Drivers face mandatory exclusions under new guidelines

An updated Concussion Management Guideline includes mandatory exclusion periods of up to 21 days depending on the individual’s age.

The new guideline comes following increased recognition of the impact concussion has on athletes across all sports.

That has led Motorsport Australia to develop a more stringent process that employs the latest Concussion Recognition Tool (CTR6) and Sports Concussion Assessment Tool (SCAT6).

The intention of SCAT 6 is to turn subjective observations of concussion symptoms that may be apparent into an objective measurement.

That includes a series of questions designed to measure cognitive state, such as what circuit they are at, what session type they were in, and what corner they last came through.

There are also a series of other tasks designed to test memory, concentration, balance, and coordination.

Under the guidelines, a number of red flag symptoms are listed, any of which require an ambulance to be called while Motorsport Australia has adopted the attitude of “if in doubt, sit them out.”

If a competitor is diagnosed with a concussion, they will only be allowed to return to the track after the mandatory exclusion period has elapsed, once they’ve completed a Return-To-Sport process and been cleared by a medical practitioner.

The exclusion period for competitors under 18 is 21 days, while it is 14 days for those 18 and above.

Last year, Richie Stanaway was sidelined following a heavy crash in Adelaide.

Initially confirmed that he’d miss Saturday’s race. As there was no mandatory exclusion period, the Kiwi was reassessed on Sunday morning in the hope he’d be cleared to race.

Jaxon Evans was also benched following a hefty impact at Turn 8 in Adelaide.

The Brad Jones Racing driver passed initial tests but developed symptoms in the hours that followed.

Under the new guidelines, both Stanaway and Evans would have been side-lined for the remainder of the event and beyond by default.

“There is no definitive tool to be able to 100 percent diagnose concussion and or define the level of concussion,” Supercars’ medical delegate Dr Carl Le said last year.

“It’s not like a broken arm that has classifications and is more black-and-white as such.

“The other thing that’s a bit nebulous is also that every person is different. In terms of trying to standardise different drivers into a test, you know your outcomes are going to be different.”

The guideline was developed off the back of tools created by the Concussion in Sport Group, which includes the FIA, the International Olympic Committee, the International Ice Hockey Federation, and World Rugby.