| B S S O |
| British Scooter Sport Organisation |
| BSSO Officers President - Norrie Kerr Chairman - Geoff Mason Secretary - Sylvia Caldecutt |
| BSSO Introduction The BSSO is a Non-Territorial Club within the Auto Cycle Union (ACU). The ACU is the body appointed to run two-wheeled motorized sport in the UK. Under the ACU, the BSSO looks after the scooter sport side of the business. The BSSO currently runs classes for almost any scooter produced. The classes start from 50cc and run up to 650cc. These cover both Solo and Sidecar classes. The race meetings take place at different venues throughout the season. Riders as young as 11 years can enter events and ride in the National Championships. Older riders are also encouraged, however certain regulations cover both young and older riders. Membership in the BSSO costs £10. Once you have joined the BSSO, you can then apply for an ACU race license. In 2002, the price for an ACU license is £27. This then allows you to race your scooter. A Spot of BSSO History Every type of machine, car, truck, or motorcycle, has a competitive side. The motorscooter has also been up there with the others in the sporting league. Scooters have been in competition throughout the world since their creation. There are events for both Off-Road Scootacross events and High Speed Racing events at many of the UK's best known race circuits. Scooter sport in the UK started from very innocent Reliability Trials held by the Lambretta and Vespa Clubs back in the early '60s. The obvious desire was to race, but at the time racing was still a step or two away. Sponsors such a BP with their Zoom, and Shell with their Platformate, dragged their feet. They wanted to impress the public with demonstrations which stood their products in good stead. The swell of opinion within the scooter club movement at the time, though, was in favor of out-and-out racing, instead of the monotonous reliability trials. Although lots of fun, these had served their purpose. Scooterists were ready to move on. In the early '70s scooter racing at last arrived. They had many classes, according to the scooters and capacities of the time. Throughout the decade, scooter racing evolved into a serious sport and produced many fine young sportsmen and ladies. Ann Weir, Bev Flannagan, and June Stirrup were top of the crop for the gals, whilst Nev Frost, Ron Moss, Doug May, Colin Hart, Trev Sharp, and Pete Chapman were the leading lights in the boys zone. The sport continued to develop and many fine riders came to scooter racing: Geoff Stephens, Malc Anderson, Peter Merchant, Dave Webster, Terry, Ian Frankland, and Norrie Kerr. In the '60s the Federation of British Scooter Clubs (FBSC) were in control of the scooter sport scene, and along with their committees of experienced riders they shaped the rules and regulations that would stand for some considerable time. In the '90s the National Scooter Sport Association (NSSA) evolved to take the sport further forward, and in time the two organisations came together to form the now present British Scooter Sport Organisation (BSSO). |
| BSSO Classes The UK has many times the number of scooters that the US does, packed into a fraction of the space. Thus, many more classes can be offered, while still maintaining a sufficient number of scooters in each class to make a race of it. There are groups for Solo - Classics, Specials, and Automatics. There are also groups for Classic and Special Sidecars. This last group can include both Manual and Automatic machines. The BSSO runs events for all capacities and groups of scooters. In January, 2002 the lower limit of every class was removed, giving riders the opportunity to race a smaller machine in the larger classes. With that selection of classes any rider who wishes to race a scooter can do so. Following is a listing of the groups, with examples of each. These examples are given as general guidelines as to which machine fits into which group. The first criteria on which grouping is based is type: Classic, Automatic, Sidecar, or Special, etc. After that is engine displacement, or what the British refer to as capacity. This is measured in cubic centimeters (cc) or the equivalent in milliliters (ml). When a manufacturer makes the same machine in several capacities, ie, Runner 50, Runner 125, and Runner 180, each of these machines are classified as per the capacity. This is the sort of list that becomes outdated almost as soon as it's published, as there are likely to be new models introduced as soon as yesterday. It's not intended to be a complete list, but a guide instead. The classes, however, are accurate for the 2002 season. |
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| Getting Started in BSSO
If you wish to race in the UK, you should visit the BSSO web site: www.scooterracing.org.uk . There you will find all the information you need. Your first step is to join BSSO, next you must apply for and obtain a license from the ACU. BSSO will send you information and a Race Pack. The race pack includes entry forms for meetings, and details of times and criteria to be met for each meeting. Entry fees are around £70 per day. This includes practices and at least two races. There are also weekend events at some venues where you get a better price if you enter both days racing. |
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| rules for submissions | copyright ©2002 Chris Densmore. All Rights Reserved. | e.s.t. |