Chair update

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Further to the Club update dated 11th March 2024, BMMC are looking to appoint a new Chair to lead the club into the 2024 season and beyond.    

Candidates for the Chair vacancy will need to submit:
(a) Confirmation that they are eligible under Article 29, including that they are a Full or Life Member, their Grade (being above that of Registered Marshal), and list any other BMMC roles currently held.
 (b) Confirmation of their understanding that on election to the role, they will take on responsibilities as a company director under the Companies Act 2006 , and their willingness and legal eligibility to do so. 
(c) A statement of no more than 500 words which will be circulated to the membership, setting out their experience and plans should they be successful in the election supported by a relevant CV.
(d) Details of a proposer and seconder for their nomination. 

The role description for the National Chair role can be found here https://bit.ly/3IAImP6

Should any member wish to stand for election to the role of National Chair please submit the above information by email to nat.secretary@marshals.co.uk by 30th April at 5 pm. 

Once applications have been received, discussions will be held between the applicant and an appropriate Director or Vice president to ensure the applicant has a full understanding of the role.

Once these discussions have concluded, in accordance with J.2.8 an electronic ballot will be held by a simple majority, with the candidate with the most votes being declared elected. 

If any member does not have an email registered on the database postal forms will be issued to these members only. Polling will be open for a 2-week period.

It is the aim of the club to have a new Chair in place for the Board meeting in June 2024.

Club update

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It is with regret that after 7 years, Nadine Lewis has decided, for personal reasons, to step down from the role of National Chair of BMMC with immediate effect  .

I’m sure you will join the Directors in thanking Nadine for all the hard work she has done on behalf of our members in raising the profile of marshalling , and wish her every success in the future. 

The Directors are currently formulating a short term plan to ensure that the Chair activities are covered whilst we commence the process of appointing a new National Chair. Further updates will be issued in the near future. 

In the interim please contact John Edwards  via nat.secretary@marshals.co.uk or 07800 587391 

Leaping forward…

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An extra day in February and April Fools Day falls on Easter Monday – not the only topsy turvy quirks of this years’ calendar.  Some of the major championships have moved their traditional opener and closer dates and venues so a little more planning required to juggle the year.

The BMMC  volunteering portal is now updated with all information – please use this to plan and volunteer for your meetings for the year .Remember if you volunteer with an organizing club to tick the relevant box in the portal to ensure you are still covered by BMMC  insurance.

Thanks to Treasurer Steve we have secured the sponsorship of Prodrive for our overalls!  This is on the back of Tiga cars stepping away and we thank them for their huge support over many years. Badges are being made with the Prodrive logo for new overall purchases and I am sure our Regalia coordinator will have a few available too…..

Steve is also relocating this month so after 50 years of marshalling at Oulton Park his nearest circuit will become Brands Hatch – I am sure our South East members will welcome him into their ranks.  Good luck with the move Steve!

A final reminder to renew your membership for 2024 early this month, to be in with a chance of winning our top prize of a trip to Bedford Autodrome and your membership pack will be delivered to you at your registered address before the end of March.

Congratulations and well done to our National award winners:

Colin Barnes – Barrie Williams Marshal of the Year
https://www.marshals.co.uk/barrie-williams-winner-2023-colin-barnes/

Anna Lambe – John Nicol Best Newcomer
https://www.marshals.co.uk/john-nicol-winner-2023-anna

Maria Goode – David Leslie Cadet of the Year
https://www.marshals.co.uk/david-leslie-winner-2023-maria-goode/

And it was fantastic to be able to stage the presentation of the Lord Wakefield trophy.  BWRDC Chair Helen Allen was able to bring this magnificent trophy to Oulton Park training day and make the presentation to a pleasantly stunned Margaret Simpson. Margaret was devastated that she was unable to attend the Motorsport UK Night of Champions event to receive her award on the night due to ill health. Margaret was met with a standing ovation which lasted several minutes and clearly moved her to shed a tear or two.  Thoroughly well deserved.

