In the high-octane world of motorsport, where the organisation of Club activities is often spread thinly across a small pool of volunteers, it is easy to see why environmental sustainability could be considered challenging. However, if motorsport is to continue to prosper, we need to act and make that change.

Motorsport events can generate large carbon footprints due to fuel consumption, travel logistics and infrastructure demands, so taking environmental responsibility and adopting sustainable practices to reduce their impact is important, especially with the growing need to counter negative perceptions as environmental consciousness grows within society.

This is, however, not just about countering negative impacts. Motorsport has a long-standing reputation as a hotbed for innovation which creates the opportunity for members of the community to make a positive impact, supporting the development of cleaner fuels and energy-efficient technologies for racing and, ultimately, the entire automotive industry.

Jessica Runicles, Motorsport UK’s Head of Sustainability, is leading efforts in this domain and she explains: “Motorsport UK is invested in supporting its Clubs to be more sustainable and as part of this, we have several resources that enable mindful consideration of our emissions and impacts part of day-to-day workings. “There is already some great work being done by motorsport clubs and we hope to build on these positive achievements to support all Clubs to place attention on their sustainability practices. We want to uplift and amplify the work we are doing to ensure that people know about and support sustainability efforts as a collective.”

Developing a Plan
Motorsport UK is on a mission to help Clubs improve sustainability practices, as it works towards a more environmentally friendly future for the sport across the nation. In recent years there has been increased attention placed on the negative impacts of motorsport events, but in many cases some relatively small efforts can deliver significant benefits.

To encourage Clubs to make an impact, the Motorsport UK Sustainability Accreditation – which has now been awarded to nine Clubs, with two more under review, and 15 working towards it – presents a clear pathway to achieve meaningful improvements, with well-defined step-by-step guidance to develop an Environmental Management System (EMS) for events and activities.

Bath Motor Club was the first to attain accreditation, in 2021, and also received the first Motorsport UK Environmental Sustainability Award two years later. Andrew Cross, the Club’s sustainability leader, explains: “For decades, many of our members had appreciated the issue of climate change and the rising pressures on motorsport to become cleaner.

“The club first started to take positive action on this in 2019, having seen the strong actions being taken on the international stage. The FIA and subsequently Motorsport UK were leading, and we could see these actions needed to pass down through their many affiliated Clubs – so we wanted to be environmental leaders.

“I was appointed to take the plan forward and my experience in environmental work in the motor industry pushed me to set up an Environmental Management System to identify and analyse all our impacts. This provided a systematic approach, resisting the temptation to jump straight in to doing things that might or might not work.”

One of the biggest initial challenges was convincing the whole Club and all its members to back the approach, and Cross acknowledges that while there were plenty of ‘dynamic and eager’ members, there were also a few who were a little more reticent and not keen to make changes to things that were working well in other areas.

For Cross, it was important to emphasis through the Club’s activities that while calculating carbon emissions is important, it is not the only element of environmental focus. There are other aspects such as waste, noise, spillages to consider. Creating a methodical process that encompasses all of these was an important part of the task.

The key to getting everyone onboard was simplicity, and he explains: “We integrated all our sustainability needs into an easy checklist for planning, setting up and running the events, and confirming things afterwards. Organisers have a lot to do, so this adds very little and is an accepted part of the job – but it also makes them think!

Read more in the latest edition of Revolution