2009 Manual of Motorcycle Sport - Motorcycling Australia

PHILOSOPHY OF GCR’Senjoy the rideTHE GENERAL COMPETITION RULESTHE PHILOSOPHY AND STRUCTURE OF THE GENERAL COMPETITION RULESNo set of Rules can anticipate every issue which mayarise in the conduct of a sport, especially one with as widea variety of disciplines and competing interests as exist inmotorcycling. The philosophy of these Rules is that goodsense, cooperation and a fair and reasonable interpretationof reasonable Rules should be more important than “RuleBook Racing”.In Rule Book Racing, if a situation arises, the answer isto be found by looking up the book, not by the exercise ofindependent judgment. If there’s no answer in the book,a new rule has to be devised to “plug the hole”. Rule BookRacing assumes that Controlling Bodies have little or nointerest in working effectively with competitors, with eachother, or with Promoters to benefi t the sport and thosewho participate in it. It also assumes that offi cials haveno common sense or understanding of the sport. None ofthese ideas is true or fair.These rules confer on the Controlling Bodies and theirrepresentatives and offi cials discretion in the applicationand interpretation of the Rules. It is intended that discretionwill be exercised, as stated in the very fi rst rule in this bookto ensure that competition is safe, free and fair.Offi cials are expected to exercise judgment wiselyand fairly, on the understanding that if they do not,their decisions, other than those made in the heat ofcompetition, will be subject to review through protestand appeal. They will be trained and encouraged to takeresponsibility for their actions, and to work in a way whichsupports the underlying philosophy of the Rules.Our rules should refl ect the way that the sport is conducted.MA and the State Controlling Bodies (SCBs) have beencareful to ensure that there is a process in place to ensurethat every participant has the opportunity to have their sayin the way these rules are written.We actively seek constructive criticism of these Rulesand encourage participants to work through theirrepresentatives to ensure their relevance.STRUCTURE OF MANUAL OF MOTORCYCLE SPORTThis book is divided into 29 chapters.The fi rst 14 chapters apply to all disciplines of the sportand the rest to the specifi c disciplines. There will be adegree of crossover from the fi rst section to the specifi cdisciplines and some of the Rules contained in those fi rstchapters need to be added to or varied according to theneeds of a particular discipline.We have attempted to make this edition of the book moreuser friendly, reinstating an index and reframing everychapter into a as close to a consistent format as possible.36We have also striven to eliminate any ambiguities andcontradictions.Chapter 1 - Jurisdiction.This chapter states the purposes and principlesunderlying the Rules. The Rules are to be applied fairlyand according to the principles of natural justice. TheseRules are binding not only on competitors but also on allControlling Bodies.There is a list of defi nitions which may be useful whileusing the rest of the Book.Chapter 2 - Administration.This very important chapter sets out the authority of theControlling Bodies. It identifi es and empowers the peopleand the instrumentalities through which the ControllingBodies exercise their authority.MA is a member of the FIM, a federation of the controllingbodies of motorcycle sport throughout the world, and MAis a federation of which the SCBs are members. Thesignifi cance of this that the FIM would not exist withoutthe cooperation and involvement of its members, and thesame principle applies to MA.SCBs agree to be bound by the decisions of MA as part ofthe agreement they entered into with each other when MAwas formed. The SCBs are, in effect, the owners of MA,and their control over MA is exercised through the Board.The Board has the power under the Articles of Associationof MA to make competition Rules.Rule 2.1.2 is a very important rule which typifi es thephilosophy which underpins these Rules. In providingfor the making of agreements, the Rules clear the way forresolving differences among Controlling Bodies and withPromoters, by consultation, discussion and agreementrather than by disputation and resort to a strict andlegalistic approach.The rest of the chapter identifi es the roles, responsibilitiesand limits of authority of various key offi cials.Chapter 3 - LicencingThe primary pupose of having a licencing regime is toensure the safety of competitors.This may be applied through separating less experiencedcompetitiors from ‘old hands’ and, in the case of juniorcompetition, to ensure that all riders obtain the benefi tsof a structured coaching process.Licence holders may not compete at a level higher thantheir licence.The chapter also sets out the processes by which