"Rentathugs" mar Sunseeker Rally

[Anuauto]

The Sunseeker Rally, first round of the British National Rally Championship, ran into problems with the use of a private "security" organisation. Appearing at Controls to apparently prevent spectator access to some areas, their performance was observed to range from the totally incompetent to a near re-enactment of the out-of-control "security" at the infamous Rolling Stones gig at Altamomte Speedway many years ago. An experienced marshalling team that included the Chief Marshal of a major motor club, two former International rally competitors and an experienced speed event competitor, reported the "rentacop" present at one of their controls to have "stood around like a lemon" and left them to deal with a stream of spectator and "management" cars attempting to drive against rally traffic on forestry land. Elsewhere a marshal team was harrassed and threatened and one experienced member was assaulted by one of these rentathugs. Many marshals reported that spectators they encountered directly were all well behaved and polite. Clearly the organiser will be expected to provide an assurance of no future use of such lowlife if many of today's marshals are ever to work at this event again. Competitors will no doubt be asking just how their entry fees will be spent in future.

[Fireblade]

Any idea who they were?
Not those goons from ShowSec by any chance?

[blackx]

Wish I had gone now....
Would have been fun to encounter the "rentathugs" and give em a taste of their own medicine

[Anuauto]

4 highly experienced marshals witnessed the assault on the 5th member of their team. They will make limited comment pending a decision by the victim as to whether he wants to press charges. It is reported that the Clerk of the Course was "too busy" to see the victim at rally HQ on Saturday evening but the apparent manager of the "Security" company's personnel was observed at the same time entering rally HQ. It was not one isolated thug. After the offender was removed from the location, an apparent intermediate level "manager" of the assailant turned up in the control and proceeded to harrang and harrass the marshals who were by then dealing with rally cars passing through their control. When this "manager" was finally ordered to leave and cease interfering with the rally, he did so at great speed, blowing his horn and hurling insults out of the open window of his car. This is first-hand eyewitness account, not hearsay. Later the original offender returned and circumstantial evidence indicated he may have been attempting to organise violent retaliation against his earlier removal. He was again ordered off the site following a phone call (which necessarily interrupted the results being passed by phone to HQ). As volunteers, we expect better from "paid help". It might be that in future all marshals need to secure an undertaking that paid contracted manpower is only at the same location if under the direct orders of the official marshals? This is not a race circuit situation, where permanent employees may be involved.

[garybirch]

Living in Bournemouth myself I had hoped to marshal the evnt but didn't hear anything back from them and therefore didn't attend.
I'm very glad I didn't now and will certainly consider boycotting it in the future!

[Steve Tarrant]

Gary,

Jackie and I did the event, both on Friday (scrutineering) and Saturday, and we never had any problem at all. I haven't heard of any other incident other than the one that is mentioned here so wonder if this was an isolated incident by idiot(s) who didn't understand their proper role.

If you want any details, PM me and I'll pass on some details for you.

Steve

[EvilPumpkin]

Typical. The main reason I won't do rallies is because of the spectator control and the extremely poor behaviour of the spectators who need to be controlled - ranging from threats, verbal abuse, spitting and intimidation, to people who simply refused to move because "this is my house" or whatever. An attitude that has ended in tragedy more than once over the last three years.

Now it appears you also have to be concerned about the "security" staff?

My sincerest sympathies and support to the marshals involved - but this simply makes me even more determined to stay away from rally marshalling. It's simply not worth the aggravation.

[Anuauto]

To quickly respond to Steve Tarrant - as indicated above, the only physical contact may well have been by only one psycopath but there was subsequent verbal and "body language" harrassment of the marshal team by both middle and senior management of the "security" firm and their general level of competence indicated by their activity elsewhere was woefully short of the required standard. Clerk of the Course and ANCRO member Rick Smith is reported (by a member of an MSC Committee) to have been "too busy" to speak to the victim for just a couple of minutes on Saturday night, despite being in the next room at rally HQ. I am told he has had the victim's telephone number since then and has not yet called.

[Chigley]

Anuauto, can you give us a clue where this affray was, we had the traditional spectator reluctance to clear the area but no problems to speak of with the security staff. The "looney" on the quad bike was a nuisance but only that.

[ss_collins]

From what I've heard somewhere in the ringwood area - btw Anuauto ibsley is now a lake - theres nowt but ducks.

