MARSHALS’ The newsletter of the South East Region of the British Motorsport Marshals Club P OS T July / August 2019 CHAIRMAN’S THOUGHTS Like me, you may well have watched the Canadian and British Grand Prix on Sky TV….while I know some others were actually there; some as marshals and some spectating…… I thought I’d rattle some cages, in this issue. Why the hell not?....it’s my column! I had read a Facebook entry that said that the blue flag marshals had been told that they would be redundant, come the race on Sunday. Race Control would handle the blue signalling via their lights. Come the race, I could see that, indeed, there were no blue flags to be seen, and that cars about to be lapped were being shown a blue light. However, the signal appeared to overcome the oft quoted criticism: “but the blue light cannot be shown to a specific car”. This drawback was overcome by having the light panel bordered by blue on all four sides, and the number of the car about to be lapped shown in large white detail. 16 To my mind, this all looks very effective, and eliminates the varying standards of blue flagging which inevitably, irrespective of the flag marshal’s concentration and skills, occurs. Of course, the theoretical effectiveness of such a system depends on 1. A GPS tracking system for the operator in Race Control to use 2. The operator in Race Control is fully competent at assessing the rate at which a leading car is approaching a back-marker. Sorry, if it spoils the fun for blue flag marshals? Not a bit of it! We should welcome a technology which allows for an important aspect of administering an F1 race in a consistent manner. After all, we marshals can always volunteer to marshal at plenty of other categories of racing, should we choose. It’s important to remember that it’s only in Aussie Super Touring cars and F1 that the waved blue flag carries with it a degree of compulsion….and potential penalty if ignored by a driver after 3 “blue” lights panels, and so…as I see it….blue flags will be with us for some considerable time, yet, but only in F1 !! ……and now for something completely different…….. How about some communication practices which we don’t have in the UK, but which we (OK…”I”) would like to see Race Control incorporate as standing operating procedures at all UK events. 1. Prior to every session (for safety sake!), Race Control initiates a “round robin” of all marshals’ posts, i.e. RC: “Let’s go for a course clearance, starting at Post 1”. BMMC (SE) July/Aug Newsletter 1 Each post replies, in turn: i.e. “Post 1 Clear”; “Post 2 Clear”; “Post 3..we still have marshals on track”. “RC: “Acknowledged. Pick up…Post 4” “Post 4 Clear” Etc. RC goes back to Post 3 after the final post calls in. This process can take little more than 30 seconds on a full Grand Prix circuit, or even faster, if the words “Post” and “clear” are omitted, as at the Canadian GP, i.e. “1”,”2”,”3 - we still have marshals on track” etc. 2. To avoid misinterpretation at marshals’ posts, when RC calls: “Green Flag”, RC, instead, calls: “All points: Green Flag!” or, alternatively: “All points: No Flag” or, at the restart of a temporarily stopped session: “Green Flag, Pit Lane” 3. At the end of a session: RC: “Chequered Flag: 1st Car # …” and, most importantly, “Chequered Flag: Last car #...” 4. At all races which include pit stops, RC provides all marshals’ posts with an update on, for example, the top six cars by number. In a race of more than, say, 1 hour, these updates should be every 30 minutes or so. …and that would be just the start, but if we could get the above 4 points to become standard practice, that would be a great advance regarding improved safety and efficiency at all race meetings. Have I succeeded in rattling a cage or two regarding blue lights at Grand Prix? Have I also suggested some helpful new language that Race Control could beneficially use? If so, I’d love to hear from you, and we’ll publish your comments in the next edition of “Marshals’ Post”. Neil Stretton - Chairman: BMMC (South-East Region) July 2019 And Another Thing… (an editorial) Well, is it just me (rhetorical question there, I Thank You !!) but I just can’t believe it’s July already. By the time you read this many of you will have participated at the British F1 Grand Prix and I’m presuming at this point that you will be able to attend next year too….. As you know I like taking photos at events and was even caught ‘behind the scenes’ taking one that went