Q.  Who can be a member of Racesafe?
A. Membership is open to anyone. Normally you have to be 16 years old to go out on the circuit, though sometimes there are jobs for younger people, on the recovery vans for example.

Q Is membership free?
A. No. There is a once-only membership fee of £20 from 1st March 2003.

Q Do marshals just clear up after incidents?
A. That is certainly part of the job but they are there to prevent incidents in the first place. Observing for machine problems before or during track sessions can prevent an incident from occurring in the first place. Machines are flagged-off at most meetings after a marshal has spotted a problem, of which the rider was unaware. Oil leaks are pretty typical; marshals usually spot the smoke before anyone else does. 

Blue flagging, removing debris from the track, and cleaning spillages before the cause a problem are other examples of preventative marshalling.

Q If I join Racesafe do I have to go to every meeting?
A. No. A few real enthusiasts and most of the senior officials do go to every meeting but most marshals don't. You say on the availability form, (which you are sent at the beginning of the season) which meetings you think you can come to. All we ask is that you attend when you say you will, or let us know in good time if you can’t make a meeting.

Q Do you always need marshals?
A. There are always a minimum number of marshals needed to run the event, but at nearly all meetings extra marshals would be welcome.  A few events, e.g. World Superbike rounds, are so popular that there are more volunteers than places available (World Championship organisers limit the number of passes) so some sort of selection system has to be used. 

Q Can I just do the World Championship rounds?
A. No. World championship round organisers rightly expect a high standard of marshalling. To marshal at WSB or MotoGP you must have a reasonable amount of experience at BSB which is why we introduced accreditation. Generally, marshals who are accredited and have done the most BSB rounds get picked first. Allowing marshals to do no meetings all year and then just come to the MotoGP would be unfair to the regulars who turn up every weekend, and is not allowed.

Q. What do I have to do to marshal with Racesafe?
A. You have to:
Attend a training day to start with, then once every two years. If you have never done any marshalling before you must do a New Marshals training day. 
Fill in your availability form and send it to us.

Q. Can I just marshal at particular circuits?
A. You can if you want to, but once you have trained and have your Racesafe photo pass, you can marshal at any BSB meeting, at any circuit, that season.

Q. I’ve been marshalling for a while. Do I still have to do the Racesafe training day to be a Racesafe marshal?
A. In the past it would have depended on your experience, but following on from the new requirements from our insurers, all marshals new to Racesafe must attend a New Marshals training day, regardless of previous experience. The reason for this is that BSB procedures are based on FIM recommendations and include, for example use of the Safety Car, strict use of the blue flag and riders being allowed to remount after a fall. This differs from meetings run to ACU rules. All Racesafe marshals need to know how these work.

Q. I would like to join Racesafe but I never done any training and I have missed this winter’s training days. Do have to wait until next winter?
A. Not necessarily. There is usually one mid-season date when Racesafe runs training, although this is unlikely in 2008. Details will be posted on latest news page.

Q. When do you have to arrive at the circuit?
A. You have to be at the track side at least 30 minutes before practice starts, (typically, but not always, 9am) but you have to allow time to sign on first. A good rule of thumb is to aim arrive at the circuit 90 minutes before practice starts. The signing-on times are specified on the imminent events page.

Q. Do you have to be there for every day of a 3 day meeting?
A. Bear in mind that the minimum number of marshals is the same for practice day and race day. Also remember you will be working as part of a team, so if you are not there on a particular day when you said you would be, the other members of the team will have to do your job. For this reason, we are only able to accept marshals who are available for at least two days of a three day meeting, one of which must be race day.

Q I said I would be there next weekend on my availability form, but something has come up and I find I can't marshal.
A. This happens to us all and isn't a problem as long as you let us know as soon as possible. You can do this via the availability page or by ringing or texting the appropriate person from the contacts page.  The staffing of sections is planned well in advance, so people simply not turning up on the morning can make a real mess of this. Each season we waste hundreds of pounds on lunches that were bought for people who didn't turn up. As all of the senior officials mobile numbers are published, there is really no excuse for not letting them know – we accept apologies right up until bikes cone out onto the circuit for first practice.

Q.  Is marshalling dangerous?
A. If motor racing was not inherently dangerous then marshals would hardly be needed. In recent years a number of unfortunate incidents have demonstrated that marshals can be at risk. A great part of the training concerns doing the job without unnecessary risk to yourself or the rest of your team. All marshals have to sign an indemnity form before going on circuit, so you are covered by insurance, but we'd rather you didn't need to claim.

Q. Do marshals get paid?
A. No. Sometimes there is a small allowance for lunch paid, instead of a lunch being provided, typically on Fridays and official test days.

Q. Do they have to buy tickets to get in?
A.   No.

Q I’m worried about coming to a meeting, all alone for the first time. Will I be left by myself because I don’t know anybody?
A Definitely not! At your first meeting the Chief Marshal will make sure that the Incident Officer (IO) who is in charge of the team of marshals on your section is aware of your inexperience. He or she will keep an eye on you and make sure that you are teamed up with at least a couple of experienced people. Generally there is a hugely friendly atmosphere at meetings, especially on the campsites (and the circuit bars).

Q.  Is there any overnight accommodation provided?
A. Camping facilities are always available, free, but sometimes have to be pre-booked (on the availability form). Quality varies from the excellent commercial camp site (pitches are paid for) at Donington through to the more simple facilities at the temporary sites at other circuits. The marshal’s campsite is always separated from the public site (we like to sleep at night). 

Q. I’m interested in marshalling but I don’t think I’m up to dragging a Superbike through a gravel trap by myself. Can I be a marshal?
A. Incident marshals do have to be able to move quite quickly and remove fallen bikes but this should always be done as part of a team. We are hardly looking for Olympic athletes but if you have a real mobility problem you may be able to be a flag marshal or a pit lane marshal. Marshals are not spectators.

Q. What do pit lane marshals do?
A. Keep things organised and safe, mostly in pit lane and on the grid at the start of races. You can normally recognise pit lane marshals by their white overalls. Track marshals wear orange overalls. Pit lane marshalling is an essential job, and pit lane marshals tend to be very visible on the starting grid, so need to work efficiently. It is generally more planned and probably less hazardous than track marshalling, so if you would like to be involved, but have some concerns about how you would cope with the hurly-burly of an incident prone corner, then the pit lane might be the place for you.

Q. Where do I go when I arrive at the circuit?
A. The place where you sign is on the Imminent events page or that page will tell you where to look for the information. If you don't know where the place is ask anyone in Orange!