A Winfield Racing Nissan Skyline R32 at the 2024 Bathurst 1000 as part of the Heritage Touring Cars. Image: InSyde Media
Motorsport Australia met with organisers of the Heritage Touring Cars, Victorian Historic Racing Register (VHRR), Historic Sports and Racing Car Association of NSW (HSRCA) and the Historic Racing Car Club of QLD (HRCC) last week to discuss the next steps for an exemption.
Although the Public Health (Tobacco And Other Products) Act was updated in 2023, the issue only reared its head fully at the recent Muscle Car Masters meeting at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Touring Car Masters’ opening race was not shown by Fox over legal concerns in relation to cars sporting cigarette brand-inspired schemes.
Motorsport Australia updated its regulations in response, removing the scope for an exemption for historic vehicles to display the illicit brands.
A petition was launched by frustrated competitor David Towe in the wake of the furore, which has amassed more than 8000 signatures.
Last week’s meeting concluded that a collaboration between Motorsport Australia and the four aforementioned associations was needed.
“We all have members that are impacted by what we suspect is probably an unintended consequence of the health department updating its legislation around tobacco and health,” Heritage Touring Cars president Chris Stillwell told Speedcafe.
“It obviously has an impact on our members that own genuine cars that are presented at meetings with their historic livery.
“I think the consensus is that this is everybody’s issue to try and get a resolution. We’re probably all best served if we just work collaboratively together with Motorsport Australia to get an outcome.”
Stillwell said that he will discuss the next course of action with Motorsport Australia CEO John Blanksby and Motorsport Australia Historic Motorsport Committee chair Norman Gowers.
“The previous exemption was a department memo and we think probably the easiest way forward is to see if there is enough enthusiasm between our elected officials and somebody in the Canberra bureaucracy to issue a revised departmental memo from the appropriate department to define what the intention of the legislation was in their view that gives an exemption for historic motorsport as we had previously,” he said.
“Do they see it that way? I couldn’t tell you, but hopefully they will.”
Through the Parliamentary Friendship Groups, it’s hoped that the Parliamentary Friends of Motorsport will provide an avenue for the affected parties to receive clarity from the government.
The Parliamentary Friends of Motorsport is co-chaired by Tania Lawrence, federal member for Hasluck, who was elected the first female president of Motorcycling Australia.
Garth Hamilton, elected to the house of representatives for Groom, is the other co-chair.
It’s hoped the federal government can issue a memo as it did for the former Public Health (Tobacco And Other Products) Act of 1992 that grants an exemption to tobacco-branded cars.
“From our point of view, we’re not looking to see a return of tobacco sponsorship or promotion. We’re not funded by tobacco companies. We don’t have commercial benefit in what we do,” said Stillwell.
“All of our associations, our charters are about preserving and presenting historically significant cars from our history of motorsport. That’s what we’re about.
“The exemptions that we’re looking for are pretty narrow. Hopefully somebody in the federal parliament and the appropriate federal department agrees with that view.”
Whether a solution can be reached and when is the question on everyone’s mind. Stillwell admitted that it will not be a quick fix given most involved were volunteers.
In the meantime, competitors will have to tweak their liveries to remove tobacco branding if they wish to race.
Four competitors in the upcoming Baskerville Historics will have to remove branding from their cars.
Ironically, the Baskerville Historics meeting has been promoted with a John Player Special-inspired logo.