Yesterday’s meeting of the ASN Forum highlighted the strong links forged between Clubs over the five years of its existence.

Opening the meeting, FIA President Jean Todt said: “I have had the privilege to attend all of the Regional Congresses in 2016 and each has been very successful in allowing ASNs to get to know each other better and in creating a more effective network. This contributes to the development of your organisations and makes all of us stronger together.

“We want your Clubs to develop and grow and as a result help us at the FIA to become stronger and more efficient,” he added. “We are halfway up the mountain. We have some way still to go but thanks to your strength and your leadership we will get there.”

FIA Vice President for Sport Graham Stoker meanwhile said that the success of the Forum was evidenced by the fact that yesterday’s meeting was the fifth of its kind. “During this time the FIA has, I feel, moved from being purely a regulator to being an international governing body that provides tangible service benefits to its members. I think that is borne out by the fact that the Senate yesterday approved 72 sport grants.”

The Forum then heard a report from Vice President Stoker on 2016 activity, focusing on the FIA Sport Conference in Turin and the six Regional Congresses, with the final edition to be staged next week in Slovakia. “Each has proved hugely successful in terms of networking, so I would urge you, if you know of an ASN that has not yet attended their local Congress or Sport Conference, get in touch and tell them to do so,” he said.

Frédérique Trouvé, Director of ASN Development Programmes at the FIA and Manager of the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission then reported on the second Women in Motorsport Seminar, which took place in Lisbon, Portugal in October. The result of the two days of meetings was a constructive eight-point roadmap for the next four years’ initiatives.

She also outlined the calendar of 2017 events, starting with the MENA Congress in March, followed by the Asia-Pacific Congress in Seoul, Korea, in April, FIA Sport Conference in Geneva, Switzerland in June and the Americas Congress in Toronto, Canada in late July. The fourth Congress of 2017 will take place in Africa in August. This will be followed by the NEZ Congress in Stockholm, Sweden in October and the final Congress, CEZ, to be held in Vienna, Austria in December.

Vice President Stoker then outlined a key section of the morning’s activity: the important of strategic planning for ASNs. At the 2016 NEZ Congress, a module was delivered covering the importance of strategic planning for ASNs, the findings of which included the need for ASNs to: consult widely among stakeholders; develop strategies for excellence; specify methods of measuring progress and widely communicate the strategy to ensure successful outcomes.

These, he said, help ASNs to set priorities, focus resources, define common goals and ultimately strengthen Clubs.

FIA Secretary General for Sport, Jean-Louis Valentin then took delegates through the FIA’s sport action plan for 2017, including further refinement of the FIA single-seater pyramid, circuit championships, karting, rallying, off-road, historic and hill climb.

Task Force President Papadopoulos finally presented an update on the ASN Development Global Training Programme, highlighting the latest edition of the ASN Manual, which “will now run to five chapters from the original two, and will be available in six languages”.