Stuff U Hate (The whingebag thread)

Ok, Time to get it all off your chest. Time to have a vote for the stuff that goes wrong and winds you up more than anything else.....

:banghead:

Hmm, This one could run and run - I had to go for the nasty brats and pratish spectators though :)

Hmmm can I vote for them all? ;) Except photographers and drivers. So far I have met 0 abusive/stupid/dangerous photographers and 1 rude driver. Not bad for the 60 odd event days I've managed to tuck under my belt in the last year and a half! :)

It's interesting to see that 'parents who don't look after their kids' is currently leading the poll! You should have added one more 'commentators who drive you potty'

if someone had added commentators who drive you potty, I'd have voted for it.... cause Barry Oliver, who does course commentary for Aussie V8 Supercars drives me absolutely up the wall....

But I'm one of the two who voted for the no free coffee and spare ticket.

Damn, you can only vote for one
no eurovision style polls then
my main gripe is with races that are'nt
rain is a multiplier in the ****ing me off equation
and you mean there are clubs that give you free coffee, now that really winds me up.....

clubs that give you coffee AND free tickets?

Where are they???????????????

Actually, if you marshal the Goodwood Festival of Speed for Lord March, you get free champagne on the Sunday evening! Now that IS worth doing!

A wee clarification before somebody jumps down me throat this weekend.

Of course I realise that there are clubs that give you coffee at the end of the day (and most welcome it is too)
But when I really NEED coffee (as Brands Hatch's inmates know) is first thing in the morning.

Now that would be novel.

Champagne - pppfffttt - nancy wee drink for the pretentious ;)

Being new I still have quite a few "things to experience" the only bad one (and it wasn't all that bad) was the new uniroyal challenge race, it was 4 hours long and not many cars. It has rained, but not much. I have won the raffle at two meetings I've been to. Not had problems with photogrphers, drivers or spectators and I tend to ignore the commentators so my first 2 months have been pretty good!

Blimey, you have done well! Some dodgy Observer hasn't bored you to sleep yet then?

Not yet but I am due to see you at Brands tomorrow, so that could all change!!

"has shocked look on face" Me???

The youth of today. No respect for their elders :(

You know I don't mean it, I am looking forward to tomorrow, lots of single seaters, my favourites, will also be my last time in orange until mid august due to being too busy, I will miss it.

Ok, you are forgiven :) See you in the morning. I'll be in the Kentagon a little after 7.30am *yawn*

I shall think of you all when I'm in Kirkistown :)

Just got home Because Gurston Down got rained off - can I change my vote.

Yesterday though, I saw one of the most incredible drives I've ever seen, Graheme Wight Jnr broke the Gurston Track record in practice, but he didn't just shave a hundredth off - he wiped a whole quater of a second off. Which is a hell of a chunk off a 27 second track.

For those who know Gurston, he seems to have done it by taking Hollow Bend flat in top and not lifting till the braking point for Carusel.

Full marks must also goto the Clarks of the course etc for calling the meeting off at the right time.

Rain, Quit yer whinin. Try waiting 3 1/2 hours at +1 celcius while the clerks hope the driving downpour will melt the 4 inches of SNOW that fell overnight. Welcome to SPRING? raceing at Mosport.

I have voted three times now. I hope i haven't upset the figures. I would say marshalls who panic and rent a cop security. As for coffee in the morning i've managed to get it 4 free at most tracks.

"MEMBERSHIP HAS ITS PRIVELAGES"

Being locked out of the carpark to get to the campsite at Brands, and having to sleep in the van, ok not a problem you may think. But when the van is parked on a slope, your three parts to the wind, you keep rolling off your bed, and to cap it all, when you try to open the back doors for a pee at some rediculous hour, you find you have backed up too far to the fence....now that ****** me off..
Apart from that, never flustered, blood* rain cold wet wind races with two cars that last 40 mins etc etc etc....oops.

I had to vote for brain dead parents who dont look after their kids. Its as if they dont realise they are at a race circuit where there are cars, mini busses, quads and other transport vehicles buzzing around the whole time! Parents may as well send their kids onto the m25!!

Would have voted for the Marshals who panic one but didnt want to be greedy. It is worrying though to think there are marshals out there who dont know exactly what they are doing when under pressure. xx

B1ackcr0w.... Guess what my choice would be.

Marshals that don't wear orange, that are all from the same family, not very bright, panick and really annoy you by asking silly questions like, Quote "Doesn't my car look nice with the doors open".....

That could have been the most annoying day of my whole life so far !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

"Marshals that don't wear orange". Which marshals are you referring to as I can think of one certain track where they would be mightily offended by that statement?

Ummmmmm we dont wear Orange here in Victoria.....

u dont go to Phillip Island much then do u flaggie ????? but then again who wants to be a JAFFA??

I thought it might be aimed at our freinds at Silverstone, hence the comment sorry guys.

Neil was referring to 3 trainee marshals he had on post at Castle Combe. They weren't interested in anything exept getting to watch the racing for free. It wouldn't have been too bad only he was covering Tower in less than a week after the horrendous shunt where a saloon went over the armco. These three twerps were so obviously just in it for the free tickets that they were half way through a season and didn't think shelling out for probans was worth it!:banghead:

I see. In that case they should be politely asked to leave in my opinion.

