The sensitivity lessons Motorsport UK learned from an unnecessary misstep

How an organisation responds to criticism is always a true test of its leadership. And Motorsport UK has stood that test in recent days, following the furore caused by its consultation on plans to overhaul the series’ rules and impose severe restrictions on their calendars and names.

Yes, the furore was completely unnecessary and avoidable, but the board deserves equal credit for the way it responded. Knowing that the proposals had caused a wave of anger, a meeting of the race committee was scheduled as soon as the consultation was completed to discuss the plans immediately. Inevitably, the proposed changes were scrapped and this was quickly communicated to the club racing community so that everyone knew where they stood.

“We have to commend Motorsport UK for that, because it could have been another three or four weeks of uncertainty, but they called a meeting straight after the consultation deadline and published their response within 24-48 hours,” said Luke Souch, sporting director of the British Racing & Sports Car Club, who wrote a lengthy open letter to Motorsport UK highlighting the many flaws in the proposals.

“The consultation process has been shown to work and they have responded very quickly. There were obviously a lot of comments, including from us and other clubs and individuals. There was quite a bit of concern but it is now reassuring that those concerns have been listened to.”

For Souch and the BRSCC, the main concern was the proposed six-lap limit for a series.

“There are two types of competitors: you have those who want to chase a championship and another type of competitor who prefers series because it is less serious and a bit more relaxed and gives them the flexibility to change categories,” he explains. “Reducing the number of races in a series to six would distort the market.”

CSCC is relieved that the proposed changes to the series will now not go ahead

Photo by: Steve Jones

Hugo Holder, director of the Classic Sports Car Club, summed up the general mood: “It struck a chord and a lot of people breathed a sigh of relief that it wasn’t going ahead.”

But despite all the relief, there are still concerns about how this situation came about in the first place, how the proposals were ever considered credible, and why they were felt to be appropriate. Several people have also described Motorsport UK’s claim that some racers don’t know the difference between a series and a championship as “insulting”.

With Motorsport UK’s swift response, there is now a chance to draw a line under the whole sorry saga. But that doesn’t mean it should be forgotten altogether, and it’s still important that lessons are learned. Motorsport UK CEO Hugh Chambers has held up his hands to say the organisation got it wrong and says steps will be taken to prevent it from happening again.

“It seemed unfair that series were slowly becoming quasi-championships. So the problem that everyone agreed on, then stumbled over, was the solution”
Hugh Kamer

“I think what we have learned from this exercise is that we need better internal mechanisms and greater sensitivity to situations where something is likely to be controversial, as in this case,” said Chambers, who admitted to being irritated by some “wild accusations” online that Motorsport UK was simply rushing the proposals through.

“And I think if it was something very seismic – and this would have been seismic, that’s for sure – we should have communicated it beforehand and given the explanation behind it.”

He believes the idea stems from a legitimate concern that some series are unfairly circumventing the rules that championships must adhere to.

“The reason behind the debate – and it was a very long one, over 13 months of discussion in the race committee – was that a lot of the series were on the back foot, if not the lunch, of the championship organisers,” says Chambers. “It seemed unfair that series were gradually becoming quasi-championships. So the problem that everyone agreed on, and then stumbled over, was the solution.

Chambers maintains that the infringement of series on championship matters was an issue that needed to be resolved, but acknowledges that mistakes were made

Photo by: JEP

“But the issue remains and there should be a clear line between a championship and a series. So I think we, Motorsport UK, should have done a much better job of educating the community before a proposal even went out the door.”

Greater dialogue with those directly affected by change can only be a good thing and should help prevent people being shocked by radical proposals. And Chambers also highlights how these series plans were generated by the race committee, which is made up of a wealth of highly respected figures from British motorsport.

In this week’s Autosport magazine we highlight some of the good work that Motorsport UK is doing to grow the sport through its new StreetCar Festival initiative. This is something that should be celebrated, but instead such laudable efforts risk being drowned out by other, more controversial developments.

Ultimately, to get back to the rules of the series, it’s all well and good to respond to such fierce criticism in an exemplary manner, but the most important thing now is to prevent such situations from unnecessarily arising in the first place.

Motorsport UK has earned praise for initiatives such as the StreetCar Festival, but controversial developments mean it has been overshadowed

Photo by: Motorsport UK