MOTORSPORT Australia chief Josh Blanksby has acknowledged the major opportunity ahead of his organisation and the need to make it count.
Motorsport Australia has inadvertently been a big winner out of the various dramas that have engulfed its key sanctioning rival the AASA (Australian Auto-Sport Alliance) in recent months.
A stack of categories have immediately severed ties with AASA, which has in turn stated that events are no longer at the core of its business.
Formula Ford has already signalled its intentions to reconnect with Motorsport Australia after less than a year away, and other categories such as TA2 Muscle Cars – not to mention the reimagined Hi-Tec Oils Super Series event at Winton this month – are expected to likely wind up with MA sooner than later.
Blanksby didn’t specifically comment on any unconfirmed movements, but made no secret of his stance amid the evolving situation.
“The position has always been that we want to facilitate more people enjoying motorsport,” he told V8 Sleuth.
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“So we’re really stepping in and the Benalla Auto Club were the first people we spoke to about ‘how can we support you?’
“A number of categories obviously have approached us and we’re happy to work with them, whether that’s facilitating them to a promoter or to a circuit, helping with things like bridging licences or logbooks, because we want to see more people racing. So we’re doing a lot of work in that space at the moment.
“Obviously there have been some really positive announcements with the Winton 300 and Super Trucks, those were a good example of us moving pretty quickly to understand the concern they had and what needed to be fixed.
“With the Super Trucks for example, we went straight to the FIA, got regulations drafted that worked under our fit and worked with Morgan Park around what that would look like and then were able to offer a sanction permit.
“Our doors are open for business.”
He then doubled down: “It’s a huge opportunity, but we have got to seize it.
“We have been talking the talk so now we have got to walk the walk in terms of customer-focused, helping people get on the track, helping people with their licences, but still under our risk and safety framework.
“We provide fantastic insurance coverage, we provide fantastic officials and volunteers for people, that’s a service we provide, so we want to make sure we provide that service to more and more people who seek that opportunity.”
Asked about potential monopolisation of the landscape, Blanksby responded: “I don’t think it’s a monopoly per se, because AASA are still going to sanction events and there are other sanctioning bodies within Australia.
“We have just got to ensure the service we provide doesn’t create an environment that an alternative body decides to start up again.
“We need to make sure, as I said before, that we’re customer-focused in how we deal with licences and permits, how we enforce our rules in a fair, fun and safe way, and how our officials service those people.
“I don’t see it as a monopoly now. We have got an opportunity to win some business but we have got to keep it.”