With many organisers busy preparing for the 2021 race season, we therefore got in touch with the Mid Cornwall Premier Motorcycle Club about how they found running a Grasstrack event during the Covid restriction of 2020. With the country currently in a National Lockdown and Covid likely to still be around for the near future we asked MCPMCC for their plans for 2021.
Having hosted an event during 2020, how did the Club find staging of events during the Covid restrictions?
MCPMCC ran just one Grasstrack event in September 2020, both our previous dates had to be cancelled due to Government restrictions, however in August there was a window of opportunity where restrictions were eased just enough for us to run an event. It was a long shot where so much could have gone wrong, but the club took the challenge and being optimistic and passionate about our sport we got the wheels turning.
How did you find using the ACU Covid-19 Risk Assessment Template and the support from the ACU and methods required to run these events?
After reading the latest risk assessment from ACU HQ we contacted the local authorities and told them what we planned to do, sending them a risk assessment and telling them we were running under the ACU and Covid secure conditions was enough to be given the all clear. The club, for peace of mind contacted the ACU one final time and after speaking to the General secretary started to put things in motion.
Can you give us a brief overview of some of the measures that you had to put in place to allow the events to take place successfully?
We purchased temperature guns and tested everyone who entered the venue, the gate staff wore masks / shields, aprons and gloves, we also bought card machines to cut down on the handling of cash, and also completed track and trace details for every vehicle entering. With more than a dozen sanitising stations and a hundred new signs stating social distancing and one way systems for food and refreshment.
The competitors were limited to rider / driver passenger + 1 in the pits and were asked to wear face masks if they had to leave their pit area other than for signing on and racing, signing on was done as per ACU guidance with single use pens for the filling out of day licences at a separate desk. All track staff were kitted up with PPE and were spoken to by the CoC on the day.
Finally, as a club what plans do you have for running events during the 2021 season? Is there any advice or guidance that you would give to any other ACU clubs looking to run events during these Covid-19 times?
MCPMCC are planning to run two events in 2021 if Covid 19 allows us, and hope all other clubs within Grasstrack and in all other disciplines run this year if possible, these conditions could be with us for a while to come, so don’t be put off if there is a chance of running an event speak to your sports committee and follow the risk assessments.
We felt that by following the ACU’s risk assessment to the letter it made it easier and removed the worry of running a meeting under these conditions, and we could not have done any more on the day to run a smooth and successful meeting.