 | |
| Sport | Motorsport |
|---|---|
| Jurisdiction | United Kingdom |
| Headquarters | Bicester (Oxfordshire, England) |
| President | Prince Michael of Kent |
| Chairman | David Richards |
| CEO | Hugh Chambers |
| Official website | |
| www | |
 | |
Motorsport UK, formerly known as the Motor Sports Association (MSA), is a national membership organisation and governing body for four-wheel motorsport in the United Kingdom. [1] Legally, it is a not-for-profit private company limited by guarantee. [2] [3]
Motorsport UK is recognised as the only motorsport governing body in the United Kingdom by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). [4] It is not concerned with motorcycle or sidecar competitions, which are governed by the Auto-Cycle Union, nor does it cover banger racing; but provides governance and representation for 12 other forms such as rallying, circuit racing, drifting, hill climbing and karting. [5]
It has power under UK legislation to issue permits to event organisers wishing to close public highways for motorsport uses. [6] The organisation claims its mission is to increase the number of participants in motorsport within the UK. It also claims to have within its community 720 affiliated motor clubs, 30,000 competition licence holders, 10,000 volunteer marshals and 4,000 officials, whilst authorising 5,000 event permits every year. [1]
Motorsport UK is managed and organised by its board of directors, chaired by David Richards CBE. In March 2019 the constitution of Motorsport UK was changed by a unanimous vote of the council to bring it in line with Sport England's code of governance and best practice. [7] This is documented in the new memorandum and articles of association. [8]
Motorsport UK events organise the British Grand Prix, the Rally of Great Britain and from 2016 the British Rally Championship, some of the flagship motor sports events in the United Kingdom. Motorsport UK and its subsidiaries employ over 55 full-time staff. [9]
Motorsport UK began as the Royal Automobile Club's (RAC) Motor Sports Association in the late 1970s. Until this time motorsport events in the UK had been organised by motor clubs or independent parties who could implement their own rules with oversight by the RAC’s Competitions Committee. In 1975 the committee was replaced by the Motor Sports Council who standardised rules and their enforcement throughout the country. [2] The RAC Motor Sports Association was legally formed in December 1977, [3] and began organising and promoting events the following year. [10]
The MSA was rebranded as Motorsport UK in 2018, introducing its own new aim to increase participation as well as regulate the sport. [11]
In light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Motorsport UK barred Russian and Belarusian drivers from competing in British motorsport events, thus preventing Russian F1 driver Nikita Mazepin from participating in the upcoming 2022 edition of the British Grand Prix in Silverstone scheduled to be held in July (in any event, he was sacked by his team). [12] [13] In 2024, the federation raised £60,000 to buy a Steyr-Puch Pinzgauer for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. [14]
Kart racing or karting is a motorsport discipline using open-wheel, four-wheeled vehicles known as go-karts or shifter karts. They are usually raced on scaled-down circuits, although some professional kart races are also held on full-size motorsport circuits. Karting is commonly perceived as the stepping stone to the higher ranks of motorsports, with most Formula One drivers—including Ayrton Senna, Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, Kimi Räikkönen, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel, Nico Rosberg, and Max Verstappen—having begun their careers in karting.
The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile is an international organisation with two primary functions surrounding use of the automobile. Its mobility division advocates the interests of motoring organisations, the automotive industry and motor car users in the fields of road safety and traffic circulation. The sport division is a governing body for many international motorsport championships and disciplines, including Formula One.
Wales Rally GB was the most recent iteration of the United Kingdom's premier international motor rally, which ran under various names since the first event held in 1932. It was consistently a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) calendar from the inaugural 1973 season until the rally's final running in 2019, and was also frequently included in the British Rally Championship.
Motorsport(s) or motor sport(s) are sporting events, competitions and related activities that primarily involve the use of automobiles, motorcycles, motorboats and powered aircraft. For each of these vehicle types, the more specific terms automobile sport, motorcycle sport, power boating and air sports may be used commonly, or officially by organisers and governing bodies.
Autocross is a form of motorsport in which competitors are timed to complete a short course using automobiles on a dirt or grass surface, excepting where sealed surfaces are used in United States. Rules vary according to the governing or sanctioning body, such as the length of the course, the amount of permitted attempts, or whether competitors start the course individually at intervals or at the same time as others. In this latter form, Autocross differs from other forms of motor racing by using a system of heats or alternative timing methods for the classification rather than racing for position and declaring the first across the finish line as the winner.
