National Motorsport Week to include two major events

Goodwood Festival of Speed will kick start National Motorsport Week 2012

 Next year’s official National Motorsport Week (30 June-8 July) will feature the two most popular events on the UK motor sport calendar: the Goodwood Festival of Speed and the Santander British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

The British Grand Prix date – 6-8 July 2012 – was confirmed last month by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the governing body for world motor sport, while The Earl of March, patron of the Goodwood Festival of Speed, has just announced that the world’s largest celebration of motoring culture is provisionally scheduled to take place in the beautiful surroundings of Goodwood Park over the weekend of 29 June-1 July.

National Motorsport Week is jointly organised by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) and the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA) to celebrate the on-going success of British competitors, teams and companies as well drawing attention to less well-publicised parts of the sport in order to generate increased participation.

“We couldn’t have hoped for a better platform from which to promote UK motor sport,” says Colin Hilton, MSA Chief Executive. “Between them the Festival of Speed and British Grand Prix attract more than 300,000 fans and millions more followers via television and other media.”

“While these two high profile events will help us to put the spotlight on the UK’s world-leading achievements, it’s essential that we maximise the opportunity to engage with more people and encourage them to get involved. Whether it’s as a competitor at grass roots level, an active member of a local motor club, or a trackside volunteer – motor sport has so much to offer. There are lots of opportunities in so many different disciplines for those inspired and excited by these major events – and that’s what National Motorsport Week is all about.”

National Motorsport Week 2012 will build on the many accomplishments of this year’s initiative. The scheme generated a massive increase in activities and events ranging from open days at some of the county’s top teams to a plethora of novice taster days organised by motor clubs throughout the country.

The British Grand Prix at Silverstone will bring the week to a close

“National Motorsport Week is building the momentum deserved by both our world class UK motor sport industry and sport,” says Chris Aylett, MIA Chief Executive. “Right now, the UK needs good news from business and our industry beats the world in high performance engineering. We export more than 65 per cent of all we make, underlining our vital importance to this country’s revival and international standing. We sell nearly £10 billion of services and engineering each year, which underpins no fewer than 40,000 jobs. What’s more the high-performance engineering and motor sport sector inspires the next generation of world-class engineers, which is good news for the future of British industry. And, of course, UK motor sport success continues to promote the UK’s image for the best quality right around the globe.”