rally GB, Chief Control Officer for the Goodwood Festival of Speed, Rally Championship Co-Ordinator for the Association of Central Southern Motor Clubs and Treasurer for Southern Car Club.
Mark has been involved in Motorsport at all levels, from karting to Stock Car Racing, to National and International Rallying and Formula One for over 30 years. He has been a Marshal since he was 16, held a senior official licence for over 20 years and worked as everything from Race Secretary to Safety Officer to Clerk of the Course and Club Steward at various events, as well as being a race commentator at over 500 short circuit meetings.
Outside of Motorsport, he was most recently the Head of Policy & Representation at the Hampshire Chamber of Commerce, where he built up a network of contacts across business, local authority, County Council, Government and MPs, national bodies and others. Prior to that Mark spent nine years working for an information services company, not only in sales but with implementing various IT systems and exploring ways of integrating different systems with one another.
Earlier in his career, Mark was a retail manager as well as an Events Manager and so is highly experienced in customer care and has a solution focussed background.
Mark will split his time between the Club office and his home office. He can be contacted via email motorsport@mgcc.co.uk. A contact phone number will be available soon.