Motorsport UK has restarted motorsport in the UK as of 4th July 2020, but event organisers are being asked, in the main, to run events behind closed doors with no spectators and limited media personnel.

Following ongoing positive dialogue with the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and having set out its strategy and anticipated conditions for restarting motorsport disciplines, the governing body is now getting the sport back on track.

Any resumption of motorsport is contingent on event organisers demonstrating that they can plan in accordance with the recently published, “Getting Back on Track” guidelines of Motorsport UK, while respecting government guidance on social distancing.

110 days after being stopped in their tracks, motorsport circuits and venues will once again reverberate to the sound of competition this weekend (4^/5 July), as Motorsport UK restarts engines across the country.

Following the suspension of all event permits on 17 March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Motorsport UK has been working hard behind the scenes to restart four-wheeled competition as soon as it could be considered safe to do so. Motorsport resumed last weekend with 12 events held throughout Britain.

On the same weekend as the Formula One season restarted, with Lewis Hamilton, Lando Norris and George Russell flying the British flag in Austria, the next generation of racing stars were amongst those getting their season underway, closer to home, with Kart Circuits Forest Edge in England and Sorel Point in Jersey seeing wheel-to-wheel action once again.

A further 160 event permits have already been granted by the Governing Body for July, with an exciting mix of events spanning eight different disciplines this month. As well as Karting, Motorsport UK competitors can take part in Sprints, Hill Climbs, Autotests, Autosolos, Circuit Racing, Time Attack and Cross Country 4X4 events across the UK.

Furthermore, to help clubs and events in the first few months of the restart, Motorsport UK has made available £50,000 of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to help volunteers to perform their roles safely.

Hugh Chambers, Motorsport UK CEO, said,

“We have been fully focused on the day when our members can safely return to competing in motorsport. After weeks of detailed planning we are delighted to see so many events up and down the country in the calendar for July. Our thanks must go to all the clubs, the officials, volunteers, marshals, medical teams and emergency crews for their tireless efforts to help get the sport running once again.

“Not only is it important for our competitors, but it is also vital for the venues, teams and everyone who works in the industry who rely on their income from motorsport. We are in the initial phase of reigniting the sport and we look forward to working with our community in the coming weeks to put motorsport back on track once again.”

Members of the Motorsport UK community are encouraged to share their news and activities on social media by connecting with @OurMotorsportUK and using the hashtags #OurMotorsportUK and #BackOnTrack

There will be a number of caveats of granting event permits, including that event organisers commit that their events will be held behind closed doors, appropriate PPE requirements are met, and that each organiser must appoint a COVID-19 officer to ensure compliance with any relevant guidelines. Furthermore, there will be a limit on the number of permits issued for July to 50% of those in the corresponding month of 2019, in order that there are sufficient volunteer Official and Marshal resources available to support the restart in a safe and responsible manner. No national or British championship events will take place in July to reduce potential national and international travel (excludes FIA championships).