What! No Tickets?

[scribbler]

I'm sure you've discussed this before but I can't find where.
What's the best policy if you find you CAN attend a meeting at very short notice and/or the tickets don't arrive in the post? Donnington tend to be very forgiving of such things but Oulton Park is not. Sometimes I can't get hold of the Chief Marshal's mobile phone number. What's the best policy? Stand at the gate awaiting an arriving marshal who may have a spare ticket?
The temptation to tell the gatekeeper where to stick his hinge pin and go home to breakfast is an option I've considered but I like marshalling too much. (I know - Saddo).

[badgeman62]

hi mate this problem was mentioned last year,and if memory serves me right the best way to gain access to that otherwise forbidden land is to ask the gate person if they would be kind enough to contact the cheif marshal (in race control),and ask them for a ticket,and hey presto.however if you arrive before the cheif marshal,hang around the gate.if you stand with your hand on your hip,and flick your hair this may cause a passing motorist to stop and offer you money.take it,then your in.(the curcuit i mean).

[Hepatic]

We talked about this at the training day at Oulton this year. If you can get hold of the chief marshal by phone or email before hand, they can usually arrange for tickets to be left on the gate for you, if they have any spare. Their contact details are usually on the various club websites, so it shouldn't be too hard to find them. Failing that, turning up and politely asking the gate staff if they could contact the chief should also work...

[g7hkq]

If I don't need my ticket I leave it on the gate and ask the person there to pass it on to any marshal who hasn't got one. It does no harm to ask.

[diz]

Originally Posted by g7hkq

If I don't need my ticket I leave it on the gate and ask the person there to pass it on to any marshal who hasn't got one. It does no harm to ask.

That seems a good way of the gate person 'earning' an extra tenner. You must think everybody is as honest as youself g7hkq. Big mistake in this day and age.

[g7hkq]

Originally Posted by diz

That seems a good way of the gate person 'earning' an extra tenner. You must think everybody is as honest as youself g7hkq. Big mistake in this day and age.

I work on the principal treat others as you want to be treated yourself so I don't start off by thinking the gateperson is on the take.
I might be wrong but

[The Fat Clerk]

Certainly @ Mallory, if you turn up in overalls at a sensible time; i.e. 8am, you'll have no trouble geting in.

[Woolley]

They once let me into Mallory with Donington tickets for the following week. Was a bit rushed that morning.

[Mark Mitchell]

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

Certainly @ Mallory, if you turn up in overalls at a sensible time; i.e. 8am, you'll have no trouble geting in.

But getting out is a completely different matter!

[Nadine J Lewis]

Firstly a plea - please do not upset the gatestaff. They are only doing what they have been told to do and a lot of work has gone into getting them on our side. For Oulton Park please contact Chief Marshal beforehand if possible and tickets will be left on the gate for you. If this is not possible please turn up and ask the gate staff to contact Chief Marshal for the meeting - this will be done via Main Office so could take time. Once Chief Marshal has verified who you are then you should get let in. Please do not take your grievances out on the staff but contact the Chief Marshal or myself who will investigate on your behalf.
"turning up and politely asking the gate staff..." as suggested by Hepatic will go a long way

[diz]

Sorry Nadine, just trying to be witty - and failing miserably.
[makes mental note not to upset the BRSCC NW Marshal of the Year again]

[Dave Brand]

Originally Posted by MarshalGirl

If this is not possible please turn up and ask the gate staff to contact Chief Marshal for the meeting - this will be done via Main Office so could take time.

This was mentioned at the training day - if I remember correctly, the instruction was to go to the left-most gate.

[scribbler]

I understand that all this difficulty with tickets is there to ensure that no-one in an orange boiler suit can get in without paying. But if said boiler-suit can show a current MSA license and some evidence that he's tried to get official sanction then I don't really see the problem.
With 4000 marshals now down to 1500 in three years, it's obvious that some marshals are a bit peed off with feeling "undervalued". Having to go though all this cobblers just to stop the occasional gate crasher is not going to increase marshal numbers. It's not as if the occasional miscreant is taking up a seat is it? Most race days are hardly packed with spectators and surely a marshal should be allowed the occassional perk, considering he/she forks out hundreds of pounds in kit and travelling expenses, not to mention the zillion hours that Chief Marshals and other front-line organisers spend in personal time.
I know that there are various commitees working on this. Just adding my ha'penny worth.

[The Fat Clerk]

Rockingham's best, you can turn up in overalls, with a car pass & admission tickets & Scottish person on the gate will still refuse you entry.......marvelous, needless to say I don't go there anymore.

[Woolley]

...even if you've already parked your caravan in the allotted area the previous night and are simply trying to take your car to park next to it.

However, except at Rockingham, asking politely usually works wonders, and it is also appreciated if you pop back after sign on to say thanks, which I have done several times.

[Hepatic]

As Nadine said they are only doing their job, and sometimes maybe the info they get from their bosses isn't as clear as it should be.Hopefully that won't be the case this year and anyone turning up with no ticket can still join in the fun. Being polite first always helps - how many people would YOU help if the first thing you heard was "why the won't you let me in?"

I had a slight misunderstanding last year at Oulton with the camping arrangements - the girl in the booth believed marshals had to pay for camping just like the public. As it was my first time i didn't know any better and paid the tenner, but i spoke to Jan Gower later that morning and we went over and sorted it out. The main thing is if you DO have any problems, to let the chief marshal know ASAP. A lot has been done, but if you don't tell anyone at the time it happens, how can they then ensure it gets sorted and doesn't happen again?

