Ljubljana, Slovenia, 16 April 2012:
Last Week, The Motorsport Knowledge Institute (MKI), the training and education division of the ATCUAE, was invited by the FIA Institute to attend its latest Motor Sport Safety Development Fund workshop in Ljubljana, Slovenia, where its range of services was presented to potential partners in Eastern Europe.
The presentation from MKI Director Ronan Morgan was part of an event aimed at helping National Sporting Authorities (ASNs) from across the FIA Central European Zone (CEZ) to make the most of the opportunities available to them through the FIA Institute and the Fund. Championing these opportunities were representatives of the ASN in the Czech Republic, who have twice benefitted from grants for safety-related projects.
Radovan Novak, Secretary General of the Autoclub of the Czech Republic (ACCR) gave a presentation on the club’s positive engagement with the FIA Institute so far. In 2010, the ACCR received a grant from the Fund, which went towards providing practical extrication training for rally officials, an initiative that helped to both train new personnel and to improve competency levels of extrication workers.
In 2011, the ACCR applied for a grant for a young driver scheme, which helped to create a course focusing on safety and development for karting and autocross drivers aged 5 to 14 years. The course was so successful that the ASN received a further grant for 2012 to repeat and expand on the programme for young drivers across the country.
The workshop was also attended by ATCUAE President Mohammed Ben Sulayem and MKI Chairman Dr. Sean O’Connor, who were on hand to support the excellent work carried out by the FIA Institute. As Ben Sulayem said, “In recent years, the FIA Institute have been responsible for a dramatic improvement in safety standards around the world, both through the development of officials competencies and procedures, and through the redesign of vehicles and safety equipment. The MKI are proud to be one of their appointed Regional Training Providers and we’ll do all that we can to support them in their vision.”
Last year, similar outreach workshops across the world helped a record number of ASNs to get access to grants from the Fund. Four outreach workshops took place across Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Africa, and the Middle East, with each one offering practical support for preparation of grant applications. The MENA workshop, held following the Rally of Lebanon in September 2011, resulted in successful grant applications from Palestine, Iran, Algeria, Kuwait, and Sudan, all assisted by the ATCUAE.
Zrinko Gregurek, President of the FIA Central European Zone, said: “These workshops have been incredibly successful in helping to develop motor sport around the world and we are delighted to have hosted the event in this region. I know that this will lead to more safety-related projects across the region and this can only be good for the continued development of motor sport. “