As many in off road are now aware, there has been a move by five clubs within the Australian off road racing community to change from the current sanctioning body to a new self-managed entity.
The move is not just a move to The Australian Auto Sport Alliance (AASA); it is a move to self-management of the off road racing discipline. The newly formed Australian Off Road Management Group (AORMG) took the decision to form AORMG after very careful consideration of many factors. Ultimately, the clubs felt there was little choice other than to make the move and they are very confident it is the right one.
AORMG is not only for the clubs involved with the ARB Australian Off Road Racing Series; any club in Australia is welcome to switch to AORMG and the AASA. The AASA will sanction and insure the events while AORMG will manage the sport.
The initial members of AORMG are acting in a caretaker capacity to facilitate the transition. AORMG state that it is not the job of the caretaker group to make changes to the sport and that their aim, as much as possible, is to keep things the same as what stakeholders are used to.
The caretaker group aim to have a democratically elected group within 12 months. The exact format of this will depend on how many clubs in off road racing transition to AORMG. A good representation of all stakeholders is paramount to the group, therefore, it is envisaged that representatives from a broad spectrum of competitors, competition classes, officials, event management and the various series will have direct lines of communication to AORMG.
The caretaker management group have announced today that Chris Western has accepted the position of Chairperson. “To be a part of a new group of people to steer off road racing in a direction that the majority of competitors want, is very cool. The transition across to AASA should be smooth, although I realise that there are a lot of questions and concerns from racers and our team will keep everyone updated regularly to try and keep speculation to a minimum. I am very excited about my new role and to give all racers a chance to be heard, will only increase the fun factor in off road racing” said an excited Chris Western today.
There are two representatives from each of the founding clubs on AORMG. The Sea Lake Off Road Club is not officially part of the group at this stage, as yet, they have not had a club meeting to vote on the transition; however they are closely involved in the process. The clubs have also decided to enlist the help of some experienced off road racing personnel to assist with the transition.
The members of the caretaker management group will be:
Chris Western – Chairperson
Joe Bulmer – Goondiwindi Motorsport Association
Jamie Knight – Goondiwindi Motorsport Association
Matthew Ryan – Griffith Off Road Club
Andy Ryan – Griffith Off Road Club
Jason Hannig – Sunraysia Motorsport Club
Kaoline Philp – Sunraysia Motorsport Club
Daniel Lamb – Millicent Sand Buggy Club
Shane Heemskerk – Millicent Sand Buggy Club
James Lochert – Waikerie Riverland Off Road Association
Lindsay Foster – Waikerie Riverland Off Road Association
Alison McClelland (pending) – Sea Lake Off Road Club
Cameron McClelland (pending) – Sea Lake Off Road Club
Gavin Mickle – Technical Advisor
Ivan Albins – Technical Advisor
Matthew Owen – Sporting Advisor
Ivan Robertson – Sporting Advisor
David Schultz (non voting position) – Public Officer
Murray Rogers (non voting position) – Sporting Rule Advisor
A short biography on each member of the AORMG will be available on their soon to be released web presence.
AORMG’s vision is to enable the off road racing discipline to work together to grow and develop offroad racing motorsport into the future by implementing democratic processes where ideas can be brought forward, investigated and consulted on. New ideas will not be instigated without proper consultation amongst stakeholders.
It is up to each club to decide if they want to make the change to AORMG and AASA. It is understood that each club has their own circumstances to consider and can decide what is right for their members before making a decision
The philosophy behind AORMG is “to grow the future for off road racing in Australia through building an inclusive and democratic structure that all stakeholders have ownership of, by displaying honesty, openness and respect for the off road racing community.“
AASA have been insuring motorsport events in Australia for 14 years. AORMG carried out due diligence on the AASA insurance policy by engaging a Sports Lawyer to review and assess the policy, which was found it to be very robust. Following the investigation AASA are making a few amendments to their policy and once this is complete, the report by Sports Lawyer will be available.
For any questions please use the following contacts:
To contact the Australian Off Road Management Group with any other questions email: australianoffroadmanagement@gmail.com
For information regarding AASA, check out their website: www.aasa.com.au or email info@aasa.com.au AASA Phone: (03) 5721 7800.