A final shout out to Simon Lloyd, Regalia Cooordinator, who raised an amazing £1400 in sales at the South East training weekend . Remember the online shop is available here

Finally happy birthday to any Leaplings out there – hope you celebrated well.

Nadine Lewis
BMMC Chair

BMMC NATIONAL AWARDS 2023

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BARRIE WILLIAMS TROPHY – MARSHAL OF THE YEAR
Colin Barnes
Colin has been a well-respected marshal for 25 years and extremely competent flag marshal, regularly attending Oulton Park, Anglesey events and the British Grand Prix.

He has been Chief Flag Marshal at Oulton Park for the last 10 years allocating flag posts and promoting best practice by our flag marshals.

To support this, Colin put together a team of the most experienced flag marshal to run training at our regional training events for new marshals, experienced Flag Marshals and Post Chiefs providing an invaluable training resource to the region.

The group has devised innovative flag marshal training sessions including driver’s feedback, mentoring for new marshals, most memorably a practical training session in the Oulton Park car park using bicycles, including a safety bike, for new marshals to practice flagging under the supervision of experienced flag marshals.

This year Colin advised Oulton Park circuit with the introduction of the new light signals ensuring that the existing flag points could be smoothly integrated into the new system before the first major race meeting of the year and considered to be one of the more successful implementations to date.

Colin supported the Club at national level as Treasurer from 2014 to 2020, ensuring the Club’s finances were well regulated and controlled in line with Club rules and prudent financial management. 

Since stepping down from the Treasurer role Colin is the Club’s bookkeeper.

https://www.marshals.co.uk/barrie-williams-winner-2023-colin-barnes/

JOHN NICOL TROPHY – NEW MARSHAL OF THE YEAR
Anna Lambe
Anna joined the specialist area at brands hatch this year and has demonstrated a great attitude. she has a desire and willingness to learn, is capable of putting what she has learnt into practice and has been able to pass this knowledge on to others. 

She now regularly carries out pits/start line duties without the need for supervision and is also willing to take on new tasks when asked even if this is something she has no prior knowledge of. 

Earlier this year when she was asked to help-out in assembly rather than pits/start line she readily accepted the reassignment and quickly picked up the tasks required in that new area. 

At a recent meeting where pits/start line marshal numbers were low she took on the task of managing the grid sheets for all of the races over the weekend and dealt with this efficiently including handling several last-minute amended grids. 

Anna has proved herself to be a good team member, picks up knowledge and skills well, understands how to apply these (or when to ask questions), and is growing in experience and confidence.

https://www.marshals.co.uk/john-nicol-winner-2023-annalambe/


DAVID LESLIE TROPHY – CADET OF THE YEAR
Maria Goode 
Maria initially joined us as her brothers started with marshalling. Rather than sitting on the sidelines, she helped out anyway. So, when she was old enough to actually marshal, she already knew how it all worked. 

Maria is very organised, giving me less to keep a check on. She has done particularly well this year with showing taster day cadets what we do and helping to get them involved. Her guidance is also helping our newest cadets to settle in and build confidence. 

Maria works well with cadets visiting us as part of a taster day. She shows them how assembly and race control operates and encourages them to get involved.
Maria has also been interviewed a couple of times over the last two years by Paul O’Neill – as part of his work with the Civic Cup. Each time, she explained what she was doing and does not seem particularly shy in front of the camera.

Maria is happy to mentor new cadets and help to build their confidence. She is also a natural leader of the current cadets we have – delighting in organising their tasks in a pleasant manner. Maria’s organisation skills and leadership helps to spread responsibility within the assembly area and removes worry. 

You asked…..we answered!

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We’ve had a few queries come in to the club so we would like to address these..……

Volunteering system – this is now live.  A few tweaks to some of the events, non-race events to be added and some further enhancements / features being worked on.  If you volunteer via our system you have the same rights as anyone else who volunteers direct with a club – so don’t think you are missing out!  Just ensure you volunteer in advance of the closing date – clubs do have the right to ask for earlier closing of registrations.

