Who Are The Marshals?:
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M.R.M.C.I. Marshals are the orange suited people that are responsible for the safe running of car racing events. There are several tasks that the marshals do. As the first responders to any incident or accident trackside, we are responsible for assessing the situation, communicating the situation to race control, and either clearing the accident ourselves, or requesting backup from, and working in parallel with a number of other teams (such as the rescue crew, medical teams, towing crews etc.) to clear the incident as safely, and efficiently as possible. Marshals also provide fire cover at incidents, and communicate potential safety hazards to rivers, and other track users, using various flag signals.
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What can you expect from a day on the banks?
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We mainly marshal car events* in Mondello, that usually run all day either on a Sunday,or for higher profile events, both Saturday and Sunday. The day starts with sign-on at about 8.30am, where there is a briefing by the chief marshal. At the briefing, the chief marshal will dessignate a corner for each marshal to attend for the day, and usually there will be a group of two or three people attending each corner. You will be given your lunch (free of charge), and any equipment that you will require (flags, safety car board, radio etc).
The club has a limited number of spare overalls, and and other protective equipment that will be loaned out for the day to new marshals. If you decide to become a regular marshal, overalls and other protective equipment will be subsidised by Motorsport Ireland, and can be purchased on the day or ordered in depending on availablity of sizes.
*If (as are many of our members) you, are interested in marshalling motorbike, rallying events or events abroad, please take a look at our Useful Links page, as you may find some useful contacts.
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What To Wear?
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A marshals day is spent outdoors, so wear plenty of layers in cold weather. A hat is also useful to keep warm, and dry in cold weather, and also to prevent sunburn. Suncream is always useful, even if it isn't very sunny. Raingear is also helpful. Stout boots are highly reccomended (steel-toe cap are preferable), as you will have to navigate uneven grass banks, and may have to kick away pieces of debris when attending a crash.
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What Not To Wear?
Runners, flip-flops, or sandals should be avoided at all costs. (Strong boots, as mentioned above are best). Since you may be working near crashed cars, there is a potential fire risk. Natural fibres are preferable to sythetic fibres when working in such an environment, so avoid wearing such items as light synthetic trousers, or tights. Avoid wearing ties, or clothes with loose hanging straps, or anything that could easily get snagged. Since marshals use flags to communicate, avoid wearing colours that will make you look like a flag! In particular avoid wearing red jackets, or yellow high visibility rain gear, or bibs. Orange is the best colour to wear.
What To Bring?
The following things are useful to bring: A change of clothes, suncream, extra bottles of water (you get one bottle with your lunch), a whistle (whistles are used by marshals to warn other marshals about approaching cars, or hazards etc.), cuppa soups (there is usually access to hot water, and a cuppa soup, or a flask of hot beverage can prove invaluable on a cold day.
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