Marshals/Officials

Become a Bemsee Marshal!

If you’re interested in becoming a Marshal, or simply curious, you’ve come to the right place!! Here at Bemsee (The British Motorcycle Racing Club), we take the safety of our Racers very seriously. The Marshals play a huge role in limiting the dangers within the sport, they are not only there to clear the incidents as quickly and safely as possible, they are also there for prevention of incidents. They are also the eyes and ears for race control and are a primary means of communication for the racers.

The Marshals are a part of the bigger team that enables racing, and whilst all of the Marshals are volunteers, their role is vital and fully appreciated by the Club.

Some of the Marshals have been heard to state that they have ‘the best seat in the house’. I’ve been marshaling for 24 years and am still ‘blown away’ by some of the Marshal positions around the circuits. Marshaling connects you to racing in a way that being a spectator can never do, it places you at the edge and sometimes at the heart of the action!

Due to the current and projected economic situation for many, we’ve reduced our calendar for the 2023 season. But even although some of the larger circuits have been removed from the calendar, with each Marshal contributing to the overall teamwork required to run a meeting as efficiently and safely as possible, the statement ‘the more Marshals, the merrier!’ is just as appropriate as ever.

So, if you’ve ever thought about getting involved on the other side of the fence, then now’s the time to make yourself known!

How and Availability

The first thing to do is to contact me, to let me know you’re interested in marshaling. I can also answer any questions you may have. When I first started marshaling I made my fellow Marshals ears bleed with the amount of questions I asked... there really is no such thing as a stupid question, as the former Chief Marshal, Mike Hodgins, would say!!

The next step will be to provide your contact details and other information that might be relevant to you, and I will need to know your availability for the 2023 season. We can do this in the following way:

Register online at https://www.bemsee.net/registermarshalofficial, and create your Marshal profile. Once you have registered, you will receive an activation email and can then log in to the system at https://www.bemsee.net/login and select your availability.

It is possible for you to simply register online without contacting me first, but if you are a new Marshal with us, it is likely I will contact you so that I can be fully informed when selecting where to put you on corner at any of our meetings. It is important to me that you feel a part of the team and I believe that this starts at the very beginning.

When selecting which days/meetings you want to attend as a marshal, there is absolutely no obligation to Marshal more meetings or days than you would like to. All our meetings include a Friday test day and Saturday and Sunday are racing days. You can choose to just Marshal for 1 day, 2 days or the whole weekend.

Are you still considering becoming a part of this team of Marshals? If so, read on...

Approximately one and a half weeks before each meeting, you will receive an email with a link to your e-tickets. This email will also include a link to the Marshals Final Instructions, which will advise you where you need to ‘sign on’ and at what times, etc.

I will ensure you are kept uptodate with as much information as you are likely to need. But you are more than welcome to contact me with any questions and to provide feedback, to ensure I get it as right as I can for everyone.

Please note that the online system closes for amendments to your availability on the Monday prior to each meeting. If you need to change your availability for that meeting after the system has closed, you will need to let me know as soon as possible to reduce the impact on sending tickets, planning allocation of corners and also ordering food and chocolates. The system is available again on the Monday after each meeting.

The Club provide a cooked breakfast on each day, a cooked lunch on Friday test day, and a packed lunch on each of our race days. In addition, at most of our meetings, we have a Marshal, Medics and Officials BBQ on the Saturday night in the Marshals campsite. This is fully paid for by the Club and we have a Marshals Support Vehicle (which I CRASH around in). This carries the equipment for, amongst other things, the BBQ, and includes a marquee and a generator.

On the Test Day (Friday at most of our meetings), you will receive expenses. In order for us to provide you with these expenses, it is a requirement with HMRC that you become an Associate Member of the Club. All we ask is that you throw a £1 into the BEMSEE Benevolent Fund Jar, which enables the Club to help Racers and Members of the Club in difficult circumstances. This jar can be found on the signing on desk at our meetings and training day... you are then an Associate Member. The Club fully appreciates the contribution of the Marshals and looks after them where they can.

