LMS Silverstone

[gravel_monkey]

Originally Posted by Shelagh

There's nothing worse when you are working than having some b****r forcing a camera in your face. I, personally, hate it and never "smile/pose".

As far as I am concerned, take an "action" photo - fine - but not a "portrait", thank you very much.

i know its a bit off topic but i know what shelagh means. at the btcc at oulton this year i was wondering around paddock with a few of the guys as the ever popular gravel_monkey. didnt mind the people waving and pointing, but next minute i turned round and had kids stood next to me with parents taking pics, very bloody annoying after a while and iam just a fat bloke in a mask, cant imagine what its like for a well known driver.

[Piglet]

Originally Posted by ss_collins

couple of pics from the pits today - think I might start a pit lane marshals of the world section of our site, saw a few tenthers there some more pics to come

This one had a very nice smile! Didn't get it on cam

Top one is Charlotte and the bottom one is Sheila....

and yes, nothing worse than some bloke with a camera pointing it at you and expecting you to smile nicely for them.

We could talk about model release forms but I guess that's another subject!

[Stack]

I can't belive nobody has posted saying what a cracking meeting it was! Really enjoyed my flagging weekend (Friday Club In -got to be one of the best flagging points in Britain and Luffield In on Saturday/Sunday)

The 1000k's was full of twists with both top teams having problems (apart from the winner) Nice array of CER's and radicals where as entertaining as ever.

I will not mention the Spiders. ( Bogger, I just did!)

I thought I would have to have a moan about having to wait on post for the radios to be collected on Friday whilst VIP's where having jolly rides but this was rectified on saturday by them being collected before the rides. Many thanks to the person responsible for organizing that!

Radio conversation of the weekend award.......

Chief Flag:- I have a request from a Radical organizer to have the grid girls parade on the grid before the start.
Race control (trying hard not to laugh):- Permission granted but you must keep to the countdown so they'll have to run!!!!!!

[White flag man]

[QUOTE=Stack]I can't belive nobody has posted saying what a cracking meeting it was! Really enjoyed my flagging weekend (Friday Club In -got to be one of the best flagging points in Britain.

Got to agree with you Stack.
Took over from you on Club In on Sunday, with the lovely Janice, fantastic flagging point, but damned hard work during the 1000kms.
Sorry about hearing my voice so often at Hangar Straight on Saturday, but my Observer asked me to report everything as his view was obstructed by the bridge!

Great weekend, great races all round, especially the spyders, well worth the wait

[Woolley]

Loved it. Credit to the organisers for ensuring the track sessions problem from Friday evening was not repeated. That was noted and repeated.

Spent Saturday and Sunday at Becketts Centre which was a little busy on occasions. #32's lost wheel and resultant spin made me duck since it was heading straight at us and I've seen these things fly... Fortunately it stayed on the ground and the gravel trap did it's work. #20 ended it's day between Centre and Chapel on each of the three days, this time taking the 96 Porsche with it. Various other incidents and #5's strange inability to see our yellow flag on two separate occasions meant that we had plenty to keep us going. if only FIA would allow us to use proper flag signals it would be even better. Even so I think I used about 3 seasons' worth of blueing in one race.

Peugeot Spiders. Hmm. Even worse than I remembered, but at least they ensured the spectator traffic had gone by the time they'd finished (trying hard to find a positive there).

In short, another great display of my favourite style of racing.

[Paul Newns]

I was only there on Sunday but a very interesting 1000Km. Pity I missed the CES, the entry looked terrific. I won't mention the Spiders. I always was arachnophobic.

[ChrisA]

I agree with everyone else on the weekend. Spent all three days observing at Abbey. A busy day on Friday with cars all over the place, but Saturday/Sunday very quiet with just the odd spinner and a couple in the gravel trap. I concur with Paul, the CER's were excellent, and the Spyders......YAWN. I also expected th Radicals to be closer, but there were some good indivdual battles. I'll be there next year too. Good to meet plenty of ''tenthers'' too.

[Robin_D]

Managed 2 days at Bridge (seems to be my corner of 2008), racing was not too bad although the corner isn't much of a challenge any more.

Couple of things to do, trying to manhandle a 3 wheeled Porsche is not something I'd do everyday but it seemed fun at the time.

[Woolley]

There were a remarkable number of lost wheels over the week-end. Two at Beckets on Sunday and I know I heard of several others over the week-end.

[Alan Green]

Loved all three days, even the wet on Friday to make things a lot more interesting around Stowe. and what was it with cars turning sharp left on Hangar this weekend - Jos V on Friday (although he waited until Club to lose his bodywork), and the #7 Pug during the big race.

Congrats to the Audi team, real hare & tortoise championship win there!

Stowe Out flag point is a great post - view the cars all the way from Hangar vehicle bridge all the way round to Bridge corner, and to watch the rocket ship Peugeots round Stowe was incredible, it was like they didn't lift!

Loved the CER field as well.