Membership packs – these are being sent out in one Mailshot in March.  This is the most efficient way to process the packs.  Neither your card nor car sticker is required to marshal so you don’t need them ahead of the season start.  After this renewal period closes car stickers will only be sent to new members and membership cards will be going electronic.

Accounts – a few comments raised about us cutting costs whilst enjoying a healthy bank balance.  Our accounts are currently in rude health but we mustn’t be complacent. 

  • We have sadly lost a few of our sponsors this year so will be dipping in to funds to ensure overalls remain fully subsidised – and hope to find new sponsors too.
  • Training events are supported up to 75% of the costs from British Motorsport Trust so we have to use club funds for the balance.
  • We have introduced Life Membership for individuals who have been with the club 40 years.  Although a small percentage of members at the moment this will increase year on year.  We have also kept our subscription cost the same for the last 10 years.
  • We have some ailing IT systems which we are patching together currently but will need some significant investment in the coming years.
  • Insurance and general running costs have also increased – along with everything else in life!

Overalls – you don’t need them to start marshalling and Lille are working hard this year to reduce their lead times.  They are holding a few stock items based on the last 12 months orders to manage the early part of the year rush!  So don’t wait to get started – ask your recruitment coordinators to lend you a tabard at least until your overalls are ready.

Training weekends are in full swing – so make sure you get along or dial in virtually where you can.  These should all be aligned with the new Motorsport UK Pathway so that everyone attending gets the modules they need. For new marshals to collect signatures you can download continuation sheets from Motorsport UK website or request a Record Book directly from marshals@motorsportuk.org.

If you do have any queries please address them in the first instance to your Regional Committees.  They can support you with local needs, training, grading and membership questions.  Where necessary they will request support from others in order to answer your queries.  Same as in working life – if you get no answer or support then please escalate!

And for the rally enthusiasts amongst us it is great to hear that The Probite British Rally Championship [BRC] will return to free-to-air terrestrial television in 2024, after signing a multi-year deal with ITV4 and ITVX to broadcast the six-round series across the UK and the Republic of Ireland.  Great work to get this deal!

Nadine Lewis

BMMC Chair

Happy New Year 2024

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A New Year’s resolution is a tradition, most common in the Western World but also found in the Eastern World, in which a person resolves to continue good practices, change an undesired trait or behaviour, accomplish a personal goal, or otherwise improve their behaviour at the beginning of a calendar year. 

Resolutions are frequently broken due to being unrealistic or because people forgot they made them or made so many they couldn’t meet them all!

Therefore let’s make some that are easy….
1.  Attend a training day
2.  Volunteer for a manageable amount of events
3.  Act in a more sustainable way
4.  Treat myself to new kit and regalia
5.  Be kind to yourself and everyone around you

Training dates are available on our website (https://www.marshals.co.uk/training/) and we will update and manage these as we get more information

Our volunteering system will be opened later this month – once we have got the final confirmations and details from all Chief Marshals.  Details on the volunteering system updates we have made and an easy-to-use guide will be published shortly for frequent and new users of the system.

As a club we are aiming to be more sustainable.  Some things we can include: When you can ensure you recycle your rubbish but definitely use the bins provided or take it home with you!  How about sharing transport with others?  Or using your own refillable water bottle and mug?

Have you checked if your kit is still usable? (and fits after those mince pies!).  And did you get some money for Christmas that you can spend on yourself?  Check out our regalia items (https://www.marshals.co.uk/regalia/)

And a gentle reminder about Race with Respect policy from Motorsport UK (https://www.motorsportuk.org/racewithrespect/) and our Social Media guidelines (https://www.marshals.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Social-Media.pdf).  These are as much about protecting yourself as ensuring you do the right thing!

We can also confirm we have a stand at Autosport from 11 – 14 January.  We are combining BMMC with BRMC on stand 3371 in Hall 3.  We look forward to seeing you as visitors to the Show and welcoming new recruits – thanks in advance to Richard Harris (National Recruitment Coordinator) for organising the stand this year.

