Friday, July 31 2020

MSV can today (31/7) confirm that, following further consultation with the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), we will be unable to permit spectators at any BTCC or Bennetts BSB events during August. This means we cannot allow ticket or season pass holders to attend any of the following events:

BTCC at Donington Park - 1/2 August
BSB at Donington Park - 7-9 August
BTCC at Brands Hatch - 8/9 August
BSB at Snetterton - 21-23 August
BTCC at Oulton Park - 22/23 August

MSV has followed the government's guidance at every stage in our event planning. Regrettably, in our most recent consultation with DCMS, their interpretation of the definition of Elite Sport has widened to include BTCC and BSB, as the leading national championships in the UK. This position coincides with the government's decision to postpone any further test events with spectators at Elite Sport fixtures. Unfortunately this classification means that these events must now follow the government's Elite Sport pathway, with spectators presently unable to attend.

In line with the wording of Elite Sport guidance, we have not considered these events to be Elite Sport, with the guidance focussed towards sports such as Premier League football and Rugby League, which tends to attract huge crowds, mostly in stadiums, and typically rely on public transport. By contrast, circuit venues are by their very nature wide-open spaces like parks, with ample room to enable social distancing across dozens of spectator viewing areas. To be clear, the decision not to allow spectators at BTCC and BSB events has nothing to do with MSV's comprehensive Covid-Secure procedures for keeping our customers and staff safe.

We hope that we will be able to welcome spectators back to these events soon, and will maintain a dialogue with DCMS and our local authorities to pursue that agenda, always with public health as a priority. We will provide further updates on BSB and BTCC events beyond August in due course.

We understand that this news will be hugely disappointing and difficult to understand, and we are so sorry for the inconvenience this will cause. We were really looking forward to welcoming fans to these events and have worked extremely hard to provide a totally safe environment, liaising closely with local partners, so this development is very frustrating for the entire team at MSV.

We politely ask that customers do not contact us regarding their tickets - we intend to email all affected purchasers by email today with further details, including how to claim a full refund. Season Pass holders will be contacted in the next few weeks with details on how we intend to manage their bookings.