The Northern Centre is just one of the 21 “Centres” that divides the whole of Wales, Scotland, England and the Isle of Man into self-governing areas in which to organise motorcycle sport.
The county of Cumbria is the Northern Centre which is bordered by the Scottish ACU, North Eastern, Yorkshire and North Western Centres.
The Centre has a management body comprising a Secretary, Chairman, Vice Chairman, President, Treasurer, Permit Secretary, Rights of Way Officer, Motocross Recorder, Trials Recorder and Benevolent Fund Officer. Some roles are held by the same person.
The Centre meets on the last Tuesday of each month except December, when the management body convenes together with representatives of each club within the Centre, where business is discussed and event dates are arranged.
Meetings are normally held at the Villa Hotel, Levens near Kendal or by Zoom at other times.
The Auto Cycle Union (ACU) is the governing body of motorcycle sport in the UK and is affiliated to the world governing body of bike sport, the FIM.
Meetings by the committees of the various disciplines are held at regular intervals through the year and representatives of each committee generally attend all national events and also international events where there is the presence of a British rider.
The ACU is formally recognised by the Government as the main body representing bike sport in the UK.
THE NORTHERN CENTRE RULES
Northern Centre Rules Last updated November 2022
Centre Board (CB)
(2012) The CB will meet on the last Tuesday of the month, excepting December when there will be no meeting.
Remembrance Sunday
(2012) No event may be run in the Centre on this day; it is the day of the Annual General Meeting.
Attendance at Centre Board Meetings (CBMs)
(2012) All clubs must be represented at CBMs excepting any club that only holds one event in any one year. They will only be required to have representation at the CBM prior to and the one immediately after their event. After 2 consecutive non-representations at CBMs the offending club will receive written notification from the Centre Secretary advising that failure to attend the next CBM will result in an immediate withdrawal of permits. A copy of the notification will be sent at the same time to the Permit Secretary who will not issue permits for events dated after the next CBM. After that meeting they may be issued only with the permission of the CB. In the case of paying gate events which have already been advertised and regs sent out the CB reserves the right to impose a financial penalty if it is considered impossible to cancel the event. The CB reserves the right to impose a financial penalty in any case if it is considered necessary, either instead of or in addition to any other penalty.
(The above regarding withdrawal of permits does not apply to motocross clubs as they obtain permits directly from the office at Rugby)
Centre Rider Levy
(November 2022) The levy will be reduced to £0.00 per entrant in all disciplines and on all events, adult or youth and whatever the status and will be reviewed in 12 months time.
Fines
(28/11/97) Any fine imposed upon a person or club is to be paid within 28 days of notification in writing of such a penalty. Failure to comply with the said time will cause the fine to be doubled. The CB reserves the right to take any action it may deem appropriate if the fine still remains unpaid 56 days after the original notification
Permits and Returns (insurance)
(2012) All permits must be applied for at least 4 weeks in advance of the event and paid for. From January 2023 all permits will be issued by Rugby and must be applied for directly to the ACU office using the website. No refunds will be given if the event is cancelled. Trials permit £20. Motocross permits £25 (when issued by the centre.) All returns to be paid within 14 days of the event as per ACU directive.
Handbook
(2021) All clubs must show their annual subscription rates if there is a Centre Handbook. At least one contact telephone number, postal address and email address is also required. For 2022 onwards, the Handbook was discontinued due to cost and a pocket sized dates calendar issued.
Dates Changes
(27/6/95) Alterations to dates of events may be made outside of a CBM in exceptional circumstances and only by a quorum consisting of the Chairman, Centre Secretary and either President or Vice President. Only one such application per year may be made by any club.
Centre Stewards
(2022) Centre stewards must be appointed for all national trials held in the Centre, at a CBM at which they are present. If nobody is present or people are unavailable, only then can it be approved with consent in writing from the nominated steward. (This rule does not apply to motocross clubs as they obtain permits directly from the office at Rugby and so the stewards are appointed from Rugby)
Inter Centre/Team Events
Selection Committees
(2012) The selection committee will comprise of the team manager, the centre recorder and one other member to be appointed by the CB. The team manager will be responsible for organising the team as efficiently as possible including travelling.
Expenses (inter centre/team events)
(28/5/02) Managers/Riders representing the Centre in inter centre events are to be paid the approved sum of expenses by individual cheque.
Inter Centre Events Expenses (rates) Trials
(2012) Expenses to inter centre events for riders and managers will be mileage related and calculated from the rider’s home unless the rider lives outside of the centre and then the mileage will be calculated from Kendal Town Hall. Riders will receive the same rate /mile as is paid by the ACU to the national stewards. An allowance of a maximum of £70 per night bed and breakfast will be paid upon the presentation of a receipt.
(In special circumstances a quorum of officials will be formed to discuss travel arrangements and expenses. Special circumstances will be in a situation where extra expenses are incurred such as ferry travel or extra hotel accommodation due to the location of the event. This quorum will be made up of at least three of the following: President, Vice President, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Treasurer or Secretary and will discuss a budget prepared by the team manager.)
Inter Centre Team Events Expenses (rates) Motocross
(2012) Each competitor in the team event shall receive a lump sum towards expenses.
This sum shall be: If the event is held north of Birmingham £40
If the event is held south of Birmingham £60
Centre Officials
Expenses
(2016) With prior approval of the Centre anyone travelling to Rugby to get a national certificate (licence) will receive £70 from the Centre towards expenses.
