KARTING AUSTRALIA BREAKS NEW GROUND FOR OFFICIALS

Experienced and emerging Karting Australia Officials from across the country converged on Adelaide for the inaugural Karting Australia Officials Masterclass and Workshop last weekend.

Across the two-day conference, attendees gained valuable insights from a line-up of facilitators, comprising some of the most credentialed and highly regarded motorsport officials in Australia, who are also respected internationally.

Leading this unique and exciting training experience were former FIA Formula One Race Director Michael Masi, 2015 FIA Best Track Marshal Belinda Taylor, Karting Australia and Motorsport Australia Director Samantha Reid, and highly credentialed FIA and Motorsport Australia Officials Matt Selley (F1 and F2 Steward), Steve Lisk (Supercars Steward), and James Taylor (Supercars and international Race Director).

While there was a dedicated segment focusing on the rule changes for 2024, much of the conference emphasised improving the characteristics of officials across the country. The sessions delved into leadership, mentoring, team building, understanding and excelling in key roles, conflict avoidance and management, and fostering collaboration for better outcomes.

Former FIA Formula One Race Director Michael Masi was amongst the line up of facilitators.

“As a sport, we are only as good as our officials. We need to provide them with the best resources to continually develop in all aspects of their roles. This inaugural conference raised the bar on how we can help our officials across the country improve their skills,” said Karting Australia Chief Executive Officer Kelvin O’Reilly.

“To have facilitators of the highest level in not only Australian motorsport but world motorsport share their knowledge with our emerging and experienced Karting Australia Officials is invaluable.

“The positivity from all attendees was incredibly high, resulting in a unanimous commitment to further share the lessons learned over the weekend to continually develop themselves, the sport, and events across the country.”

At the end of the conference, it was announced that the ‘OUR Pathway’ program, introduced in 2023 would continue at National Level events in 2024 but with a heightened focus on mentoring and supporting officials while on-the-job. Additionally, all State Associations committed to implementing similar opportunities at a State Level for local officials – all aimed at building a stronger sport for the future.