Motorsport and the Coronavirus

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by bella

she seems to take boris' measures and adapt them to public opinion, so i reckon she'll go quicker in the longer term but maybe a bit longer on the short term to keep people happy that she's still being cautious...

remember motorsport is classed as work you can't do from home. don't know anyone that's had any issues getting rooms in hotels that are open

Well I've got a room booked, for both Oulton and Knockhill, so we'll just have to see. Looking at the Premier Inn site it continues to say they can't allow stays for leisure purposes, so nearer the time they may be contacting me to cancel.........I can't in all honesty claim my motorsport is "work".....

[midgetman]

I've just had an email from Premier Inn about my booking in Yeovil over Easter - they will report me to the rozzers if they think I'm not staying for work purposes. I will be working of course, if the race meeting actually goes ahead.....

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[Paul D]

Originally Posted by midgetman

they will report me to the rozzers if they think I'm not staying for work purposes...

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Did they put it to you in those exact terms?

Good news, however, that it seems events can get going again in April. Better summon up the enthusiasm now to dust the car of for Oulton...

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by midgetman

I've just had an email from Premier Inn about my booking in Yeovil over Easter - they will report me to the rozzers if they think I'm not staying for work purposes. I will be working of course, if the race meeting actually goes ahead.....

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Yep, I've just had the same email concerning my booking for Oulton on 9 April. In all honesty I couldn't claim to be working, and whilst I'm a little sceptical about their threat to report me to the Police, I'm not sure I'm about to risk a £200 fine to prove the point - especially as I can attend Oulton without staying overnight - just means an early start


For Paul - the wording is "If your stay doesn’t meet the criteria, we are not legally able to accommodate you and you’ll either need to amend your booking before 1pm on the day of arrival to a date after the restrictions have been lifted or cancel your stay and receive a full refund. We do however reserve the right to contact the police and/or local authority where we believe a stay is not permitted by law."

[andy97]

Richard, might be worth letting the CSCC office and wider membership know about that e-mail. It would be useful if we had some clarity on what was allowed or not, and the club may need to make a judgement on what it thinks the entry levels might be.

[Moneyseeker]

There is also the limit travel notice in force still after the 29th of March. Personally I think clubs should show a level of public responsibility and not try and hold events until after the April step change at the earliest. We can see the dates ahead of us and all now have a good idea of when and what we can run.

I don't think clubs should be encouraging members to tool around the country and meet up to conduct what is a leisure activity/hobby and I am speaking as someone who works on motoring/motorsport events for a national organisation.

I know everyone is itching to get going and preparers need to get cashflow from racers, but it is a waiting game and the more we continue to stick to the rules and the more people are vaccinated, the more likely the roadmap will run as planned - or as some speculate in todays papers - perhaps slightly earlier.

[coppice]

But the travel limit is nonsense. Travel by car creates no risk of infection . The only thing that creates that risk is close contact with other people , especially in confined spaces . My travelling by car alone , or with the person in my bubble , creates no risk.

I realise that we are stuck with this but whilst I do recognise the need for great caution in unlocking restrictions on human contact I am growing very weary indeed of complying with a rule which has no sensible foundation .

[andy97]

Originally Posted by Moneyseeker

There is also the limit travel notice in force still after the 29th of March. Personally I think clubs should show a level of public responsibility and not try and hold events until after the April step change at the earliest. We can see the dates ahead of us and all now have a good idea of when and what we can run.

I don't think clubs should be encouraging members to tool around the country and meet up to conduct what is a leisure activity/hobby and I am speaking as someone who works on motoring/motorsport events for a national organisation.

I know everyone is itching to get going and preparers need to get cashflow from racers, but it is a waiting game and the more we continue to stick to the rules and the more people are vaccinated, the more likely the roadmap will run as planned - or as some speculate in todays papers - perhaps slightly earlier.

The camping and caravan club have advised that their camp sites will not be open until 12 April at the earliest and that even then facility blocks will not be open until 17 May. What this means is that campers must have their own self contained toilet facilities.
Now, I appreciate that this is the Camping and caravan club’s advice regarding their own sites, and not for eg MSVs or Silverstones or Trac Mons but it does indicate the way the wind is blowing!

Are motorsport events viable between 29 March 12 April if only available to locally based competitors?
Are they viable between 12 April and 17 May if you can’t book a hotel and can only stay over if you can afford to book your own holiday let or have your own motorhome?

