Why 15?
The upper age limit of 15 years for joining is necessary for a number of important reasons.
1:
The Club’s aim is as explained on the home page and we are not equipped to cater for older teenagers who would just
like to obtain some early practice just prior to their 17th birthday.
That requirement is catered for by a number of ADIs (Approved Driving Instructors) and Driving Schools.
A search on Google using the words "under 17 driving" when last checked revealed a selection of
establishments who will provide off road opportunities for young people who have passed our upper age limit.
2:
A Member joining the Club aged around 13 or 14 can expect to take approximately two to three seasons
to advance from Ungraded
at entry to Grade 1 standard, assuming they attend a wide variety of venues on a regular basis. In that
time, they should have become familiar with the Club’s ethos, especially on safety and responsibility,
have become skilled and accomplished drivers and be equipped, when they reach 17, to face the hazards of
driving on our roads.
3:
Participation in many special driving events, which are occasionally subsidised, is based upon skill
and experience, not size or age. Therefore, Members usually need several years to attain a level at
which, for example, they would be permitted to drive a sports car or take a four-wheel drive vehicle
off road. Joining after the age of fifteen would simply not provide them with enough time to be able
to take advantage of the facilities the Club has to offer its Members.
4:
Because the Club is run entirely by unpaid, volunteer Associates, it needs a constant stream of
“new blood” to take the Club forward. This tends to be from the Associates of Members who have reached
Grades 1 or 2 and have a couple of years left in the Club i.e. are aged 14-15. If we admitted large
numbers of 16 year olds, they would only be in the Club for one season and there would then be no-one
to take over running the Club and in all likelihood it would rapidly cease to exist. This policy of
restricting the starting age has been one of the reasons for the Club’s continuing success since 1976.
Contact Us
For more information, please contact our Membership Secretary via email.
Alternatively, if you have a more general enquiry, please contact the Webmaster.