Paucity of marshals forced
Donington Britcar races
onto shorter track layoutPopularity of meetings is
reflected in the number
of marshals on a post
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READ22 AUGUST 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 83NATIONAL FOCUS CLUB AUTOSPORTmarshals can only be in one place at a time.”
As well as the quality of the racing at certain events, the way
marshals are recognised is also key. “I agree marshals sometimes,
depending on the club and the weather conditions, can be poorly
looked after,” notes McEwan. “At a Brands Hatch meeting we were
told if we want water we have to ask for it, but when I went to
New York for Formula E it was in coolboxes at each post.”
This in turn raises the question of whether they should
get paid for the vital role members of the orange army
perform. Other volunteers at race meetings – like clerks
and administration offi cials – do get paid some expenses
and it has previously been suggested that marshals should
be given £50 per day for their eff orts. But Lewis, McEwan
and Copeland all disagree with the idea of formal payment.
“I think we all see it as a hobby so wouldn’t want to be
paid to do it in that sense,” says Lewis. “I do allocations at
some events and sometimes the chief marshal will give me
money to hand out to marshals. At those events I give out
money, I often get the ‘what’s this for?’ question.
“I don’t think people want payment but recognition,whether it’s tickets for an end-of-day raffl e or vouchers,
anything like that. It’s better than nothing and shows
they’ve recognised I’ve had to come this distance.”
Rather than being concerned about payment, Lewis is focused
on addressing a diff erent problem. It’s no secret that marshals
are getting older and the BMMC is liaising with Motorsport UK
on new initiatives to try to attract people into marshalling.
“We have an ageing population and trying to encourage
youngsters in is probably the key thing,” she says. “There’s so
many other interests and things youngsters can do these days.”
Lewis even suggests that having marshals play a more
prominent role in video games could help to address the issue.
“Trying to retain marshals is also important,” Lewis continues.
“If people aren’t interested in certain events and championships
there will be fewer and fewer marshals there.”
This raises the prospect that more events will be aff ected by
similar problems to that Donington Britcar fi xture. While payment
may not be the answer to these event-specifi c shortages, it does
again highlight just how important the men and women in orange
are for allowing meetings to run smoothly.HOW TO GET INTO MARSHALLINGFor those interested in having a
go at marshalling, it’s not just a
case of signing up to a marshal
club, turning up at a meeting
and being responsible for a
post. Marshals are graded
based on experience and the
training they have undertaken,
with diff erent-graded marshals
being able to undertake
diff erent tasks at events.
Brands Hatch marshal Bob
McEwan reckons the best way
for somebody thinking about
volunteering is to try a taster
day. These are held at a numberof circuits, including Brands,
and allow prospective marshals
to get a better idea of what the
role involves.
“We take them behind the
scenes at scrutineering, race
control, and put them on track at
a post and that’s a good way of
gaining new members,” he says.
More information about
becoming a marshal can be
found at the marshals.co.uk
website, where taster days
can be booked, as well as
at Motorsport UK’s site
volunteersinmotorsport.co.uk