Rally safety recommendations

Noted below are each of the key recommendations. For detailed consideration of specific issues, the website sets out the full range of papers considered and debated by the Group. Annex D sets out a number of the resources to which the Group has made reference.

To help an organiser to plan, manage and monitor safety at a rally it is important to have robust governance and management arrangements in place. This includes making sure that there is a clear understanding within the organising team of who will be responsible for safety matters. If a number of people are involved, there will need to be close liaison and good communication between them. Please see Annex E for a simplified hierarchy of roles, including those roles recommended by the Group.

The MSA Steward and Clerk of the Course

Each rally has a clerk of the course in overall charge of running the event and 3 stewards (one appointed by the MSA and two by the organising club). The Motor Sports Association steward has the power to cancel the entire event on safety grounds and is there to ensure that governing body regulations are being followed. The MSA steward will also adjudicate in relation to any competition rules issues. Currently some stewards remain in rally HQ to support the clerk whilst others will travel round the stages in advance of competing cars. Essentially the role is carried out in different ways in practice.

The role of the MSA steward at a rally should be adapted to ensure that the steward remains in rally HQ at an event whilst the rally stages are live and is therefore available to provide dedicated support to the Clerk of the Course. The Clerk of the Course should also remain in rally HQ.

We have recognised that, provided that the Steward is in HQ whilst stages are live, the Steward can visit other areas of the rally or rally route before the rally stages begin. We also recognise that in some very limited cases, geography may make it impractical for the steward or clerk to remain in a central fixed HQ e.g. where there are issues with communications technology. However, this would very much be seen as the exception.