Knockhill Racing Circuit is a motor racing circuit in Fife, Scotland. It opened in September 1974 and is Scotland's national motorsport centre. The circuit is in the countryside about 6-mile (9.7 km) north of Dunfermline. It is the only FIA-approved circuit in Scotland.
Alan James Gow is the chief executive of the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and president of the FIA Touring Car Commission. He was born in Melbourne, Australia, and lives in Surrey, England.
The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, abbreviated as FMSCI, is the governing body for motor sports in India and was founded in 1971. It is a long-standing member of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM) and Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the world bodies for 2/3 and 4 wheeler motor sport respectively.
The most popular sport in Russia is soccer. According to Yandex search analysis results rating of the most popular sports among Russians: "Football topped the list of the most popular sports in Russia" with 5 to 10 million requests. Ice hockey came in second with handball, basketball, futsal, boxing, auto racing, volleyball, athletics, tennis, and chess rounding out the top ten rankings. Other popular sports include bandy, biathlon, figure skating, weightlifting, gymnastics, wrestling, martial arts, rugby union, and skiing.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to auto racing:
Graham Stoker is a British sports barrister and motor sport executive. He has been the Deputy President for Sport of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) since October 2009. He was re-elected to the position in December 2013. He is a member of FIA World Motor Sport Council and honorary council member of the Motor Sports Association (UK). Stoker has been involved in motor sport since graduating as a driver from the Ian Taylor Racing School and the Elf Winfield Racing School in France. He joined UK motor sport's governing body Royal Automobile Club Motor Sports Association in 1985, going on to become the first Chairman of the Permanent Stewards to the British Touring Car Championship from 1995 to 2001.
Motorsport Ireland is the National Governing Body for four-wheeled motorsports in Ireland. Motorsport Ireland is affiliated to the supreme authority for world motorsport, the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) based in Geneva and Paris.
The Motorsport Association of Pakistan (MAP) is the National Sporting Authority (ASN) for the governance of auto racing in Pakistan under the International Sporting Code of the FIA. The Association is a member of the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA).
The 2004 Wales Rally GB was a rallying autosports race held over four days between 16 and 19 September 2004 and operated out of Cardiff, Wales, United Kingdom. It was the twelfth round of the 2004 World Rally Championship (WRC) and the 60th running of the event. Contested over 19 stages, the rally was won by Subaru World Rally Team driver Petter Solberg. Sébastien Loeb finished second for the Citroën World Rally Team and Ford driver Markko Märtin came in third.
Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin is a Russian racing driver and motorsport executive, who most recently competed under a neutral flag in the 2023–24 Asian Le Mans Series for 99 Racing. Mazepin competed in Formula One in 2021.
The 2018 Wales Rally GB was a motor racing event for rally cars that took place over four days from 4 to 7 October 2018. The event was open to entries competing in World Rally Cars and cars complying with Group R regulations. It marked the seventy-fourth running of Rally Great Britain and was the eleventh round of the 2018 FIA World Rally Championship, the highest class of competition in international rallying. Sixty crews, including manufacturer teams and privateers, were entered to compete in the World Rally Championship, the FIA World Rally Championship-2 and FIA World Rally Championship-3 support series and the MSA British Rally Championship. The 2018 event was based in Deeside in Flintshire and consisted of twenty-three special stages throughout North and Mid-Wales. The rally covered a total competitive distance of 318.34 km and an additional 1,083.01 km in transport stages.
The 2021 FIA Formula One World Championship was a motor racing championship for Formula One cars which was the 72nd running of the Formula One World Championship. It is recognised by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body of international motorsport, as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars. The championship was contested over twenty-two Grands Prix, and held around the world. Drivers and teams competed for the titles of Formula One World Champion Driver and Formula One World Champion Constructor, respectively.
The 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix was a Formula One motor race that took place on 2 May 2021 at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimão, Portugal. The 66-lap race was won by Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton from second. Max Verstappen took second place for Red Bull Racing, with Mercedes's Valtteri Bottas finishing third after starting on pole and rounding out the podium places. This was also the last Portuguese Grand Prix, as the race had not been contracted for the 2022 season and beyond.
The 2022 FIA WRC2 Championship was the tenth season of WRC2, a rallying championship for organised and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile as the second-highest tier of international rallying. The category was open to cars entered by teams and complying with Group Rally2. The championship began in January 2022 with the Rallye Monte-Carlo and concluded in November 2022 with Rally Japan, and ran in support of the 2022 World Rally Championship.