ARDS Instructor Licensing Criteria

INSTRUCTING AT RACING SCHOOLS

To instruct at an ARDS Member Racing School a driver must be in possession of a current ARDS Instructor Licence. These licences are issued by the MSA (the Motor Sports Association) on ARDS’ recommendation subject to the applicant meeting the required criteria.

Licence grades are determined by qualifications, training and experience, all of which must be clearly demonstrated and are subject to audit by ARDS and the MSA.

All drivers applying for an ARDS Instructor licence for the first time must:

apply for and read this ARDS Instructor Pack
complete the licence application form and send it to their sponsoring school together with a cheque for £185.00 made payable to ARDS
complete the specified training at an ARDS member school. (the instructor may be required to meet some or all of the costs of this training)
pass an assessment

All drivers renewing or upgrading their ARDS Instructor licence must:

undertake appropriate approved annual refresher training and re-assessment (the instructor may be required to meet some or all of the costs of this training)
complete the relicensing form and have it approved by their sponsoring school
hand a cheque for £95.00 (reduced to £85.00 if before 30 November each year) made payable to ARDS to their sponsor school when their licence is issued

INSTRUCTING ON TRACK DAYS

Instructors planning to work on Track Days may apply to be included on the Register of Approved Track Day Instructors. This Register covers events run at MSA licensed race tracks which are members of AMRCO (the Association of Motor Racing Circuit Owners) by ATDO (the Association of Track Day Organisers) members. Instructors qualifying for inclusion on the Register may apply to have their Instructor Licence credentials and personal accident insurance extended to this activity subject to:

as a prerequisite, holding a current ARDS Instructor Licence at Grade B or higher
initially attending, at their own cost, an approved ATDO training day and achieving a pass standard assessment to gain a probationary licence
subsequently collecting the necessary signatures to demonstrate satisfactory completion of supervised work experience
for annual renewal, demonstrating by auditable record that they have worked to a standard acceptable to ATDO and ARDS for at least 5 days in the past 12 months

undertaking appropriate approved annual refresher training and re-assessment at their own cost and achieving the required standard.

ISSUE OF FIRST ARDS INSTRUCTOR LICENCE

The first ARDS Instructor Licence issued to a driver wishing to instruct on track will be Probationary Grade C unless the ARDS Member School sponsoring the driver’s application recommends that due to exceptional racing and instructing experience a higher initial grade should be issued and ARDS, at its absolute discretion, in turn makes such a recommendation to the MSA.

Criteria for Instructor Licencing under the ARDS Scheme:

Grade S licence

To qualify a candidate must:

meet all the criteria for an ‘A’ grade licence and in addition
have the appropriate experience to oversee all aspects of the schools operation on an event day
be a recognised signatory, registered at the MSA, for competition licence application forms

Each ARDS member school is able to sponsor up to three S grade licences per school venue. The school may at its discretion pay all or part of the fee for these three licences on behalf of the instructor.

Additional S grade licences can be issued to qualifying instructors upon payment of the full current fee.

Grade A licence

To qualify a candidate must demonstrate to their sponsor ARDS school that they have undertaken regular instructing work to a standard which justifies an upgrade from Grade B. Their upgrade application must be made through a Member School and will be subject to audit and approval by ARDS. The minimum criteria are that the Instructor must:

have been licensed at Grade C or above to instruct under the ARDS scheme for a minimum of three years
have held a Grade B licence for a minimum of two years before applying for upgrading
currently hold, have held, or be qualified to hold an International C race licence
have attained an ARDS recognised First Aid qualification
have full knowledge and be capable of running the MSA Novice Driver Training Course (NDTC)
be fully conversant with MSA licencing procedures
have briefing and presentational skills and be able to carry out briefings to groups of drivers
have organisational skills to be able to manage and control a group of customers and instructors
to be able to instruct on circuit at all levels from novice experience to advanced race instruction

IF INSTRUCTING ON TRACK DAYS

be fully conversant with current regulations governing the operation of track days
be able to present the appropriate safety briefing
be able to instruct on circuit for all levels of track day driver
be listed on the Register of Approved Track Day Instructors

NOTE: This is the minimum grade of instructing licence for anyone taking the classroom session of the Novice Driver Training Course.

Grade B licence

To qualify a candidate must demonstrate to their sponsor ARDS school that they have undertaken regular instructing work to a standard which justifies an upgrade from Grade C. Their upgrade application must be made through a member School and will be subject to audit and approval by ARDS. The minimum criteria are that the Instructor must:

fulfil all the qualifications for and been licensed at Grade C to instruct under the ARDS scheme for a minimum of one full year
have a full working knowledge of the MSA Novice Driver Training Course and MSA licencing procedures and able to answer correctly all questions on current written papers
be capable of instructing in car at novice experience and intermediate level without direct supervision
have attained an ARDS recognised First Aid qualification
currently hold, have held or be qualified to hold a Race International C licence with at least 15 race signatures

IF INSTRUCTING ON TRACK DAYS

be fully conversant with current regulations governing the operation of track days
be able to instruct on circuit at novice experience and intermediate level of track day driver
be listed on the Register of Approved Track Day Instructors

NOTE: This is the minimum grade of instructing licence for anyone assessing Novice Driver Training Course candidates on circuit or instructing on a Track Day.

