2021 Season Protocols Update
With a month to go until our first event and the recent welcomed announcement from Motorsport UK on the restart of organised motorsport in Scotland, we wanted to share some information on the protocols and procedures that are likely to be in place for the upcoming events.
Motorsport UK have now reached an agreement with the Scottish Government to allow organised motorsport events to resume in Scotland (https://www.motorsportuk.org/news/motorsport-resumes-in-scotland/) although, at present, specific approval is required for events which are likely to exceed 200 attendees. As our events would clearly fall into this category, Knockhill are currently seeking government approval for our season opener, on 6th June, to run with a higher level of attendees and also for spectators to be permitted to attend (albeit under the likely proviso that they are separated from the paddocks). We are hopeful that these permissions will be granted but expect to hear for definite in the next week.
Initially all events will need to operate to strict guidelines designed to control and prevent the spread of Coronavirus COVID-19. These are similar to the restrictions that we operated to during 2020, principally admission to the paddock is restricted and limited to essential personnel only, aged 16 and over, and a maximum of 3 team members per competitor. Competitors and their essential personnel may form ‘bubbles’ of no more than 30 people, to cater for multi-car teams.
It is essential that each competitor bubble remain separate at the event, so Paddock space will be allocated accordingly to enable physical distancing. Drivers and teams assistance limiting the amount of vehicles and equipment that is brought into the Paddock would be much appreciated. An area will be provided for non-essential road cars, trailers and motorhomes etc.
Whilst on site, face coverings will need to be worn by everyone except drivers wearing a crash helmet in their race car.
All personnel attending will need to be pre-nominated with contact details provided for Test and Protect purposes, and competitors will need to declare that they and their team personnel are free of COVID-19 symptoms and have not come into contact with anyone with COVID-19 symptoms within the preceding 10 days of the event. A list of pre-nominated personnel will be held at the gate for admission control. Therefore, there will be no tickets issued.
All administration and technical controls / Scrutineering will be done online, pre-event via the SMRC website. To facilitate this process, entries for 6th June will close on Sunday 30th May. Following the close of entries, drivers will then need to log in and complete the declarations with details of their essential personnel, competition licence, safety equipment and vehicle details. The Scrutineering team will carry out an audit of the technical self-declarations and will be carrying out random inspections of vehicles during the event to ensure compliance.
Entries will open next week and all registered drivers will be emailed a link to access the entry portal.
The latest guidance document relating to Scotland is available on the Motorsport UK website; https://www.motorsportuk.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Appendix-A-Scotland-April-2021.pdf
Motorsport UK have also produced a short video for competitors regarding the current restrictions; https://www.motorsportuk.org/news/return-to-motorsport-competitor-guidance/
Please take time to read the Motorsport UK guidelines and watch the video to prepare for the season. Hopefully, restrictions will be eased as the season progresses but for now, it is imperative that we all follow these guidelines to safeguard the future of the sport.
The first event of the season on 6th June will be a full day race meeting. The circuit will run testing on the Saturday, as well as putting on an additional session for Formula Ford on Sunday morning. It is likely that the remaining Knockhill events will be part day events, with testing (provided by the circuit) taking place in the mornings. We will confirm this as and when we are able.