MAKING MOTOR SPORT AND MOBILITY MORE ACCESSIBLE TO ALL: DISCOVER THE LAST 11 OUT OF 23 PROJECTS SUBMITTED FOR THE FIA PRESIDENT’S EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION AWARD

Among the 23 projects received, 11 focused on advancing social responsibility objectives through good practices, community engagement initiatives, as well as programmes aimed at facilitating participation in motor sport of people with disabilities and improving their mobility:

• MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA — Racing Together
• AUTOMÓVIL CLUB DE COSTA RICA — Sueños Sobre Ruedas (Dreams on Wheels)
• AUTOCLUB OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC — Relief to Ukrainian Children Through Motor Sport and Mobility Initiatives
• AUTOMÓVIL CLUB DE EL SALVADOR — Pilotos por la Vida (Drivers for Life)
• REAL FEDERACIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE AUTOMOVILISMO (Spain) — ParaBaja Step by Step
• DEUTSCHER MOTOR SPORT BUND (Germany) — United in Dreams
• AUTOMOBILE CLUB D’ITALIA — The New Inclusive Podium
• AUTOMOBILE CLUB DIN MOLDOVA — Equal Road Rights
• EASTERN ALLIANCE FOR SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT (United Kingdom) — Travel Confident: Creating an Inclusive Public Transport Environment
• THE AUTOMOBILE AND TOURING CLUB OF FINLAND – AUTOLIITTO — Disabled Parking Space Application / Governmental Co-operation
• AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA — AASA Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Programmes & Initiatives

The winner of the FIA President’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Award will be announced during the Annual General Assembly on Friday 9 December.  

Click here to read about the other 12 projects submitted by FIA Member Clubs for the EDI category.

More detail on these projects is below:

• MOTORSPORT AUSTRALIA — Racing Together

Motorsport Australia’s Racing Together project is about building a team of indigenous youths, training them on motor racing, and teaching them the career and life skills that are needed to get jobs in the motor sport or automobile industry. The initial team, made of six boys and four girls, was taught how to build and race a car, and they also had the opportunity to learn about social responsibility, road safety, first aid, media engagement, and health and fitness. Initially developed in Brisbane, Racing Together was expanded to North Queensland in October 2022. It has opened the sport to the indigenous population of Australia who previously saw it as not financially nor socially accessible. Before Racing Together, there had been no example of indigenous involvement in the Australian motor sport industry as a whole. Warmly welcomed by the motor sport community, the initiative is supported by a range of external stakeholders including the Queensland Government, VIVA Energy as well as smaller sponsors. Thanks to the training and mentoring received, three members of the initial team have already achieved full time jobs in the industry.

• AUTOMÓVIL CLUB DE COSTA RICA — Sueños Sobre Ruedas (Dreams on Wheels)

The Automóvil Club de Costa Rica (ACCR) partnered with the Costa Rican Children’s Museum to launch an exhibition called Sueños Sobre Ruedas (Dreams on Wheels), inspired by the FIA’s Girls on Track programme. ACCR designed a 100-square-meter dedicated space where visitors can learn, through narrative and testimonial videos, how women have ventured into the automotive industry and motor sport. Games have also been incorporated in the exhibition: visitors are invited to design race strategies, carry out vehicle inspections in a full-scale kart and drive on a simulator. Inaugurated in July 2022, the exhibition will continue until December 2024 and ACCR’s ambition is to obtain a permanent place for the Girls on Track programme in the Children’s Museum, welcoming more than 300,000 visitors every year.

• AUTOCLUB OF THE CZECH REPUBLIC — Relief to Ukrainian Children Through Motor Sport and Mobility Initiatives

On 13 April 2022, the AutoClub of the Czech Republic (ACCR) organised an afternoon party at its clubhouse for more than 120 Ukrainian children and their relatives, in cooperation with the Czech-Ukrainian Society of Open Support. Providing a peaceful environment in which the children could simply enjoy being together, the afternoon was filled with songs and games with magical fairy-tale characters. The event also featured a BESIP (Traffic Safety) education stand where children could get safety reflective items. Great emphasis was put on orientation in new surroundings, and road traffic rules were taught in the form of games. The sport exhibits included a go-kart and a formula car, an introduction to Esports disciplines, and a presentation of the Karting and racer buggy academies. Since then, ACCR has been organising this kind of events on a regular basis to support Ukrainian children in their daily lives and help them return to a normal environment in their new country.