Board Appointed Officials at Centre Events
(1/11/90) All centre officials are to be paid by the organising club on the day of the event, preferably when the official signs on before commencing duties.
(2012) Stewards, noise meter operators and any other officials appointed by the Centre are to be paid £25 per day of the meeting.
Centre Trophies
(25/10/83) The centre will provide replicas only for the winners of the principle awards in each discipline.
Inter Centre Events Date Clashes
(2012) A clash will be considered to occur when a centre championship event is to be held on the same date as an inter centre event wherever the venue of the latter, provided that a centre team has been entered for that event. The event will not carry centre status. This only applies to adult and centre events.
MOTOCROSS
Chase Trophy
(26/1/82) Open to all comers, no residential qualification. Relevant to all classes including youth.
(2012) Only dates printed in the handbook will count for championships. Alterations to championship events may be allowed at the discretion of the CB.
(31/8/82) No club may run a centre championship round on the same date as a British open round.
(31/1/95) The Chase Trophy to be awarded for points gained in each of 3 ‘A’ races giving 15 races in all. All races count.
Results
Results should be displayed within 30 minutes of the race. The actual points accrued in the races at the meeting by the riders will be carried forward for the overall championship results.
If a tie occurs the following procedure will be used: In favour of the rider gaining the greater number of highest placings.
(28/5/02) All points in motocross are:
1st-45 2nd-42 3rd-40 4th-38 5th-36 6th-35
7th-34 8th-33 9th-32 10th-31 11th-30 12th-29
13th-28 14th-27 15th-26 16th-25 17th-24 18th-23
19th-22 20th-21 21st-20 22nd-19 23rd-18 24th-17
25th-16 26th-15 27th-14 28th-13 29th-12 30th-11
31st-10 32nd-9 33rd-8 34th-7 35th-6 36th-5
37th-4 38th-3 39th-2 40th-1
To be classed as a finisher a rider must finish within 5 minutes of the winner crossing the finish line and complete 50% of the race distance of the winner, rounded up to the highest number of laps. He must also take the chequered flag.
(2012) All races in adult centre championship motocross events to 20 minutes plus 1 lap but will be allowed to be altered due to unforeseen circumstances on the day .
(29/8/95) Any club not forwarding results of any motocross event to the Recorder within 7 days of the said event will be fined £25, payable within 7 days.
The Wakefield Award
(2012) ‘The Harold Wakefield Trophy’ will be awarded to the adult centre champion. The winner will also receive a replica trophy.
TRIALS
Section lay out
(2012) Sections shall be laid out with flags of the following colours:
COURSE FLAG LEFT FLAG RIGHT
Easy Course Blue White
Hard Course Yellow Red
Rutherford Trial
(26/3/74) The Rutherford Trial is to be organised on a rota basis (alphabetical) by those clubs in the centre which run centre championship status events.
(30/8/83) No club may promote a trial within the centre on the same date as the Rutherford Trial.
(22/11/95) The club organising the Rutherford Trial should utilise one of their existing dates.
Centre Championship Trials
(30/11/93) No club may run more than 3 centre championship trials in any one year, with the exception of the club running the Rutherford Trial, which may be counted as a 4th. (Each club may nominate up to 3 restricted centre trials they wish to count for the centre championships when submitting dates for the forthcoming year).
(31/1/95) British championship trials will not constitute a clash wherever held.
(2012) Any trial, youth or adult, with points towards centre championship must have at least 25 sections with each section being observed by a competent person to count towards points. If no observer is present at a section then a group of 3 riders will be able to observe each other.
(2012) Number of schoolboy centre rounds to be 2 rounds per club.
(November 2018) There will be 3 “veteran’s” championships held in the centre.
They shall be: over 40s, over 50s and over 60s and will be all scored on the easy course.
Centre Championship Scoring
(2022) Points awarded will be 10, 8, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. To be eligible for championship points, a rider must be RESIDENT in the Northern Centre.
Novice/Intermediate Definitions
(26/1/93) A novice rider is a rider who has never won a novice award or finished within the first 10% of the starters in an open to centre or higher status trial. Novice award will be given if a rider is within 50% of the last of the best 20% of starters. The centre novice champion and other rider who is the winner of a novice series over the year will be upgraded at the end of the year.
An intermediate rider who has never won a premier award or finished within the first 20% of the starters in an open to centre or higher status trial. If an intermediate finishes 3 times within the second best 10% of starters the he will be upgraded at the end of the year. The centre intermediate champion will be automatically upgraded.
Guest Riders
(28/5/02) Riders, who do not meet the above conditions, may be permitted to ride at the discretion of the secretary of the day.
Protection of land already used by other affiliated club(s)
(2012) No centre affiliated club or their representative may approach a landowner with the intent of asking permission to use their land for an event if it is known that it is a venue used by another affiliated club(s) without an approach being made in writing to the club(s) already with the venue
Charity Events
(2012) Each affiliated club in the centre is allowed to organise one charity event in any one year where the Centre will waive both rider levy and the permit fee for that event. Charity events do not take precedent over the centre calendar.
Changes to Centre rules
(2012) All proposed alterations to centre rules to be considered at the AGM are to be made in writing to the Centre Secretary at least 28 days prior to the AGM so that it can be included in the agenda. All changes agreed at the AGM must be voted in at at the next CBM.
Voting at the AGM
(2022) Each club must nominate one representative to vote on behalf of that club at the AGM.
