As a part of my journey into motorsport with my E30 over the last 18 months, I have enjoyed racing at all sorts of tracks, in all sorts of conditions.  Blisteringly hot and windy days at Sandown, through to blizzard like conditions at Phillip Island.

And whilst the conditions at each track often vary, one thing is of course constant- the volunteers that make the day happen.  These people get out there in all kinds of conditions to allow people like me (and maybe you) to enjoy my day out on the track safely.

Sure, I showed my appreciation to these people wherever I could- a wave to the flaggies at the end of the day, shaking hands with the pit officials, and expressing my thanks to people in admin.  But the reality was that until a few weeks ago, I didn’t realise the amazing joy that volunteering at a motorsport event actually brings.

Like just about everyone in BMWDCM, my passion is cars. If you give me anything to do with cars or racing, be it a magazine, a television show, televised races, or anything in the driver’s seat or passenger’s seat, I’ll be happier than a pig in… well you know what…

Jo and Graeme had been suggesting for a while that I should consider doing some event officiating as a part of my development as a competitor.  So when the opportunity came to learn the art of Flag Marshalling at Sandown for Round 4 of the Victorian State Racing Series (along with fellow BMWDCM member Jessie Keogh) and as a Pit and Grid Official for the Penrite Supersprint V8 event - I jumped at both of them.

And now that both events are finished- I can tell you something you all should know- it’s the big secret truth about volunteering that you won’t know unless you have done it.

Are you ready for it?

OK…

So the one, big, secret truth about volunteering at motorsports events is this: it gets you closer.

It gets you closer to the action.

It gets you closer to the drivers and teams.

It gets you closer to the cars.

It gets you special access and special permissions. You’re an official. You’re there to do a job, so you do it. If that job happens to be marshalling cars in pitlane - as mine was for Supercars- you can get closer the frenetic pit action. If your job is flag marshalling at Turn 6 (like Jessie and I did for the VSRC), the only people closer to the track than you are the drivers.  If you are a grid marshal- something else I did for the supercars, it’s only you and the drivers on the starting grid with two minutes to green.  You are so close that the V8 rumble vibrates through you like some sort of six-pointer on the Richter scale.  Or, maybe you can get the opportunity to chat with your favourite driver or TV personality- cause you are close to them too.

It get’s you closer.  That’s the thing about being a volunteer official.

And standing at Turn 6 at Sandown as a Flag Marshals, Jessie and I were close enough to the cars as the passed the fastest point on that track that we could see the whites of the drivers eyes as they tried to sum up the tricky conditions down into Dandenong Rd.

Jessie and I were schooled in all things Flag Marshalling by Vic Flags Senior Official Simon and Sector Marshall Graeme Darcy.   Although, Simon first instruction to us was  that if he pull’s us towards him and away from the wall, we need to go with him cause it probably means a car is heading straight for us, was probably not as reassuring as he had hoped.  Nor was his “If I yell “get down”, please dot straight away” instruction.  Of course, it’s all in the name of safety- but geez, Simon, you need to find a better way to welcome people!

Standing at the peak of Turn 6 at Sandown, really made me appreciate the work that a Flag Marshall does.  It requires lots of focussed concentration and decisiveness.  And some of those decisions are split second- especially in high-speed sections. 

Being privy to all the track communication throughout the day was fascinating too.  There are lots of moving parts to an event, and the work done by all involved to make sure that the day runs smoothly, safely and on-time is as challenging as predicting Melbourne’s weather.  Especially with the number of accidents and incidents that occurred.  I have even more respect for those making decisions about how to best keep the day moving forward and allowing the competition to be run fairly and safely.

Being as close to the action as we were, it was also great to watch how other drivers and cars approach the track with lines and braking points.  So it will help my driving too (I hope!).

A week later, I rose early again to head back to Sandown for the Penrite Supersprint Supercars event.  Here I was a Pit and Grid Marshal.  My Chief Official for the day was Rhys, and the generosity he showed me was second to none.  He made sure I got to do everything possible throughout the day- or maybe it was less about generosity and just a ploy to get me back!  Either way, Rhys let me roam around the pits ensuring safe and fair competition, marshal the grid into place for the Supercars- where I was able to have a chat with Chaz Mostert and his engineer Adrian deBorre (it was just the three of us in his starting box), and wave the starting grid flags for each competing class.  My feet were damn sore after all the walking.  Worth it though.

Everywhere I went across both days at each event, I met more and more amazing petrol heads, all because I took this leap of faith in deciding to be a volunteer.  I was given lunch, provided with snacks throughout the day, plenty of water, and given a full uniform to keep for the Supercars event.   

It was also a great social activity: I felt welcomed into the volunteering family- and also part of something bigger.

Everyone also really appreciated that a competitor was volunteering- it seemed like a really big deal.  Of course, for me it wasn’t- but it showed that as competitors we value what they do as officials, and want to learn from them. 

So, I am looking forward to my next event, and my next opportunity to learn and grow as a competitor and official within motorsport with the possibility of going interstate or even overseas to participate in other exciting events as an official.

Seriously, volunteering is awesome. So if you haven’t yet done so- hit Meg, GB, Jo (or even me) up and get out there!  It will get you closer to motorsport than you can possibly imagine.

Shannon Cooper | Member #599
BMW Drivers Club Melbourne