[Tony_J]

Rent a thug isn't limited to rallies. I have had experience on more than three circuits where the paid security officers either overstepped the mark or made verbal threats. Perhaps these same individuals are more used to pop concert or football crowds. Whatever their reasons they must be reported at the highest level we dont need paid yobs telling us what to do or how to do our jobs. Its always possible that they've all had full frontal lobotomys

[ss_collins]

Its always possible that they've all had full frontal lobotomys

no thats the drivers....

I agreethough - its just not on.

[Anuauto]

Yes Tony J, lets recall that industry is largely staffed with the rejects the army and the police wouldnt touch (and in Dorset thats...). Love to tell you more but I need to wait for formal report to go in and the main victim to decide action. I will of course at some point be having words with one R.Smith. As a former rally Clerk of the Course I know where the buck stops.

[JimW]

Originally posted by Fireblade
Any idea who they were?
Not those goons from ShowSec by any chance?

To be fair to ShowSec, the only time I had anything to do with them was when I had no ticket. The guy on the gate said "if you are here at this hour with that amount of silly clothing in the car, I reckon you can go in".

When I later took back an admission ticket "so that he could say to his boss that he had seen a ticket from everyone" he was appreciative and commented how many marshals had done the same.

Seemed fair to me.

Regards

Jim

[Mr.Orange]

This is common problem, arrive at a track, after a ten hour drive, to be told 'We do not like blokes together'??? Father & son who are marshals!!!

[Paul Millard]

i have had a few problems in the past but most of the time after 5 minutes of you showing them everything you have garding cards/ attendence cards they will let you in. it is sometimes a problem if you decide at the last minute to go to an event as you wont always have the pass sent out in the post in time.

[Cynic]

This is a very worrying tale. I've had my share of run-ins with security in the past, but it's never gone further than verbal abuse (most of which to be fair comes out of my car window as I drive away). The most worrying thing for me though is the CoC's apparent reluctance to talk to the victim. If the higher up's are prepared to ignore this sort of thing, then where can you turn?

[Steve Tarrant]

I'm not trying to defend the Clerk here, BUT has/did anyone spoken to the Chief Marshal Matt Fowle about this???? He is the clerk's appointed delegate to look after all matters marshal related.

[Anuauto]

You dont believe the Chief Marshal independently placed a contract with a private security firm do you? Its gone way above that level and one point to look out for this week, for those who monitor such things, is whether the specialist motorsports press admit to knowledge. Dont take bets on it. In the medium term, look out for mealy-mouthed words from the MSC/MSA along the lines of "not wanting to interfere with the specific arrangements made by individual events" (we could almost write the script?).
Local marshals may have heard BBC TVS presenter Roger Johnson (car 130) on last night's regional news give special thanks to the marshals who stood out in the cold all day. At least someone is seen to care, even if he just reads the autocue...

[EvilPumpkin]

Since this marshal was assaulted, surely the most obvious course of action is to bring criminal charges? I imagine that would be pretty hard to ignore for the parties involved?

[ss_collins]

I'd agree with EP... I wonder if any strong letters will apear in MN

[KayBee]

Originally posted by ss_collins
I'd agree with EP... I wonder if any strong letters will apear in MN

Not this week they haven't. There is a letter of thanks to the Marshals from the Chief Marshal and also a letter from a spectator.

[Mark Mitchell]

Slightly off-thread here but some security staff are just there to flaunt their "Powers" whatever!

At the HSCC Gold Cup meeting at Oulton last year I was one of the first there on the Saturday and as usual parked my car on the start/finish straight.
I hadn't yet put my orange romper on and jumped over a gate to go and talk with the Chief Assmbley guy.
After about 15 minutes the security chaps all tuned up in their yellow jackets and we all chatted together for about another ten minutes.
I then went to hop back over the gate that I'd hopped over 25 minutes earlier only to have two of the security men (Whom I'd been chatting to) stop me from doing so!
They said no-on was allowed into the pit lane without the "Proper" pass. Doh' I'd left my passes in the car which was......
After the usual kind of argument, I hitched a lift from the circuit staff in their truck who took me round the track to my car!!!
SOME security staff are prats - others can be brilliant!

[Mark Mitchell]

......oh and there was the time at Donington when me & my mate pushed a car that had failed to start the race, into the pit lane entrance and park it up outside the first garage.
A big bloody gorilla marched over and said "You can't park there!"
He took our names and "Reported" us!!

[Flagman]

Or the Euro GP at Donington - when the CofC was not allowed back into Paddock 1 from the track as he didn't have the correct pass - even though he had just a few minutes earlier gone out past the same security guy!