“This will be very welcome news for our community, which extends from professional drivers and teams, through to the grassroots of the sport with tens of thousands of enthusiasts. Collectively they fuel an industry employing 41,000 people and generating over £10 billion for the economy, so this is a vital step in securing the UK’s future as leaders in motorsport around the world.
“Hopefully it won’t be too much longer before we can announce similarly positive news from the other home nations. Clearly strict protocols still apply, as our sport needs to play its part in supporting the NHS and wider frontline community in keeping infection rates under control, and our Restart Guidance has enabled us to accomplish that objective on two previous occasions.
“I would like to thank the Motorsport UK community for their support during lockdown, and for their spirit and fortitude in keeping the sport together for when this announcement came. We now look forward to getting motorsport up and running at the end of March.”
While the British GT and British Touring Car Championship’s both fall under elite-level sport and therefore could go ahead, both postponed the beginning of their 2021 seasons due to rising Covid-19 infection rates and the absence of spectators.
Both are now set to begin in May, though it is still not certain that spectators will be allowed back into venues by that point. Following the government announcement on Monday, a preliminary May 17 date has been set in the hopes of allowing fans back into sporting venues.