Woolbridge Motor Club
Marshal's Mouthpiece

ATTENTION ALL MARSHALS

WOULD YOU LIKE £50? or £100?
Every time you marshal on a Woolbridge Motor Club event you will have the opportunity to enter a draw to win a first prize of £100 or a second prize of £50!
The draw will be made at the clubs annual awards ceremony the date of which has yet to be decided.
Don't forget the more times you marshal on our events the more chances you have of winning!
Good luck and get contacting those chief marshals of our events or myself.

Dick Nadin
Woolbridge Marshal Co-Ordinator
Tel: 01308 485488  E-mail: rwnadin@tiscali.co.uk

Marshals seem to be in short supply despite an additional 20 added to my records in the last 18 months; it seems that its the same faces at events both Woolbridge and others.

Wiscombe has clashed with the Somerset Stages Rally and Prescott so its been a problem, hopefully now solved, to get enough to fully man Wiscombe. We need about 26 to cover each post with extras in the crucial areas such as the Gate, Sawbench and Martini. That's not always an easy task despite Roger Emonds letters and my E mails Damian Evans the chief Marshal has had a headache trying to make ends meet.

 

Its quite important that drivers who are not competing do turn out and marshal, several have contacted me after seeing our plea on the Club Website and are coming on the 26th. By the time this is published we will know how things went, hopefully OK.

 

Please make sure that your address and E mail address are up to date, if there is a change please let me know. I have around 8 E mails that bounce back as "not delivered" at the moment.

 

That's all on the moan & groan front for now, hopefully I will have seen a few of you at Wiscombe on 26th, I have a £100 cheque for a lucky marshal if he turns up, address out of date so I couldn't trace him !!!!!!!!!!

 

I note there has been a bit of flack in the press recently about Motor Sport and ecology, please bear in mind that a day at Wiscombe with all the competitors will still use far less fuel than that used by 30,000 getting to a football stadium. Ban all sports then?

 

Whether you believe in all the global warming scare stories or not it still makes sense to look at the options, has any motor club or the MSA considered a class for electric hillclimbers?

Just a thought!!!!

 

See you on the hills

 

Dick Nadin
Woolbridge Marshal Co-Ordinator
Tel: 01308 485488  E-mail: rwnadin@tiscali.co.uk  if you have any comments or add them to the Woolbridge forum.



NOVICES GUIDE TO SPEED HILLCLIMB MARSHALLING

·                     What is a speed hillclimb?
A speed hillclimb involves a variety of cars (and sometimes bikes) from road going saloons to specialised single seater racing cars using ex Formula 1 engines racing against the clock uphill on a narrow tarmac track.  Timing is to a hundredth of a second and only the drivers fastest run counts. Drivers usually get 2 practice runs which whilst timed do not count towards the final results and two timed competetive runs. 

·                     How do I start marshalling?
Contact either me (Dick Nadin Woolbridge Marshal Co-Ordinator Tel: 01308 485488  E-mail: rwnadin@tiscali.co.uk) or the chiefmarshal for the event if you know who that is.

·                     Do I need training?
Whilst training is available at special training days, and is to be recommended, no formal training is necessary to start marshalling as you will be placed with experienced marshals who will "teach you the ropes" and let you gain experience throughout the event.  Marshals are a friendly band of people who are only to willing to pass on their knowledge and also recount their experiences.

·                     Do I need special clothing?
Whilst many marshals have their own orange fireproof overalls and sometimes other equipment there is no requirement for this and normal clothing is perfectly adequate.  For your own protection it is preferable that shorts and short sleeved T shirts are not worn on marshals posts and avoid red clothing as this can be mistaken for a red flag.  Stout shoes or boots are also preferred.  Some form of waterproof clothing is also recomended as the British weather is nothing if not unpredictable!

·                     What do I have to do when marshalling?
On arriving at the venue you must sign on with the chief marshal, at the time stated on the instructions you receive before the event,  who will allocate you a role or post.  For most speed events marshals signing on is between 0730 and 0815 so you can be in position in plenty of time for the event to run to schedule.

There are many varied roles for marshals including getting cars to the start line from the main paddock area, working on the start line positioning the cars at the timing beam which starts the clock, supervising their arrival at the end of their runs in the top collecting paddock prior to their return in a batch back down the course, and of course manning the marshals posts up the hill.  These marshals posts are positioned up the entire course within sight of each other and manned by any number from 2 - 6 or more marshals.  Each post will be equiped with a fire extinguisher, brooms and shovel, a radio, gloves, a tub of cement (for dressing oil spillages), a red flag and a whistle. The post will be responsible for the section of track from its position (safely behind a protective barrier) up the hill to the next post.  If a car stops or has an incident in "your" section a marshal blows the whistle to alert the next post down the hill and a marshal waves the red flag to stop following competing cars from proceeding.  The marshal in charge of the radio will report the nature of the incident to "Course Control" and request any other assistance required such as a breakdown vehicle.  Other marshals will attend the incident with the fire extinguishers (as a precaution though rarely needed!) and possibly a broom and shovel as your section of track has to be kept clear of debris.  If the marshals post above you on the hill blow their whistle and deploy their flag you should do likewise as will posts below you.  This will cascade down the hill stopping further progress of other cars up the hill until the incident has been dealt with.

This might sound a litlle complicated but you'll soon get the hang of it and marshals frequently rotate between roles on the post during the course of the day.

Marshals are expected to remain standing whilst cars are competing (it takes time to get up to run to or from an incident!) and are not permitted to take photographs or videos whilst on a marshals post.  Some marshals do however frequently have lightweight folding chairs on post with them to use in between competetive runs or whilst waiting for the event to commence.

·               Will I be paid?
Marshals are all volunteers and so do not get paid.  They do however usually receive some form of recognition for their assistance.  On Woolbridge Motor Club Hillclimbs this consists of a free voucher for the catering facilities at lunchtime, a free daily marshals draw, free entry in the Woolbridge Motor Club Limited Annual Marshals Draw with a first prize of £100, free camping facilities for the weekend and sometimes other little "thank you's".

·                  Other bits and tips
Things do not always run smoothly at events due to many thing including the unpredictability of combining car and driver with speed!  You can therefore be on duty for quite a long time possibly with only a short lunch break.  It is therefore wise to consider having some drink or food with you on post.  I should point out that competitors and officials are not allowed to consume alcohol during the course of the event but after the meeting is however another matter when bar facilities are sometimes available.

Most importantly a sense of humour helps us all get through the day!  Welcome to Speed Hillclimb marshalling!

Dick Nadin
Woolbridge Marshal Co-Ordinator
Tel: 01308 485488  E-mail: rwnadin@tiscali.co.uk

Want to extend your marshalling skills further,  then see  (click image to go to website).