[Bezzers1986]

Really enjoyed the flagging at Luffield out, Having a TV screen near by also helped out with knowing the order! and seeing the action. Saw plenty of action from where I was.

I thought the spiders first race was OK, there was a very good scrap going on for the top places. The second was a little bit duller though.

CERs was great! and the radicals were fun.

[speedy jon]

i really enjoyed both days at copse and i will be back next year for sure.
and we got to drag the winning audi out of the gravel.
i like how relaxed the paddock/pits were which aloud us to get up close to the cars and drivers.

[Peter Sinclair]

A well run event!! "The marshalling was professional and impressive" - so said my friend from Denmark (rally marshal) who spent the weekend with myself and Robert (in the pits) and Maz and I on the startline. Thank you all for showing the worlds marshals that we're still the best!!!!!!!!!!

[Stuart Hill]

I hate to say this but.....as a first-timer at Silverstone "On-the-Bank

Marshal's facilities were excellent.
but that was the end of anything good.

I spent one day (Friday) on Club Out with a trainee flag (my wife) after asking to be posted with an experienced flagger for the week-end. The only person we spoke to on post said " Briefing????? what briefing??" mmmmmm welcome to Silverstone.

Saturday: Wife not volunteered so I have to do Stowe In on my own, ok, been in that situation before, get on with it. A person in orange asked me to sign my name on a blank piece of paper at the start of the day on post. End of conversations with anyone.

Sunday: same post again and guess what, on my own for the full race!!!!! Not even an Hello from anyone on Stowe (Incident/Flag or Observer)

the most I got was, after the last race was...........


"I'll get this one then" aimed at me about a fire extinguisher that an incident marshal had to collect. Talk about being "part of a team" !!!!!!!!!!!!!


I hate to be negative about anything motorsport related but.............................
there is absolutely NO way I will ever attend any event at Silverstone as long as they maintain their current system of Observers/Incident/Flags all being seperated by different radios/telephones.

I thought that all marshals were part of a team.

The word "TEAM" is not a word I can use when describing marshalling at Silverstone.

I know these comments will upset some people but I make no apologies for doing so. I volunteered for this event expecting to be part of a team. What I got was just what I had been warned about....... "there's them and us" I just didn't expect it to be so bl**dy obvious.


and so, against my wishes, you will NEVER see me again at Silverstone as long as the current method of "marshalling" is in place. I'm going back to Oulton, Mallory and Coombe where I know I will be welcomed on post with :

a welcome;
a briefing;
an introduction to who ever else I'm marshalling with;

but more importantly, a feeling that maybe, just maybe.............. I am part of this event.


As I said at the start of this post, this was my first time on-the-bank at Silverstone and maybe I expected something else. With that in mind, maybe,just maybe, someone might have tried (or been asked) to make me feel welcome. This never happened, hence my comments.

[White flag man]

Stuart.
First thing. I did come and say hello to you during the lunch break, on may way back from the "bathroom" to my post on Hanger Straight.
Secondly. This tends to be the norm regarding flag marshals at Silverstone.
They stand at different posts, even isolated from the observer. My observer on Saturday came to tell me he couldn't even see me, because of the bridge, let alone talk to me. The incident marshals have their posts and it's very much a case of they do their job and we do ours and I think collectively we all work as a "team" of marshals and, over the weekend, did a great job.
I know, as a flag marshal, it's not as sociable as a lot of circuits, but thats how they work it. Next weekend, for the 24hrs, a lot of flag marshals will have to act as observers as well. It can get quite hectic, but IMHO it's a hell of a way to learn.

[Stuart Hill]

Originally Posted by White flag man

Stuart.
First thing. I did come and say hello to you during the lunch break, on may way back from the "bathroom" to my post on Hanger Straight.

very sorry WFM, I did forget that. My apologies and thx for chatting.

[Circuit boy]

Shame people can't get along, just about 800 yards away from Club, won't say which corner, to save the blushes, the complete opposite sat/sun flags/observer/ES were brilliant, worked, talked,joked had tea together, orange and black all together, perhaps some people just love to be awkward.
At the end of the day Silverstone ES might not be everyones cup of tea, but they are the best in the business, and as we knowin this country, we love to knock down our winners.

[White flag man]

Originally Posted by Circuit boy

Shame people can't get along, just about 800 yards away from Club, won't say which corner, to save the blushes, the complete opposite sat/sun flags/observer/ES were brilliant, worked, talked,joked had tea together, orange and black all together, perhaps some people just love to be awkward.
At the end of the day Silverstone ES might not be everyones cup of tea, but they are the best in the business, and as we knowin this country, we love to knock down our winners.

Had no problem at Club In on Sunday Circuit boy (must thank young Annie for helping with the SC board),
but some posts are a lot closer together than others.