• AUTOMÓVIL CLUB DE EL SALVADOR — Pilotos por la Vida (Drivers for Life)

Pilotos por la Vida (Drivers for Life) was launched by the Automóvil Club de El Salvador (ACES) as a way to contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Based on the open participation of Salvadoran motor sport drivers and riders, all proceeds from the programme are going to the Liga Contra el Cáncer. Created 50 years ago, this organisation supports Salvadoran women, men and families who have been affected by cancer and do not have the financial resources to get appropriate treatment. In ACES’ programme, the Salvadoran motor sport drivers and riders serve as role models and ambassadors to encourage the general population to donate in support of the early detection and treatment of cancer in El Salvador. With the backing of different organisations, ACES plans to pursue Pilotos por la Vida until 2030 with an extended scope in the entire FIA Region IV and an event every year in October.

• REAL FEDERACIÓN ESPAÑOLA DE AUTOMOVILISMO (Spain) — ParaBaja Step by Step

Created in 2014 with the impulse of the Step by Step Foundation and the support of the Real Federación Española de Automovilismo (RFEDA), ParaBaja Step by Step is the first motor sport initiative open to people with disabilities in Spain, in which a person with a disability teams up with a person without disability, both of them being able to serve as pilot or co-pilot indistinctly. For seven years, it has been held within the FIA Baja España Aragón Teruel international test, and in 2022, it was extended to two more tests in the Spanish All-Terrain Championship (Zuera and Cuenca). ParaBaja began as a non-competitive category, giving people with disabilities and spinal cord injuries the opportunity to complete part of the race route but with a normal car and without a timer. Supported by famous drivers such as Albert Llovera who acts as ParaBaja ambassador, the project aims to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities in a sports environment, where they can increase their personal autonomy and seek to surpass themselves. Another important aspect of the initiative is that participants can experience with absolute normality what it means to be part of an official competition, together with professional drivers. Since its inception, the project has gathered 65 drivers and co-drivers, 40 relatives and 20 volunteers. The ambition is to hold it in more events and in other disciplines in the future.

• DEUTSCHER MOTOR SPORT BUND (Germany) — United in Dreams

United in Dreams is an inclusive programme developed by the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund (DMSB) which enables children and young people with and without disabilities to participate in e-Karting slalom competitions. E-karts are equipped with the “Space Drive” driving and steering system developed by Schaeffler Paravan GmbH, an inclusive and innovative motor sport technology which offers children with physical disabilities the opportunity to compete with children without disabilities. In 2022, 66 participants took part in 5 successful sightseeing races and the season Final at the Lausitzring gathered 17 participants including 7 wheelchair drivers. The programme received a very warm welcome from the motor sport community, and the participation and media coverage exceeded the targets. GT3 stars such as Raffaele Marciello, Daniel Juncadella, Ricardo Feller or Markus Winkelhock as well as the juniors of the Porsche Carrera Cup took a seat in the inclusion kart to do a test lap. United in Dreams has the ambition to enable children and young people with and without disabilities to participate in the popular and widespread entry-level discipline of Karting Slalom in Germany, in Europe and worldwide.

• AUTOMOBILE CLUB D’ITALIA — The New Inclusive Podium

Taking the public to the podium and the podium to the public: this is the principle underlying the new podium built by the Automobile Club d’Italia (ACI) in Vallelunga’s paddock area. This innovative barrier-free podium enables drivers with disabilities to go on stage easily and safely, and fully enjoy the award-giving ceremony. Overlooking the paddock, the podium also features safe and large areas where the public can enjoy the podium ceremony as well as shows, DJ parties, and official presentations. In this entirely new setting, the winners will reach the podium area through the Victory Avenue, a path painted with the Italian flag colours. The cheering supporters will also be filmed and the videos will be accessible on any personal device with an enhanced format. Thanks to a live webcam, the audience will also be able to watch the drivers in the pre-podium room.

