Motorsport Marshalls: Behind the Scenes

[Blackie]

On the RMS Blog: Over the past year or so I have been trying my hand at Motorsport Marshalling and I for one have found it very enjoyable and rewarding. However it is a part of Motorsport that is suffering from a seeming lack of interest which could have disastrous effects to everyone who par takes in the sport, from Drivers to spectators alike.

Gone are the days of mass crowds on Rally Stages such as there was in the heyday of Rallying mainly due to the large numbers of fatalities during the Group B Rally era of '82 to '86. (Read the Full Article Here)



Read the Entire Article Here

 

[Cooper]

Great first article from @Blackie

 

[Blackie]

Thanks very much Andy

 

[Coog]

Great article. Marshalling is something I've always wanted to do but just never got round to doing more than my share at the 4wd events. Really need to look more into it!

 

[Blackie]

In all honesty mate there's not much to look into. There are ways of doing Marshalling without joining a club. I should have mentioned that too but I didn't want my first article to be too long winded lol.

If your on Facebook there are various pages that you can "like" or "join" we're they are pretty much always looking for marshals for different Motorsport events.

Marshal Info NI:

Aanmelden bij Facebook | Facebook

Lough Neagh Marshals (can't get the link via my iPhone for this page sorry)

Or of course the aforementioned Motor Clubs usually have a Facebook page as well.

I joined Mid Antrim Motor Club recently and it was £10 for the annual fee which hardly breaks the bank.

 

[Coog]

I will be a member of a MSA club (4 wheel drive club) and will pay my £20 annual membership fee in order to be able to drive. Will that be enough to cover me for marshalling at other events run by other organisations?

 

[Blackie]

I'm not entirely sure @Coog. I'm still a bit wet behind the ears and I've only just sent away my application form to MSA for Marshalling.

From the initial application there seems to be no fee for the Marshalling side of things, however I will try to keep the thread updated with any new information I find out.

Your current membership number may be carried across to Marshal membership though.

What I do know is that the MSA ,who were not "really" involved with the Marshalling side of things in Northern Ireland, are looking to change that due mainly to the fatalities last year at the Jim Clarke Rally, the Newry & Mourne Rally and last years Ulster Rally.

They were hoping to be in the main throws of things by 2016, but due to the enormity of the task they face it's now pushed back to 2017.

What does this mean for us?
Well from what I've gathered it means that being registered is possibly going to be part of the regulations.

I am currently registered with the MMP (Motorsport Marshalling Partnership), which is the local and somewhat less strict version of the MSA.

They run free training days, currently twice a year and if you volunteer at events you earn points, more points earned the bigger the reward.

Rewards start from First Aid kits, to backpacks to a free trip to next years Knockhill BTCC event where you can be part of the marshalling team, for me that sounds very exciting!

 

[swansty]

You don't need to pay anything to marshal, nor be a member of any club. The MMP mentioned above is a great way of getting training and they are very good at arranging marshal rewards as an incentive. The MSA's role is to license and manage motorsport. Safety at rallies and the vital role marshals play in ensuring it is under a lot of scrutiny at the moment and there is a drive to get good people involved in this side of the sport. There is hardly a rally in the country doesn't need more marshals so the offer of help is never refused.

 

[Gaz]

Great article

 

[Blackie]

You don't need to pay anything to marshal, nor be a member of any club. The MMP mentioned above is a great way of getting training and they are very good at arranging marshal rewards as an incentive. The MSA's role is to license and manage motorsport. Safety at rallies and the vital role marshals play in ensuring it is under a lot of scrutiny at the moment and there is a drive to get good people involved in this side of the sport. There is hardly a rally in the country doesn't need more marshals so the offer of help is never refused.

Very true about not needing to pay anything to be a marshal. That said it would be good for the clubs to know rough numbers that they could have. Not to mention the support you would be giving to your local club and potentially they could either run better or more events.

 

[swansty]

Agree with you @Blackie that if you were keen, joining a club for £10 would be a great way to meet people and get involved. For any students out there, Queens has a motor club which in past years has lent support to many clubs running stage rallies (including running Torr Head Stage for the ulster for a number of years) and also run their own successful events. I started out doing comms on events (safety radio network) with @RComms and have since marshalled, organised navigation rallies, competed on navigation and targa rallies and have in recent years started to work on the Circuit of Ireland stages.

 

[Blackie]

Comms is something I'm thinking about myself as well actually. I'd love to know what's involved in that side of things too!

 

[swansty]

Sitting at the end of a radio all day! StrodeNI provide all rally Comms. I'm sure they have a Facebook page. If you can't find it, let me know and I will pass on details

 

[Paddy_R]

Marshaled at Kirkistown from when I was 16 up until I was 25 pretty much every weekend doing race meets, karts, trackdays both public and private then at public trackdays until a few years ago. Was great craic and only stopped as I now work most weekends.

The public can be idiots though and rude beyond belief when all your looking to do is keep them safe.

Having said that the standard of marshaling at some rallies leaves a lot to be desired, and I've witnessed on numerous occasions 'marshals' standing in the most dangerous spots imaginable, turning their backs on cars as they are on phones etc. To me they were only there for the free entry.

I was a member of the British motorsport marshals club, had a marshaling license and was working my way to getting to marshal a grand prix before I stopped.

 

[Blackie]

This is perhaps why MSA are looking to get more involved and I personally think it's why people should sign up to a motor club or the MMP, so that they can avail of the training.

At the end of the day it's not rocket science whether or not your a spectator or a marshal, do not put yourself in harms way!

There was a video doing the rounds on Facebook with current top flight WRC drivers and an old face thrown in for good measure, pretty much saying that Motorsport is dangerous, anything CAN and WILL happen!

 

[Pumesta]

I used to marshal just about every major rally going in Ireland, when the circuit was a circuit and lasted 5 days. Then I realised the organisers took the piss clean out of the marshals. You paid for your hotel, food, petrol, up at all hours in all weather setting up a stage. Then taking abuse from culchie farmers all day, then having to clean up the stage............ To be handed €10 or once they had the cheek to give me a funking woolly hat. The last rally I done was 1997 and after having my 5 day old car damaged I vowed I would never set foot on a rally stage again and never have. Perhaps if the organisers treated marshells with some respect more people would do it

 

[407_hdi]

I used to marshal just about every major rally going in Ireland, when the circuit was a circuit and lasted 5 days. Then I realised the organisers took the piss clean out of the marshals. You paid for your hotel, food, petrol, up at all hours in all weather setting up a stage. Then taking abuse from culchie farmers all day, then having to clean up the stage............ To be handed €10 or once they had the cheek to give me a funking woolly hat. The last rally I done was 1997 and after having my 5 day old car damaged I vowed I would never set foot on a rally stage again and never have. Perhaps if the organisers treated marshells with some respect more people would do it

Well said chum, as you know I still do a few but nothing like what I/we used to. As I'm sure you remember the circuit had at one point more officials flying round the stages than competitors and all of course in their paid for courtesy cars.

 

[davecoupe]

Done a fair bit of marshaling at rallies when I was younger too .... I only stopped when I picked up interest in taking photos at the events instead to be honest as the 2 are mutually exclusive.

I would recommend anyone who attends or is involved in motorsport to marshal at least one event per year (bit rich coming from me when I haven't marshaled at an event for years ), because without volunteer marshals, motorsport would basically cease to exist.