WHAT THE IMPENDING CHANGES TO SOCIAL DISTANCING MIGHT MEAN FOR AUSTRALIAN MOTORSPORT

May 1, 2020
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What The Impending Changes To Social Distancing And Lockdowns Might Mean for Australian Motorsport?

There appeared to be a ray of light at the end of the tunnel for the motorsport emaciated when the Prime Minister heralded the possible resumption of sporting events in the not too distant future.

Scott Morrison, has announced plans to restart sport and get Australians back to work after a national cabinet meeting over the final weekend in April. It came after the Federal Government had negotiated with health experts and state leaders on plans to restart sport and get Australians back to work ahead of a review of coronavirus restrictions on May 11.The Prime Minister said health experts would soon release guidance on how to make professional and community sport safe.

“Community sport is such an important part of our way of life here in Australia, and these principles can help guide decisions by states and territories in the future,” he said.

The NRL has already announced plans to resume their competition on 28 May, although the exact arrangements are yet to be revealed.

Mr Morrison said,“Community sport is such an important part of our way of life here in Australia, and these principles can help guide decisions by states and territories in the future.”

The Prime Minister tempered his enthusiasm when asked about larger sporting events. On 29 April he stated that it was unlikely that there would be crowds at large sporting events “Anytime soon.”

“I look forward to the time where they can see sport, whether it is the AFL, netball, NRL, or whatever code they support, and being able to watch that again, but I can’t see them going along to a game for a while, to those larger mass gatherings,” Mr Morrison explained.

While limited travel in some states and border lockdowns are still in force the resumption of large scale national motorsport activities remain logistically impossible for the foreseeable future. Any return to racing in the shorter term may be restricted to State based events, a suggestion supported by Motorsport Australia.

“It is still a bit early to talk specifics, but yes we’d imagine that local grassroots events would be the first to start up, subject to these events being able to take place and meet any restrictions in place,” Paul Riordan, Motorsport Australia’s General Manager of Media and Communications said. “We have a specific taskforce set up that is ensuring appropriate measures are in place for events should they return and will work closely with all levels of government to ensure the sport is safe and participants, including our officials, are not at risk.”

The organising committee of the Motorsport Australia NSW State Motor Racing Championship have met recently, with the possibility of a return to racing the main issue on their agenda. While their next championship round, scheduled for Wakefield Park on 17 May, was kept open in a glimmer of hope, the event was eventually cancelled on May 1st. The organising committee was left with no option as the current restrictions on gatherings and community sport remained unchanged.

As mentioned by both the Prime Minister and Motorsport Australia, any move to resume racing activity is dependent upon the dissemination of safe working guidelines from the relevant Federal and State health authorities. No such advice has been issued at this point in time, which has ultimately ruled out Wakefield Park in mid May.

“For now, we are still in a holding pattern but are monitoring the situation closely to ensure that when we are given the word, we can start to see motorsport return when it is safe to do so,” Paul Riordan explained.

A mid year start is seen as the best case scenario for NSW, with a round still scheduled for Sydney Motorsport Park on the 27th and 28th of June. The meeting will be conditional on the receipt of instructions and a clearance from the NSW Government and the Department of Health in the near future. Whilst there has been no such communication to date, the next National Coronavirus review on 11th May could provide the much anticipated instructions and directions for a return to racing.

Whilst such a directive would prove to be a major step forward, there remains another stumbling block for NSW. There is no guarantee that the Motorsport Australia NSW Motor Racing Championship would retain their scheduled race date as Sydney Motorsport Park looked to reschedule previously cancelled events over the three month period.

So as motorsport remains in a state of suspended animation at this point in time, there are encouraging signs that the roar of engines and the aroma of racing fuel may soon fill the senses of the Australian Motorsport family.

BREAKING NEWS FROM NORTHERN TERRITORY

MEDIA RELEASE/Motorsport Australia – Photo: Velocity Magazine

The Northern Territory will become the first state or territory in Australia to see the return of motorsport, with the government specifically confirming motorsport can resume as of 15 May.

Motorsport Australia has been lobbying governments, both state and federal, to achieve this milestone, subject to strict health and safety guidelines that will ensure the safety of everyone involved in any events, including both competitors and officials.

That lobbying has paid off, with the Northern Territory including motorsport as one of a select number of sports given the green light to return later this month.

Motorsport Australia Director of Motorsport and Commercial Operations Michael Smith said a lot of work had gone on behind the scenes in the past month to ensure this return to racing would be possible.

“We’ve worked closely with Motorsports NT in this case and we are thrilled that motorsport can return as of 15 May in the Northern Territory,” Smith said.

“The return of motorsport to the Territory ahead of some other sports is a terrific show of faith in our plans and we are now looking to make sure that the rest of the country can see a return of events in the near future.

“Our CEO Eugene Arocca, along with many of our hard working staff members, remain in constant contact with governments across the country and hope to be able to see others replicate the Northern Territory’s position in the coming weeks.”

Motorsport Australia’s permits and membership teams stand ready to assist anyone in the Northern Territory planning an event, whether it is competitors needing to renew their licence, or event organisers needing to secure a permit.

Motorsport Australia will provide those event organisers with specific information about how they can ensure participants remain safe and meet any restrictions set out by the Northern Territory Government, which will include the recommendation that participants are utilising the Federal Government’s COVIDSafe App

Aussie Racing Cars hope to go back to Darwin, Charlotte Poynting in 2019 -Photo: Velocity Mag

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