• AUTOMOBILE CLUB DIN MOLDOVA — Equal Road Rights

The Disability and Mobility and Road Risk in Moldova Report, developed by the Automobile Club Din Moldova (ACM) and the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) with the support of the FIA Foundation, highlighted the issues faced by people with low mobility (and blindness in particular). The ACM survey revealed that seven out of ten people with limited mobility in Chisinau do not feel safe when walking around the city – particularly when crossing a street. The report also highlighted real case studies of people with disabilities, including visual impairment, who encounter problems in getting to work and schools or have limited access to public services, medical care and social life because of the lack of adequate infrastructure elements. To tackle this issue, ACM launched Equal Road Rights to improve mobility for people with visual impairment or blindness. With their direct involvement, the three most dangerous intersections of Chisinau were identified and transformed with the installation of permanent infrastructure to improve safety (special sound systems with acoustic signals, tactile pavement, lower kerbs). Strong partnerships with local public authorities, responsible stakeholders and low mobility groups were established to support the project’s implementation. The new facilities now serve as a model to be replicated in other high-risk locations, and follow-up plans are currently being discussed with the Transport Department of Chisinau and Traffic Police.

• EASTERN ALLIANCE FOR SAFE AND SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT (United Kingdom) — Travel Confident: Creating an Inclusive Public Transport Environment

The Travel Confident project of the Eastern Alliance for Safe and Sustainable Transport (EASST) aims to make public transport more accessible and inclusive of the needs of people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries so that they can travel independently and with confidence. As part of the project, EASST has developed and piloted a training course on Disability Awareness for senior managers of public transport companies and experienced drivers. Developed in consultation with FIA Clubs partners the National Automobile Club of Azerbaijan (AMAK), the Belarusian Auto-Moto Touring Club (BKA) (work with BKA was suspended in February 2022), and the Automobile Club of Moldova (ACM), along with disability groups in each country and a Voluntary Advisory Committee of experts from across the United Kingdom and Europe, the course focuses on the needs and rights of passengers with disabilities and how to implement inclusion-based policies. A fundamental component of the course is the involvement of people with disabilities, who share their public transport experiences and provide input on the things that can be improved. The course builds on these experiences to offer practical guidance on how to better understand and support passengers with different types of disabilities, emphasising the importance of stakeholder consultations, as well as explaining how an inclusive public transport strategy can boost business. The course is available to all online, at no cost.

• THE AUTOMOBILE AND TOURING CLUB OF FINLAND – AUTOLIITTO — Disabled Parking Space Application / Governmental Co-operation

Disabled Parking Spaces (DPS) is a mobile application launched in 2019 by the Automobile and Touring Club of Finland (ATCF) – Autoliitto. Designed as a tool to help disabled drivers access parking spaces and use them efficiently, recent developments indicate that the App is on its way to become a national database reference for disabled parking spaces in Finland. The onboarding of the governmental authority of Senaatti-Kiinteistöt in 2021 was a breakthrough through which the DPS App was upgraded to feature all Government-owned properties throughout Finland, facilitating access of disabled drivers using the App to the public services located on these properties. This partnership made it possible for ATCF to obtain valuable data in an easy manner, the data collection being outsourced regionally to a company specialised in the field of accessibility. Additionally, to date 50 municipalities all over Finland have joined the project and the plan for ATCF is to onboard more of them in the future as well as private stakeholders.

• AUTOMOBILE ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH AFRICA — AASA Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Programmes & Initiatives

The Automobile Association of South Africa (AASA) wants to lead by example in relation to the inclusion of people previously marginalised by oppressive laws, a key objective for the country. To achieve greater equality and diversity within its corporate organisation, AASA embarked on several important programmes and initiatives that proved really successful. Between 2019 and 2022, AASA moved from a ‘BBBEE Level 3’ rating to a ‘BBBEE Level 1’ rating, the highest rating in the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment (BBBEE) system introduced by the South African government to fight exclusion. Among the actions undertaken, AASA increased the number of people from designated groups on its Board and Executive Management Committee. The percentage of Black women among the Board Members increased from 28.5% to 37.5%. In addition, the percentage of Black people among executive management increased from 33% to 60%. AASA also developed the Owner/Driver Program to increase participation of previously marginalised groups in the towing business. As part of the programme, AASA drivers were provided with existing vehicles through a generous interest-free repayment scheme, and they were supported in a range of aspects including business management, administrative support, working capital, and other services. Sixty drivers from around the country have been empowered to become business owners with the assistance of the AASA. Other actions included the development of learnership programmes, bursaries to increase EDI in the AA Technical Training College, and roll-out of four AA Auto Centres in two regions/provinces, all owned and managed by Black entrepreneurs.