UK Marshalling

Matt, you're not the only tora member that will be risking their behind for the greater good of motorsport.

i've found employment corner marshaling @ barber motorsports park here in birmingham.

my first day is this saturday, and it will be a BMW festival event. should be lots of cool cars and the weather looks decent. i'm very excited.

Think I may look into this for Road Atlanta.

Nice 1 Travis next just grab a race suite and jump in the BMW's

Well, I've went and joined my Universities Motorsport Club, all I need to do now is meet the guys next semester, and hopefully, depending on whether or not they still do it, get my marshal training through them!

nice, you guys have FSAE over there?

Yeah we do, I haven't joined the team yet, I really just wanted to settle into Uni this year. But next year, yep!

http://www.ugracing.co.uk/ext.php?p=FS

Awesome!!
I've just received my MSA licence for 2012 so am going to be booking up the 21 days we have pencilled in for next year.
Should be a brilliant one for us sportscar fans. nicky, if you get no joy through your Uni club (mine was largely racing oriented and did BUKC) then please check out the BMMC site.

Hoping to start marshalling next year i was talking about it with an old friend today! Really hope i start marshalling it looks fantastic

Realise I hadn't updated the what we'v done section.
Well.... we had a HUGE car fire at ILMC when the only hybrid prototype in the field crashed in the Vale and burnt up. Steph got the driver free and took car of him while myself and two awesome Dutch marshals battled the blaze. There's a couple of pics on my facebook but there weren't many snappers around it seems... sadly.
The Birtcar 24 was awesome! I finished my stints of the big race at around 11pm and then hung around with Rogue Motorsports for the rest of the race pretty much. Weather was fantastic, really warm and sunny. The post for Day 1 (Friday) was the new Abbey turn at the top of the new pit straight. Nothing major happened except for an MX5 beaching itself in the gravel. Days 2-3 were on Chapel, a really quite dull corner in the daytime, but quite scary at night. We were just down from the post where the marshal got hit by a wayward car. Saw all the dust etc.
All in all a brilliant year and I highly recommend it to all.
Bets thig to do and Silverstone recommends this is to marshall one or two days and specate the third so you get to take your pictures and generally have a good mooch around.
That worked well for me atBritcar though I ended up back on post as I got antsy not being on post! lol
You'll be amazed how that happens.

Second outing of the year coming up quickly...

#1 was Silverstone for the opening Britcar round. I had a great team on post, but the racing was dull (and I was at the slightly more interesting Brooklands where the assembly was). The proposal much made up for that day! lol!

#2 is going to be the Historica Racing Festival at Combe on Easter Monday. Really looking forward to going back to Combe. Love the circuit, love the people.

Then #3 is BTCC at Thruxton. I am not sure what to expect - didn't like Thruxton much last time, it'll be out first camp out this year, and there are about 60 marshals to one post, which could be interesting (both good and bad).

Well... we're back from Combe. It was a soggy soggy day, and I think we've only just dried out. It has taken all day to get warm again, and I did wonder why we do that for fun.... Then as the little Arbarths were circulating (around the track and occasionally on the grass, though I think that is more pirouetting) it made me smile.

Am now praying to the Allocation Gods not to have to do startline again for at least a season.

So Thruxton BTCC was.... eventful! Diabolical weather saw us abandon ship and head home after a cold windy and soggy Saturday.
This was the highlight


Plato had a huge crash at Church, clearing a tyre barrier and ending up in a hedge which stopped the session.
When it resumed, Andy Neate went off at Goodwood right infront of us at high speed. He hit the tyres, cleared them, hit the armco so hard it heavily damaged that and shook up the marshals he came so close to taking out.
Moments later, Rob Austin came to visit our post!
His post crash response was to ask us if any of us had a fag! Bless him!
Steph is in the blue hat, and I'm in the McLaren cal to her right.
Oh and despite how it looks on TV (thanks to clever editing) it was a good few mins before the red flag came out. We had many other cars driving by us at full pace. Was more thn a little worried.

+1 Matt and Steph without you no racing would happen I seriously need to apply

Do it mate, you may get a year of no big accidents. But we've had three in just under a year. Luckily none serious to drivers.
Th main thing is being closer to the action (sometimes closer than you'd like!) and of course better access to teams and drivers when you can. Plus you really appreciate just what goes into a race meeting.
It doesn't cost the earth and if money's important, then think that you get free tickets plus guest tickets, food vouchers, free camping and subsidies on other bits and bobs.
My advice is to either pick a circuit like Silverstone and join them or, join BMMC for a year, get your feet under the table of a bunch of circuits/clubs then make a decision.
We're with SMT (Silverstone) and BMMC this year but will most likely do SMT and Castle Combe next season.

I took the great opportunity at the BTCC today to sign up! The lovely folks at the BMMC stand were very welcoming and very helpful. Put my name down. Should be getting some kind of pack through the post soon!