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H
aving been involved in
motorsport for more
than 40 years, for almost
14 of which he has served as
BRSCC Chairman, Cottrell knows
the industry far better than most,
including what goes on behind
the scenes.
A fountain of motorsport knowl-
edge, it is surprising to learn
that he was never a racing driver
himself. “I’ve been in the sport
since 1973, but I never drove,” he
explains. “I started as a marshal,
but it’s always been a passion for
me. This has been something that
has completely consumed my life
and a few years ago I left Haymar-
ket, after running the Autosport
International show, to be full-time
with the BRSCC.” Even a recent
battle with leukaemia has failed to
dampen his passion for the sport,
and in his own words Cottrell, who
is also International Race Director
for the MSA/FIA, is now “back in
the stirrups and going forward”.
The BRSCC has a rich history in
the sport and since its formation
in 1946 has grown to become a
major force in British motor racing.
With over 50 race meetings and
25 championships now under the
BRSCC umbrella, the Club plays
a leading role in the British motor
racing scene, organising both club
race meetings and FIA sanctioned
international events.
JUST HOW DIFFICULT IS IT TO BE AT THE HELM
OF ONE OF THE MOST INFLUENTIAL CLUBS IN
BRITISH MOTOR RACING?
MSD
SPOKE TO BERNARD
COTTRELL, CHAIRMAN OF THE BRITISH RACING &
SPORTS CAR CLUB (BRSCC), TO FIND OUT.
However, as a non-profit organi-
sation it is not always plain sailing
for the BRSCC, with the likes of
the British Automobile Racing
Club (BARC) and Jonathan Palm-
er’s MotorSport Vision (MSV) also
in the mix. While the relationship
between the BRSCC and the BARC
“used to be a cartel”, Cottrell
says he now sees it as “healthy
competition”. After all, the two
are “probably united against the
Palmer steamroller”, he adds.
This united front led, in Novem-
ber 2014, to talks between the
BRSCC and the BARC about a
potential merger, but why didn’t
anything come of this? Cottrell
tells MSD he “felt there was noth-
ing that the BARC would bring
to the table that we don’t already
have”. “If someone calls us and
says that they are interested in us
running the series, we don’t turn
them away, but at the same time
we won’t go actively looking for it,
or chase people’s business.
“BARC are the same as us – we
won’t jump on other people’s toes
and we don’t need to. We run the
World Endurance Championship,
we run the GT Open, and it shows
we are doing good things.”
With making a profit not among
the BRSCC’s priorities, finances
can be an issue. Cottrell tell MSD
the Club made a loss of £80,000 in
2014, but considering the outgo-
ings that have to be paid to make
the races happen, it is easy to
see why balancing the books is a
tricky task.
R I C H H I S T O R Y ,
E X C I T I N G F U T U R E