I look forward to seeing some of you out and about over the course of the next year.  And of course if anyone wants to get more actively involved in the running of the club please do contact your local committee.

Nadine Lewis
BMMC Chair

BRITISH MOTORSPORTS MARSHALS CLUB 2024 CHARITY PARTNER IS MISSION MOTORSPORT

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The British Motorsports Marshals Club (BMMC) are pleased to announce that their charity partner for 2024 will be Mission Motorsport.

Mission Motorsport, the Forces’ Motorsport Charity, whose motto is “Race Retrain Recover” is MoD’s competent authority for motor sport as a recovery activity and is a Royal Foundation (the charitable trust of the Prince and Princess of Wales) and Endeavour Fund supported initiative.

The charity’s dedicated career managers have placed more than 200 Wounded, Injured and Sick service leavers into employment since the inaugural Invictus Games in September 2014.  Over 2000 veterans have found work through the charity’s programs.

A Service Charity and a member of the Confederation of Service Charities, Mission Motorsport has an award-winning collaborative model of working with government and the other service charities.  It is funded by the Government’s Positive Pathways program, The Soldiers’ Charity (the Army Benevolent Fund), the Forces’ Trust and the Greenwich Hospital as well as by industry partners and independent fundraising.

Mission Motorsport are the organisation behind the annual Race of Remembrance event, held at Trac Mon Anglesey. Now in its ninth year, the 12-hour race runs through the night over two days and has grown beyond anybody’s wildest imaginations with a starting grid double the size of the first event.

As the event has evolved, becoming bigger and better, the profoundly moving and poignanService of Remembrance remains at the heart of the event. This year nearly 150 marshals supported this fantastic event. 

BMMC Chair Nadine Lewis said “BMMC are proud to be supporting Mission Motorsport and look forward to raising funds at events in 2024.” 

Mission Motorsport COO Andy Brown said, “As the Forces’ Motorsport Charity supporting service leavers, veterans and their families, and their transition into civilian life, we are forever grateful for the support of the wider community and organisations such as the British Motorsports Marshals Club.  We simply wouldn’t be able to do what we do for our Armed Forces community without it and we are honoured to be chosen as BMMC’s charity of the year”.

BMMC APPOINT NEW NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP COORDINATOR

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Mike Mulder has been appointed as the new BMMC National Membership (NMC) and will assume his post as a member of the National Council in the New Year taking over from Dave Reed.

Responsible for overseeing all matters relating to membership, Mike became a marshal to give something back to the sport after enjoying many hours spent around the country and overseas on track days.

Speaking after his appointment Mike said: “I’m delighted to be invited to take on the role of NMC and have the opportunity to support the club while illness prevents me from being as active on track as I would like.”

BMMC Chair Nadine Lewis added: “Taking over from Dave I know Mike has some big shoes to fill however, we are confident he has the enthusiasm and skills to coordinate our membership data and subscriptions processing.

“The directors would like to thank Dave Reed for all his contributions as NMC over a 10 year period and wish him well for the future.”

‘Tis the season to…

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….support your regional committees and National Council.  Regional committees have completed their AGMs and the National AGM takes place this Sunday 3 December.  Have you considered joining a committee?  Have you asked to see what is involved?  As a membership organisation we make decisions on your behalf – but do you want to play a bigger part in this process?  Is there something you have a talent for and could support the club?  Why not put out some feelers and see if you could spare a few hours a week in a new role?

 ….renew your membership of the BMMC.  Renewals will open shortly – once the handover to our new National Membership Secretary is completed and a notice will be forthcoming on how you can complete this process.  If you have already set up a Direct Debit we will be confirming the date this will be taken in January too.  It’s a little later than normal but you have to the end of March to renew. 

 ….check if you need to attend training.  If you just need a refresher to maintain your grade maybe you could do some online training and a couple of hours face to face to keep up to date.  Or maybe you are looking to upgrade and need those signatures to complete the process?  Check out the Motorsport UK pathway (https://motorsportuk.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/20161944/2023-06-08-Marshals-Pathway-Interactice-2.pdf) or ask your regional grading and or training coordinators for support.  And don’t forget to update your Motorsport UK registration too.

