BRSCC AGM REPORT 2012

Good evening Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to our AGM and thank you for taking the time to attend tonight.

2011 was a difficult year for the Club, which resulted in a loss over the twelve months. In the main, this was caused by the cancellation of four meetings at Donington Park, which were a direct result of the abortive attempt to stage a Grand Prix by the leaseholder. I am pleased to say that the circuit has now been returned to the Wheatcroft family, under the stewardship of Kevin Wheatcroft, and has been repaired and improved to bring it back to its former glory, but more of that later.

Some highlights from 2011; we were the first club to operate from the new Silverstone Wing. This was a rehearsal for the 2011 Grand Prix and I think we can justifiably say that we acquitted ourselves very well.

Later in the year, we were the first club to run on the new International Circuit whilst the HSCC simultaneously ran their meeting on the National Circuit. This proved very popular with Caterham drivers who appreciated both the new pit garages and the auditorium used for the drivers briefing.

2011 also saw the return of the Britcar 24 hours race to Silverstone. Well done to James Tucker and the team for their efforts. We finished off the year with the 40th running of the Formula Ford Festival at Brands Hatch, which included a celebration dinner on the Saturday night. This was a great evening and was attended by many old faces, some of whom have threatened to enter their old cars this year!

Looking forward to this coming year, again we are organising the British F3/GT meetings for our friends at SRO. On behalf of Silverstone Circuits, we are the organising club for the FIA World Endurance Championship round in August and SRO’s Blancpain Endurance Championship round in June. This was launched at Monza last weekend in appalling weather conditions but it still managed a grid of fifty-three cars – a spectacular sight! In September, we are back at Silverstone for the Ferrari Racing Days and we will finish the season at Brands Hatch in October with the Formula Ford Festival.

Whilst most of these meetings may not be relevant to the majority of club racers, they provide the Club with much needed income during the year, as well as keeping our name at the forefront of international motorsport. However, the life-blood of the BRSCC is ‘club’ motorsport and I am pleased to say that club championships continue to improve and supply us with good grids that provide close, competitive racing.

You may have read recently about the Club’s link up with Donington Park. The Board are very excited by this and are convinced that with Christopher Tate and his team we will develop the content and the offering at the circuit, which has always been referred to as ‘The Heart of British Motorsport’. In addition, we have been appointed to run the FIA Truck GP at Donington Park at the end of June/beginning of July.

In closing, I am sad to report on the loss of the friends of the Club in 2011. Carole Jackson, who was known to many of you as our office administrator, was sadly taken from us during last October’s Formula Ford Festival. The number of people who attended Carole's funeral was indeed a measure of the high esteem in which she was held. Paul Harmer, the editor of our old British Racing News magazine, and Bernard Baxter, the renowned Formula Ford engine builder, also sadly passed away in October. I finished my report last year by mentioning that Don Truman decided to step down from the Midland Centre Committee. Unfortunately Don passed away last September and he is sadly missed, a very hard act to follow indeed.

My thanks on closing go as usual to the Board for their support, especially the Executive Committee, who along with Drew and myself are responsible for the day-to-day running of the clubs finances. I would also like to convey heartfelt thanks to you the competitors and the marshals & officials who give of their time each weekend for us to enjoy our sport. With the ever-rising cost of fuel, I hope we can depend on their continued support.

Thank you once again for taking the time to attend.