....Because we love what we do...!

Mark Mitchell · 23 Feb 2005, 09:54 (Ref:1233280)

Most of us on here are very passionate about our chosen hobby and the sport we do it for!

Have any of you done anything extraordinary just so that you can either go to a raceday or be in the company of like-minded people?

For example: I am taking unpaid leave next week to attend a BRSCC Dinner Dance.
In the past I have phoned in work to say I'm ill and then gone to a race meeting. I have also done the GP rather than attend a friends wedding!

I suspect many of you may have done similar!

Jennifer_ni · 23 Feb 2005, 10:42 (Ref:1233345)

I have been known to ph in sick to work also just to attend a race meeting i also gave up the oppertunity of a concert to go to a rally!!!

neilwaynesmith · 23 Feb 2005, 11:07 (Ref:1233379)

Turned up to marshal startline on crutches for a few meetings two years ago. Will probably be doing the same for the first few meetings this year...

Mark Mitchell · 23 Feb 2005, 11:11 (Ref:1233384)

Quote:

Originally Posted by neilwaynesmith

Turned up to marshal startline on crutches for a few meetings two years ago. Will probably be doing the same for the first few meetings this year...

You're not looking forward to 2007 then?

bluebeard · 23 Feb 2005, 12:43 (Ref:1233444)

I ignored a family wedding couple of years ago to attend a regular clubby meeting.... they stayed overnight + were evacuated form hotel at 4am because of false fire alarm!

diz · 23 Feb 2005, 15:27 (Ref:1233587)

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluebeard

I ignored a family wedding couple of years ago to attend a regular clubby meeting.... they stayed overnight + were evacuated form hotel at 4am because of false fire alarm!

As well as skipping the wedding, you resorted to hoax 999 calls. Is there no end to your talents

diz · 23 Feb 2005, 15:43 (Ref:1233603)

In my 'yoof' I was a banker [not a typo],
actually I was a teller / cashier and in those days we worked Saturday mornings on a rota [just like they do again nowadays] On Saturdays, I often had to jump on my little 50cc Suzuki and go straight to Oulton to at least marshal the afternoon. Anyway, there was a Gold Cup which I wasn't going to miss any of, so months in advance I booked the day off.
Come the Friday, I was informed I had to work. It must have been a picture for passers by that evening, as little diz [a key holder] and the manager stood on the doorstep me thrusting my keys in his hand and him forcing them back into mine. The little Suzuki then sped away with the keys slung over little diz's shoulder.
I didn't work that Saturday, I didn't work for that bank much longer either.

Just one example of my dedication to this sport.

Stoowert · 23 Feb 2005, 16:29 (Ref:1233648)

I came back 2 days early from a "lads away week" in Devon to spectate at Brands for the Grand Prix. Later on I flew to The west coast of America to marshal 2 3-hour enduro club races, 18 cars in each. I had a whale of a time, the US marshals thought I was stark raving mad!
When I used to work in an office, I always developed a stomach ache about the Formula Ford Festival time! Funny that!

***MagnetON*** · 23 Feb 2005, 16:51 (Ref:1233681)

I've frequently been on the rescue unit for friday test days and not told my business partner. He's not got to the stage where if he phones on Friday he's no longer freaked out if he hears high reving engines in the background.

Gnomex · 23 Feb 2005, 19:50 (Ref:1233807)

I bunked off from my (then) young daughter's birthday party to do fire training over at Farnborough some years back.

Talking of my children, I did just mention in conversation to them a while ago that their conception (and hence birth dates) were carefully worked out to fit around my marshalling schedules......Took it surprising well I thought (but then I suppose they know an "addict" will do anything for a "score")!

Fonzie · 23 Feb 2005, 20:07 (Ref:1233825)

Skipped my sister's hen night to attend the Leinster Trophy in Mondello. This was not appreciated at all.

Circuitmarshal · 23 Feb 2005, 20:58 (Ref:1233866)

Few weeks time Sister in Law has a wedding (hers) stupid day to have it on a Saturday!
Someone won't be there!!

Alan Green · 23 Feb 2005, 21:03 (Ref:1233869)

I went to spectate at Donington while I was recovering from a shoulder operation, so my arm was still in a sling & support. Went early enough to have a chat with the guys at sign-on. Just before things were due to start I got a call asking if I could help out on pitwall to do lap charting and assist chief flags & gridding up. Had a good day (was one of the minardi two seater 'race' days, and ended up hving a goodchat with Murray Walker who was doing the commentary, who had wandered up to watch the racing from the pit wall. Top bloke.

Missed numerous family 'do's' as well because weekends have already been booked.

Later on in the year I'm being an usher at my best mates wedding on the saturday, and avoiding drinking

so I can drive from Leeds to Rockingham for the SCSA finale on the Sunday. Madness.