 ….get your Christmas gift wish list in early – maybe there is something you fancy from our new online shop? (https://www.marshals.co.uk/regalia/). Or is there any other kit which needs replacing before you put it away in storage?

 ….plan a trip to Autosport Show at Birmingham NEC.  We will be there – details of the stand will follow in January but you can get your discounted tickets from Motorsport UK (https://www.motorsportuk.org/autosport-international-back-at-the-nec-in-january-2024/)

 …get yourself lost in YouTube replays of motorsport action / get another beer (insert drink of choice here!) from the fridge / eat your own body weight in food. Or on the other hand plan a Winter event to attend – there’s still plenty on.  The Roger Albert Clark rally last weekend was epic!  And there’s more to come……with rallies / autotests / trials / Plum Pudding at Mallory anyone? 

Whatever way you decide to spend the festive period – remember it’s different for everyone and however you spend Christmas remember it’s yours and don’t believe Social Media to tell you otherwise. Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy and Safe New Year in 2024.

Nadine Lewis
BMMC Chair

That was fun!

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After a thrilling and at times exhilarating foray into the world of motor racing, our team of marshals who competed in the Fun Cup at Oulton Park in October have summarised their experience to share with us all.

Here we summarise their thoughts.

Joe Smith

First of all I would have to say a massive thank you to GT Radial, and everyone that helped us on Friday and Saturday for making our Fun Cup experience so great, this experience will be one that I remember for a long time! 

Looking back over the weekend I think that all of us drivers did very well to learn both the car and circuit, both wet and dry, in the little time we had on Friday and Saturday, even with the few spins and offs that we all had. The pit crew did a wonderful job of getting us in and out of the pit lane, safely and swiftly, every pit stop. This really goes to show that us marshals worked well in a team together much like when we are out trackside.

Secondly, I think the Marshals car got a cheer every time it completed a lap it was amazing too see the support for the team by all the marshals trackside and everyone that came along too talk in the garage. There really was a lot of pressure the team to finish both races. 

Qualifying flew by with all drivers getting the minimum three flying laps completed as the chequered flag dropped. It was then time for the first race which was an amazing experience especially as I was to start the race. 

Flying into Old Hall, turn 1, for the first time with another 22 cars all around was as exciting as it was frightening. Luckily, everyone gave enough room and we started to settle into the race. After a short safety car my stint was over, I handed the car over to Tyler and Tom who brought the car home in an amazing 19th place. 

Still buzzing after our top 20 finish in the first race I was again to start the second ordeal. After a clean first lap I started to push forward in an attempt to make my way up the order unfortunately, this was not too be as I ended up being collected in another competitors spin causing us damage. The marshals at Island and Shell joined in on the team effort and helped push us off the grass and onto the tow truck. Thanks to the help from the marshals and a tow back to the pit lane the car was swiftly fixed and we were back on our way although 20 laps behind. 

Another stroke of bad luck struck as the drive shaft was to break during the next pit stop dropping us back another 3 laps however the whole team did another great job and brought the car back in another great 19th place albeit with a few more battle scars!

Overall, the experience was one that I will look back upon for many years it was surreal being on the opposite side of the bank and something that I never imagined I would get to try, I am forever grateful for the opportunity to represent the Marshals club and I feel like the whole team did the club proud. We took everything that was thrown at us and finished both races.

Tyler

I have to thank everyone on the team for being excellent fellow marshals to work with, and also a huge thanks to everyone else involved be it the local Oulton Park marshals, organisers and mechanics (and the cake was amazing too!!)

