All motorcycle competition in Australia is conducted according to the General Competition Rules (GCRs), which are contained in the Manual of Motorcycle Sport.
The Philosophy and Structure of the General Competition Rules:
No set of Rules can anticipate every issue which may arise in the conduct of a sport, especially one with as wide a variety of disciplines and competing interests as exist in motorcycling. The philosophy of these Rules is that good sense, cooperation and a fair and reasonable interpretation of reasonable Rules should be more important than “Rule Book Racing”.
In Rule Book Racing, if a situation arises, the answer is to be found by looking up the book, not by the exercise of independent judgement. If there’s no answer in the book, a new rule has to be devised to “plug the hole”. Rule Book Racing assumes that Controlling Bodies have little or no interest in working effectively with competitors, with each other, or with Promoters to benefit the sport and those who participate in it. It also assumes that officials have no common sense or understanding of the sport. None of these ideas is true or fair.
These rules confer on the Controlling Bodies and their representatives and officials discretion in the application and interpretation of the Rules. It is intended that discretion will be exercised, as stated in the very first rule in this book to ensure that competition is safe, free and fair.
Officials are expected to exercise judgment wisely and fairly, on the understanding that if they do not, their decisions, other than those made in the heat of competition, will be subject to review through protest and appeal. They will be trained and encouraged to take responsibility for their actions and to work in a way that supports the underlying philosophy of the Rules.
Our rules should reflect the way that the sport is conducted. MA and the State Controlling Bodies (SCBs) have been careful to ensure that there is a process in place to ensure that every participant has the opportunity to have their say in the way these rules are written.
We actively seek constructive criticism of these Rules and encourage participants to work through their representatives to ensure their relevance