Or you can login to your profile and do your payment online: CLICK HERE

It’s not always possible to predict exactly which days and meetings you will be able to attend for the whole season, but if you can give an indication, it helps enormously from a planning point of view. So please feel free to select as few or as many meetings that suit you.

We recognise that Marshals have a life outside of their marshaling role and life happens. It may be that you have put down for a meeting that you can no longer attend. Conversely, it may even be that you find you can attend a meeting you have not put down for. Either way, if you could just let me know, by either changing your option online, emailing or calling me, then I can take this into consideration when planning allocation of corners and ordering packed lunches and burgers for the BBQ.

What You Will Need

You’ll have noticed that the Marshals all wear orange overalls...

I would suggest that you give marshaling a try before purchasing any overalls. I will help you out where I can and it may be that a Marshal may have a pair for sale or loan, and the experienced Marshals can advise you where to purchase them from. I can provide you with an orange bib for your first few meetings, so that you’re visible to the racers, and you will also need a good strong sturdy pair of boots to support your ankles, gloves and waterproofs. Neck warmers can also be a useful addition to your wardrobe in the colder months. Colours to avoid are red and yellow (to avoid being mistaken for a flag!)

Many bring everything but their kitchen sinks because they’ve been caught out and learned the hard way. Once you’ve attended a meeting or our training day, you’ll have a better idea of what will be useful for you as a Marshal. A touch of humour and a smidgeon of common sense may prove to be useful assets.

Training

Due to Government restrictions at the beginning of 2021, our usual face to face training at Brands Hatch in February was replaced with VIRTUAL TRAINING. This proved to be a good replacement for our usual face to face Powerpoint presentations so we decided to keep it for 2022 and subsequent seasons, including 2023. However, we continue to provide face to face Marshal training for the practical aspects – Incident handling, Flags, Medical and Fire.

This training takes place at Brands Hatch in February each year. But please don’t worry if you’ve missed the training as it’s not mandatory and the online training enables you to carryout Marshal training no matter what time of the year you join us. Once the Online Marshal Training has been produced for the coming season (usually December/January), you will be emailed access to this training when registering as a Marshal on the BMCRC web site and this can also be found under the Marshals/Officials section of the web site.

Please note that there is usually a deadline of the beginning of March if you want to receive an ACU/BMCRC Certificate and the ACU registration form on completion of the online training, but otherwise, please don’t worry about deadlines. With a new ACU system imminent, I will let you know how to receive your ACU registration/accreditation, with details of the minimum requirements, nearer the time.

When Marshalling for real, we won't throw you in the deep end. It is my role, as Chief Marshal, to support and help you in your role trackside. I will put you with experienced Marshals, and they will act as your mentors, showing you the ropes and looking after you.

Whilst basic aspects of first aid are covered in our training (virtual or otherwise), you don't need any first aid experience. You can be assured that at Bemsee meetings we make use of a fast response system, meaning that a trained medic and/or doctor are never far away.

Training is ongoing for all of us. I've been marshalling since 1998 and I've probably made every mistake in the book and undoubtedly will make many more before I'm finished. We work as a team and are all there to support each other, limiting the dangers and helping to make it happen!

Please be assured that there is no obligation to do anything you feel uncomfortable with and you can learn at your own pace. Your personal safety, and that of your colleagues, is THE most important thing. We can't help the racers if we're in danger ourselves.

AND Finally

I’d like to thank you for taking the time to show an interest. On behalf of the Bemsee Marshals Team, I hope we will be welcoming you into our fold some time soon. I’m very proud of our Marshals, they really are a great bunch of people, from all different walks of life, and I love supporting them.

You can contact me via the details provided below, alternatively, if you’re at one of our meetings, drop in to the race office and ask them to contact me. Providing I’m not out on circuit, I can come and find you and introduce myself to you.

Karen Higgens – BMCRC Chief Marshal

Mobile: 07792 320442

Email: khiggens@yahoo.com

BMCRC Marshals Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/groups/BemseeMarshals/

In the main, photos are courtesy of www.badboyzphotography.co.uk and www.jtwmotorsportphotography.zenfolio.com/