To top the whole weekend off, I think I have an even greater appreciation for the work marshals do around the track now that we’ve witnessed and needed their hard work. From the car being flipped, recovered, pushed and everything else in between, their work got us back on track in the second race and in practice, without their work to recover the car we would have gone home early. Not to mention their support, watching them wave us on during the race and speaking to us throughout the day, I feel that I can’t show my gratitude and respect as much as I want to! From being in the driver’s seat too, I can take a few lessons in being a better marshal in making sure my flag signals are clear, the blue flag used properly and knowing when to come out to recover a car. I certainly will need to make more trips to marshal at Oulton Park, I think it’s well worth the journey for such a great track with wonderful people!

Additionally, a huge thanks to the GT Radial Team, especially Ellis, in having the bravery in taking on four total newbie drivers into the car. We got the car to the chequered flag each time, but I think we certainly left our mark on the car (and I am gutted not to finish the weekend with my stints being clean, I will not forget Cascades!).

Seeing the mechanics changing the radiator & drive shafts during the race was amazing, I’ve never been in a pit lane before so seeing the hard work and skill to change these components so quickly is quite inspiring. The entire Fun Cup teams, mechanics, organisers were amazing, and their efforts do reflect in the quality of the series as a whole. Our racing excuses can amount to not having a lot of track time plus difficult changing conditions, but as new drivers it’s given us a wide range of what to expect on track and in future, I hope to look after the next car with a bit more respect!

It’s hard to sum the whole weekend up in such few words really, it’s just amazing to see the work everyone does. Perhaps this isn’t the end of my racing career just yet, I think I’ve got a bit more to prove on track. But until then, I am more at home being trackside in orange helping the show carry on – and with that little bit more appreciation for the work and efforts to get those race cars on track for us to marshal!

Tom

What an incredible experience provided to us by The FunCup and GTRadial. I enjoyed every minute of it. This opportunity has given me a really valuable insight into life on the other side of the fence. Being a Pitlane marshal at Brands Hatch, I see the teams and drivers very frequently, but until now I had never really understood the stresses, strains and pressures of what it’s like to be in the driver’s seat. 

It’s now easier than ever to see why drivers may do things that as a marshal I would say “Well I wouldn’t have done that”, such as checking the light gantry every lap to see if you’ve got a warning/penalty or even failing to slow down enough under yellow flags. Every second you are trying to make the most time up on the track and I now understand how easy it is to miss something that I otherwise would have thought was obvious.

Another huge thanks to everyone who was involved to get us this opportunity. A massive well done to Joe and Tyler as well for putting in some excellent stints (making up for my couple of spins here and there!) Also, a big thanks to Craig, Josh and Dan who were key in making sure our pitstops ran smoothly and kept us in the races! Thank you to Nadine and the BMMC for helping a lot with the costs and organisation of this opportunity. Finally, a huge thank you to Ellis who was our team boss for the weekend, without whom we would’ve never been able to do this.

Craig

The marshals to race journey has been a fantastic experience. Starting out with two hours of karting and the dreaded mock interviews, followed by a few days of sore bones reminding me I’m not so young anymore. To then finding out I had been selected as reserve driver, being put through my race licence, getting a delivery of race boots and gloves and to top it off I get to drive the GTRadial #97 in the Friday test session. What an opportunity! 

However, as I’m sure you’ve heard, my chance to drive the car in testing didn’t quite go to plan, on the damp slippy track with a bit too much confidence I managed to spin it going into Druids… yep I’m the one who put the car on its roof!

It was nice that so many people from the paddock came to check I was ok and reassured me it was just part of racing before the inevitable and deserved jokes and laughter. Thankfully there wasn’t too much damage and the car was back out shortly after. 

It was probably a good thing then that on race day I was part of the pit crew helping the team alongside Josh and Dan. I haven’t marshalled the pit lane before so this was a totally new experience for me and what a chaotic but exciting place it is. To be there though as part of a team experiencing the highs and lows of racing as we did in race two was brilliant, watching the mechanics repair our car in such a short time and seeing team Olympian’s less than 10 second driver changes was very impressive. 

Finally thank you to you the marshals! It was great to have our own fan club cheering us on lap after lap, getting us out the mud and putting us back onto our wheels. It was great to see the work we do from the drivers’ side although hopefully next time I don’t see the medical car. 

