Learning points at my season end

[SuperDuff]

I thought I'd share some of the things I have learnt this year (my first season).

1. When the black bit falls off the bottom of an extinguisher at the end of the day, the extinguisher will not stand upright.
2. After 10 hours, marshals are scarily odd people (oh sleep deprivation and coffee...)
3. When you can smell a portaloo from a 5m distance, you probably don't need the loo afterall.
4. Remember to take a torch to a portaloo in a night race.
5. Fire points are further spaced than you first realise, and are in fact, double the visual distance when you are carrying two extinguishers out to them.
6. Tyre wall climbing should be an Olympic sport (and not one I would be any good at).
7. Running across gravel traps should be a Marshal Endurance Event.
8. In your first season, after a very soggy race, buy lots of waterproofs - you are guaranteed dry meetings for the rest of the year.
9. When a car hits the armco, it shatters into many pieces - more than it looks on TV!
10. You get a sense of bereavement when your season has ended, and immediately start planning your wish list for next year.
11. Never underestimate the amount of food and drink that keeps a post going. (and the sense of humour helps!) Oh, and not all marshals eat pork pies - only two eatings witnessed at LMS.
12. Arriving at stupid o'clock, and struggling to get the tent pegs in probably means you have pitched on hardcore, but can't see this until the morning.
13. Lastly - it's addictive. The adrenaline rush of seeing cars belting by, good racing and spending time with equally as mad people is worth it all.