down well during the Masters meeting a few weeks back… the lengths (see what I did there?) I go to in order to get the shot…! It’s been pretty warm at some events over the last few weeks, but even on the hottest day of the year to that point, at a meeting at the end of June, it seemed that it was too much to ask that some cool water be distributed to the volunteers out on the bank… I’ll not labour the point, but this was yet another event where we were warned that a ‘quick turnaround’ between sessions was being deployed and our lunch break diminished to less than 30 mins. BMMC (SE) July/Aug Newsletter 2 It makes it a long (hot) day… Here’s a radical suggestion for warmer days… An ice filled cool box in the course car that could deliver some relief when requested…. Or even better one on each post ! NEWS - This edition will be the penultimate in the current bi-monthly format. Following discussion at a recent SE committee meeting, it was decided that from the new year your Marshals’ Post will be a ‘quarterly’ production. Our content is more ‘social’ than ‘news’ but rest assured all urgent information, marshal requests etc will be distributed through the email service or on the BMMC (SE) Facebook group page. QUIZ !! - I’ve decided to set a ‘One Question’ prize quiz in this issue. See page 17 for you chance to win an excellent Haynes Owners’ Workshop Manual book for the F1 McLaren MP 4/4 (yes the initials are no coincidence) worth £25. I must also take this opportunity to publicly thank our BMMC sponsor CATACLEAN, who for the last 10 months have generously supported our quiz and provided a years’ supply of their fuel additive product to our winners. Our congratulations also go to the winner of the May/June quiz – Ben Martin SE7355. You can check all the answers to the ‘Rules & Regs’ quiz on page 6 of this issue. I’m also delighted to direct you to some excellent articles from our members in this issue. All different. All entertaining, informative and thought provoking. I look forward to receiving any views or feedback you may have, or similar work in the future. It’s your newsletter. I’ll also direct your attention to the Grading Officer’s committee update. If you are looking to ‘upgrade’ please make sure you read, or preferably ‘cut out and keep’ the upgrade instructions included in this section. Now I still have plenty of goodies to give away…. I have a selection of stuff (BTCC signed teamwear, mugs, hats, keyrings, lanyards etc..) Rather than attempt another competition I will carry some to all meetings I attend (until it runs out !) If you see me, show me your 2019 BMMC membership card and in return I’ll give you something for nothing… How can you resist..? Many thanks for now and don’t forget to enjoy your sport ! Bob McEwan [email protected] AN INVITATION……. To any member to attend a Taster Day Marshal briefing and morning tour at Brands Hatch. What might you get out of it?...... • What our TDMs are told about their day, ahead • Visit venues around the circuit that you may never have visited, before, e.g. 1)Race Control 2)Time Keepers 3)Commentators 4)The Pit Lane 5)Assembly 6)Rescue Unit BMMC (SE) July/Aug Newsletter 3 All we ask, in return, is that you assist the “tour leader” at the 0830 morning briefing and during the tour, itself, to ensure we don’t lose any Taster Day Marshals (we’ve avoided that, so far!) and that you assist the tour leader with answering questions. You’ll be back on post by late morning. For safety and efficiency reasons, we can only accept ONE marshal each day to accompany the Taster Day Marshals so it’s a case of “first come - first served”. Available 2019 dates are: • 21st July: Mini Fest • 4th August: Brit GT/F3 • 18th August: Festival Italia • 1st Sept: MSVR clubbie • 17th Nov: MSVR clubbie Interested?......drop a line to Rosemary Beck or Neil Stretton at: [email protected] OR [email protected] Mental Health, Motorsport, and Me by Georgina O’Hara Smith Back in January I read an article in the Daily Record about C1 driver Kenny Dock facilitating mental health awareness training and applied suicide prevention skills for a group of Scottish marshals. https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/lifestyle/motoring/scottish-motorsport-volunteers-mental-health-13957472 To me this seems like a very sensible idea. As marshals we always care about our fellow marshal’s physical health, but mental health, invisible as it is, is something less commonly noticed or discussed.