The Australian Auto Sport Alliance (AASA) has affirmed its commitment to sanctioning a wide variety of motorsport activities in a COVID-safe environment, with the organisation continuing to work with promoters and organisers to sanction existing and new events across Australia.
According to AASA Business Development Manager Stephen Whyte, the AASA has identified many types of events that have been able to continue even in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“While the border closures have made it difficult to conduct national-level events due to the impracticalities of interstate travel, what we’ve found is that the club-level motorsport sector has been able to keep operating very strongly,” Mr Whyte said.
“Those entry-level events have been sustaining the motorsport industry, so we’ve been working closely with clubs and organisations within that sector to ensure they have been able to continue running events – it’s given us a solid base to work from heading into 2021.
“We’re still sanctioning events in every state, something we’ve been able to do through our decision to diversify into different disciplines such as speedway, drifting and off-road.”
During the quietest period of the pandemic, the AASA also brought forward plans for an upgraded online user interface, something Mr Whyte said has been popular with customers.
“It was always in our plan to refine our electronic and online platforms so customers would be able to access and update their information or purchase products online,” Mr Whyte said.
“When we went through a quieter period during the Australia-wide phase of the lockdown earlier this year, we were able to accelerate that project and dedicate our resources into refining our online portal. The feedback so far has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Mr Whyte said the support from the Benalla Auto Club Group’s senior management has been integral in ensuring the AASA could continue delivering customers with the level of service they have come to expect.
“When COVID-19 struck, the BAC Group CEO Chris Lewis-Williams and BAC committee gave us an assurance we would be able to keep our dedicated team of staff intact – that gave us the stability and the confidence to strive towards our future objectives.
“We were one of the first organisations to offer licence extensions for our customers; people have been renewing their licences, which shows they are keen to continue participating in motorsport events.
“The was AASA created to provide the motorsport community with freedom of choice in the market. Yes, 2020 has been a challenging year but it’s been a year where we’ve been able to put in the groundwork and processes to build towards a much stronger 2021,” Mr Whyte concluded.
