Brexit Racing Overseas

[lang]

It will be interesting to see what happens post Brexit. Will we have to revert to the old system of obtaining a carnet (kar-nay) for bikes,tools, spares and equipment taken to race meetings abroad ?
The extra expense, inconvenience and possible customs delay-or refusal, may put some competitors off entering foreign meetings.

[Fanch]

From the Continent, we would have the same problem.
I don't think (know) if this would appear again in the next few years (how many ?), but, when the separation will be definitively acted, those carnets (booklets) will be compulsory again.

For those who never knew that, we had to declare as temporary export all the stuff we transported over the border (bike, spares, tools and so on…). All that was controlled by the customs before and after crossing the Channel AND the amount of money of all that had to be in your bank as a garanty.

I'm sure we'll love Brexit.

[Eric & Julie]

It is simple- If there is no free trade then there will need to be some sort of control put in place. You could finish with a swiss style border, where they are easy going and tend to not give a crap (unless they want to hiss you off, then you need to somehow prove on the spot that you didn't buy your outfit in switzerland, and if not pay sales tax to take it home- a-holes) OR, you could have a controlled border with carnet and all that crap.

[Champster72]

Having travelled extensively for business throughout mainland Europe in the 80's and 90's, I had to use the Carnet system to travel around with demonstration equipment.
It works thus:

As you enter a country, you have to stop and get the Import (or Transit if your travel is multi country) form signed and stamped at the Customs point.
You then carry out the same routine, but using the Export form when you leave the country (or again, the Transit form) by the custom point in the same country.

Single country travel is not too difficult, but if you travel, say to Italy from UK, you have to get Transit for signed on entry to France, the another Transit form when you exit France, and another when you enter Switzerland, and another when you leave Switzerland, then an Import form when you enter Italy, and an Export form when you leave Italy, and then Transit forms at Switzerland entry and exit, and again at France entry and exit.
At each customs point, the officials tear off the form they need and leave you with a counterfoil.

1. Woe betide if you miss any stop and don't get a signature. (As per Boorman/McGregor in Long Way Round)
2. Woe betide you if you have not filled in the Carnet form accurately, with serial numbers for your machine, and list any tools and spares etc., that you are carrying. This would also include racing gear and generators etc.
3. You may end up with a book containing 12 or more forms (all must be identical, and all must be signed), and you need to do this for each trip to mainland Europe!!

The next problem is that all the border crossings throughout Europe (except for Switzerland etc.) are now unmanned. You will need to go through the Freight zone and wait in line with the Truckers to get signed off and cleared.

I intend to race at Chimay and Gedinne (if not more) this season, but I can see that if in future these Draconian regulations come into force, I'll stay in UK!

Ian

[Eurocup]

Hi, we just made a ATA Cernet to get the BEO Bike out of swizzerland. It still happens in the middle of Europe.

[Eric & Julie]

Yeah, even today be careful if traveling through Switzerland.
I have a friend who was stopped when leaving Switzerland to come back to France, after a weekend hill climb event. He was not checked when entering Switzerland (which is normal- they stop almost no one) but on the way out was checked. He had a 250GP bike, and they asked that he prove that he had not just purchased the bike in Switzerland and was taking it home (they wanted him to pay sales tax on the bike!). As a pure race bike, no VIN numbers so no papers. It took over ½ a day for them to accept that the bike was not purchased, and still fined him several hundred swiss franc, for incorrect paperwork.
When the swiss want to be dicks, they don’t do it by halves.

[Eurocup]

Hi, as orginaziers swiss teams want a confirmation for a start at a event, so they can show what they going to do with the bike. So if you go to or through swizzerland take as many paperwork with you as possible. Good travel. Eckart