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MSA Becomes Motorsport UK + Big Changes For British Karting


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The new name of the Motorsports Association, Motorsport UK.

See below for Motorsport UK's press release concerning the name change

Spoiler

An ambitious new phase for motorsport in the United Kingdom has begun, with the Motor Sports Association (MSA) launching a new identity, Motorsport UK, as it transitions from a traditional governance-led association to a modern membership-focused organisation.

The rebrand from the MSA to Motorsport UK signals a shift in the governing body’s emphasis, putting the promotion of the sport and customer service at the forefront of its mission. This represents a fundamental repurposing of the organisation as it seeks to grow the sport and better serve its members.

The new name, Motorsport UK, and the more striking visual identity with its modern typeface and bold colour palette, will make the governing body more identifiable and relevant to new audiences, providing a better platform from which to market and grow the sport.

Motorsport UK’s new strategy aims to build a stronger, more vibrant community across motorsport. The new identity reflects this through four concentric circles to represent four-wheeled action, united across four home nations, with a dynamic design celebrating speed.

The governing body will create a sustainable future for UK motorsport not only by reaching out to new audiences but also by adding value for existing members. The current membership comprises 30,000 competitors, 10,000 marshals, 3200 officials and 720 clubs.

As a first step, Motorsport UK is launching a new member benefits package, with High Street partners offering discounts across a range of accommodation, travel, outdoor clothing and breakdown recovery products. Motorsport UK will also get its members closer to the action through discounts on the most popular motorsport and automotive shows, exhibitions and magazine subscriptions.

Motorsport has a wide range of disciplines, from karting to drag racing and autotests to trials. Many have lacked promotion to new audiences, yet they present a great low-cost way for enthusiasts to enter the sport. As part of the new approach, there will be a promotional focus in each area, with sub-brands such as Karting UK providing a clear focal point for the industry. An important step in this direction has been the creation of the new official British Kart Championships for 2019, launched today on the new kartinguk.org website.

Governance will remain a cornerstone of Motorsport UK’s activities but the organisation will work to recruit and retain members through a more transparent and customer-focused approach to regulations. The governing body will maintain its track record of outstanding management of safe and fair sport; while lowering barriers to entry and enhancing its customers’ ability to enjoy their passion for four-wheel competition.

David Richards CBE, Chairman of Motorsport UK, said: “When I took over as Chairman in January, I outlined my vision of a sustainable future for motorsport in the UK. It’s been a year of hard work behind the scenes as we’ve begun moving towards this goal, and I’m delighted that the first real changes can now be revealed in the shape of our new identity, Motorsport UK. This is the just the start; there are lots of new initiatives in the pipeline, all designed to grow the sport and better meet the needs of our customers and stakeholders. We’re moving forward with a renewed confidence for the future of UK motorsport, and that future starts here.”

Hugh Chambers, the new Chief Executive of Motorsport UK, said: “Becoming Motorsport UK means so much more than a new name and logo. It signals a new chapter in the history of the governing body, marking a clear step change in approach, putting a real focus on our members and the promotion of grassroots motorsport to new audiences. We’re confident that by strengthening our customer service, adopting a more commercial approach and enhancing our marketing capabilities, we can ensure the UK’s world-leading motorsport success story continues well into the future.”

All the governing body’s main channels, from its website and social media accounts to its publications and membership packs, adopt the new Motorsport UK branding from today.

Along with the new name, there are HUGE changes being made to the format of "MSA" karting in the UK.

If you were expecting to see SuperOne hosting the British Karting Championships in 2019, think again! In a shock move, Motorsport UK have created a new department called Karting UK Operations.

This department will be responsible for hosting the British Karting Championships in 2019. Motorsport UK have announced the team of individuals who will be running the show.

Click below for the official press release.

Spoiler

The team behind Karting UK Operations has been revealed, with Nigel Edwards, Richard Lock, Danielle Short and Mick Barrett bringing decades of combined experience to bear.

Nigel takes the role of Championship Director. He is Chairman of both the Motorsport UK Kart Committee and Trent Valley Kart Club, which runs events at the UK’s state-of-the-art PF International circuit. Nigel was a successful competitor before becoming an official.

In the role of Operations Director is Richard Lock. Richard started karting aged 12 and working his way set up RL Racing after working his way up the ladder. More recently he has been sitting on the board of the National Karting Association, chairing its commercial side.

Danielle is the Championship Coordinator. Danielle is Competition Secretary and a director of Trent Kart Club, and has been actively involved in karting since she was eight. She will be responsible for all championship administration, from registration to race entries and permits.

Mick assumes the role of Championship Liaison Director. He has been karting for over 55 years and set up the successful Mick Barrett Racing team before becoming a director of Trent Valley Kart Club. Mick’s role within Karting UK Operations is to understand and facilitate what competitors and teams require at British Championship level.

Now, it doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to realise that the team is essentially made up of Trent Valley Kart Club committee members. TVKC run their club meetings at Paul Fletcher International (PFI). Hopefully we will see fair decisions benefiting all the clubs within the UK. 

Here is what MSUK say about the 2019 British Karting Championship:

Spoiler

About the British Kart Championships

The British Kart Championships are the premier titles in UK Karting; and the ones that any serious karter wants to win! Being crowned British Champion is the highest accolade in any form of motorsport category, and affirms you as one of country’s most promising motorsport talents.

But don’t just take our word for it. Some of world motorsport’s most famous drivers have British Kart Championship titles on their CVs, including Anthony Davidson, Paul di Resta, Mike Conway, Oliver Jarvis, Oliver Rowland and George Russell, to name but a few.

From 2019, the British Championships will be bigger, better and more prestigious than ever. That’s because motorsport’s national governing body, Motorsport UK, will organise them for the first time through its new Karting UK operation.

Each event will be based around a dedicated Race Centre, acting as the sporting hub and hospitality area for all customers. All the action will be live streamed online, with coverage before, during and after each event.

The events will be the first in the UK to use a proven on-track CCTV system; when the Race Director or Clerks report an incident, images will be fed back to Race Control, where they will be analysed by an independent expert and a former competitor. This will ensure a high quality and consistency of fair racing.

Experienced timekeepers maintain event timing with digital display boards and state-of-the-art finish line cameras. In addition to Karting UK operations staff, representatives of kart manufacturers (TALKO/JAG/IAME) will also be on hand.

MSUK have announced which classes will be ran as British Championships in 2019, these are:

Bambino (6-8 Years)

  • Comer

Cadet (3-13 Years)

  • Honda
  • IAME

Junior (11 - 16 Years)

  • IAME X30 Mini
  • Rotax MiniMax
  • Junior TKM
  • IAME X30 Junior
  • Rotax Junior Max

Senior (15 Upwards)

  • IAME X30
  • Rotax Max
  • TKM Extreme
  • KZ (Gearbox 16+)

SuperKarts (Long Circuit - 16 Upwards)

  • 125 National
  • 250 National
  • 450

2019  will see a return of the KZ class. Early indicators are that this class will be ran to the KZ2 CIK regs as opposed to KZ UK which Super 4 utilise.

Will SuperOne survive as the UK's premier IKR series?

Will this move be a positive one for club level racing?

Can MSUK run a successful British Karting Championship?

Will Super 4 continue to enjoy large grids for KZ UK?

There are many questions which will only be answered in time. Such a big shakeup is bound to produce winners and losers and we just hope that ultimately it has a positive effect on karting in the UK.

We are interested to see how this will pan out as it really is the biggest change to UK karting in the last 20 years. 

See below topic to keep up to date on the 2019 British Karting Championship

 

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