You may remember a few years ago a consultation was opened to the public, debating whether local authorities could have the power to suspend the Road Traffic Act without requiring an Act of Parliament. Response on these pages was positive if guarded, the first comment "Be very, very good if it happens, but as we all know consultation is just a way of kicking something into the long grass!"
Bring back the Superprix!
Well it's not been kicked into the long grass! The MSA has now confirmed that the legislation to allow closed road motorsport has been passed and in fact comes into force today. Following a Deregulation Act in 2015, the MSA has worked with Department for Transport to create the framework for this to happen. Closed road motorsport in Britain can happen again!
"This is a seismic shift for UK motorsport" said MSA Chief Executive Rob Jones, "we can now take motorsport to the people, and in turn those local hosting communities have the opportunity to benefit from the economic boost that these events may provide." His thoughts were echoed by Transport Minister Andrew Jones, who said: "There are already races of this kind in some areas of the British Isles which are incredibly popular... New road races will boost local economies".
Now while Formula E is very excited about the prospect of an ePrix on London's streets, we have far more ambitious and exciting closed road motorsport plan. Tendring District Council in Essex has already expressed interest in holding an event, but this surely also opens up opportunities for road rallies across places like Yorkshire and Cumbria. The Birmingham Superprix will inevitably come up in discussion too, which will be popular around these parts. All other suggestions of course welcome!
Given how long this story has been developing it's great to deliver some positive news. We'll be sure to follow the progress from here on in and see where closed road motorsport in mainland Britain - the MSA's phrase, not ours - goes. Get scoping out the B-roads now...
PHers are already discussing the decision, of course - join the chat here.
Superprix photos: LAT Photo