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by coppice

But the travel limit is nonsense. Travel by car creates no risk of infection . The only thing that creates that risk is close contact with other people , especially in confined spaces . My travelling by car alone , or with the person in my bubble , creates no risk.

I realise that we are stuck with this but whilst I do recognise the need for great caution in unlocking restrictions on human contact I am growing very weary indeed of complying with a rule which has no sensible foundation .

Travel by car in principle does not create a risk, but it certainly does increase the potential for risk in that one may be more likely to haven accident or a car breakdown that requires outside assistance therefore increasing the risk.

I admit that I have become very risk averse because of Covid meaning that I haven't even seen my children or grandchildren since 2019, and surely that is far more important than going to watch a few cars going around a track.

[john ruston]

Mike don’t get to logical about this.
We spent yesterday trying to sort out getting people to Monte Carlo for historics which is still to be cancelled.
Anyone else thinking about taking cars?
I think it’s better to stay here in Blighty but others have different ideas.

[coppice]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

Travel by car in principle does not create a risk, but it certainly does increase the potential for risk in that one may be more likely to haven accident or a car breakdown that requires outside assistance therefore increasing the risk.

I admit that I have become very risk averse because of Covid meaning that I haven't even seen my children or grandchildren since 2019, and surely that is far more important than going to watch a few cars going around a track.

Accidents and breakdowns are relatively rare per mile travelled (I'm managing one of each in the last 700,000miles ) and are just as likely to happen en route by car to Tesco's, a vaccination centre or the Post Office , or even by slipping on the footpath .

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by coppice

Accidents and breakdowns are relatively rare per mile travelled (I'm managing one of each in the last 700,000miles ) and are just as likely to happen en route by car to Tesco's, a vaccination centre or the Post Office , or even by slipping on the footpath .

This may well be true for you, and the trips that you mention are what I would deem to be necessary. However, I truly don't believe that a car journey to watch motor racing, or as has been mentioned elsewhere, people being fined for going airplane spotting, to be classified by any stretch of the imagination to be necessary trips, although they might be good for the mind.

[coppice]

I am uncomfortable at living in a society in which I have to justify my journey to the authorities. It is absurd . I absolutely respect social distancing and the need for care in any human interaction and I am delighted to have had my first jab.

But why I should be criminalised for driving solo to a hill climb 30 miles away , to stand in a windy and sparsely peopled field utterly escapes me. It is arrant nonsense.

[andy97]

Originally Posted by coppice

I am uncomfortable at living in a society in which I have to justify my journey to the authorities. It is absurd . I absolutely respect social distancing and the need for care in any human interaction and I am delighted to have had my first jab.

But why I should be criminalised for driving solo to a hill climb 30 miles away , to stand in a windy and sparsely peopled field utterly escapes me. It is arrant nonsense.

But it doesn’t matter what we think if those are the rules.

I might think it’s nonsense that the speed limit on a quiet motorway in good weather is only 70mph but if I go 80 then I accept that I may get caught and fined.

I may think it’s nonsense that I can go for a walk with my dogs but can’t walk round a golf course hitting a little white ball, but those are the rules and society expects me to comply.

It’s a bu993r but it’s tough.

[Lancsbreaker]

Originally Posted by andy97

Richard, might be worth letting the CSCC office and wider membership know about that e-mail. It would be useful if we had some clarity on what was allowed or not, and the club may need to make a judgement on what it thinks the entry levels might be.

Good point, mate - I've messaged the Club. The point about the travel message only being revised to "stay local" is of course relevant.



It looks like Scotland will be slower than England to open up, although Sturgeon has been less clear on the detail, but I fear the Knockhill event on 1/2 May must also be in jeopardy.


Mike - I understand your concern - and equally Coppice's point about travel being only a slight risk of being a spreading agent. I think more pertinent is that (idiotic enforcement of "rules" such as you can't sit on a park bench aside) it is generally accepted that the risk of transmission outdoors - particularly if everyone in the paddock is masked - is extremely low - indeed one expert was stating last week that there was no recorded case of anyone contracting the disease from the "crowded beach" scenarios we saw last year. He may well have been over-stating the case, but motorsport has generally been diligent in protecting its participants.

EDIT: Just had a reply from CSCC " you are right about both events (Oulton and Knockhill) and accommodation concerns, rest assured it's our no.1 priority at present. " As I thought they are on the case, but what they can do, I don't know.

I note that CSCC have also just issued a warning to people NOT to book or attend testing sessions prior to March 29th.