First motor sport events cancelled as campaign grows to over

[Mustang]

PRESS RELEASE

First motor sport events cancelled as campaign grows to overturn new DEFRA regulations

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) has received notification of the first cancellations of motor sport events as a direct result of legislation imposed by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

DEFRA's decision to stop subsidies to farmers who allow part of their land to be used, even temporarily, for any form of motor sport has threatened to destroy more than 40% of 4-wheeled grassroots motor sport in the UK as well as 4,000 off-road motor cycle meetings.

The first events to fall victim to the legislation include sporting trials, autograss racing and 4x4 events that had been due to take place on rural farm land, but there are fears that these are just the tip of the iceberg.

The media campaign to overturn the legislation is gathering momentum and reflects the serious nature of the threat posed by DEFRA's actions.

Auto Express magazine estimates that nearly 50,000 competitors and officials will be directly hit by the new ruling, with as many as 250,000 spectators, families and service crews also affected. "There will be a knock-on effect on garages, local B&Bs and other rural businesses," 4x4 event organiser Chris Tomley told the magazine.

Motorsport News has started its own campaign to save Britain's grassroots motor sport. It urges everyone to sign up to its petition at www.petitiononline.com/som, and quotes trials multi-champion Julian Fack: "As we see it, this could be the death of sporting trials. This is devastating news."

Elsewhere in the paper, MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton has written: "This is a fundamental threat to motor sport and we need everyone to join the campaign. The time for taking it on the chin is over; we now have to fight for our sport." The full text of his article can be found on the MSA website, www.msauk.org, in the News section, as can previous press releases.

Editor's notes:
The Single Payment Scheme (SPS) replaces the Common Agricultural Policy and now pays farmers for the land they own, not what they produce. The European Directive on agricultural subsidies does not prohibit motor sports on land eligible for SPS. However, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has taken the decision, without consultation, to stop these payments to UK landowners if agricultural land is used, even temporarily, for motor sport.

Release MSA05-026: 20 April 2005

Issued on behalf of the Motor Sports Association by MPA Media Limited

[Matra et Alpine]

Yep typical bloody British beurocrats.

Everywhere else they're sensibel about it.

but noew the anal-brigade in London decide that to the letter of the law the payments shouldn't be made and have said so.

Already filled in about 5 petitions from clubs I'm member of - hope they don't notice that

Write to your MP as well !!!!

[labomba]

Jesus Christ... what a load of frickin Bullshit!!!!! Give me more petition addresses.

[:Exige:]

Petitions do F*** all. The only way to have an effect is to contact MPs or just wait and see just exactly what effect this new ruling has on everyone .. my Dads a farmer and he simply hates DEFRA, they are the largest group of idiots since UCP

[Mustang]

.. my Dads a farmer and he simply hates DEFRA, they are the largest group of idiots since UCP

same.

[johnnyperl]

The first events to fall victim to the legislation include sporting trials, autograss racing and 4x4 events that had been due to take place on rural farm land

what is "autograss racing" ?
doesnt seem like such a big loss so far. (easy for me to say being 6000 miles away)

[Mustang]

autograss is, well its racing in stripped out cars and biggies round an oval ring on a field, your best asking UCR(JIM) as he does autograss

[UCR]

Autograss racing isnt as serious as rallying, gt, and cart racing but its some serious fun and somthing to do on sundays.
Cars, at silly speeds around dirt tracks whilst providing excellent spectator enjoyment and a massive social activity. The rules are simple, take a car, make it fit into one of the 'classes', add all the safety features, become a member of a recognised club and come race. Grasstrack racing is a 'non contact' sport and although the odd kiss and occasional roll are part of the scene you aren't going to be buying a new car every week or two like the banger lads. This all goes towards making it affordable as well as immense fun. So if you didn't know what grasstrack racing was you do now.

Its a great way to get started in motorsport, loads of people go on to rallying, and touring cars. The social side is having a laugh with the lads, camping out the night before having a beer etc.........

Ive just started out in class 1 but when my brothers 17 we can move into the bigger classes, i peronally want a special or a twin bike engined class 7.

[2ndclasscitizen]

that looks like awesome fun!

[johnnyperl]

what is "autograss racing" ?
doesnt seem like such a big loss so far. (easy for me to say being 6000 miles away)

i take back what i said, that does look cool.
suprising though that the farmers would ok with the racing in the first place, must be quite a nice tax break.

[2ndclasscitizen]

So is autograss racing circuit racing or oval racing?

[Matra et Alpine]

i take back what i said, that does look cool.
suprising though that the farmers would ok with the racing in the first place, must be quite a nice tax break.

They do it in felds left to lie fallow.

in most cases a couple of months after a grass track even you woudlnt' even know they had been there.

As farmers often leave fields to lie "fallow" to maintain their high yields the rest fo the years the farmers were happy to charge not a lot of money for this use. As this will now mean that DEFRA will prevent payment on the total acreage it is a potential HUGE loss. The Europan Agricultural Policy tries to provide funding to farmers to promote ideal use of land and that includes ensuring field margins adn field rotation. The downside I see fo this si farmers may chose to stop rotating usage too

[Matra et Alpine]

So is autograss racing circuit racing or oval racing?

most of the time cones are laid out to make a track that has challenging corners and uses the contours of the fields to make it interesting and challenging.
I've never seen any that were pure ovals - it's not somethign that gets a lot of competiter or spectaror interest in the UK.