Phillip Island Classic 2008

[David Towe]

Off topic I know, Not a good week for the Towe family, my son Daniel was running second in his Go Kart final and like dad, crashed out. Now we both have some explaining to Mrs. Towe

[socram]

Interesting point re drinks to flaggies. I moved from flagging to racing in 1991 and the whole time I was flagging, large or small meetings, I never had a drop of liquid supplied by the organisers during the day.

Later, when organising race meetings, part of the profits were always distributed to the local Marshal's Club, to do with as they wished. (They usually spent it on two way radios, as up to that point, it was a telephone on each flag point that you could never hear!)

Over recent years, local organisers have started to supply first of all bottle water, (not cheap) then more recently, a lunch.

The after meeting BBQ usually went by the board as the circuit owners were wanting to lock up as we pushed for later race finishes, to squeeze in more race groups. Its not only flaggies who are there all weekend from 7:30am either... After a two day meeting, I just want to get home, and have some decent food in a relaxed atmosphere. I eat virtually nothing at the track, whether racing or organising.

Personally, I would always make my own arrangements for liquids and at a recent meeting, I think I quaffed a 3 litre container of water/lime juice that I had left in the freezer overnight - by 3pm...

[MPA]

Part of the problem was caused when the recovery crews were given the job to do the lunch & drink runs. Needless to say, they were quite busy. This is something the VMCC needs to address. When PIARC runs meetings they use a separate vehicle to deliver water to the marshals. They also distribute the lunches before we go trackside from the canteen.

As for the after event drinkies, they were up in the VIP room...... but who knew?

Always bring some water and a bite to eat when you go trackside. Sometimes things happen and you'll go hungry.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by MPA

Part of the problem was caused when the recovery crews were given the job to do the lunch & drink runs. Needless to say, they were quite busy. This is something the VMCC needs to address. When PIARC runs meetings they use a separate vehicle to deliver water to the marshals. They also distribute the lunches before we go trackside from the canteen.

As for the after event drinkies, they were up in the VIP room...... but who knew?

Always bring some water and a bite to eat when you go trackside. Sometimes things happen and you'll go hungry.

Sure...handringing here and feeling your anguish...its all too hard, and of course, no one ever starved to death on a Flag Point...however, this is all about saying thanks to volunteers. There are 4 million Ute drivers out there who would love to do a drink run...give em a radio and let em tear up the track

Rocket Science 101 - Introduction

During a race meeting, volunteers are located around the track away from the facilities that people normally take for granted. Toilets, what are they? Taps or a Bubbler? what are they? The volunteers are also required to concentrate on the job at hand for hours at a time. They do not seek fame or fortune, want to see meetings run smoothly, don't like to see cars or squishy bits hurt and do appreciate being appreciated

It is so very easy to pamper these simple souls, the arrival of a friendly face with fresh supplies is welcomed out in the boonies, then on to the next event..etc etc ad nauseum.

[MPA]

Yer got that right 275....

But there's only 7 points on the outside of the track that are an issue for drink runs...Flag points 1 , 1a, 1b, 3, 4, 9.6 & 12.5. The other points can be accessed via the infield and there's no need to send a vehicle trackside to delay the racing so the poor ute drivers might be redundant. Pity the VMCC could not find one of the 4 million you speak about...

[bludvl_x19]

Originally Posted by MPA

Yer got that right 275....

But there's only 7 points on the outside of the track that are an issue for drink runs...Flag points 1 , 1a, 1b, 3, 4, 9.6 & 12.5. The other points can be accessed via the infield and there's no need to send a vehicle trackside to delay the racing so the poor ute drivers might be redundant. Pity the VMCC could not find one of the 4 million you speak about...

Well I'm not a ute driver, but I'm still interested. But I was out on point that weekend.

Mick

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by bludvl_x19

Well I'm not a ute driver, but I'm still interested. But I was out on point that weekend.

Mick

No sign of the red Moke that has been used previously??

[MPA]

Originally Posted by bludvl_x19

Well I'm not a ute driver, but I'm still interested. But I was out on point that weekend.

Mick

Next year put your hand up to do the drink runs, you might get lucky and be one of the few non VMCC folk to get your car through the tunnel.

It's a long walk back at the end of a hot, long, thirsty and hungry day to the paddock. Lucky for us the C of C runs a hot track all day so we can have a micro rest between events and save some energy to search for the missing BBQ at the end of the day.

