Interested in marshalling?

If anyone is interested in becoming more involved in motor sport through marshalling, why not have a look at my Yahoo Club for marshals.

http://www.clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/themarshalsclub

I can certainly recommend being a marshall... I got a lot closer to the action for a number of years in this way...

Thanks for the support Ray. I've had one enquiry already!

Not a problem at all... I had, for five of those years, the best possible view of the best racing ever at Warwick Farm... Geoff Sykes looked after me well, we saw stuff the spectators never see.

It would be good to see some more of the younger generation marshalling, as most marshalls these days tend to be 'old' i.e. few are under 30. Unfortunately, I, like many, have the problem of time to contend with - as I tend to be writing/taking pictures at most meetings. Hopefully, once I have a car, I will be able to Marshal more meetings (I have only done 2).:)

Andy,

You make a very valid point about age. In my own marshals club we have had the same discussion and there are no easy answers I'm afraid.

One of the first questions we get asked if we are apporached at a race meeting by younger people is "how much do you get paid?". When you answer by saying nothing, and by the way you have to buy your own equipement, they canm't be seen for dust!

However, as Ray says, no-one stands in front of you during the race, and you get free admission for yourself and a friend/partner, and so there is some recompense.

I would urge anyone who fancies having a go to make contact with me via e-mail sgreen@nedcor.co.uk and I will point them in the right direction.

Thanks again for your support guys and gals,

Stephen.

Stephen,

I've tried accessing your site but I haven't been able to work oput how to log in :confused: Could you pm me an idiots guide :)

Cheers

Yeah, I think cost is one of the main problems attracting new marshalls. The clubs often think up incentives, e.g. BARC - regalia and reduced membership, unfortunately my marshalling at Gurston Down doesn't count on thier points system??!

I would love to be a marshall, you get closer to the action than you ever could, and you get into the meetings for 'free', not counting your actually working for free.
what is the minimum age Stephen? i'm up here in Scotland, so what's my local club if anyone know?
ALthough I think I'll try it some day, my passion for photgraphy could take over!

Hi, the minimum age is 18 to be trackside, although I believe there are a few clubs who find jobs for 16 year olds in Race Control. If you are in Scotland I would guess Croft is your nearest circuit?

Maybe Andy and the guys who tour the counrty racing could help better there?

If you want any further information feel free to e-mail me at work on sgreen@nedcor.co.uk ok.

As you are in Scotland, Knockhill is probably your local track. I think that you can marshal in some areas from 16yrs, for example in the Paddock and Public Areas. I marshalled in top paddock at Gurston Down Hillclimb aged 17!

Originally posted by AndyF
As you are in Scotland, Knockhill is probably your local track.

Ah, very good Andy, at least someone's got it right Stephen!:p
Croft however is still in reasonable travelling distance, as I live in the south-west of Scotland.

Originally posted by Stephen Green
Hi, the minimum age is 18 to be trackside, although I believe there are a few clubs who find jobs for 16 year olds in Race Control. If you are in Scotland I would guess Croft is your nearest circuit?

Maybe Andy and the guys who tour the counrty racing could help better there?

If you want any further information feel free to e-mail me at work on sgreen@nedcor.co.uk ok.

Stephen, Can't you go trackside at 16 if you had your parents permission (I know I did)?

Touringlegend, do it, its great :)

Have any of you lot ever got a good souvenier?

i remember in the 1996 BTCC reaview, Andy Middelhurst Primera was going up in smoke, and the marshal was having a smashing time grabbing souvenirs from it!

Right, I'll check for you but I'm sure it's 18 to go trackside, its for insurance purposes.

As for pinching bits, no we can get thrown out of the club for doing that. As I'm sure Andy will tell you, we give any bits we find to the recovery crew to return to the driver (we give him the car No it fell off). Parts for racing cars of any series are very expensive and so we would rather give the guys their bits back and have a clear conscience.

I am pretty sure there is plenty you can do at sixteen - even if they start you off with programme selling!! There are plenty of bits of cars at most circuits!!! Take Thruxton for example - there are peices of Carbon Fibre on most of the grass verges if you look hard enough!!

You are right Andy. I was thinking more along the lines of whole bumbers or spoilers, things like that, which are expensive if you lose them and then have to replace them.

You wouldn't exactly be able to walk out a circuit with a bumper in your back pocket anyway!!!

OK - Have you ever taken something back and the driver/team says, 'thanks for being honest and bringing it back, you keep it if you want' ?

First of all yes, I have seen a marshal walk (or rather drive) out of the circuit with a very expensive bit of bodywork in the back of his car. Something that could easily have been used again if a spring clip had been replaced.

On the matter of thanks. On occasions drivers or tem members do come looking for their pieces. When we (marshals) send parts back to the paddock or pits it is usually done via the recovery crews, so in most cases we don't get thanked. That's no reason not to return parts that are clearly repairable to the team. Marshals have no right to walk away with souveneers in those cases.

I agree that there are always little bits of bodywork or spoilers littering the ground behind the barriers and if someone wants them, then I'm happy to oblige.

We tend to forget that racing is an expensive 'hobby' and that very few guys who race have large budgets to enable them to cast off parts willy nilly. If we can get parts back to them to use again, then I consider that part of my job as a marshal.

It reminds me of a case in F1 last year, when one of the cars (Bennetton) was stripped of valuable parts by fans who had invaded the track! One Marshall managed to save the steering wheel from the fans, valued at several hundreds of thousands of pounds!!

The problem is Andy that you and many like you don't have the budgets to systain losses of that magnitude.

I have always found Marshalls very helpful. I have had parts returned to me twice in the past. Without them we counldn't race! So, thanks to them all!
Stephen wrote an article about being a Marshall for theGrid, see it at http://www.thegrid.co.uk/marshall.0101.htm

It was my pleasure. Let me know if you would like any more in the future and I'll see what I can dream up...