The act of Parliament that suspends the RTA allowing closed road rallying in the borders (the Jim Clark rally) were effectively suspended during the FAI into the circumstances of an accident a few years ago.
The only other closed road rally in Scotland on Mull was not blocked by the FAI but following the Jim Clark accident the MSA intimated that the Mull Rally should take a year off.
The last 2 years alternative events under different rules (forest rally time trial and targa rally ) have been run because even though the FAI is now complete the results (which presents a cautionary tale for anyone involved in organizing any event with any element of perilous risk) combined with the new RTA suspension system in England and Wales it's now impossible to get insurance without finding a few million quid for a deposit.
It doesn't sound like a massively different situation.
Oh and everyone doing "closed road" sportives knows that the road traffic act is still active during them and they could still be done for a range of RTA offences don't they? No? Oh!
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Not True*
The Corbeau Seats rally ran on closed roads in the Clacton/Tendring Peninsula (by my motor club) to great success in April and being repeated again in April 2019 with full support of the MSA under the new guidance created as a result of the investigation to the Jim Clark tragedy and we have insurance we and the competitors can afford - although I don't know what our deposit is.
http://corbeauseatsrally.co.uk/
I understand there are plans afoot for an event in Wales on similar lines, also the New Brighton rally near Liverpool is considering extending it's horizons. All with full backing of the MSA so a deal must have been done with their insurers as it's finally bringing motorsport back to the people.
ETA - *Not True but I will acknowledge there was a two year gap between the FAI and the establishment of our rally.
Not really Audax though.
There is no similar legislation in Scotland to the new English and Welsh legislations that is allowing those events to be created; I believe the first event under Wesh rules was the use of a public road in competition to link two bits of forest track on "Wales Rally GB"
The passing of the new laws in England and Wales, along with the FAI and other changes has changed the insurance landscape to the point that the insurance companies require a massive bond to be lodged before they'll even consider contemplating insuring events run under the acts of parliament that allow the Jim Clark and Mull rally to take place.
Those events cannot run due to the inavailability of affordable insurance, mean while England and Wales get new events under their systems and Northern Ireland carry on as before.
The new Scottish system has just gone to public consultation so could still be a year or so away.
Some of the facebook rants I saw in response to sharing of the consultation were directly in relation to the impact of Sportives which don't have the same economic impact obligation. (for a non-audax cycling link)
