Marshalling at

Silverstone

An introduction

A short introduction to marshalling

Motor sport events at Silverstone need volunteers to ensure that they run smoothly and safely. Whether it’s a Grand Prix or a club-level meeting, marshals are a vital part of the pits, paddock and trackside team. To organise any race event requires a small army of volunteers, usually many more than the number of competitors! These volunteers carry out a wide range of duties, all of which contribute to the overall efficiency and success of the event. As a marshal, you will be joining a band of enthusiasts who enjoy their motor sport and through active marshalling clubs, an interesting social life. To find out more about volunteering, marshalling and what marshalling is all about, read on...

Contents – – – – – – – – – –

A short introduction to Marshalling Training Marshalling at Silverstone Volunteering Arriving at sign-on and on post What to bring and wear on the day Grading – why is there a grading system? Race day – what to do? During sessions Joining the Silverstone Marshals Team

Marshalling at Silverstone

Volunteering

– When you marshal at Silverstone, you can gain skills and experience that will open up many exciting roles and opportunities for you. – You would usually start as a track based marshal to learn basic “track-craft” skills (including fire fighting). – Once you have experience and relevant training, the following are just a few of the roles available to you; 01 Incident marshalling – dealing with incidents and safety rapidly. 02 Flag marshalling – communicating risk, hazards, etc, quickly and efficiently to drivers. 03 Assembly/Paddock – ensuring the correct drivers get safely and efficiently out on the circuit to practice/race. 04 Start-line – ensuring the safety of the grid and correct positioning of cars. 05 Plus many others – Rescue, Recovery, Pits, etc. – All of these roles are key to run a safe and efficient race meeting – and covered by volunteer marshals!

You can volunteer for as many race meets at as many different circuits as you wish. Silverstone runs the Silverstone Marshals Team where members can volunteer for most of the events at Silverstone (special rules apply for the Grand Prix and MotoGP). Below are a couple of points to remember: – Keep a diary of which meetings you have volunteered for. – Don’t just volunteer for everything at the start of the season, only for the dates you can make. You can add extras later. – If a race meet is over a weekend you don’t need to be able to make the whole weekend to volunteer; just put your name forward for the day/s you can do. – If you can’t attend a meeting you have volunteered for please let Penny know as soon as you can. – Don’t volunteer more than once for a meeting, or for more than one meeting on the same day.

Training

Training forms a critical part of your development as a marshal, both in terms of developing your skills and in enabling you to progress through the grading scheme. During the year there will be a number of training events organised by the Silverstone Marshals Team (and other clubs) to help you develop. These training sessions are a combination of classroom and practical sessions designed to guide you through the basics of marshalling and continue your marshalling career as your skills and experience grow. Training and development however, is not restricted to specific training courses, it should happen every time you marshal. “On the job” training and development starts on your first day marshalling and should continue throughout your marshalling career. On your first day when you get to your post you should be assigned with a “buddy” who will provide an insight to marshalling and support and guidance in terms of the “do’s and don’ts”. This support will evolve as your experience grows.

You’ve volunteered, now what?

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01 Make sure you read any instructions

sent to you well in advance.

02 Check you have correct tickets

or passes.

03 Make sure you know where the

sign-on is going to be and what time you need to arrive.

Arriving at sign-on and on post

01 Let the sign-on people know it is your

first day.

02 You will be allocated a post for the day.

If you are not sure where the post is, please ask. 03 Leave sign-on in plenty of time to reach your post. 04 Drive carefully – the circuit’s internal roads have a speed limit of 20mph and even though it is early, people will still be on site. 05 Park in a safe place – if you are not sure then ask. 06 Sign-on at the post with your Incident Officer and Post Chief – let them know your level of experience. 07 Help set up the post as instructed.

Marshals’ post – who’s in charge

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Each post has a number of marshals – this will vary depending on how many marshals are at the event, and where the post is on the track. The hierarchy of the post is shown below.