When I do fill in the forms (I'm too busy this Summer, so I'll wait till after - but I'll do it, honest) I won't buy probans for at least a little while, as #1 I'm skint but, the main reason #2 is that I'm still growing at a rapid rate - and any that I did buy wouldn't fit within a short space of time - so at the minute it wouldn't be worth it.

After a while I will be getting the proban though: or at least beg for an Xmas pressy!! ;)

Ok... Boxing gloves on, outside now, come on, come on..
In the car park , you and me right now....

Asp, no-one has a problem with someone who genuinely can't afford to get the kit right away. It's people who don't take the marshalling seriously and just use it as an excuse to get into racing free that are really the issue.

The lack of Proban is simply a symptom of it.

One of my biggest problems is marhals who artn't up to the job. Some people are not big enough to admid they can't can't do a 100m sprint. I will admit to it, therefore I flag.
I'm off the fags and out cycling everyday. I will get there soon, hopefully.:)

Marshals who think they know everything there is to know and they have nothing left to learn. IME experience, they're never as good as they think they are.

I will definitly agree with you on that one EP.

Couldn't agree more - have always felt that the day I think I know everything there is to know about flagging is the day to move up to being an observer - cos at that point I will have become sod all use as a flag marshal. ( 27 years later I still haven't got a signature on my observers grading card ;) )

I apologise to all of the Silverstone Marshals out there... These 3 guys were really bizarre !!! OK we must try to help trainee marshals but when they have no interest in marshalling and not enough common sense to react in an incident you have to worry. At one point I had to tell the guys to look out for cars coming at him as he continuously had his back turned to the track talking to his sister/wife/lover/aunt or possibly all four. I am going to write to the chief marshal and advise that I think that these Amigos be seperated.

OK i'm not perfect and am still learning (as I think we all are) but these guys were there for a free ride.

I marshalled a post down from these guys at a previous meeting. They had a simple pull off to deal with and what do they do.... Jump straight trackside then run up the side of the track to the car. Then they block the escape lane at exit of a chicane with the vehicle and try unsuccessfully to bump start it 3 times !!! Then they try to fix the car for the driver !!!!!!! We had to report them on 2 occassions throughout the day for stupid/unsafe things that they were doing.

Originally posted by N M Ramsden
I apologise to all of the Silverstone Marshals out there... These 3 guys were really bizarre !!! OK we must try to help trainee marshals but when they have no interest in marshalling and not enough common sense to react in an incident you have to worry. At one point I had to tell the guys to look out for cars coming at him as he continuously had his back turned to the track talking to his sister/wife/lover/aunt or possibly all four. I am going to write to the chief marshal and advise that I think that these Amigos be seperated.



Believe it or not, Caron & I got them on Avon Rise on Sunday for the GT/F3's at Combe! Luckily, we also had Gary Tanner, for my money one of the best Observers out there, in charge. He split the post to three teams and put one with each team. I tried to be objective and see the best in the situation. Sadly, I had to come to the conclusion that if we had something nasty to deal with they wouldn't be of much help. Mind you, the one lad did have a collection of boils on his hands which would have been a useful training exersise for the medical crews :D

I agree it is too harsh to expect people to buy Probans immediately that they start into marshalling, but there are some things that common sense dictates. If I remember correctly, the group came to a Formula3/GT event without anything but the clothes on their back. How many here would support the wisdom of coming to an event without gloves, food, suncream, good boots, waterproofs and maybe earplugs? OK, you could miss one or two of those if you were heavily cash strapped, but coming with none and putting yourself on as a marshal to save the ticket price must be just foolhardy? I support Neil's views. Surely if they carry on, they'll end up with an injury? Ok, I'm wrong to look down my nose at them, but that said, I don't want to see anybody harmed.

I wonder if I will 'bump into them' this weekend at Brands for the F3 meeting?

Originally posted by b1ackcr0w


How many here would support the wisdom of coming to an event without gloves, food, suncream, good boots, waterproofs and maybe earplugs?

Hell, I'd take those to a circuit even if I was going to be spectating as, I suspect, would anyone who's spent any amount of time hanging round race circuits subject to the whims of circuit weather!

Originally posted by b1ackcr0w


Ok, I'm wrong to look down my nose at them, but that said, I don't want to see anybody harmed.

I don't think you're looking down your nose at them - you're genuinely concerned for their safety and the effect they will have on a team trying to marshal - nothing wrong with that hon! The first rule is your own safety first - but let's face it - we all worry about our team members as well. How can anyone possibly take care of themselves and an incident if you're looking over your shoulder to see if boil boy is even watching the traffic.

Anyone willing to learn/participate - fine. People who don't even care enough to look after their basic needs of food, water and comfort are probably not going to care enough to look after their own safety on the track either.

Just some thoughts.....

Originally posted by Stephen Green
I wonder if I will 'bump into them' this weekend at Brands for the F3 meeting?

Hmm, I think they'd consider travelling to a foreign country like Kent to lavish an expence. However, if Boil Boy were to pop a pustule, the resulting sudden release of preassure might just propel them that far. :rotate: :laugh:

Thx EPW

Hmm, must remember to tke the protective glasses with me this weekend. Tks Crow!