General Car Testing

General Car Testing

“We” and “Us” is MotorSport Vision Limited (“MSV”), which is part of the MSV Group which also includes JPM Ltd (“PalmerSport”) and MotorSport Vision Racing Limited (“MSVR”).

“You” and “your” refer to the participant of the relevant testing session.

You agree and accept the following conditions.

Terms and Conditions

1. General Conduct

  1. Each booking is for one car and one driver only unless you have purchased an additional driver place. Once this driver has registered on the day, track time cannot be transferred to another driver and car.
  2. Each driver will be issued with a wrist band which must be worn at all times during testing.  Each driver must stop at the end of the pit lane and show the wrist band to the marshal.
  3. Each driver will be held responsible for the conduct of their team personnel whilst at the MSV venue.
  4. All drivers must complete MSV’s online check in and driver declaration prior to the testing session. Failure to complete this will prevent participation.
  5. All drivers must produce their Competition Licence as part of the online check in process and the original must be available for inspection on the test day. Failure to produce your original Competition Licence will prevent participation.
  6. All track limits, as set out in the Schedule must be complied with.
  7. Unless confirmed otherwise all general testing will be run in sessions. MSV reserves the right to session the day as required and to move drivers between sessions.
  8. No passengers are permitted save for ARDS-qualified (grade A or S) instructors ("Authorised Passenger”) who enter the vehicle at their own risk.  Any Authorised Passenger must complete the on line check in prior to the testing session. Failure to do so will prevent the Authorised Passenger from travelling in the vehicle.
  9. Practice starts are not permitted on any MSV Testing days unless organised in advance with the circuit manager (or their representative) and held in a separate session from the general test track time. This option is at the circuits discretion and where time permits.
  10. No animals are permitted at MSV circuits, save for ‘assistance dogs’ which, in the interests of health and safety, must be registered with us prior to your test day.

2. Noise Limits

  1. For all circuits apart from Donington Park – Noise limits will be applied in accordance with Motorsport UK championship regulations relevant to the vehicle being tested, with the maximum limit being 105 db(A) for sports/ saloons and 108 db(A) for single seaters, both measured at 0.5m from the exhaust at a 45 degree angle with engine running at 75% maximum revs.
  2. For Donington Park – Tuesday and Thursday test days:- Will be unsilenced unless specifically notified otherwise. Friday test days:- all vehicles must be silenced to comply with a 98 db(A) drive-by limit.
  3. Vehicles which fail the noise test will not be able to take part (or continue taking part as the case may be) in the test day. Any vehicle may be required to undergo a further noise test at any time during the test day at the circuit’s discretion.
  4. Although MSV circuits (apart from Donington Park) do not operate to a specific drive-by noise limit, they nevertheless monitor drive-by levels, and if the results of the monitoring show that a particular vehicle is generating drive-by levels appreciably higher than vehicles with comparable static test results, then they reserve the right to notify the participant, following which, the relevant participant must not take any further part in the test day until  they have reduced the noise levels generated by the vehicle to bring them within acceptable limits as established by further static or drive-by testing.
  5. It is your responsibility to ensure that your vehicle meets the relevant noise test requirements. If your vehicle fails any noise test and you are excluded from further participation MSV will have no liability to you and you will not receive any refund or credit in relation to the test day.

3. Age Restrictions

  1. All drivers taking part in general testing must be 16 years of age or above, (except where a championship allows for under 16’s to compete, although these sessions will run separately, and are run at the discretion of the circuit and as such participants must call before completing a booking).
  2. For Semi Exclusive and Open Pit Lane testing,  age restrictions vary according to the type of activity.  All drivers under the age of 18 must check age restrictions with the circuit before booking the activity.
  3. All drivers who are 17 years of age or younger must have their registration form counter-signed by their  parent or legal guardian.

4. Safety

  1. All drivers must wear helmets and safety clothing which comply with Motorsport UK technical/safety regulations, and all vehicles must comply with Motorsport UK technical/safety regulations.
  2. An FIA approved FHR device (HANS), fitted in accordance with K.10.4, of the Motorsport UK Year book 2016 is mandatory for drivers and instructors on all test days. Exceptions are Period Defined Vehicles as described in Section B.
  3. All persons at the MSV venue must comply with all safety rules imposed by MSV.

5. Paddock

  1. If you do not have a garage booked on the day you are attending, please do not park in front of them, as this restricts access to those who have them booked. A returnable deposit of £50.00 sterling is required for garage keys
  2. You should be aware of other teams, participants, contractors, pedestrians and staff in the paddock, garages and pit lane at all times. You are responsible for your own safety and that of other users of these areas who may be affected by your activities. 
  3. It is your responsibility to risk assess your activities and take the appropriate action to remove or minimise any hazards.
  4. If you are reversing HGVs or other vehicles with restricted viewing then please have a banksman to help you reverse, and ensure that they are wearing hi-vis clothing.
  5. Please do not leave any cables or hoses across walkways unless appropriately covered with cable matting.