I love it!
Al.

The Fat Clerk · 23 Feb 2005, 21:47 (Ref:1233915)

Scary isn't it? when you start thinking of some of the stunts you've pulled to go marshalling. My most recent one was a couple of weeks ago - attended the 750MC Dinner/Dance @ the Warwick Hilton, up until 3-30 am on 'The Pop' and then driving down the M40 @ 8am on the way to Shennington for a Kart meeting. My fellow party goers surfaced around lunch time!
Probably my biggest stunt was moving house to make marshalling easier!
In 1998 after 10 or so years of driving up from Surrey to Silverstone every weekend & camping in an ever decaying caravan, I sold up & moved to a flat I bought off a fellow Marshal in Northampton.
This made getting to Mallory (my favourite circuit) easier and in 2003 I moved to just outside the circuit gates.
Obsession's great isn't it?

flagwaver · 23 Feb 2005, 23:52 (Ref:1233999)

Must use about a weeks leave to motorsport.
Family holidays are planned so they either involve attending at least one event or planned to avoid an event.
A few years back when we used to follow the Lombard rally around the country Mrs. flagwaver didn't feel well on Sunday night so we drove back from Tatton Park overnight saw our doctor on Monday morning & were back out at the rally by lunchtime.

racerkeke · 24 Feb 2005, 01:34 (Ref:1234037)

Gee, I feel lucky. Both the manager of the store I work at and the HR guy are race fans, so as long as I ask in advance (and bring them souvenirs) they let me work pretty much as many races as I can afford!

Just after Christmas the big question was whether I needed the same 10 days off to go to Le Mans -- unfortunately not :-(. At their request, last week I gave them a list of the "big" race dates I needed for the rest of the year, including a tentative weekend in December. Supposedly I've got 2 weeks' vacation this year, being my first year of full-time with them, but those race dates put me at about 4 weeks, and they signed them all. I'm not saying a word, because they might change their minds!!!!

keke

Circuitmarshal · 24 Feb 2005, 07:27 (Ref:1234142)

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Fat Clerk

Obsession's great isn't it?

Don't they say that OBSESSION is 9/10ths of the law!!

Or it can be from now thanks to The Fat Clerk!!

scorch · 24 Feb 2005, 08:19 (Ref:1234175)

I phoned in sick one friday of a GT race, enjoying the day watching great cars only to look up in one of the hospitality boxes to see my boss standing there on a freebee from a supplier.

luckly he never saw me, so I hid down the other end of the post for the rest of the day.

chezza · 24 Feb 2005, 11:11 (Ref:1234339)

Luckily I haven't had to do anything like that yet, as I only work part time at the moment my manager is pretty good at letting me swap my friday hours to another day if I need them off!!

Red Baron · 24 Feb 2005, 11:41 (Ref:1234366)

I don't think this makes me especially crazy, but I've just booked more than half of my annual leave for this year to cover weekends away with Rescue. I think I've booked 14 days off in all, to cover various Fridays and Mondays throughout the year.

My wall planner is covered with red dots (resuce days) and I arrange meetings etc to fit around them.

I don't think I'm odd, but a lot of my colleagues do

***MagnetON*** · 24 Feb 2005, 11:56 (Ref:1234377)

63 operational days available for our rescue unit this year, so I'll probably be doing about 40 of them and out on the banks for the rest. This excludes "away" trips to the UK for the FFFestival and A1GP etc.

Eddy V · 24 Feb 2005, 18:34 (Ref:1234731)

I better don't say a thing, as most Brands marshals know how mad I am in "hopping" over. Work in motorsport, make a quick dash to the UK for the day or weekend, work again and dash back the next week or so. Crazy? Not really. And I do this only about 10 to 12 times a year.

Alan Green · 24 Feb 2005, 21:21 (Ref:1235001)

Slightly OT (but only slightly) there was a job advert in our local paper today on behalf of the Highways Agency. I picked out these well loved phrases from the ad...

working...on unpredictable events of unknown duration,
expecting the unexpected,
reponding to incidents as they occur,
...calm in a crisis and capable of providing outstanding service,
could involve assisting at an accident & clearing debris,
make far reaching and rapid decisions.

And being paid £16k + benefits. Got to be worth an application methinks. And the dayglo orange & yellow jackets are provided

Al.

Eddy V · 24 Feb 2005, 21:37 (Ref:1235025)

Wow, sounds like they could use some marshals. Isn't it sort of all that what we do? Doubt if we would do it for that money though!

The Fat Clerk · 24 Feb 2005, 22:45 (Ref:1235114)

Sounds like my job, only I do it on PC's from the comfort of my own desk & I don't need High Vis (not that they make it in my size anyway). Mind you the pays wrong. missing a 0 somewhere methinks.

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