As g7hkq said, treat others like you want to be treated and everything will get sorted in the end

[Nadine J Lewis]

Originally Posted by philgoslinguk

I understand that all this difficulty with tickets is there to ensure that no-one in an orange boiler suit can get in without paying. But if said boiler-suit can show a current MSA license and some evidence that he's tried to get official sanction then I don't really see the problem..........
Most race days are hardly packed with spectators and surely a marshal should be allowed the occassional perk.

I hope I have not mis-understood your post but.....marshals are given tickets to enter the circuit to perform their duty. If marshals are entering the circuit using their licence and then not marshalling they will be spotted and asked to leave the circuit. The MSA licence does not give anyone the right to walk into any circuit in the country - nor does being a marshal. We do this as volunteers and as far as I know the only favours we ask for in return are a thanks at the end of the day!!

[Mark Mitchell]

Reading Phil's comments, I think perhaps it should have read something like "Not just anyone in an orange Boiler-suit...."

[Boo Boo]

I notice that all the problems at Oultin have started since the last change of management. Enough said i think.

[scribbler]

Originally Posted by MarshalGirl

I hope I have not mis-understood your post but.....marshals are given tickets to enter the circuit to perform their duty. If marshals are entering the circuit using their licence and then not marshalling they will be spotted and asked to leave the circuit. The MSA licence does not give anyone the right to walk into any circuit in the country - nor does being a marshal. We do this as volunteers and as far as I know the only favours we ask for in return are a thanks at the end of the day!!

I have no intention of ever visiting a track unless it's as an officiating marshal or a paying member of the public.
What I do not understand is why we, collectively, tolerate any situation where a volunteer who is essential to the running of a race meeting, and who has spent large sums of money on transport and kit, not to mention personal time to do so, should be treated like a leper at the gates.
I don't particularly want thanks (although I'm grateful for it). What I want is recognition that what marshals do is vital, reflected in stopping this bloody nonsense at the gates - any gates - however well mannered we may be.
Does the air-ambulance require tickets?

[Woolley]

I guess you have to distinguish between

'does everything, been there, just wants to put feet up and watch for once'

and

'did the last day of a TOCA meeting earlier in the season to get closer to the action and gain ovies and a licence so as to get into everything else free'.

I doubt there are any of the second group at the moment, but change the rules and I guarantee there would be. Unfortunately, there's no way the gate person can tell, and at the start of the season, neither can a hard-worked volunteer Chief Marshal. It's not that hard to get tickets, and if you couldn't get them in advance for some good reason, Chiefs will always be happy to help.

[Nadine J Lewis]

Originally Posted by Boo Boo

I notice that all the problems at Oultin have started since the last change of management. Enough said i think.

I think you'll find that Oulton Park marshals were a very privelged bunch in that they could get in with their licence and all other circuits have always had tickets. Change of management meant same rules for all circuits - as the others in the group do tickets then Oulton will have to do the same.

Marshals don't get special rules - same for the doctors too!! We are appreciated at a higher level within management but should not expect priveleged treatment for being a volunteer. Same treatment as anyone else is all I expect. If I am given a set of rules and I stick to them then I expect everyone else to do the same - if they don't then I'll go through the proper channels and speak to people in a position to do something about it.

I do not foresee any problems at Oulton Park this year and would like to hope that no-one has been put off coming by the possibility (however, remote) of a problem at the gate. If there is a problem then please speak to Chief Marshal or myself as stated before on the day.

[g7hkq]

Originally Posted by Boo Boo

I notice that all the problems at Oultin have started since the last change of management. Enough said i think.

Not sure if anyone else thinks the same but I have noticed that last year when I ran with a bottle, it was on grass that had been cut so I could see the fox holes, the grids seemed to be fuller , I got a spare ticket sent to me without having to ask and I have my name down for the track day,

Sorry what problems?

[scribbler]

Sorry MarshalGirl
Thicko here is missing something.
Why should it be a privilege to be simply let in to an event you've volunteered to help at?
The point I am failing to make is that we are blindly accepting "rules" without question. I do question them. I'm bolshie, I question everything. WHY can't a qualified marshal holding all the right licences be given some kind of annual pass that would allow him or her to turn up "on spec" in order to do what they're best at. If he/she subsequently plays the fool, then the pass system is denied them in future.
There can only be one reason - we're not trusted. ???

[Woolley]

I really can't disagree more. For the same reason, roadies need concert tickets. Unless you are a permanent employee known to all and marked off in some way (clocking in, etc.) then there's too much variation in the people who turn up from week to week. If someone does get a pass and abuses it, how is anyone to know? The gate staff have enough to do, the Chief Marshal is a volunteer and so are the organisers, and the person gaining access could be anywhere around a 3 mile circuit and not known to most of the other marshals. I am quite sure that 'we' as a group are trusted, particularly by Dr Palmer, but there is no easy way of spotting the odd bad apple... Sorry, of course there is - issue tickets (with a free guest pass) to those that say they're coming, then they'll have no problems getting in and the cicuit have a check system (signing on) for the few that might be tempted to spoil it for the rest.

And again, if you're not sure in advance, let someone know when you arrive. It's no big deal and it makes administration easy.