[Flag Monkey]

Stuart,

Sorry that you did not have a good time at the LMS last weekend. This was not my experience. It was my first time back at Silverstone in six years (after previously becoming disillusioned with the pomp and circumstance? of the GP) and have to say that I had a great weekend. Yes on Friday we were a bit short on numbers and I ended up being a not very good flag marshal cum observer on Farm inside. I think that we should recognise that each circuit has its own way of doing things and this is sometimes a good thing and exposes us to new ways of doing things that we can take back to our home circuits.

I am used to working at Knockhill and Croft where in addition to an initial briefing at sign-on we have a briefing by the observer and we sign the post manning sheet. Not sure that this is better just different. Over the weekend I made it known to my IOs that I was a returnee to Silverstone and they gave me advice about what to expect and we had chats throughout the days (thanks Owen on Friday and Dale on Sat/Sun). I even had a flagging colleague on Sunday and I repaid his presence by breaking his green flag stick. Sorry again Paul – more of a flag gorilla than a flag monkey?

I think that we can all fall into doing our normal things (that goes for visitors and marshals at their home circuit) but if you feel unhappy maybe the time to address these issues was during the weekend not on a forum. I hope that you have a better time the next time you are on post. Not sure where you live but if you are looking for a good welcome and some (occasionally inappropriate) chat on post give Knockhill a shot. The posts are not spread out and Observer/Flag/Incident tend to be together – sometimes too close together huddled in the brick huts hiding from the weather.

As for me I will be back down to Silverstone this weekend for the 24 hours and hope to have another enjoyable weekend.

Derek

[RIXGE]

Morning Stuart, please don`t be negative with regards to Silverstone, its all to easy to bring up the "them and us" and blame that on the situation you found yourself in.
Stowe is a massive corner with three points to cover, its the job of the I/O usually to wander around and make sure the team are happy and ok. I must say that i don`t often see this happen,usually because the bod fagging is not known . This is reflected at other circuits too.
On the flip side, did you think to go over and say hi to the rest of the team and introduce your self ?
I was at Farm inside for the three days, i spent around two hours during the Le Mans race giving the flaggy a well earned break, couldn`t talk much as we couldn`t hear each other, our I/O came over and made sure we were ok too.
I think its just a case of situation, you could find yourelf at another post and wish the bugger next to you would go away as he talks too much !
Don`t let the weekend put you off coming back, were a lovely bunch really !

[Paul Newns]

I have to agree. Some corners (and Stowe is a good example) are so spread out that it is very difficult for the Post Chief to get around, especially if he is also on his own. The Observer's box is often nowhere near the flag point.

There are a few posts at Oulton that can be just as lonely (Old Hall In; Island In and Out; Shell In; Foulstons Advance; Lodge In).

This year I was lucky, I was flagging with Flag Monkey, but in the past I have been on my own, including last year's 24 hours.

Unfortunately, flagging on your own is often the norm and Fridays are always difficult because there are so few marshals. It isn't ideal from a training viewpoint but often it is unavoidable.

I have never found ES to be unfriendly, but again, they are often positioned away from the flag point.

Don't be put off any circuit by one experience. Next time you may get somewhere like Priory or Luffield where the Post Chief is alongside you.

[Woolley]

Silverstone is... different. I guess I've been going so long now I've just got used to it, and it's a circuit I really do enjoy flagging at. I can understand Stuart's points entirely as there are some places - mainly out on the GP bit, I think - where you don't see anyone. Not their fault, just the layout of the place. Again, being used to it and knowing a number of people, I find it fine. I can see how it can be off-putting to someone new to the place.

I've always felt it a shame that Obs and flags are separated as it can affect the way the job is done. I get the feeling from several obs that it's the same from them. Heading further off-topic, this is a circuit that would definitely benefit from a landline system. I'm sure many things don't get reported since you don't know which of the three (I/O, telephone, flag radios) communications may have been used.

[Col_Rugby]

Originally Posted by Circuit boy

At the end of the day Silverstone ES might not be everyones cup of tea, but they are the best in the business, and as we knowin this country, we love to knock down our winners.

We are ALL the best in the business. NOT just one circuit. We are ALL doing the same job, albeit with little "quirks" at different circuits but the basics apply to us all.
Please don't say that one circuits marshals are better than another circuits


PS I do marshal at Silverstone & am a BRDCMC member

Little over now

[ss_collins]

Can I just say whilst not being a race marshal (I like rallying but time prevents...) I have encountered the bobs in a professional, social and oh bugger the engines gone capacity, and have found them to be very open and welcoming. No more or less than other tracks but certainly I struggle to believe that it was a Silvo thing.

I just wonder if the problems mentioned above are a symptom of a BRSCC meeting?

[Piglet]

Originally Posted by Col_Rugby

We are ALL the best in the business. NOT just one circuit. We are ALL doing the same job, albeit with little "quirks" at different circuits but the basics apply to us all.
Please don't say that one circuits marshals are better than another circuits


PS I do marshal at Silverstone & am a BRDCMC member

Little over now

Good post Col