WhichCar

Track days are back on - but there are conditions

A ray of sunshine for motorsport-starved Aussies as new rules allow track days to start up again

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As Australia stumbles blinking from COVID-19 lock-down, one of the first rays of light for motorsport is the resumption of track days in most states and territories.

It comes with its own long list of rules, but for operators like NSW's Trackschool Trackday's John Boston, it comes as a relief.

"Everything is good, " he told WhichCar. "We've gotten the green light from everyone."

Forced to shut down at the end of March, race tracks around the country have been silent, but under rules that allow for sport training to recommence, single-driver track practice can resume under strict COVID-19 social distancing rules.

"We can't have any spectators, pit crew or even family and friends at our events at the moment," confirmed Boston (below).

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The school also can't rent out its race cars, provide in-car instructors or even rent out helmets, while its vital pre-event briefing will be read out over a PA system, rather than done face-to-face.

"In between sessions we will be offering instruction and guidance to small groups in an outdoor setting with social distancing requirements in place," said Boston.

"Our event sizes are small, and a significant part of our time is spent outdoors in the fresh air or in your own car."

In place since May 11, the new rules allow any sport to commence outdoor training, as long as activities don't cross over into competition.

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All states and territories save for Queensland and Tasmania will be permitted to host so-called grass-roots racing events sanctioned by Motorsport Australia, which is the main governing body for the sport.

South Australian events were enabled from May 11, while Western Australia will be able to kick off from May 18. Victoria started on May 13, while NSW and the NT can start up on May 15.

The recommencement of competitive motorsport events is still in a state of flux, though some rallying events are accepting entries for events in July.

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