Motor Sports Association Officials who have completed their active service to 4 wheeled motor sport may be invited by the MSA to become an ‘Officiel d’Honneur’.
This honour is only awarded to a select number of Senior Officials in the sport – there are currently only around 20 such holders across Britain and all its islands, encompassing all aspects of the sport.
The Award was made to Dr David B. Stevens MBE prior to the start of an MSA Officials Seminar on 15th March 2014. This was in recognition of his significant contribution, over a long period of time, to improving UK motor sport safety, especially in the Isle of Man, in the fields of trauma medicine and event safety management and also recognising the extensive charitable nature of his work, always undertaken to the highest of his personal and professional standards and the advice and guidance freely provided to many volunteer officials to assist their training and development in the sport.
In addition to this Award, Dr Stevens was also presented with a Recognition Certificate from the sport’s world governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) celebrating his contribution to motor sport safety in the medical field.
Both awards were presented personally by Allan Dean-Lewis MBE, Vice President of the FIA Volunteer and Officials Commission and MSA UK Director of Training and Education. Mr Dean-Lewis has been a great supporter of four wheeled motor sport and the training of motor sport officials in the Isle of Man for many years and he said “The Isle of Man, long recognised as the motorsport capital of the British Isles, plays a significant role in four wheeled motor sport, and probably has more competitors and volunteer officials per square mile than any other area within our jurisdiction. I believe it also remains the only part of these British Isles that has marked the significance of car rallying on its coinage (the 20p coin back in 1996). I am delighted to be back on the island again and especially to present Dr David Stevens with this well deserved recognition, and to wish him a long and of course healthy retirement from his involvement with rallying, although I am sure we may still call on him from time to time to draw on his vast experience in medical and safety matters”.
Dr Stevens responded by saying “I am indeed honoured to receive these two prestigious awards, on a par with receiving my MBE in 2003. My contribution to medicine and rescue in motorsport would not have been possible without the help and cooperation of everyone involved with the events, many of whom are in this room today. Thank you all”
Dr Stevens will continue as Medical Director for Isle of Man Motorsport Medical Services and Secretary of The Rob Vine Fund, Registered Charity No 954 (Isle of Man).