[bludvl_x19]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

No sign of the red Moke that has been used previously??

I saw a couple of Mokes that weekend (well it is the Mini Club that runs it) but I don't know if any of them are the one that you are referring to.

IPL: How have you got on with the Mini club, the VHRR and CAM$?

Mick

[john ruston]

Thought it was Poms that whinge not Aussies.Got that one wrong.The meeting is now run on a shoestring and things happen,get over it and learn for next time.

[MPA]

Originally Posted by 275 GTB-4

No sign of the red Moke that has been used previously??

Not seen.....But they would have used most of the marshal's water in the radiator if it did try and use it.....

[MPA]

Originally Posted by john ruston

Thought it was Poms that whinge not Aussies.Got that one wrong.The meeting is now run on a shoestring and things happen,get over it and learn for next time.

A very long shoestring John. Things happened, I'm over it, I looked after myself and learned for the next time when PIARC handed the meeting over to the VMCC about ten years ago.

But some things should not be happening and debate and discussion is a good thing.

[johnny yuma]

Whats goin on? PI was the best meeting ever and all I read is whingeing about no freebies. Theme song "What About Me".If I was in charge of PI (and thank the Lord I'm not,sir) I would hope flaggies could be self sufficient given the obvious intensity of running that meeting.Yes I have been a flaggie and did it when it became a club duty after competing many times---but flaggies then seemed a clique who did not want to compete so much as be close to the action.DON'T FORGET WITHOUT COMPETITORS THERE WOULD BE NO FLAGGIES !!! and competitors get nuthin,and pay heaps to enter.

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by johnny yuma

DON'T FORGET WITHOUT COMPETITORS THERE WOULD BE NO FLAGGIES !!!

Farbeit for a pom to comment, but surely the reverse is true?

Originally Posted by johnny yuma

and competitors get nuthin,and pay heaps to enter.

Of course, they are really forced to incur the expense of entering to enjoy their hobby! Oh, that the rest of us were fortunate/affluent enough to do so!

Johnny, I feel the world has turned on it's head. But, then it is the Antipodes!

However, I do agree that the Aussies have long proved that in their whinging they are looking at us in a mirror!

[MPA]

Originally Posted by johnny yuma

Whats goin on? PI was the best meeting ever and all I read is whingeing about no freebies. Theme song "What About Me".If I was in charge of PI (and thank the Lord I'm not,sir) I would hope flaggies could be self sufficient given the obvious intensity of running that meeting.

Now that sounds like a comment from the Work Choices era....


To keep the thread moving in a direction you're happy with, please tell me why you thought it was the best meeting ever? What rocked your boat on the weekend?

[MPA]

Originally Posted by John Turner

Farbeit for a pom to comment, but surely the reverse is true?

Johnny, I feel the world has turned on it's head. But, then it is the Antipodes!

However, I do agree that the Aussies have long proved that in their whinging they are looking at us in a mirror!

Taught by experts John. I think you’d find that our motor racing administration down here has a very British feel to it.

[johnny yuma]

Poor attempt at humour I guess,I was purposely reversing the cliche when I said without competitors there would be no flaggies---get it? ah forget it.I'm off to Bathurst for the Festival of Sporting Cars.And don't rib me with that Work Choices rubbish it was invented by people who've never got their hands dirty to exploit people who have to get their hands dirty,not Volunteers doing something they claim to love.OK if you laugh at my joke I'll laugh at yours.
What did I like at PI ? Just about everything and everybody,but the tussle between the three Holden grey motor cars in J,K and others,their state of preperation and success sticks in my mind,and watching and listening as a crew member started the 1954 Ferrari 750 in the pits,and seeing the Maybachs,and Phillips mighty drive in his XU1,AND,AND...seeing the flaggies get out and broom the track ....after being asked.

[MPA]

Thanks johnny....100 or so Group N cars did it for me...seeing the big boys power slide out from Honda was great..... So was the return of J Mann.

Goss's 74 Falcon was good, but I don't remember it being so loud last time out at Sandown. The 917/30 was awesome, I wish they could have given it some more right foot. The Veskanda rocks, I remember Bowe & Dick running it at Sandown all those years ago.

The Lola Hart was a good inclusion, it seems to be no slower today than when AJ steered it....joke joyce....

But for me the McLaren M1A wins. Don't know why but every time I see it, I just want one.