6. Use of the Pit Lane

  1. Re-fuelling and the storage of petrol (or other fuels) is not permitted in the pit lane.
  2. No more than one 25 litre metal fuel container can be stored in each garage (whether full or empty). Legally this equates to the maximum 50 litres of fuel inside any two joined garages.
  3. Empty containers must not be stored inside the garages either.
  4. The pit lane is strictly one way.
  5. Vehicle access to pit lane via collecting area, anyone reported for driving recklessly or dangerously at the venue will be escorted from the venue immediately.
  6. No naked flames (smoking, welding etc) in the pit lane.
  7. Unless participating, no persons under the age of 16 are allowed in the garages, pitlane or pit wall.
  8. Service vehicles are not allowed in the pit lane.
  9. For all circuits except Donington Park, when leaving the pits drivers must keep to the right hand side of the track until they have negotiated the first corner, this is most important. Please note, at Donington Park the pit lane joins from the left.

7. On Track

  1. If the circuit has to be closed to recover a stranded vehicle, red lights will be shown at the startline, and at the end of the pitlane. RED FLAGS will be shown around the circuit, you must complete the lap slowly and return to the pits, but be prepared to stop during their slowing down lap. If sessions are implemented, to signal the end of a session, the chequered flag will be displayed at the startline. Please return straight to the pits. If you choose to ignore the Red Flags in order to complete another lap or two, you will be excluded from any further testing.
  2. Flag signals will be shown at some but not all flag points around the circuit throughout the day.
  3. In the event of mechanical failure, you must attempt to leave your car in a safe place and you should then wait behind the barrier for recovery. Team personnel must obtain permission from Race Control before going out on to the circuit. If a car stops due to your negligence (e.g. running out of petrol) your car will not be recovered until the end of the session.
  4. Overtaking under Red Flags will result in instant exclusion from further testing.
  5. MSV may remove any person who is acting in such a way as to cause nuisance, damage, disturbance, annoyance or inconvenience to MSV, its representatives or agents or the surrounding community (including without limitation by using horns or generating excessive tyre squeal).

8. Cancellations and Refunds

  1. No refund will be provided if your vehicle fails any noise test, has any mechanical issues or if you are excluded from the test day for breach of any of these conditions.
  2. If you wish to cancel before your testing day you must a.) make the request in writing by email to [email protected] and b.) the notice must be provided at least 14 days before your testing day. Where notice is correctly provided a full refund will be given. If less than 14 days but more than 72 hours’ notice is given then, MSV will provide you with a credit on your MSV account, such credit to be used only by you and within 6 months of your original testing day. There will be no refunds or credits for cancellations made less than 72 hours before the testing day.
  3. If MSV have to cancel your testing day due to a Force Majeure Event then a credit (to the value of your original testing session) will be allocated to your MSV account. For the purposes of this clause 8.3 a Force Majeure Event means any act, event, omission or accident beyond the reasonable control of MSV including without limitation pandemic, epidemic, outbreak, disease, quarantine, public order disturbance, flood, storm, adverse weather condition, natural event, fire, strike, lock-out or other industrial dispute even if not beyond the reasonable control of MSV,  nuclear accident, act of God, war, terrorist activity, riot, civil commotion, malicious damage, act of government, compliance with any change to law, statutory guidance, non-statutory guidance, rule, regulation and/or direction, accident, breakdown of plant or machinery, non-performance by suppliers or subcontractors and interruption or failure of utility or service.

Schedule Track Limits

Since 2014, you are permitted to drive on the track asphalt up to and including the white line, and on the full extent of any kerbs (marked red/white). However you are not permitted to put a wheel beyond the white lines or kerbs.

A driver will be judged to have left the track if any part of the tyre goes beyond either the outer edge of any kerb or the white line where there is no kerb.

All car test and trackdays at MSV circuits are run in accordance with these regulations. If anyone does not comply, the following actions will be taken by the circuit:

1st infringement

Black/white driving standards flag warning

2nd infringement

Black flag, report to control tower, final warning without penalty

3rd infringement

Black flag 20 minute track time exclusion

4th infringement

20 minute track time exclusion

 

Track limit infringements will be cumulatively recorded across the whole day and not ‘reset’ at the start of each session. Infringements accumulate per car, not individual drivers.

Infringements will be fairly policed through a combination of run-off sensors (which capture CCTV images of sensor triggers) and track marshal observations.

In the interest of practicality and expediency, decisions by MSV circuit staff will be final and there will be no right of appeal against any penalty or right to review evidence. Aggressive behaviour towards track staff will not be tolerated and may result in both driver and car being excluded from the day.

Furthermore, if track limits regulations are abused, especially in a repeated and/or deliberate manner, then MSV reserves the right to exclude both the car and driver individually and MSV will make no refund or compensation.

Track limits must be policed for a number of reasons:

  • Circuits have an obligation to maintain the safety of any surface that can legitimately be used.
  • Many competitors do not want to be pressured into driving beyond kerbs and risking damaging their cars on rutted earth and mud in order to try and set a fractionally better time.
  • Continual use of grass and earth beyond kerbs can be hazardous because earth, mud and stone debris may be dragged back onto the asphalt and caused damage to cars.