Grade C licence

To qualify a candidate must:

currently hold, have held or be qualified to hold a Race National A licence or above AND have at least ten race signatures from at least two different race tracks
be able to demonstrate the ability to instruct
have completed at least one year as a grade C and logged six signatures from an approved S Grade Instructor for the satisfactory completion of circuit instruction days worked at an ARDS Member School within 12 months of being issued a probationary Grade C licence.
have attained an ARDS recognised First Aid qualification
be fully conversant with the MSA Novice Driver Training Scheme and MSA licencing procedures and be able to answer correctly all questions on the current written papers
be able to instruct on track for novice experiences with day to day supervision

NOTE: This is the minimum grade of instructing licence for anyone providing high-speed tuition on a race circuit.

Grade C licence (probationary).

The first grade C licence issued to an instructor will always be probationary.

To qualify a candidate must:

currently hold, have held or be qualified to hold a Race National A licence or above AND have at least ten race signatures from at least two different race tracks
have attended an approved introductory training course for instructors at an ARDS Member School and passed the initial assessment
be able to demonstrate the ability to instruct
have attained an ARDS recognised First Aid qualification
be fully conversant with the MSA Novice Driver Training Scheme and MSA licencing procedures and be able to answer correctly all questions on the current written papers
be able to instruct on track for novice experiences with day to day supervision
demonstrate that they have all the skills and training required for a Grade D licence

“Restricted C” licence

To qualify a candidate must:

meet all the criteria for a Grade D and “Event” instructor and in addition
have an auditable history of on track instructing at their sponsor school’s circuit
be prepared to be independently assessed by a senior instructor from a Member School other than their sponsoring school

NOTE:

The “Restricted C” licence is restricted to use by the licence holder at their sponsor school’s circuit at a driving experience or corporate driving day level only. It is specifically not a permit for instructing candidates on the MSA NDTC or for any other type of race driver training.
This licence grade will be issued only at ARDS sole discretion and on the recommendation of a Member School to instructors who, whilst not possessing the necessary qualifications or experience to be issued with a full Grade C licence are by dint of their demonstrable experience and competence recognised to be suitable by their sponsoring school to work at their venue on designated activities.

Grade D licence

To qualify a candidate must:

have an ARDS recognised First Aid qualification
be able to strap drivers into cars in the correct, safe manner
be able to instruct drivers on the correct selection and wearing of helmets
be able to demonstrate vehicle controls to drivers
be capable of enforcing Pit Lane discipline and safety procedures and controlling spectators
be completely knowledgeable about the flags used for signalling and capable of instructing pupils in this area

NOTE:

The Grade D licence is for trackside use only and does not imply any competence nor confer any right to instruct in car or advise on driving technique

Coaching

Experienced, senior instructors may apply to be included in the Register of ARDS approved coaches. Registration is by election only, at ARDS absolute discretion and instructors must undergo evaluation by a panel of School Directors and Senior Instructors.

Race Coaches will be expected to demonstrate that they have special skills which will be of benefit to their clients. Examples of such skills include but are not confined to:

A very high degree of knowledge of specific race circuits
Expertise in particular car types e.g. front wheel drive, historics or single seaters
Expertise in particular types of race format e.g. endurance or shared driver
Expertise in specific technology e.g. data logging or car set up

To qualify a candidate must:

currently hold, have held, or be qualified to hold an International C race licence
be fully conversant with MSA licencing and upgrading procedures
be able to instruct on circuit at an advanced level, including advanced race driving techniques and race craft / tactics.
currently hold an ARDS Grade A or Grade S licence

and in relation to the categories to be coached:

be able to demonstrate substantial race and championship winning experience
be fully conversant with MSA sporting and technical regulations governing these categories
be able to offer sound relevant advice on car set up, race tactics and other relevant skills necessary to compete at a race winning standard.

There is no additional fee payable by the Instructor for this grade of licence.

“Event” licence

This licence grade is purchased and held by the Member School for issue on a day-work basis to instructors who meet the following criteria:

have an ARDS recognised First Aid qualification
are able to instruct drivers on track for ride and drive work i.e. at brisk road-going speed in road going cars with close on the day supervision
have received training and are sufficiently competent in their Chief Instructors opinion to instruct at that venue, for that event, on that date only having undergone suitable training and briefing.

NOTE:

The licence is issued in the individual's name but held by the School, for a specific activity at that specific venue or circuit.
The Member School may purchase any number of Event licences but any one individual named instructor may work at that Member School for a maximum of 3 days
The Member School may charge the Instructor a fee of £35.00 per day worked for the cover provided by this type of licence
The Member School is required to advise ARDS and the Insurer in advance of the names and dates when their “Event” licences are being deployed and to keep suitable auditable records.

The 'Event' licence does not imply any competence nor confer any right to instruct for any kind of race training including the MSA NDTC.

Celebrity Guest Instructor Licence

This licence grade is issued to and held by the Member School for issue on a day-work basis to distinguished guest instructors who meet the following criteria:

hold or have held an International C race licence
are distinguished by their motor sport achievement
are prepared to work on the day in conjunction with the Chief Instructor to safeguard the good name of the Member School and ARDS
do not seek to earn any significant living from professional instructing

NOTE:

The licence is held by the School, for a specific activity at that specific venue or circuit on a specific date.
The Member School will be issued with one Celebrity Guest Instructor licence but any one individual named guest instructor may work at that Member School for a maximum of 5 days.
The Member School is required to advise ARDS and the Insurer in advance of the names and dates when their Celebrity Guest Instructor licence is being deployed and to keep a suitable auditable record.

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