Marshal Information

Photo by Martin Gallagher

General guidelines for Marshals:

Marshals are always welcome at events – in fact, hills and sprints couldn’t be run without them. Normally, you can just arrive at the paddock on the morning of an event and ask for the chief marshal. The chief marshal will sign you on and you will then be briefed on what you have to do for the day.

Clothing:
You’ll be standing on the side of a hill or sprint in Ireland – wrap up warm, bring a few layers including a waterproof layer. Don’t wear Red or Orange clothes. Sounds silly, but when a competitor is passing you at speed, it is impossible for them to tell you apart from a red flag. The weather may look ok, but it can change frequently. You can’t leave your post for the day once you’ve been positioned, so bring a day pack with some clothes in it.

Food:
Your lunch or dinner will be provided at most events. But it is a good idea to bring some extra food and water just to be sure. If you are unsure, ask the chief marshal before you are positioned on the course.

Marshalling:
Do:

PLEASE NOTE: Publication of our images must be credited to Caora Dubha.com
  • Aways look up the hill when a run is in progress as its your responsibility to raise and wave the red flag if there is an incident between your post and the one above you. You need to see what’s going on. If you can’t see what’s happening, you are putting your own, spectators and competitors safety at risk.
  • Do WAVE your red flag if a car crashes, stops or is driving slowly due to a mechanical defect or other (even if they are in a safe area) or if there are people, animals, debris etc on the road near you. We say wave, because if you just hold the flag out, a competitor passing you may just think you’re a spectator with a red jumper… it’s all a blur to them! You want to catch the attention of the competitor, so that they can see that the run has been stopped. And if you have a radio, let the Clerk of the Course know that someone has stopped near your post. Tell the competitor to pull over to one side of the road so that services (Ambulance and Rescue) can get by with ease. Once they have pulled over, ask them to turn off their engine. This will help you hear if any other competitors or services are coming your way.
  • If a car crashes near you and the driver is in need of immediate assistance e.g. car on fire, get a spectator to take the flag and wave it and when it is safe to do so render assistance to the driver e.g. if you have afire extinguisher.
  • Do Keep an eye on the marshal above you (up the hill/sprint) – if they put up their flag, you put up yours. Again, wave your flag if a competitor comes your way.
  • Do ask spectators to leave forbidden ground areas politely. Explain that they are standing in a dangerous place where it is cars are more likely to go off the road and that they are delaying the event. If they don’t comply, put out the red flag to bring it to the attention of the Clerk of the Course or the Motorcycle Marshal.
  • Err on the safe side, if in doubt put it out – the flag that is. There will be no recriminations for putting the flag out in error.

Don’t:

  • Don’t bring reading materials – you won’t be able to read it. You have to keep an eye on what is going on.
  • Don’t bring an MP3, radio, CD player, etc. – you need to be able to hear your radio and competitors coming.
  • Don’t tell a competitor to turn their car and return to the bottom of the hill – and don’t let them if they try to! They must wait for instructions to do so from either the Motorcycle Marshal or the Clerk of the Course (COC). This is to avoid any chance of collision with other competitors on the hill or with course cars and services.
  • Don’t drop the red flag until you receive a signal from the roaming motorcycle marshal.
  • Don’t allow spectators to walk on the road while the hill is live.

Housekeeping:
Please bring any rubbish in your area to the paddock after the event. There will be bins there.

Thanks:
Marshalling isn’t the most glamorous part of Motorsport, but it is good fun and you get the best seats in the house. Without Marshals, we wouldn’t be able to run any Motorsport events. So on behalf of the organisers and competitors:-

Thank you, we really appreciated it.

Enjoy your day!