ATTENTION NEWCOMERS

I have attached a few pointers for the newcomers to the RAFMSA on how to start and get the best from racing within the RAF. All of these are from my own experience.

The best money any Road Racer can spend in a season is on their MSA membership and joining the Sports Lottery; this entitles you to many bonuses, all of which are related to cash. First of all your MSA membership entitles you to apply for an ACU license as it is a non-territorial club. Once you have applied for your license you need to decide which club/class you want to race in and then inform me of the intended race dates (A Performa is attached, the best way to send it is by e-mail). It does not matter if you do not do them all. Once I have your race dates I apply to make the dates an official meeting that you can claim travel for. Although a travel authority is issued, the final say on your claim remains with the Station. Some Stations will give you the mileage (approx 24p a mile + extra for a trailer/caravan/official passenger) some will give you an MT van + fuel and some might give you a restricted choice.

To make your races official as possible, so that you can be classed as on duty (the guidelines here are not clear) you need to inform as many people as possible. The best way to do this is to send correspondence to the gym (your travel is probably coming out of their budget), the Station Adjutant for an entry in SRO’s (as they are signed by the CO, the Station is officially aware), your boss (especially if you are looking for time off to travel), MT if you are hoping for transport and me for your travel authority. At the end of the year send me a copy of your season’s results and experiences and I will give you a cheque in return (Sports Lottery members only), which should more than cover your initial MSA and Sports Lottery membership. I also nominate several people for a share of several other funds at the end of the year, obviously if I do not receive a report from you, your name will definitely not be put forward. I cannot emphasise enough the importance of “promoting yourself” throughout the season and especially at the end. A lot of people spend a large amount of time throughout the year securing these funds for your discipline, and its there for you to claim.

Alternative methods of funds

SIF Fund

For Cpls and below submit a bid into the SIF fund, speak to the Secretary first (normally the Stn Adjt) about preferred protocol and submit a typed bid stating what and where you are racing with a breakdown of anticipated costs. The more effort you put into this the better chance you have of getting something back. I have had some very successful bids throughout the past years when I was eligible. Break your costs down for the year into consumables and assets. Race entries, tyres, fuel, oils, dyno time, brake pads etc are all consumable, you can then break the assets into sub categories eg clothing, bike and equipment, engine tuning etc. Try to give it a professional appearance with the figures clearly understandable. The committee tends to give a percentage of your total applicable costs, as they do not like subsidising you totally. This is not normally a problem for Road Racers due to our huge personnel outlay. Make numerous copies of your bid so that when you present it to the committee everyone can see the info in front of them.

Station Gym

Hopefully the station will have a Motorsports rep, who you will just have to approach, give them the details they ask for and wait for the money. Be careful though because although I have come across some really good ones, I have also found some Motor Sport representatives who are only interested in their own discipline and claim “The Stations Sports Funds Motor Sport Contribution” goes totally to them and their fellow racers.

During a tour at Cottesmore (Pre-Harrier days) there was not a “Motor Sports Club” and the gym would not issue any of its funds to individuals. To make an appropriate bid the three racers on camp, (I was racing Supersport 400, another was Vintage MC and the 3rd was a moto crosser) formed a motorsport club and submitted a bid in the next 6 monthly meeting. We were given £210 between the 3 of us, which was not bad for a few hours work for a Jnr Tech in the mid 90’s. Speak to the gym as they are there to help.

Other on-station sources

Use your imagination and do not be afraid to ask. I put a bid into the Sqn bar and received a surprising sum on the understanding that I had to provide them of a picture of my bike racing with the bar name on it. Once you have prepared your initial bid it’s very easy to tweak it for similar ones.

Large bids

You can also submit a bid (through me) to the MSA/Sports Lottery for larger sums, but a more detailed bid is required. This is normally if you have had a terrible season or more often if you are intending on moving up a class or two. In the 1990’s I won my club championship with a string of good results. After sending off my end of season report I was presented with one of the MSA trophies. That winter I used my previous seasons results in a bid towards the purchase of a Supersports 400 (competitive class in those days). The MSA/Sports Lottery granted me with a 4-figure sum to go towards the purchase of a competitive machine. The only criteria was that I had to be a Sports Lottery member. Something every racer should be.

I hope this helps, but the main thing to remember is the more effort you put into your bids, the more money you get back.

S WOODWARD

Flt Lt