Silverstone Classic 2015

[Fay]

I would just like to take this opportunity of thanking all the marshals for the weekend. I know they were very long and wet days but everything went really well and the organisers (Goose), HSCC and all the drivers would like to pass on their thanks.

Many drivers said how they admired your dedication in such bad conditions.

We have made a list of your comments for improvements and if you have any more, then please let me know.

Once again many thanks.

Fay Crook
Chief Marshal
Silverstone Classic

[Wet marshal]

I lived up to my name this year!

Fay, could you ask the organisers to put the Marshals campsite on "stilts" or move it to a Level field where we have "gravel roads" to access our tents.......just in case it rains again!!

Good racing & thanks to the teams on Post 6&12 over the weekend, in very trying conditions.

Joe

[adstubbs]

Shame about the weather, some good racing on Saturday though. One request for next year-could the flag marshals have radios? would help us keep up with what's happening, especially as flag points at Silverstone are often some way from incident teams.

[Chigley]

Originally Posted by adstubbs

Shame about the weather, some good racing on Saturday though. One request for next year-could the flag marshals have radios? would help us keep up with what's happening, especially as flag points at Silverstone are often some way from incident teams.

Very good point. On Sunday with the rapidly changing start procedures it was blatantly obviously that the flaggies were not getting the type of start message. It could have been very confusing for the drivers having been briefed on one procedure and seeing over half the circuit displaying contrary flags signals.

[Chigley]

Purely working on the amount of fuel we used, cost of fuel per litre, estimated fuel consumption and a the GP circuit length I reckon the safety car did close to 270 laps over the 3 days. I don't about being on pole position for most of the races we could have won a lot of those races. The last race on Sunday the BoB trophy we had the legs on all of them. Shame we had the low fuel light come on again.

[Cornerworker]

I think the Course Car did the second most laps and was classified

[garyharman]

Thanks again to the Marshals over the wet weekend, and their help as always.

Starting to upload photos here:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/garyha...7653995626334/

[Chigley]

1. Martin Stretton (44) has already moved back and away from track left where he was tucked up.
2. The lights have not detached from the lead, time to try and drag them in the car.
3. Note the dents.
4. Field packed up, lights out, ready for a start!

[Pitsmarion]

"We have made a list of your comments for improvements and if you have any more, then please let me know."

Hi Fay - please could you ask the organisers to print somewhere obvious in the racing programme that the pits and pit wall are not spectator areas. The event attracts a lot of people unfamiliar with racing, which is great for the future of our sport, but the "access all areas" publicity means many do not know that does not include the pits as well. We always have problems with managing spectators who want to go in the pits and on the pit wall, and is even more of a safety concern during the many pit stop races which this event does. Some warnings in the programme, some signage, and maybe a mention or two by the commentators would go a long way to improving pit lane safety and make the pit marshals job a lot more about racing and less about crowd control.

[stephen0183]

Originally Posted by adstubbs

Shame about the weather, some good racing on Saturday though. One request for next year-could the flag marshals have radios? would help us keep up with what's happening, especially as flag points at Silverstone are often some way from incident teams.

On Friday, flagging on the National Pits wall, it was a bit of a surprise to suddenly see the Safety Car come into view when there was no evidence from the previous post that the safety car was out. It was also guess work as to when to be back on post after lunch, however thanks to the pits team, I could seek shelter in their office in the downtime and watch their telly to see the cars moving off from the Wing Assembly!

Even on Sunday on another post, even through I had the IO relay the start procedures through to me from Race Control, they got it wrong on a couple of occasions!

There was quite a bit of bad flag etiquette as well. On Sunday, SC boards and yellow flags on the posts around me were being brought back in while the SC still out on track rather than waiting for the flow of green flags around from Startline. For those flaggies not so fortunate to have an IO nearby, they would have had an element of guesswork to when green flag conditions actually were!

So in short, even if Race Control broadcast on a transmit only frequency that the flaggies could pick up on their scanners, it would be a vast improvement so that in the changing conditions, they can be prepared to act on those messages.

[Chigley]

Even on Sunday on another post, even through I had the IO relay the start procedures through to me from Race Control, they got it wrong on a couple of occasions!

With the rapidly changing conditions, timetable and events it was a literally fluid (no pun intended) situation. RC did a brilliant job in making sure all the competitors qualified, all the races were run and we finished on time. I agree the plot outstripped the flag communication at times and there was a momentary glitch but by the time we, and the cars, got to the second half of the lap things were sorted out and the right flags were displayed. All in all you flaggies did a brilliant job all three days and how you got your arms back into their sockets on Friday is a miracle. As a frustrated flaggie I did feel for you and mentioned it in RC.

[AndyT]

Originally Posted by Chigley

1. Martin Stretton (44) has already moved back and away from track left where he was tucked up.
2. The lights have not detached from the lead, time to try and drag them in the car.
3. Note the dents.
4. Field packed up, lights out, ready for a start!

We did wonder how the damage was done when we saw it in the pit lane.

[Terrible-Tones]

Originally Posted by Chigley

Purely working on the amount of fuel we used:

Silverstone GP circuit is a juicy circuit. We only get about 6 to 8 mpg out of the MR2 in race or track day conditions, and that is only a 1600cc. I hate to think what the Mas was doing?

[jase]

Originally Posted by Pitsmarion

"We have made a list of your comments for improvements and if you have any more, then please let me know."

Hi Fay - please could you ask the organisers to print somewhere obvious in the racing programme that the pits and pit wall are not spectator areas. The event attracts a lot of people unfamiliar with racing, which is great for the future of our sport, but the "access all areas" publicity means many do not know that does not include the pits as well. We always have problems with managing spectators who want to go in the pits and on the pit wall, and is even more of a safety concern during the many pit stop races which this event does. Some warnings in the programme, some signage, and maybe a mention or two by the commentators would go a long way to improving pit lane safety and make the pit marshals job a lot more about racing and less about crowd control.

I have said this for years at these events, the pits *must* be unaccessable to the public. Walking into the garages tonsee the cars is ok, but no further, it only takes a rope extended accross the garage to provide a barrier. Pit marshals have enough to do without being security aswell.

One question I have is why was one of the most experienced security staff on the main gate, when he Should have been by the pits, someone who knows how the pits run. Why put renta-bodies on pit gates? And also, why weren't the security in the lane checking for escaped persons?

All the marshals did a fantastic job over the Classic weekend, in a mix of conditions they kept their humour around the circuit.

[yellowspanner]

An excellent meeting as always, despite the rain trying its best to spoil it. Can we have liferafts on post please? Thanks to Delta for the bbq, it broke my heart to see the Lotus on Sunday morning. Thanks to the team at Farm for a brilliant weekend. After flagging on Friday and Saturday it was a pleasant break for my deltoid muscles to be back on the incident team on Sunday. Already looking forward to Classic 2016!!

[Fay]

Thanks for all the comments.

I have made notes and will see what we can do for next year.

See you all soon.

Fay
Chief Marshal
Silverstone Classic