Josh

It really was a surreal experience turning up to a race circuit not to marshal but to compete as part of a race team, let alone from the luxury of a hotel! Ellis and Brian from GT Radial immediately made us all feel really welcome and like part of the team. As I wasn’t driving but working in the pits, I spent some time getting to know the garage mechanic and learning all I could about the car and what I’d be doing that weekend. There was a lot of interest around the back of our garage from Oulton’s regular marshals and the other competitors which really brought home the reality of how special this opportunity was. We had great support from everyone who visited us and the other teams made us really feel like part of the Fun Cup community in no time.

We had more than our fair share of incidents across the weekend, with the most infamous being the rolling of the car into the Druids gravel on Friday. This didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits however, as many teams came to check on us and share a laugh about the whole thing. Mechanics from other garages got stuck in helping us repair any damage and cleaning the gravel out of the bodywork. At the end of the weekend Ellis entrusted us all with a Fun Cup patch for our overalls, which will be sewn on upside down we’ve all agreed as a reminder!

On race day I had progressed enough with the team to entrust me with radio duties as well as monitoring pit-stops and pit-windows (with a lot of help from Ellis). The 10 year old motoracing fan in me was incredibly giddy when I had the chance to call “Box, Box, for driver change!” over the radio and hear a “Box confirm!” in reply. Then standing on the outside of the box in a live pitlane with Fun Cup cars flying down the fast lane waiting to see our #97 and waving him into the box. Diving in, unplugging the driver intercom, and helping one driver out, then quickly refuelling as fuel went in, and finally, frantically doing up the belts and connecting the intercom for the next driver before they shot out of the box was an adrenaline sport in its own right.

Overall it really was a fantastic experience and I cannot thank Ellis and Brian from GT Radial as well as the entire Fun Cup paddock enough. I really hope that Tom, Joe and Tyler get the opportunity to use their race licences again soon and who knows, maybe I can get on the radio to them again!

Dan

After arriving late to the circuit on Friday afternoon I found the marshal drivers settling into the practice and getting used to the car. I got given my role of helping strap drivers in/out at pit stops feeling very much like a new comer as the team was already getting its hand in. Over the next half hour a number of spins was admitted to, then how many directions a spin occurred in at once. Mention was also made of how difficult it was to see flag posts and the light boards. One driver did admit to failing to turn off the car before exiting it so maybe drivers have a point.

This also started to explain the slightly nervous look of the GT Radial guys who were no doubt thinking of the repair bill. 

Qualifying passed reasonably uneventfully with the all the drivers acquitting themselves well and qualifying in mid pack, before the random hat draw confirmed this. 

An hour later the first race saw a few places lost to the more experienced racers but the car was bought home in one piece and not last. The second longer race after lunch was more eventful, while the live stream was focused on a first lap incident clear up up our driver got caught up in some one else’s spin. 

With the car off and driver out the TV footage didn’t show any damage. When the car was bought back to the garage what seemed like an age later the truth of the destroyed radiator was revealed. At this stage the professional mechanics showed their skill and got the car back out less than half an hour after the incident. 

A few driver changes later a broken drive shaft let us see the mechanics at work again before our drivers raced to the end. A broken radio gave one of them a chance to lead the pack (admittedly behind the safety car) and an incident in the closing stages caused some body work damage and a severe shake which made the last stints difficult. After three hours though they crossed the line in almost one piece and not last. 

Seeing things from the other side of the pits certainly shows how easy it is to miss things: with your head down worrying about seat belts it’s easy to miss that the engine is still running. The temptation to hold a door open during refuelling is also high. Coming away from the weekend I’ve got more sympathy for the regular racers (as well as being impressed at the slickness of their pit stops) when they mess up. 

On the other hand as a new parent, I do think that race harness/seat builder could learn something from the manufacturers of baby seats: it’s much easier to sort out the harness for an uncooperative baby than a race driver! 

