Volunteers and officials at the Wales Rally GB, which includes1,800 marshals and 450 other officials, from timing to technical
THE STEWARD
“We’re expected to cover the whole of the area the MSA covers, although in reality they pick the stewards close to the venue. The closest to us is Mallory Park. “I think I’ve got about 10-12 dates this year, but both of us have said we’re available at short notice, so sometimes you can get a call on a Thursday. It’s easy for us as we’re both involved so it’s not as though Dave has to say, ‘Sorry – I’m going to do this event.’ We can also back each other up if one is ill. “I began as a marshal but I sat in several times as his secretary and I thought, ‘I can do this.’ I applied to the MSA and sent in a motor racing CV that showed my experience. I was
THE RALLY MARSHAL
evening. There were some events coming up requiring marshals and we’d done motor bike marshalling before and said we’d come along. I did a couple of 12-cars and carried on from there.” Well and truly bitten by the rallying bug, and supported by their new friends in the club, it wasn’t long before the pair began competing. They now combine marshalling with time behind the wheel – as many do in the sport’s grass roots. Motor sport has become so important to Nicola that she has changed jobs in order to free up more spare time to devote to the club. Nicola’s enthusiasm and commitment is exactly what a motor club needs and she’s more than ready for the challenge. “Once you get into the swing of things it’s easy. Getting people to come along and have fun is most important. You are working hard to enjoy your spare time and you’ve got something to look forward to.”
Husband and wife Dave and Elaine Brice are both stewards. Dave turned to marshalling after a bad accident ended his racing career, and he met his wife Elaine while volunteering. She says that attending events as Dave’s secretary gave her the confidence to apply to be a steward herself, and has held the role for two years. “The clerk of the course works for the club that is running the meeting, but the steward is appointed by the MSA as their representative. Our role is to work with the clerk of the course to ensure they have a good, safe meeting that everyone enjoys.
Marshals
Nicola Neal joined Loughborough Car Club three years ago. Motor sport quickly became a big part of her life: three fellow club members brought rally cars along to her wedding to Kevan, who also volunteers for the club. Like many volunteers in motor sport, Nicola and Kevan Neal were keen spectators before they joined Loughborough Car Club and began volunteering as marshals at grass-roots events. “We started out spectating and saw a car with a Syston sticker at the Rally of the Midlands,” says Nicola. “We went on their website, got in touch and they invited us to a grass Autotest
then accepted for an interview. In my case they thought it was a disadvantage that I had not been a clerk of the course, so I did some pre-training at six events shadowing the clerk to get a feel for how they were running things. “I was then appointed as a trainee steward and was sent a booklet which has to be signed off at meetings to say you’ve achieved various things. I then became a probationary steward and I’m now in my second year. “I believe there’s a lady steward in Scotland and that there are some women training. I did not do it just because I’m a woman, I did it because I wanted to, but I do want others to know they can go for it.”
22 www.msauk.org Autumn 2013
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