We live in complex times.  Blame and compensation cultures persist and scapegoats are hunted to the limit.  Most who aren't happy with any given situation these days (no matter how self-inflicted) seem to want to apportion fault to someone else and to aggressively exercise the many rights given to them by the state, which in turn wishes to protect its own rear quarters by being seen to 'do the right thing' for the public who pay their salaries.  This means that squeaky wheels get the grease while the passive pay the bill.  Hence the proliferation of no-win-no-fee 'ambulance-chasing' cases in this vicious circle we inhabit. 

To witness an example of the way in which modern government often operates, visit: The Telegraph 

Perhaps these symptoms are by-products of an over-crowded island with increasing stress levels and lowered tolerance, however 'responsibility' has become a very one-sided word, negotiation a forgotten art and co-operation an extinct skill.  It seems to be the aggressor that will likely win .... and motorsport has traditionally been the capitulating, subservient and compliant willow .... until now.

In our particular scenario, it can easily be a small number of individuals that employ the power of local authorities (at minimal cost) or law firms seeking to exploit badly constructed legislation that can and will ruin the small businesses that are race circuits and practice grounds and thereby remove or severely restrict facilities that serve the catchment areas of millions of ordinary people wishing to pursue their legitimate pastimes.

A Social Disease?

This is not a particularly new phenomenon we are experiencing here.  The more the ramblers persecute the mountain bikers and seek to exterminate the horse-riders and use the power of local authority controlled legislation to close green lanes and have bridleways downgraded to footpaths .... the more the wheels and hooves will congregate in ever-decreasing circles .... and we know how much the resultant erosion is frowned upon by those who extol the virtues of the countryside!  Noise over-sensitivity is a form of erosion caused by facilities not being sufficient to meet demand, the unnecessary encroachment of one person's will upon another and a lack of organisation, particularly from government through planning regimes. 

It is ironic that the planning processes (all the way up to public enquiry level) that could proactively prevent encroachment clashes, in fact precipitate noise-related problems, but are then insufficiently robust to withstand being swept aside by the application of statutory nuisance law.

These scenarios are downward spirals that do not serve the fabric of society as a whole at all well.  And let's be clear:

MOTORSPORT IS AN EASY TARGET!

This is a sad and counter-productive situation as everyone who sees motorsport as the enemy in the insular environment of their own back yard probably benefits from the internal combustion engine and it is reasonable to say that motorsport leads the way with developments that significantly benefit society and the environment (and excellent that it should seek to do so) as they are subsequently fed into production vehicles shortly thereafter.

Progress
Those who criticise occasional noise (similar to that which they themselves are creating, if at a different 'density') also demand the benefits of alternative green fuels research, greater fossil fuel efficiencies, lower emissions, catalyst development, hybrid and electric vehicles, regenerative braking, kinetic energy recovery systems, improved performance at reducing real-life costs and much safer vehicles in which to go about their business.  We who understand and appreciate motorsport would argue that you can't have one without the other and that really, everyone should be damn grateful that we have moved on from the penny-farthing, the man with the red flag and the boneshaker and that a bucket of fuel can propel you and your family with luggage fifty miles down the road in this the 21st century.
If noise is the single greatest threat to motorsport's existence, then perhaps the time is right to end the tradition of unswerving compliance and for motorsport to get just a little bit assertive at least and to establish its rightful and hard-earned social position?  Perhaps the substantial benefits accruing from this sector should be used as a negotiating tool to obtain a moratorium on further noise restrictions?  
Why should the perceived drawback of a little unavoidable noise (already at its lowest ever engineered and negotiated levels in motorsport) be so vilified when there are so many wider benefits accruing?  Why does motorsport negotiate away its ever-decreasing noise allowances when those benefiting technically from it seek only to further restrict, to take away and to prevent without offering alternative solutions or themselves forfeiting anything? 
And all of these technical contributions to transportation come before we consider the wider benefits of such community activities and sporting endeavours.  Those of us within motorsport — the fans, mechanics, sponsors, helpers, competitors, mechanics, medics and marshals understand the character building qualities and all-consuming demands of such activities.  This is not the modern realm of 'instant gratification', this is the wholesome application of endeavour from enduring the elements, to risking injury and worse, to sacrificing life's luxuries to burning the midnight oil in the pursuit of self-improvement.  The advantages to society of sports, hobbies and pastimes of this ilk that may be undertaken for leisure, self-fulfilment, skills development and competition purposes are well known even if they are impossible to quantify.  All competitive activity should be encouraged, not suppressed.
Are we simply to forget what the attitudes of Bleriot, the Wright Brothers, Fangio, Campbell and Johnson taught us?  They all used the internal combustion engine.  Are we proud of what Mansell, Hill, Fogarty, Sheene, Lampkin, McRae Stewart, Hunt, Hamilton, Surtees and Button achieved for the nation?  Do we wish to continue to hear 'God Save The Queen' played at podium awards ceremonies around the world a disproportionate number of times for a small island or shall we roll the Union Jack up and store it in the loft?

The Economic Contribution

With the core of Formula One racing based in the UK and the engineering standing of many other competition disciplines so well respected throughout the world, it is clear that Great Britain's economy is served well by motorsport.

“ The UK motorsport industry contributes over £5 billion per annum to the UK economy, 50 per cent of which is accounted for by exports.The industry also supports around 40,000 jobs, including 25,000 skilled engineers.” (UK Trade and Investment)*.

* Click Here For the full report

Much as football stadia can act as a focal point for the sporting and tourism economy of towns and cities, the contribution of circuits and tracks to the rural economy is surely significant.  In Silverstone circuit's recent development plans, South Northamptonshire Council acknowledge, in their own document, how the integration of a race circuit in a rural setting contributes to the aspirations of the Government's latest Planning Policy Statements (PPSs) and the strategy document "A Better Quality of Life, a Strategy for Sustainable Development in the UK", which seeks:

• Maintenance of high and stable levels of economic growth and employment.
• Social progress which recognises the needs of everyone.
• The need for planning authorities to have regard to the importance of encouraging industrial, commercial and retail development ...
• To recognise that it remains open to planning authorities to propose policies in development plans aimed at channelling particular types of business development into particular locations ...
• That planning authorities should recognise that tourism and leisure activities are vital to many economies.

View the report here

The above information may seem to have drifted slightly from the topic of how motorsport fits with societal needs, however employment and enjoyment are surely two of the main pillars of our social fabric and nothing delivers that combination better than all forms of motorsport.