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Dolts
United Kingdom
1128 Posts |
 Posted - 17/12/2015 : 09:37:28
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GUys anyone know what license I should be upgrading too. Is it Race A?
I m contemplating an adventure for my 40th, possibly Gross Glockner or Klaussenrennen. Who Knows!!!
Thanks
M
Mark Dolton
www.triple-mracing.com
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Mark
United Kingdom
127 Posts |
Posted - 17/12/2015 : 11:09:40
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Hi Mark
As a Doctor and International Competition Licence holder I have conducted race licence medicals and stress ECGs for over 10 years as well as sitting on the MSA medical panel. I am often asked about the appropriate licence for various overseas events. As a seasoned racer you will already know some of the points below but for the benefit of others and to try and answer your question I will try and cover some of the issues I have encountered over the years.Every year I continue to have desperate phone calls from Drivers signing on at events in Europe only to find they have the wrong licence.
For racing in the UK at MSA events a National A or National B licence is required. The National B is the licence you would have after completing your racing course.( ARDS ) . Many drivers just compete with their National B but if you wish to race in Europe then this is not adequate and in fact the licence is usually endorsed NOT EU. the upgrade from a National B to an A requires six signatures from the clerk of the course to confirm completion of 6 races. You can obtain one of these signatures if you work as a Marshal or other official.
Now having said you need at least a National A to compete in Europe you can only use the National A if the race is organised by a UK club or is a round of a UK championship and these events usually have a dispensation to allow this to happen. If you plan to race at a meeting organised by an oversea club then the normal requirement will be for an International Licence.
If you are racing in an FIA event then you will need an Internatinal Licence. The Internatinal Licence is issued by the MSA but it is an FIA licence and as such we have to abide by the FIA International Sporting Code. This is true even if the event is in the UK. So you can have some odd anomalies at events. For instance, a few years ago at the Silverstone classic, you would have been able to race in some grids with a National A or B but other grids needed an International Licence even for the same event as the grids were part of an FIA championship.
There are many other motoring events in Europe ranging from circuit racing to sprints and hill climbs all of which have various licence requirements, if any.There is no consistency and in some cases event organisers ask for one thing and then at signing on expect something else which is extremely annoying for those affected. At some meetings you will be expected to produce a medical report and then the event will issue you a licence for that event. In some cases you are able to have the medical performed at the event. For the Mille Miglia this year drivers were expected to have a medical prior to the event which we had to translate into Italian. Drivers over 70 were expected to have had a stress related ECG. This is in variance with the FIA sporting code but as the Mille is a non FIA event the organisers can set their own rules.
Next year we have both the Monaco Historic and Le Mans Classic. The licence requirement is an International for Le Mans. When I raced at Monaco a few years ago there was a different requirement depending on whether you were driving single seaters or sports cars. I am not sure what the requirement is for 2016.
So if you have managed to follow me so far my advice is quite simple and is based on a great deal of personal experience. Firstly contact the event organisers and ask specifically what the licence requirement is as well as the medical requirement, if any, and make sure they put it in writing to you. Take this correspondence with you and have it available at signing on. For those competing regularly in Europe I would recommend an International C licence. Most of us in Historics can manage with the Internatinal D ( old International Historic) but increasingly this is not being recognised and organisers are insisting on a C or higher. There is a caveat to this. Holding an International C will still not guarantee compliance with some event regs. And the organisers may still require a separate medical even though the FIA standard for your C is much higher. Bonkers I know.
Lastly it is worth commenting on the medical requirements for the various licences. For a National A and B it is all straight forward. You only need a medical when obtaining your first licence and then you self certify up to age 45 after which you need an annual medical or every two years if you are clever with the dates. The International licence requirements are somewhat different. An annual medical, or again every two years if you are crafty with the dates, and a resting ECG every 2 years under the age of 45 and a stress ECG ( on a treadmill) every 2 years over the age of 45. Again if you are clever with the dates you can get 3 seasons out of your ECG. If you have a medical condition there may be a requirement for more regular medicals.
Should any of you need any info or have any questions then feel free to post on forum or give me a call via my PA Jane. 01293 822036
Happy racing and I hope to join you when my K is finished.
Mark
Dr Mark Green
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Hamish McNinch
United Kingdom
108 Posts |
Posted - 17/12/2015 : 19:26:27
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Dolts, I was going to reply.
But I think Mark has covered most of the ground......!!
Perhaps the next comment should more properly appear in the "recommended suppliers" part of this forum, but that seems inappropriate somehow.
Having used his services for many years now, I can thoroughly recommend Mark to do race medicals. As you can judge from the above, he REALLY understands the requirements and, unlike many GPs, doesn't need to read the guidance notes or to carry out unnecessary tests. And he knows what needs to be said to ensure that there are no delays. Not that he isn't very thorough and professional. But if he does turn up something unexpected which may need further investigation, he will also provide guidance on how to proceed.
And there aren't many doctors surgeries where the waiting room has Motorsport in the magazine rack and race videos on the TV.... |
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Dolts
United Kingdom
1128 Posts |
Posted - 18/12/2015 : 09:13:26
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Mark, thank you for your help and advice. I think we should book mark this page for future reference!
Great news about your K
Thanks Hamish, all noted.
Mark
Mark Dolton
www.triple-mracing.com
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Edited by - Dolts on 18/12/2015 09:15:53 |
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