Post Chief

Incident Officer*

Flags

Incident Teams

Experienced

Experienced

Experienced

Track

Track

Track

Trainee

Trainee

Trainee

*Not recognised at all circuits

What to bring and wear on the day

Grading – why is there a grading system?

As you will have seen from the television most marshals wear overalls. However overalls can be expensive so don’t feel you have to run out and buy a set for your first time. Please come along to a couple of meetings to see if marshalling is for you before you make any kind of investment.

– It acknowledges a marshal’s experience. – Provides a structure for gaining new skills. – Helps the chief marshals to allocate marshals to suitable jobs.

Below is a guide of what to wear: – Natural fibres. – Always cover your arms. – Loose fitting gloves. – Stout boots. – Wear colours that don’t clash with the flags, i.e. Do not wear yellow, red and light blue. What else to bring? – Waterproofs. – A hat – for hot and cold weather. – Plenty of food – don’t rely on being able to buy on site. – Plenty to drink – hot and cold but NO alcohol. – Ear plugs or ear defenders (optional). – Sun cream. – Layers of clothes.

Opposite is an overview of how the upgrade system works. You start at the bottom as a trainee marshal. You will receive a card from the MSA upon joining on which you can collect signatures in order to get you to the next grade. MSA forms are available from the club or at the MSA website under officials. Most people work for the track marshal grade first, as this covers all basic skills and knowledge. Then think about specialist grades such as pits etc, however most grades will have trainee spaces available.

Race day – what to do?

– Make sure you leave yourself plenty of time to get to the track. – Sign-on time is between 7.30am and 8.15am in the Paddock Diner unless otherwise notified. For reference on how to find your way on the day, please refer to the map on the back page.

Upgrade system chart

Examining Post Chief/Observer 10 days as Post Chief plus 2 training (Fire, Flag, I/O, Report Writing, Communication and Leadership)

Upgrading to Examining Post Chief/Observer requires club nomination and MSA approval

Post Chief/Observer 10 days as Post Chief plus 2 training (Fire, Flag, I/O, Report Writing, Communication and Leadership)

Incident Officer

Flag Marshal

10 days as I/O plus 1 Training (Fire, I/O, Report Writing, Communication and Leadership)

10 days as Flag plus 1 Training (Flag, Report Writing, Communication and Leadership)

Experienced Marshal 15 days combined Flag and Incident Duties (min 5 days on one, 10 on the other) plus training (Flag, Incident, Fire, First On Scene) plus 2 on Post Assessments (Incident and Flag)

Note: Each upgrade requires at least one assessment by an Examining Post Chief. To maintain a grade needs 4 days per annum plus 1 Training day bi-annually.

Track Marshal 10 days Flag and Track Duties plus 1 training plus 2 on Post Assessments (Incident and Flag)

Trainee Marshal

For further information please contact: Penny Norris Telephone 01327 320295 E-mail [email protected]

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During sessions

Joining the Silverstone Marshals Team

The following are some basic “do’s and don’ts” in terms of what to do during sessions:

If you would like to join the Silverstone Marshals Team, volunteer for meetings, attend training or have any questions or comments, please contact: Penny Norris Marshals and Events Administrator Silverstone Circuit Towcester Northamptonshire NN12 8TN Telephone 01327 320295 Mobile 07764 177136 E-mail [email protected]

Do

– Stay alert – Watch the race traffic – Look for problems; 01 Loose bodywork 02 Spillages 03 Falling objects 04 Driver behaviour 05 Spectators 06 Media

Don’t

– Smoke – Use your mobile – Sit or kneel – Stand in large groups – Stand with your back to the traffic Having completed your first days marshalling we hope you will be hooked and want to do more!

BRDC FARM

BROOKLANDS SUITES PADDOCK CAFE

PADDOCK SUITES

BRDC CLUBHOUSE

DOCK

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Silverstone Circuit, Towcester Northamptonshire NN12 8TN Telephone 0844 3728 230 www.silverstone.co.uk

Marshalling at Silverstone – An Introduction

WEST 5 ENTRANCE