Dear competitor,
As 2022 draws to a close, I would like to take the opportunity to reflect on what the committee believe has been a largely successful season of motorsport in amongst an environment which continues to throw up challenges for both competitors and organisers. I have noted below a few key themes which I would like to highlight.
We welcomed 3 newcomers and a total of 81 entrants to this year’s championship across Sprints and Hills:
- Attracting newcomers is an important focus of the championship and organising clubs. It is therefore positive for us all to see new faces at events, particularly during a challenging economic climate when non-essential expenditure (!?) can be queried.
- We believe that the flexibility of our specific motorsport discipline is well-suited to these challenges and at our recent committee meeting it was encouraging to hear the passion of our clubs to maintaining a low barrier to entry to the sport in areas we can influence.
- The championship will also do what we can to encourage newcomers and for 2023 will implement a slight tweak to our newcomer award criteria; recognising those who are new to our sport, rather than new to the championship.
Each of our scheduled rounds went ahead as planned and were delivered safely and efficiently by the organising clubs:
- We enjoyed a full event calendar in 2022, with each event well run by the organising club.
- We were pleased to see the reduction in COVID19 related measures which impacted our calendar in 2021, but with the positive lessons learned which emerged during that period continuing to be adopted to aid the competitor experience and help to prepare for and run the events more efficiently.
- On a related note, the online entry systems being adopted by more clubs have been very much a ‘win win’ for competitors and clubs alike.
- Regrettably, a couple of events did suffer with low entries which we understand to be predominately as a consequence of the ‘cost of living’ challenges being experienced across the population and the often-great distances our competitors must travel.
Our championship awards and dinner dance evening was well-attended and enjoyed:
- We are receptive to feedback on how to improve this event going forward so please do not hesitate to contact the committee with any thoughts you may have on how to refine the event in the future. We recognise that to satisfy a broad range of preferences there is a balance to be found between an ‘awards night’ and a ‘dinner dance’, but we believe the change in location in recent years has been generally a positive move.
Changes in the championship committee:
- At our awards evening we recognised Mike Murchie’s long service to the championship as he steps down for 2023. We are exceptionally grateful for Mike’s personal contribution to the successful running of the championship, particularly through the last couple of years as we have managed a high level of change; from the disruption of COVID19 to managing the transition towards online banking to the additional challenges associated with SSHC running the Boyndie Sprint events.
Thank you to our championship supporters:
- Finally, I must highlight the crucial role our championship supporters play in the sustainability and development of our championship. Sincere thanks to the ongoing support of Guyson International, Tillicoultry Quarries, Rocatex, Dunnet Bay Distillery, Central Garage Glenkindie, Trimline Systems, Kintore Trophy Centre Central Cosmetic Repairs in Kilmarnock – a new supporter for 2022!
To close, I sincerely hope you have enjoyed your season and can now take some time to recharge, repair and refine before the 2023 season begins – it is never too long in coming back round again!
I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Best regards,
Jim