Cramlington & District Motor Club is 2010 JLT MSA Club of the Year

Cramlington & District Motor Club is 2010 JLT MSA Club of the Year

Posted: January 4, 2011 6:45 PM

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) is pleased to announce that Cramlington & District Motor Club has been named the 2010 JLT MSA Club of the Year.

The JLT MSA Club of the Year award is designed to recognise excellence among the MSA’s 750 registered Clubs. Those that enter are judged in areas such as marketing and promotion, initiatives to attract and retain volunteer officials and young members, and projects that improve road safety or benefit local communities.

The Awards Panel – comprising Nicky Moffitt, Mike Sones and John Arnold, and chaired by MSA Head of External Affairs Allan Dean-Lewis – selected Cramlington DMC as the winner following its nomination by the Association of North East and Cumbria Car Clubs.

Cramlington DMC was praised for growing its membership base by surpassing the objectives of its original five-year plan, which commenced in 2006. In 2010 the club has become more involved with its local Regional Association, has supported other clubs’ events to help build experience and confidence, and has raised over £5000 for Help for Heroes. The club was adjudged to be an excellent example of a structured approach producing tangible results and benefits.

Representatives of Cramlington DMC will be presented with £1000 and a JLT Rose Bowl Trophy at the MSA Night of Champions ceremony at the Royal Automobile Club later this month.

Sevenoaks & District Motor Club was awarded second place in the 2010 competition and will receive £500 and an MSA Silver Flag trophy.

This year the club organised Motorsport at the Palace, the first motor sport event to be held at the historic Crystal Palace venue for over 10 years. The event attracted more than 5000 spectators and, with the civic support of the London Borough of Bromley, a three-year sponsorship agreement was secured.

Sevenoaks DMC actively supports local charities, two of which received in excess of £3000 from the Crystal Palace event alone. The club also runs a programme to bring young people into the sport by offering free Autotest entries and presenting a Junior award at events.

Bournemouth & District Car Club was awarded third place and will receive £250 and an MSA Bronze Flag award. The club was formed in 1984 with a membership of over 140, and won the Best Sealed Surface Stage Rally and Central Southern Club of the Year accolades at the Regional Association Awards in 2009.

In 2010 the Club has raised its profile and that of the sport in general by increasing its focus on community activities and raising more than £3000 for local charities in the process. The Club has also run events of various disciplines including Sprint, Autotest and Autocross, and has supported other event organisers by attending Rallye Sunseeker and the Castle Combe Rally Day. The clubs’ website, www.bdcc.org.uk, was also commended.

Two further Clubs were Highly Commended by the judges and will receive commemorative certificates: Trent Valley Kart Club regularly hosts major UK kart championships at the PF International circuit, its base near Newark. In 2010 PFI hosted the CIK-FIA European KF3 Western Region Qualifications, the first time for almost two decades that the UK has hosted such an event. Wigton Motor Club, overall winner in 2005, now boasts a membership of nearly 600 and organises Speed, AutoSolo, Autotest and historic rally events, in addition to the Cumbria Classic Car Show, which attracted a crowd of more than 4000 this year.

Past winners:
2009: Chelmsford Motor Club
2008: Rathfriland Motor Club
2007: Aberdeen & DMC
2006: Cumbria Kart Racing Club
2005: Wigton MC
2004: Jersey MC & LCC
2003: Dukeries MC
2002: Scottish Rootes EC
2001: Magherafelt & DMC
2000: North Devon MC
1998: Woolbridge MC
1997: Torbay MC
1996: Port Talbot MC
1995 & ’99: Ilkley & DMC
1994: Aberdeen & DMC
1993: Knutsford & DMC