#5 – Startline and the Three Amigos

There have been numerous times this year were i’ve been proud to pull on the orange overalls!

Whilst the marshalling season is over for me, it’s always good to reflect on the year you’ve had and pick out the best moments from that year. For me there are five moments that stand out in particular. I’ve only selected my best moments from the times I’ve been in orange so sadly there will be no talk of F1.

This will hopefully show you that there are other events out there that you may want to try or this could be the first time you’ve heard anything about them so hopefully this inspires you for next season.

#5 – Startline and the Three Amigos

Anyways, now the introduction has been done it’s time to move onto the main article.

The May Bank Holiday is normally one of the first times I’m able to grace the bank again after my rugby season draws to a close, so I usually try and find something local to get me back into the swing of things. However, I was stumped this year as there was nothing on apart from the Ty Croes Sprint at Anglesey.

Now before you close the tab or go back to whatever it was you were doing because you’ve heard that sprints aren’t exciting, allow me to just have your attention for a while longer.

The Gourd V10 packs the punch and requires a large gap to the car ahead. (Photo Credit – Christina McNeil)

The difference between a Sprint and a normal Race Meeting is primarily that one car circulates against the clock, but as they are against the clock, they’re against their best time meaning they are normally on the edge. A sprint also provides the biggest variety of cars; how often will you see a Gourd V10, Scimitar GT, MG Midget, Mazda 3 and a Porsche GT3 circulate a track in the same weekend? The perfect balance of open wheeled, closed wheel, old and new cars; great for the petrol head.

You don’t have to be on the bank either at a Sprint, there are other jobs which I’ve found embody a Sprint more. I was asked this year if I could help out with Startline, a simple process of lining up the car on the timing beam before releasing it when the light turns green. Sounds easy, but those cars become heavy when there is a problem out on the circuit or you need to wait for a big enough gap.

We were in high spirits throughout the weekend, never missing a chance for a laugh. (Photo Credit – LamboSport)

Either way the Startline is good fun if you are always looking to be doing something; it is the most active job during a Sprint and I would highly recommend it. It also allows you to have a good relationship with the drivers and your fellow marshals! The drivers are always a great laugh and they could even bring you sweets!

By the end of the weekend you know your fellow marshals strengths and weaknesses inside out! You know how to rotate if there are three of you and no matter what the weather, your morale is always high! I mean this year myself, Andrew Roberts and James McNeil were nicknamed ‘The Three Amigos’! Even in the rain we never lost our smiles as we danced along to ‘Singing in the Rain’, whilst in the sun we were able to really take it in turns and get the most out of the day! James even managed to Dab whilst we help a Caterham on the start!

Fun in the sun and I wasn’t joking about James’ dab! (Photo Credit – Russ Hunter)

If you are still undecided about whether or not a Sprint is for you, then I would highly recommend giving one a go next season! Not only does it help you make up your mind, it does allow you to discover other marshalling techniques and add another string to your bow!

Next Week is #4 – So be observant for that!

Written By – Robert Lee (@RobLee559 -Twitter/Instagram)

Always wanted to be a marshal, but never known how to go about it? Follow the link here to find your nearest circuit, taster day or training session to give the life in orange a go!

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