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by johnny yuma

Poor attempt at humour I guess,I was purposely reversing the cliche when I said without competitors there would be no flaggies---get it? ah forget it.

Ah, I did wonder, but decided that on balance, you were being (misguidedly!)
serious! Glad I was wrong!

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by MPA

Taught by experts John. I think you’d find that our motor racing administration down here has a very British feel to it.

I wonder why you fail to say whether that's a good thing, or not!

I'll have to give myself a warning shortly for taking this off topic!

[KineticEnergy]

Originally Posted by MPA

Thanks johnny....100 or so Group N cars did it for me...seeing the big boys power slide out from Honda was great..... So was the return of J Mann.

Goss's 74 Falcon was good, but I don't remember it being so loud last time out at Sandown. The 917/30 was awesome, I wish they could have given it some more right foot. The Veskanda rocks, I remember Bowe & Dick running it at Sandown all those years ago.

The Lola Hart was a good inclusion, it seems to be no slower today than when AJ steered it....joke joyce....

But for me the McLaren M1A wins. Don't know why but every time I see it, I just want one.

Ian Ross who owns the Beatrice Lola THL1 told me at PI that someone would be introducing him to the team manager that ran the car back in '85. Ian couldn't remember the name. My recollection was that Teddy Mayer (of McLaren fame) was Team Manager back then.

[Lazza635]

The meeting was awesome, well run and great camraderie. I'll be back next year.

[MPA]

Originally Posted by John Turner

I wonder why you fail to say whether that's a good thing, or not!

Mostly good. The Germans can build cars, the Italians can make the look pretty, the French can crash them, but you guys win when it comes to administering them.

When we got the F1 race in '85 we looked at other F1 races and chose to model ours after the one we regarded as the best run event....yours...20 years later lots of stuff we do has filtered down to the lower end of the sport...

Apart from that,clubs like the MG car Club and the Mini Car Club etc are quite large and are just a little bit British...

We did try NASCAR over here and our governing motorsport body had all sorts of problems with the steering wheels on the wrong side.

[275 GTB-4]

Originally Posted by johnny yuma

Whats goin on? PI was the best meeting ever and all I read is whingeing about no freebies. Theme song "What About Me".If I was in charge of PI (and thank the Lord I'm not,sir) I would hope flaggies could be self sufficient given the obvious intensity of running that meeting.Yes I have been a flaggie and did it when it became a club duty after competing many times---but flaggies then seemed a clique who did not want to compete so much as be close to the action.DON'T FORGET WITHOUT COMPETITORS THERE WOULD BE NO FLAGGIES !!! and competitors get nuthin,and pay heaps to enter.

Whinging about no freebies...thats a good one Johnny...still, nothing wrong with some good old stirring the possum

To anyone listening who is a race meeting organiser, with half a brain...treat your volunteer workforce with a little respect...with care and nurturing they can be developed into a well oiled machine that will reap benefits at the cash register...a well run meeting is a successful meeting, people talk and tell others about the good time they had.

Volunteers do their tasks sometiimes under difficult physical and environmental circumstances in the name of the sport and they should not be made light of...

The purchase of a few boxes of bottled water and some basic cut lunches should not be considered "freebies" (I don't know any gourmet Marshals who attend meetings just for the cuisine), the lunches should be considered the minimum a responsible boss would provide to a workforce mostly denied access to even the most basic of facilities.

Oops...fell off my soapbox

[kramer]

I have to say that I'm surprised that there are no lunches / drink runs for the officials who are out on points.

In NSW, in my experience, every volunteer official gets a lunch pack, regular drinks and a post-race barbecue. I don't think I've ever seen it not happen, no matter what sort of race meeting.

However, Phillip Island, for me, a spectator / photographer, put on the best race meeting (this year and last) I think I've ever seen.

Why? Lots of racing - no between-races garbage - or at least it's kept to an absolute minimum. OK, it's a bit of a shame some classes missed out on a run; but these days, that's going to have to be the norm.

Those officials I dealt with (Race Control and several flag points) were almost all friendly and courteous, not wannabe Gestapo like some others. Hey, maybe it's because they were hungry and thirsty they couldn't fight? No, it's not that.

The plan is that I'll be back in 09. And hopefully Sandown as well.

You know, we're doing pretty well in this country. We have the Tasman Revival again this year too.




Kramer