Marshal breakfasts

[sss]

This weekend I missed out on my fatty breakfast and ate cereal in the campsite. Always makes me grumpy I could have paid of course but i think the brands breakfast is a tad overpriced for my pocket. So it got me wondering why are clubs so different . A few weeks before we were on the GP circuit at Brands with

Club A.

All volunteers (marshals and St John) and paid medical staff get a fry up and lunch pack, on the Saturday night for those camping over get burger/sausages at a BBQ.

With Club B this weekend

Medical staff get lunch, St John's factor in a meal voucher in the hire fee for their volunteers. Volunteers (marshals and rescue) might get a one in a milion chance of a raffle win.

Now club A of course won't pay full price for the meals from MSV especially when you look how many it buys to crew the GP circuit. Club A and B are both ultimately funded by the competitor. So why the great difference? Is everyone that excited about the chance of winning a raffle over a breakfast and a lunch

Of course I could vote with my feet and walk away from club b. Club A gets my priority and when availble will do Club B but I enjoy all my motorsport and think if one club can treat people better why not others. Unreasonable?

[The Fat Clerk]

Cost?

[flagwaver]

Nearly all to do with costs. Although it sounds obvious let me expand a bit.
If club A happens to be MSVR then circuit hire will be less. They can also do things like subsidising meals etc. If Club b has to pay "full Whack" to hire the circuit then clearly they have less money.

The other thing is not all marshals want a breakfast. As a former club treasurer I can tell you one of the things that always raised a debate was what to do for the marshals.
Whilst Money may be the answer it can be the most costly. £5 is £5, but I may be able to get something that would cost over £5 if brought by the individual at a lesser value if I bulk buy, it is also easier for accounting purposes.

We as marshals can sometimes be an ungrateful bunch (I have to include myself in that, having got at least 50 mugs in the loft from various events) (also see comment about not all marshals want a breakfast).

[The Fat Clerk]

My attitude is always go expecting nothing, that way anything you get is a bonus. Yesterday @ Mallory and last week @ Curborough everyone got a lunch - bonus

[sss]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

Cost?

If it just down to cost then how can it vary so much between clubs. This example was for the GP circuit where marshal numbers are huge, but one is very different to the other.

Both clubs income comes from the competitor, expenditure for circuit fees will vary a degree with commercial negotiations. But club A chooses to finance it and manage it, club B chooses not to. Is it due to poor negotiating, bigger profits in other areas, no desire or need to feed volunteers but feed paid staff?

Just to add nothing against either club as incentives vary around all the club's I volunteer with, just that the's two were on the same circuit with very differing ideas.

[sss]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

My attitude is always go expecting nothing, that way anything you get is a bonus. Yesterday @ Mallory and last week @ Curborough everyone got a lunch - bonus

I sort of agree, especially when you look at improvements on marshaling when I first started 20+ years ago.

However I do think we can be looked after better by clubs and it can be done.

[flying muppet]

You don't think it's anything to do with supply and demand, do you??

Club A probably struggles to attract enough marshals to cover the GP circuit adequately - whilst as we know from other threads on here, and from watching on TV, Club B has no problem attracting marshals for BTCC meetings...

[deadsquirrel]

Most MSVR meetings I've done at Brands come with a breakfast voucher and maybe a drink voucher for the end of the day (it tends to be the same event each year, so it's not a balanced experience).

Some (and getting fewer) BRSCC at Silverstone you get a breakfast voucher.

Most others, you'll sometimes get a trinket of sorts.

As others have said - you can't please everyone and someone will always have preferred something else.

But, it IS frustrating that you can never correlate the 'significance' of a meeting to the received 'benefit'. I've been to VSCC or CSCC meetings and been given £10 cash a day. I've been to International events and received nothing.

As volunteers, we have the ultimate right to choose where we go - and if we don't feel appreciated (someone thinking to bring me a coffee or a doughnut shows way more thought than someone leaving a pallet of bottles of water in a marquee).

Whilst the organisers have enough people who will work for nothing, there's nothing going to change.....

[TrueBlueFlyer]

the absolutely best breakfast I've ever had on the way to the racetrack was Pokeno meat pies in New Zealand heading to either Pukekohe or Hampton Downs.

there's no better choice for breakfast in the world

[Slipstick]

In my experience it's generally the smaller clubs who treat us and often the competitors the best. The bigger clubs can tend to think they're doing you a favour just by letting you in for nothing, particularly if there's a chance you might get on telly .

But either way I do the meetings I think will have interesting racing and where I might possibly be of some use (which for me excludes most of the big meetings with dozens and dozens of marshals tripping over one another on each post). If I end up with more than "just" being involved in a day's great racing that's a bit of a bonus but not a reason for turning up or not.

Steve

[The Fat Clerk]

Couldn't agree me more, i'll go a stage further and name by favourite (in no particular order clubs) 750MC, CSCC, MGCC, BARC Midland, great racing, nice people and made to feel wanted.

[numbersix]

Originally Posted by TrueBlueFlyer

the absolutely best breakfast I've ever had on the way to the racetrack was Pokeno meat pies in New Zealand heading to either Pukekohe or Hampton Downs.

there's no better choice for breakfast in the world

Urgent - Please advise nearest outlet to Oulton Park, Cheshire, England.

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by numbersix

Urgent - Please advise nearest outlet to Oulton Park, Cheshire, England.

Nearest outlet is just outside Pukekohe, I suspect.

[The Fat Clerk]

In my opinion the best 'on circuit' grub is now at Santa Pod.

[Woolley]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

In my opinion the best 'on circuit' grub is now at Santa Pod.

Interesting use of the word 'circuit', though. I suspect some of the vehicles might have a problem with that!

Midland hill climbs all shell out a tenner for the day. IMO, the best use of this is the Loton Park sausage and bacon triple decker. When staying in the caravan I'm usually tempted to wake up just a little too late to make breakfast so that I'll have to buy one

[numbersix]

Originally Posted by Woolley

Nearest outlet is just outside Pukekohe, I suspect.

[Woolley]

You feel bad. I drove past it and didn't know it was there until too late. And the meeting got cancelled because of heavy rain.

[Apple]

I am not defending the organisers of the very popular events but, because so many turn up that may be a self defeating, because the cost of supplying so many breakfasts and the catering being able to cope with so many all at the same time may course trouble.
It's bad enough trying to sign on let alone all having a free breakfast as well.
A little reward of some sort may be best.

[katrina.kershaw.7]

Well I was at donington today and they were doing bacon and sausage cobs for a £1 brilliant idea I hope it keeps going

[gravel_monkey]

what the hell is a cob

[Greem]

Originally Posted by gravel_monkey

what the hell is a cob

Ah, that old one raises its head again.

Cob
Barm
Breadcake
Stottie
Bread roll
Nudger
and so on, and so forth...

[M Greenslade]

Cob,

"the central cylindrical woody part of the maize ear to which the grains are attached"

Obvious really....

Bladders....

[bauble]

Having seen the size of some of the marshals around the circuits, I would have thought that missing a few breakfasts would do no harm at all.

No names will be mentioned, Mike.

[Mike 'Bean' Broadbent]

Oh, cheeky little blighters, I heard that.
When was the last time you saw me tucking into a full English at Chequers then?
Black coffee and salads, that's me!

[bauble]

Originally Posted by Mike 'Bean' Broadbent

Oh, cheeky little blighters, I heard that.
When was the last time you saw me tucking into a full English at Chequers then?
Black coffee and salads, that's me!

Better change your name from Broadbeam to Narrowboat.