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National Motorsport Week: From passion to proactive involvement

Wednesday 16 July 2025

Motorsport in the UK comes alive in July, with the British Grand Prix and Goodwood Festival of Speed, amongst other events in National Motorsport Week, welcoming more than 700,000 fans throughout the first part of July.  

Thanks to the rise of documentaries such as Drive to Survive and the F1 Academy, motorsport continues to remain a part of British psyche, with 39% of the population identifying motorsport fans, according to a recent YouGov survey1 commissioned by Motorsport UK, equivalent to 26.6 million people.  

These fans fuel Motorsport UK’s National Motorsport Week campaign, running from 10-20 July 2025, and so far in July there has been a substantial number of spectators enjoy the sport. From a record-breaking number of fans at the British Grand Prix (500K), followed by Goodwood Festival of Speed (200K), amongst a plethora of other events, more than 700,000 motorsport fans have flocked to events in the first part of July.  

However, of the 26.2 million people who see themselves as a motorsport fan, 58% of these, 15.4 million Brits, don’t know that they can actually take part themselves – and it’s easier than they might think. Behind the spotlight of much-loved events exists a thriving grassroots motorsport scene, with 70,000 active competitors and 10,000 volunteer marshals and officials keeping the sport alive, across over 600 car clubs around the UK.

 

Motorsport UK’s annual campaign, National Motorsport Week, offers even more opportunities for fans to get up close to the action in-person, in farmers’ fields or trackside across the UK, with the final weekend of National Motorsport Week offering the chance to catch over 120 crews test their skills at Northern Ireland’s Down Rally, while Hill Climb aficionados can enjoy the action from Shelsley Walsh’s summer-showdown; Classic Nostalgia. 

It’s not only fandom in motorsport that makes it appealing. Thousands of Brits across the UK show an active interest in getting involved in grassroots motorsport and it’s more accessible than ever.  

Grassroots motorsport is easily accessible across the UK, requiring only a standard road car and a free RS Clubman licence to take part. Disciplines such as Autotests (whizzing in and out of cones of local car parks), Trials (testing yourself up a grass hill in a challenging course) and navigational rallies (low speed events that test navigation) are available for newcomers today, and National Motorsport Week is breaking down the barriers to achieve that.  

For fans who want to test their mettle, Motorsport UK is offering a range of discounts to events and track-based action including a 15% discount at leading indoor karting provider TeamSport and 20% off all Motorsport UK starter packs. 

There are now even more opportunities for fans to get up off the sofa and enjoy a motorsport event at a venue near them across the UK. 

With opportunities aplenty to give it a go, the next Lewis Hamilton could be in waiting!