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Marshalling and the Internet

Sep 24, 2019
4 min

Marshalling and the Internet

Do you remember a time before the internet, Facebook, Twitter and the entire social platform? I may have been privileged enough to have lived in a world in which I’ve always had the internet, although dial-up (ask your parents if you are too young for this) in the very early days but, I do recall the days before Facebook. Where you actually had to phone someone to speak to them! So, what about this: Do you remember a time in marshalling before the internet? I certainly do. Th

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Sensational Spa leaves us in dreamland

Sep 17, 2019
4 min

Sensational Spa leaves us in dreamland

Albeit it with a sombre tone to the weekend, which you can read about here, the Belgian Grand Prix weekend was another brilliant time for marshalling. With the sun shining, engines roaring, crowd buzzing and all of us in orange laughing, it’s hard to find a part of the weekend that won’t stick with me. If you start the day with a laugh, you’ll end it with a laugh. [Suzie McNeil I’m going to fast forward to the Sunday evening after the race, a strange place to start but as the

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F1 – More than a race

Aug 2, 2019
4 min

F1 – More than a race

Let me take you back to the British Grand Prix with the crowds buzzing, the Mercedes duo battling each other, red Bulls seeing red, a record number of home Grand Prix wins for Lewis Hamilton and a safety car that allowed the quick thinking to gain on their rivals. The Hangar Straight gives a great perspective of speed. It sounds great right? Well, actually if you dig a little deeper it is even better. You may be a little confused as to how it could get better but, from a mars

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Life over the edge

Jun 5, 2019
5 min

Life over the edge

You’ve probably heard many drivers in motorsport talk about ‘Life on the Edge’ the perfect balance of exploring the limits of what is possible in a race car versus the outer limit before everything ends in wreckage and ruin. Racing teams explore that extra tenth of a second of pace and drivers go beyond it to find the measurable limits of any car they are in. What about when it goes beyond the edge though, when those fine margins are strained and that line between perfection

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British GT feat. Snetterton Circuit

May 24, 2019
3 min

British GT feat. Snetterton Circuit

Normally I stick to one big meeting a year at one circuit, for example if I do Touring Cars at Oulton Park I won’t do them again elsewhere however, last year I did the British Touring Cars at both Oulton Park and Silverstone and the Formula One at both Silverstone and Spa-Francorchamps. Quick, nimble and race winning Lambo in the GT3 class. [Tom Stalker] Now I can add to the list is the British GT and F3 weekend. You may be wondering the significance of this is, but because I

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Super Sebring – Part Two – Don’t take me home

Apr 11, 2019
3 min

Super Sebring – Part Two – Don’t take me home

As the first cars rolled out of the pit garages and went on their installation laps I was still trying to come to terms with the fact I was actually here, I was at Sebring International Raceway for the 12 hours of IMSA and 1000 miles of World Endurance Championship (WEC). Two heavy weight series going toe to toe over one weekend. The circuit was buzzing with a party atmosphere and there was hype about the two huge egos of racing and who would take centre stage over the coming

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Super Sebring Part One – Chasing the sunset

Mar 26, 2019
4 min

Super Sebring Part One – Chasing the sunset

As the sun sinks behind race control, flickering rays of light over the start finish straight cast silhouettes into turn one, then reappear for one last hurrah before surrendering itself to the horizon making way for night fall. The scene is as breathtaking as the racing. The breathtaking sight from Turn One. Sebring International raceway, home of the famous and gruelling 12 hour race, stretching over a demanding 3.7mile circuit of both tarmac track and concrete runway. Every

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A Day in the life – Motorsport Marshal – Part Two

Feb 16, 2019
5 min

A Day in the life – Motorsport Marshal – Part Two

Last year I wrote part one to a day in the life of a motorsport marshal and it was rather successful, so I decided to follow it up with the rest of the action which sometimes follows from 12 noon to the end of the day. So let’s get straight into it. 12:10pm – It’s been almost seven hours since I woke up and lunch is nowhere in sight. There is also another two races before the ‘L’ word can be mentioned. 12:15pm – Race three starts and this could produce some fireworks, they we

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Five ways to make 2019 your marshalling year

Feb 8, 2019
4 min

Five ways to make 2019 your marshalling year

As we draw closer to the start of a new season we all start filling out our calendars with the desirable races that we would like to do. Circling the big meetings and making sure we have enough holidays at work to make sure we can make it. Instead of looking back on last year and saying what I enjoyed and what I thought I did well, I’ve decided to look forward to the 2019 season and use what I did to come up with five ideas you may want to try to make this year of marshalling

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Five stars out of five – Race of Remembrance 2018

Nov 19, 2018
3 min

Five stars out of five – Race of Remembrance 2018

Only the sound of waves breaking and the seagulls call can be heard at Anglesey Circuit. As Remembrance Day service is called, on the centenary of Armistice Day, it seems fitting that the race cars fall silent just like the guns did in 1918 to mark the end of the Great War. Whilst it is a time to pay respect and remember all those who have fallen in battle, the charity Mission Motorsport have created an event to help retrain and rehabilitate injured armed forces personnel who

