FIA Volunteers and Officials Commissions
Key achievements
- 10 Golden Rules posters were published in multiple different languages and distributed to ASNs.
Marshal Safety
This year, the Volunteers and Officials Commission published a series of posters setting out the “10 Golden Rules” of Marshalling Safety. The posters were translated into multiple languages and distributed to ASNs for use at sporting events.
The Volunteers and Officials Commission liaised closely with the Safety Department and other associated Commissions to produce the content, and ensure its accuracy.
Appendix V Working Group
This year, the Commission set out its goals around harmonisation with Appendix V (the FIA International Sporting Code):
To keep the value of the ISC as the “governance” reference and Appendix V as the reference of “roles and responsibilities”
To standardise terminologies and references.
To harmonise texts and regulations in between ISC (Art. 11) and Appendix V.
To review Officials structures; denominations, roles and responsibilities.
To provide guidance to other related documents.
In order to ensure that these goals are achieved, the Commission also established an Appendix V working group, who have regularly met to discuss research and progress throughout 2023.
Volunteer appreciation
The FIA Volunteers and Officials Weekend was held on 22-24 September, and celebrated the role that Volunteers and Officials play in every level of motor sport competition. Those working at any FIA event that weekend were recognised through branded banners, merchandise and social media communications.
The Volunteers and Officials Commission President Abdulaziz Al Thawadi has also recognised the efforts of volunteers through regular meetings and attendance at events.
FIA Volunteers and Officials Awards
Now in their second year, the FIA Volunteers and Officials Awards are an opportunity to recognise the unique contribution of the FIA’s volunteers across its competitions.
FIA OUTSTANDING OFFICIAL OF THE YEAR
Sadiq Abdali Kalawadh
Bahrain Motor Federation Bahrain
Sadiq volunteers across multiple disciplines at all levels of the sport.
FIA LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Allan Dean-Lewis
Motorsport UK United Kingdom
Allan has 40+ years in the sport at all levels across multiple disciplines. He has been instrumental in shaping initial volunteer standards for the FIA.
FIA AWARD FOR A SENIOR OFFICIAL
Darius å Ileikis
Lithuanian Automobile Sport Federation, Lithuania
Darius is CRO, COC Assistant, Rally Director, Steward, Chief Of Track Safety, and Chief of the ASN Rally Commission.
FIA AWARD FOR A MARSHAL
George Chrobak
Motorsport Australia Australia
George is a Chief Flag Marshal, Trainer and Mentor to other Marshals having pioneered various training programs. He has 37 years of volunteering experience.
FIA AWARD FOR A SCRUTINEER
Pedro Miguel Garcã Garcã
Real Federación Española De Automovilismo, Spain
Pedro is a Karting Technical Delegate, Scrutineer and Trainer operating at all levels of Spanish Motorsport.
FIA AWARD FOR OTHER OFFICIAL
Ziad Jamous
Automobile et Touring Club du Liban, Lebanon
Ziad is Clerk of the Course in Rally and 4×4. He has over 37+ years of motor sport volunteering.
FIA AWARD FOR THE BEST TEAM OF OFFICIALS
Singapore Grand Prix Recovery Team
Motor Sports Singapore, Singapore
This 50-strong team are responsible for carrying out in-race recoveries using heavy machinery.
FIA Drivers’ Commission
Key takeaways
- Ronan Morgan, a successful former Rally co-driver, was appointed President of the Commission.
- The Commission added 829 new entries to the drivers’ categorisation database.
- The Commission begun planning for the next edition of the FIA Motorsport Games to be held in 2024.
Early in the year, Ronan Morgan, a successful former Rally co-driver, was appointed President of the Commission.
Under his leadership, the Commission started work on new projects including drivers’ training, EDI, and kids’ safeguarding alongside ongoing projects around standards, minimum driver age, drivers’ categorisation process for sports car racing, and the FIA Motorsport Games.
The Commission aims to represent all drivers across all FIA Disciplines. The Drivers’ Commission works closely with a range of other commissions in order to achieve this, including the Women in Motorsport Commission, which supports initiatives such as the WIM Rising Stars programme, and the Grand Prix Drivers’ Association. The Grand Prix Drivers’ Association has a permanent seat on the Drivers’ Commission, with at least one representative attending meetings in order to convey F1 Driver concerns.
Members of the Drivers’ Commission from other FIA bodies:
- Emanuele Pirro, Circuits Commission
- Karun Chandhok, Single-Seater Commission
- Ronan Morgan, Safety Commission
- Ellen Lohr, Women in Motorsport Commission
- Ronan Morgan, SASG (Serious Accident Study Group)
- Manuel Reuter and Andrew Howard, Drivers’ Categorisation Committee
FIA drivers’ categorisation system
Drivers’ categorisation is increasingly important within the FIA. A comprehensive weekly review is managed by the FIA in collaboration with representatives from the various championship promoters and organisers, including SRO Motorsports Group, Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO- France), International Motor Sports Association (IMSA – North America), and Japan Automobile Federation (JAF – Japan)
The weekly review provides an overall view across all championships. An annual revision is also carried out in September to ensure that categorisation criteria are accurately applied to all drivers in the database.
The current database on the new system has exactly 5,993 drivers (as of January 2024). This includes 829 entries added over the last calendar year.
The distribution across the four categories is:
4 %
Platinum
222
8 %
Gold
461
43 %
Silver
2556
46 %
Bronze
2754
FIA Motorsport Games
The next edition of the FIA Motorsport Games was announced this year. It will take place in Valencia, Spain at the end of October 2024 and will feature even more categories, from grassroots series to truck racing.