Final thoughts

On behalf of BMMC can we thank GT Radial, Ellis Hadley, Martin Gibson and the Fun Cup family!  Who knows if this chance will come around again?…..if it does be sure to watch this space.

November – remember, remember…

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Fun Cup 2023 - Oulton Park

The BMMC is a completely volunteer organisation – run by volunteers for volunteers. Without the volunteers who sit on Committees and Boards for the club we would not function and be able to provide the services that we offer to our members. It is therefore vitally important that our critical roles are covered to ensure the organisation runs effectively.

Currently we have a number of vacancies

  • National Membership Secretary (sets up new members and manages renewals)
  • National Volunteering Coordinator (assist regions to set up the events calendar)
  • NE Committee (various vacancies).

It is really important we find replacements to ensure no-one needs to take on additional work and continue the good work of predecessors in these roles. If anyone would like to contribute to these or any other aspects of running the club which would benefit from your expertise and enthusiasm please contact the National Secretary.

AGMs are currently in progress and I encourage you to attend where possible and support your committees. They need you to make sure they are focussed on the areas that matter most. Without your input we may not know your needs and requirements.

Subsidy claims – a request pre-Christmas from our bookkeeper. Would all members intending to make a BMMC Subsidy Allowance Claim please note that the only acceptable document is that on the BMMC website (marked 2023.v2). Also, all claims should be submitted no later than 15 December.

And COVID is still out there – people are still affected by this virus and the effects. Please send your apologies for an event if you are unwell (even if it’s not COVID!) and protect your colleagues from any other nasty infections doing the rounds too! ‘Tis almost the season of sharing but not everything.

The Fun Cup team were tremendous at the weekend – testing on Friday was interesting (!) but despite a few scrapes they brought the car home. They weren’t last and they put in some good lap times and overtakes in the Sprint race too. I was definitely proud to be trackside to support this. Massive thanks to GT Radial UK. Separate feature coming up from all involved. Joe, Tom, Tyler, Craig, Josh and Dan all played their part with ample support from the Team and other competitors.

Nadine Lewis 
BMMC National Chair

The 66th AGM of the BMMC

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The 66th Annual General Meeting of the British Motorsports Marshals Club will take place this year on Sunday 3rd December 2023 commencing at 14.30 at Motorsport UK,   Bicester Heritage Museum OX27 8FY, and, also as a virtual event.
 
Anyone wishing to attend should email nat.secretary@marshals.co.uk, no later than Friday 24th November 2023, advising in person or virtual in your response.
 
Reports from Directors (i.e., Regional Chairs and Special Interest Group Chairs) and Executive Officers will be contained in an Annual Report published on the BMMC website after the AGM and will be available to all members.
 
Agenda
 
1/         Attendance and Apologies
2/         Minutes of Previous AGM – To agree the minutes of the 65th AGM of the BMMC Ltd dated December 4th, 2022; available to view on the BMMC website
 
https://www.marshals.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/AGM-65-summary-pack-.pdf
 
 
Note: The proposer and seconder must have attended the 65th AGM
 
3/         Matters Arising
4/         Chairs Report                 Nadine Lewis
5/         Secretary’s Report        John Edwards
6/         Treasurer’s Report        Steve Woolfe
6.1/      Approval of Accounts – ( https://www.marshals.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/BMMC-Signed-Accounts-Dec-2022.pdf)
7/         Election of Officers
7.1/      National Treasurer
 
8/         Reappointment of Azets as Auditors
9/         Ordinary resolutions
 
Any general resolution put forward for consideration at the annual general meeting must be proposed and seconded by fully paid-up members and lodged with the National Secretary by 3rd November 2023
 
10/       Special Resolutions
 
Any resolution proposing a change to the articles and/or the club rules must be proposed and seconded by fully paid-up members and lodged with the National Secretary by 3rd November 2023
 
11/       Annual awards
 
BMMC Marshal of the Year              Barrie Williams Trophy
BMMC New Marshal of the Year      John Nicol Trophy
BMMC Cadet Marshal of the Year    David Leslie Trophy
 
12/       Any Other Business
13/       Close