STEWARDING, DRIVING STANDARDS & DRIVER CONDUCT

Following the weekend's racing, I feel the need to clear a few things up regarding Stewarding decisions, driving standards and how drivers should deal with something they are unhappy about.

There were several incidents over the weekend which caused plenty of discussion in the pits and, inevitably, on social media afterwards.

We are never going to have a situation where everybody agrees with every decision made by the Steward or Race Director. That is motorsport and we accept that.

What we cannot have is disagreements turning into arguments around the pits, team members confronting other drivers or their teams, or days of accusations and arguments on social media.

There is a proper way to question a decision. It is already in the Rulebook and we need drivers to start using it.

IF YOU DISAGREE WITH A DECISION

The Rulebook is quite clear.

The right to protest belongs solely to the driver concerned or, if they are under 18, their parent/guardian. A mechanic, team member, family member or supporter cannot register a protest on their behalf.

If you don't understand a decision or think we have got something wrong, come and speak to us.

There is absolutely nothing wrong with a driver coming to the Steward or Race Director and asking why a decision has been made.

We will try to explain it.

If you still believe the decision is wrong and want to take it further, then use the protest procedure. An SXF/21 protest must be submitted before the end of the meeting.

What we cannot do is deal with a complaint that was never made and then discover afterwards that everybody has apparently been discussing it except the people who could actually have done something about it.

We do not act on hearsay or gossip.

THE INCIDENTS FROM THE WEEKEND

There were four main on-track incidents which seem to have caused most of the discussion.

All four were seen by the Steward and Race Director and decisions were made at the time based on what we saw.

Two resulted in action being taken for driving we considered contrary to the rules. Two were judged at the time to be racing incidents and no further action was taken.

I want to address one of those decisions in particular because further information has since become available.

Both the meeting Steward and I saw the incident and, from our view at the time, we both considered it to be a racing incident. The marshal positioned at that end of the track only caught the latter part of what happened.

A video subsequently appeared online. There was plenty of discussion about it and, judging by the comments, opinion was fairly evenly divided.

I have since seen a sequence of photographs taken by one of the official photographers. Those photographs show different stages of the incident and give a much better view of what actually happened.

Having seen them, I accept that I got that decision wrong.

Had I had the same view in Race Control that those photographs provide, my decision would have been different.

I have no problem admitting that.

I also appreciate that admitting it afterwards is of little comfort to the driver involved.

Stewards and Race Directors make decisions based on what they see at the time. We have one pair of eyes, one viewpoint and a track full of Stoxkarts to watch. Even the Rulebook recognises that the Race Director cannot be looking at every part of the track at the same time.

We will get decisions wrong occasionally.

When we do, and subsequent information clearly shows that we got something wrong, I would much rather put my hand up and say so than try to defend a decision I no longer believe was correct.

THERE IS ANOTHER SIDE TO THIS

The driver involved in that particular incident did not come to the Steward or Race Director to question the decision and did not submit a protest before the end of the meeting.

A member of the driver's team did approach officials wanting us to watch a video.

That isn't the same thing.

Stoxkarts does not currently use video replay as part of normal race-day Stewarding. We make decisions primarily on what the Steward, Race Director and other officials see.

There may be occasions where we decide additional information would be useful and ask whether footage is available.

But somebody arriving at Race Control with a phone and expecting a decision to be reopened because they disagree with it is not the protest procedure.

If you , as a driver think we have got something wrong, come and talk to us.

If you want it formally reconsidered, put in a protest.

The rules give you that opportunity until the end of the meeting. Once the meeting has finished, that opportunity has passed.

DRIVING STANDARDS – EVERYONE NEEDS TO TAKE NOTICE OF THIS

There is something else coming out of this weekend that I want to make very clear.

We will be tightening up on driving standards from the next meeting.

Stoxkarts is a contact formula. Always has been and we have absolutely no intention of changing that. The bumper is there to be used. Contact is part of Stoxkarts. Hard racing is part of Stoxkarts.

But there is a big difference between hard contact racing and over-the-top aggressive driving.

The Rulebook already says that follow-ins, over-aggressive driving, reckless driving and driving considered dangerous to others will not be permitted.

We expect drivers to start showing more respect for the other competitors on the track.

Everybody has paid to be there. Everybody has spent time and money preparing their Stoxkart and everybody wants to take it home in one piece where possible.

If your idea of racing is smashing somebody as hard as you can just because you can, trying to prove how tough you are, or driving like you're in a banger race, there are other formulas where that type of driving is part of the game. Go and race in one of them.

We will not accept it in Stoxkarts.

Don't misunderstand that.

We are not saying don't use the bumper. We are saying use your head as well.

Race hard. Go for the gap. Use the bumper to make a legitimate pass. That's what Stoxkarts racing is. But deliberately following somebody into the fence, stupidly over-the-top hits and driving with no regard for the other person are not.

This is notice to everybody now.

Over-the-top aggressive driving will not be accepted and where we believe the line has been crossed, we will take action.

Nobody should then be surprised when it happens.

TEAM MEMBERS, FAMILY & SUPPORTERS

This also needs saying.

Drivers are responsible for the behaviour of their mechanics and team members at a race meeting.

We understand emotions run high. We understand somebody may be angry because their Stoxkart has been damaged or because they believe another driver has done something wrong.

That still doesn't give anybody the right to go marching over to another driver's transporter looking for an argument.

Going to another driver's transporter, calling people names, abusing a driver or their team, threatening them or deliberately trying to provoke a confrontation is not acceptable.

If you believe another driver has done something wrong on track, come and tell us.

Don't go and sort it out yourself.

Likewise, don't spend the rest of the meeting going around the pits trying to get everybody else wound up about it.

And putting it all over social media afterwards doesn't change a Stewarding decision either.

There is a procedure available to you. Use it.

GOING FORWARD

We want Stoxkarts to remain what it was always intended to be — competitive, affordable, enjoyable contact racing.

We don't want to stop hard racing and we don't want drivers frightened to use the bumper.

But we do expect respect.

Respect for the driver you are racing against. Respect for their machinery. Respect for officials. And respect between teams when everybody gets back into the pits.

We will also continue to make decisions to the best of our ability. We won't get every single one right, and this weekend has demonstrated that. When we get one wrong, we will acknowledge it.

In return, when you believe we have got something wrong, come and speak to us and use the procedure available to you.

Don't rely on somebody else to do it for you. Don't try to settle it at another driver's transporter. Don't spend the meeting spreading it around the pits.

Race hard, use the bumper, but use your head and show some respect.

That's what we expect from Stoxkarts drivers. Ian Higgins Stoxkarts Limited.