Some advice please

[TRIUMPH]

Hi everyone new member to your forum, I went to my first meet at Thruxton recently to see if I would enjoy marshalling which I did, had a great day and met some top people.
Now I want to carry on with it, I would like some advice on what to do next, my questions are.

1. I would like to get on the grading scheme how do I go about it.

2. What is a good club Marshalls club to join, I orginally contacted the BARC but someone told me about the BMMC?

3. What are the dates for the start and the end of the season?

4. Where can I get the best price for overalls and waterproofs?

5. Finally any advice at all you can give me about the best meets and the ones to avoid.

Many Thanks for your time.
Mike

[Peter Harding]

There is a book available that gives some good info on marshalling. You should be able to get one at Thruxton but any problems send me an address and I will oblige.
You can get on the grading trail just by getting a trainee card from your preferred club (BARC is fine) and there is a small leaflet with it to explaina all.
You don't have to join most clubs to get on their register.
Most are racing clubs and marshalling is only a section. The BMMC IS a club dedicated to marshalling. If you want to spend money this is probably the cheapest and most relavant., but ask around in your area.
Season (Race) is usually March to Oct (with some others outside those dates and, of course, things like rallycross)
Overalls can be bought through many clubs with some offering discounts. Talk to local marshals about the deals they have done. The last 3 sets I had were paid by sponsors but its a lot of work getting a wealthy sponsor.
If you do only Thruxton there is a limit to the number of meetings a year and its easy to do all for a year and see for youself whats good or bad. Check what cars are on the programme. Autosport and Motorsport news have a full year callander published around February.
Good luck

[sss]

i will pm you with some info about bikes when i get back to reality tomorrow.

[aprescott]

If you want a good set of water proofs I can recomend Greenhams, they stock rail track approved ie Orange and nice and warm! A must for the upcomming FFF!!!

[Richard Sneader]

triumph, if you pm me on this sight with yor address details I will send you out a new marshals pack from the BMMC South Easy region.
Rich S.

[Teletubby]

Richard, I think you'll find that he's in the 'South West' and I'm sure Steve Tarrant would have sorted this by now if he had been here.
Triumph, you choose which, if any, club you want to join. As was mentioned earlier, you don't need to join any club at all, race organisers are more than happy for non-members to attend their meetings.
The only possible fly in that ointment is if you want to attend certain 'high profile' and popular events such as either of the Goodwoods or the Formula Ford Festival at Brands, then I think it may help to be a member of the organising club.
Think about where you will be marshalling, if mostly Thruxton then you may as well join BARC, if all over the country then you may want to consider the BMMC, personally I'm a member of both; all my 'admin' type stuff is handled by BARC but I like to get the BMMC newsletter.

[Teletubby]

Triumph, will you be at the 19th of October meeting at Thruxton? If so I'd be more than happy to have a chat with you there. Drop me a Private Message or an email.

[Stephen Green]

Mike, a very warm welcome to Ten-Tenths and it's great to hear of another 'convert' to marshalling. All of the above advice is excellent, I would only like to add that the British Motorsport Marshals Club (BMMC) has a website offering good tips. It can be found at www.marshals.co.uk Whatever you choose, have a safe and enjoyable time marshalling.

[Dave Brand]

Originally posted by TRIUMPH
1. I would like to get on the grading scheme how do I go about it.

2. What is a good club Marshalls club to join, I orginally contacted the BARC but someone told me about the BMMC?

Don't worry about getting into the grading scheme, your club will take care of that.

As as been said, you don't need to join a club, but you do need to have a 'primary' registered with the MSA for grading purposes. Joining a club makes the whole process that much easier.

As for which club to join, I'd suggest that you find out who organises the training days at your 'local' circuit & make that your first choice.

4. Where can I get the best price for overalls and waterproofs?

Your club is the best place to go - the kit they sell has been chosen as being fit for the job & in many cases the cost is reduced by subsidies from the club or sponsors.

5. Finally any advice at all you can give me about the best meets and the ones to avoid.

That is, to a large extent, a personal decision. Personally, I can think of nothing more boring than (insert someone else's favourite series!). As a generalisation, the bigger the meeting, the worse the marshals are treated.

In replying to your second question, I mentioned training days. I can't overstress the importance of training. Marshalling is great fun, but it is a potentially dangerous activity; proper training will allow you to do the job in a safe, professional manner, which makes it all the more enjoyable.

[Malc's]

If it's a club you want to join then I would sugest the BMMC because it is dedicated to marshals, I have been a member of BARC but am resigning from them at the end of the year. Although I have asked BARC about training none has ever been forthcoming (i.e. no training or grading badge) even though I have asked on a number of occasions.

[Richard Sneader]

Teletuby, I was not trying to pinch another marshal foir our region, I was just offering the pack to help someone new get started in marshalling as I have already done with others. The pack we have is designed for interest and to help start.
RS