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A Taste of something new

Oct 19, 2018
3 min

A Taste of something new

There are moments and experiences in marshalling that don’t come around very often and if you are ever offered or get the chance, you should take it with both hands. The opportunity may never come back again. You’ve got a role with it Back in June when the British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) was at Oulton Park, I attending the training day on the Sunday morning to broaden my knowledge of being first marshal on scene and working with the rescue unit. During one particular

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70 days away from home

Oct 5, 2018
3 min

70 days away from home

Saturday 21 July, Mini-Fest, Oulton Park. A particularly warm day if I remember correctly from what I wrote about in a previous blog. A day with very few incidents but a large amount of oil dressing! Some 70 days have passed since my last time at Oulton Park, I have been a holiday to the Stelvio Pass, marshalled the Belgian F1, attended CarFest North, taken a trip to Anglesey circuit, a trip to Croft circuit, rocked out to a Liam Gallagher concert and witnessed a Red Bull Dri

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A wall of invisible orange

Sep 14, 2018
4 min

A wall of invisible orange

As the chequered flag falls on a race the crowds erupt into a roar of emotion, whether their driver won or not, it is vocally expressed. Media teams from around the world rush to the podium to get the interviews with the top drivers. The teams celebrate or console, some prepare the champagne others prepare the car for the travel to the next race. The drivers stand atop the podium or sneak off to get the interviews out of the way, so they can reflect on the race. The fans at h

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Belgium GP – Stepping into the unknown

Sep 4, 2018
4 min

Belgium GP – Stepping into the unknown

As the chequered flag dropped on the 2018 Belgium Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps and I worked my way up the track to where the bus would pick me up to take me back to the campsite, I felt myself holding back a number of emotions. A Spanish flag and a thumbs up from my all time sporting hero, Fernando Alonso. [Sam Collinson] An overwhelming amount of happiness was fighting back a feeling of sadness as I walked confused towards the group of friends that I had travelled to Belg

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F1 – Sun, Sound and the sublime

Jul 13, 2018
3 min

F1 – Sun, Sound and the sublime

It’s an eight-month journey that takes you through different levels of emotion. The 2017 marshalling season hadn’t even finished, yet I was scrambling around counting the number of days marshalling I had completed and filling out forms to get my nomination submitted. Job one was completed in November and my nomination accepted was in December. Now I had an agonising two month wait till February to see if I was given an invitation. By the end of January all kind of thoughts ar

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A Thousand Eyes

Jun 14, 2018
3 min

A Thousand Eyes

Reflecting over the weekend in more than one way. [Philip Rainford] I found myself reflecting on Sunday morning before the start of racing at Oulton Park in more than one way. The first was a literal reflection. Photographer Phil Rainford, a local to Oulton, saw the chance of an artistic shot of the team I was with at Cascades corner through the reflection of my sunglasses (picture included). The second reflection was a mental reflection that I was almost half way through the

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Marshalling Away Weekend: Silverstone Blancpain

May 25, 2018
3 min

Marshalling Away Weekend: Silverstone Blancpain

As I was in between jobs I had an opportunity to tick another race meeting off my never-ending list of races to marshal. The Blancpain GT is a collection of roughly 50 GTs ranging from Ferraris to Aston Martins to Lamborghinis and most other super cars mixed in for good measure. Round Four of the series was held at the Silverstone Circuit and from the previous year’s report it had been a fantastic meeting. So, using my day off on the Friday I was able to get to the circuit to

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Finding My Feet

May 17, 2018
3 min

Finding My Feet

After just six race meetings of being an Incident Officer I find myself writing about it? Before it goes against me that I’m either too big for my boots or trying to tell more experienced I/Os what to do, I can inform you that this isn’t that. Instead it is about the struggles and changes I’ve found in the progression from being an incident marshal to someone who has to lead a team and helps give direction and guidance to those who have to get out on track and deal with incid

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Sun, Sea, Sand and the Occasional Crash!

May 4, 2018
3 min

Sun, Sea, Sand and the Occasional Crash!

So why, when I get up for work at half seven, was my alarm ringing at 4:30 on Saturday morning? Why do I get up at these times when I could be having a lie in? I’m sure I have a screw loose. Racing and scenery like this! What’s not to love! [Mark Noble] This weekend, however, answered these questions for me. It was an amazing two days at Anglesey perched on the rescue unit, flirting with the coast of the Irish Sea in the sunshine and watching what was, at times, some excellen

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An Easter Weekend with the British GTs

Apr 6, 2018
3 min

An Easter Weekend with the British GTs

Easter Weekend, Oulton Park and the British GT and F3 Championship rolled in and promised to be a huge event. It didn’t disappoint; Flick Haigh became the first female driver to take and outright pole position and race win in the British GT Championship and the #33 Lamborghini Hurican of Jon Minshaw and Phil Keen provided some good chase down racing in the first half of the race, but sadly they had to settle for fourth after the pit stop. 📝 RACE 1 REPORT – OULTON@OptimumMSpo

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