The Motorsport Development Board held its inaugural meeting on 12^th November in Northampton - the Board will provide leadership and direction (representing the interests of the industry and the sport) on a five-year programme to sustain and develop the UK motorsport cluster.

At its first meeting, the Board agreed to:

• Form a wider consultative group as a sounding board for cluster development activities
• Recruit a project manager to lead the implementation of the Motorsport Academy
• Work with the Campaign to Promote Engineering to develop the Learning Grid
• Produce a framework for supporting motorsport business development activities
• Prepare a business case for the review of tax treatment within motorsport
• Establish an industry-led steering group to promote energy efficient motorsport
• Form a task group for encouraging more volunteer officials
• Prepare a plan to provide and sustain the necessary facilities to encourage greater participation in the sport

The Board will meet every two months, with the next meeting scheduled to take place in Northampton on Thursday, 15^th January 2004.

The Board's remit is to implement the recommendations of the Motorsport Competitiveness Panel. Over the next five years, government funding support of 16 million will be provided to help implement the following:

• Creation of a Motorsport Academy to improve skills development and co-ordinate learning provision
• Supporting a Motorsport Learning Grid of educational activities in schools, Further and Higher Education
• Developing cross-sector Motorsport technology transfer and UK & international business development
• Establishing the development of Energy Efficient Motorsport in the UK
• Encouraging a greater number of volunteer officials to enter and stay involved in the sport
• Widening participation and improving social inclusion in the sport

The Board will also be responsible for putting forward industry's case for a review of the government's tax policy on the key tax issues affecting the competitiveness of the UK motorsport cluster.