March club news

Award winners at North West Training Day

Welcome everyone to the March and my 1^st newsletter for the BMMC as National Secretary. First, let me introduce myself to any marshals that do not know me. I am Ian Ashcroft, and I have been a marshal since 2018 following a Taster Day in October 2017. This was at the finale of the Fun Cup at Oulton Park where I was fortunate enough to spend a fascinating 4 hours in the afternoon, on Old Hall In flag point and was hooked. I am presently in Grade 2 Flag and Incident Marshal working towards an upgrade to Grade 3 Post Chief. 

Oulton Park is my home circuit with regular attendances at Anglesey, Donnington Park, Goodwood, Silverstone and Le Mans for both the 24hours and Le Mans Classic.  

Many thanks to John Edwards for his stupendous work as National Secretary over the last 3 years and for all his help and assistance when handing over the reins to me. A hard act to follow. 

Mike Sargeant as also taken over the reins as National Treasurer from Stephen Wolfe. Again, a very hard act to follow, going to be a challenge for both of us but both John and Stephen are there in the background.
 
National Treasurer

As you will have read elsewhere, I have volunteered to take on the role of National Treasurer with the proviso that Steve Woolfe continues to mentor me and that Colin Barnes, as the National Bookkeeper does not lose patience with me.

For those who do not know much about me I am a Grade 3 Marshal Assessor with over 50 years “on the bank”. This means that I can remember when a lot of the cars (Not the Edwardian ones!) at the Goodwood Members Meetings were new and raced for the 1^st time. I must stop telling my fellow marshals on post “I remember when…”!

I am still learning the detail about the role of Treasurer which, apparently, is more complicated than saying No and “can we really afford it?” 

Steve has ensured that the club is a strong financial position, and I intend to make sure that it remains so.

Finally, I wish to thank everyone for their support and help as I sharpen my red pencils.
Mike Sargeant
 
Regional News
Midlands 
As part of this region’s marshal recruitment and taster days, there has been a new addition to the Team. A rather special race car to showcase safety in motorsport, hopefully this will be the perfect focal point for anyone wanting to find out more about volunteering as a new marshal. The car shall be on display at Donington Park throughout the 2025 in a dedicated paddock area. A massive thank you to Focus Racing and Donington MSV Team for making it all possible.

North East 
The following marshals have received recognition for their work in 2024:
Cadet Marshal of the Year – Harry Miller
Rally Marshal of the Year – Julia Padgett.
Kart Marshal of the Year – Roger Blackburn
Newcomer of the Year – Connor Dyer
Speed Marshal of the Year – Shaun Bayliss
Race Marshal of the Year – Gordon Rankin

North West 
The North West Training weekend took place on the 8^th and 9^th February in the Fogerty Moss Centre at Oulton Park. The Saturday was dedicated to new marshals and Grade 2 Flag and Incident, the Sunday was given over to Grade 1 and 3 Both days were a mixture of classroom and practical firefighting.

Over the weekend the following awards were presented:  
Veterans Award – Steve Brooks
Fred Byatt Award – Richard Stenson
Margaret Simpson Award – Sophie Mugurian
Cliff Hammond Trophy – Lara Jones 
Bellini Trophy – Duncan Fitz- Gibbons 
See Header Photograph

South East 
The South East Regional training days were held at Brands Hatch, Snetterton and Lydden during January and February.  There was an excellent turn out of marshals for the Lydden training with exciting meetings to come from this little circuit tucked in the corner of Kent. If you are interested in rallycross this is the venue to go to. 

The SE committee has met twice already this year with plans for the 2025 race season well under way.
A visit to the Mahindra Racing Team at their facilities in Banbury on Wednesday 12^th March in the morning. This invitation is a result of the support given to Mahindra Racing at their test days by the SE marshals. 

There is also a visit for a small group of marshals to the “Team Brit” Race team facility at Pulborough, West Sussex on Friday 28^th March in the morning.  

Rally
The table below lists upcoming rallies in March and April

 
Lord Wakefield Challenge Trophy
Congratulations must also go to Nadine Lewis, on Saturday 25^th January 2025 at the RAC Club in Pall Mall, London at the Motorsport UK’s Night of Champions. Nadine was recogonised by the British Women Racing Drivers Club (BWRDC) and awarded their Lord Wakefield Challenge Trophy This award was for her work towards raising the profile of volunteering within Motorsport and her continued contribution towards supporting and promoting volunteering at Championships across the UK. 

This is the second year the Lord Wakefield Challenge Trophy has been awarded to a member from the North West, Margaret Simpson in 2023 and now in 2024, Nadine. Congratulations and well done to you both.  


 
Membership and Grading 
This year, 2025 membership cards are being issued digitally in place of the plastic cards from previous years. These can be downloaded and kept on your phone or printed off and laminated and kept in your wallet. If you have not received yours or having problems downloading, please contact Mike Mulder (Nationl Members Co-ordinator) on digital.cards@marshals.co.uk 
The following 16 new members were accepted for membership by region 
EM = 1
NE = 2
NW = 10
SE = 1
SM = 2 
A warm welcome to you all.
The following marshals have had their applications for upgrade approved.
            Chris Mumford              Race Grade 1
            Benjamin Senior            Race Garde 1
            Christopher Whayman  Off Track Grade 2
            Nicky Oultaw                 Race Grade 2 
Congratulations and well done to the you all. 

Training 
Ongoing training and development of all marshals no matter what grade is important. For all Marshals, who have attended training sessions over the last few weeks, I hope you enjoyed and came away with greater knowledge and confidence or have learnt a new skill to be implemented and further developed.  

A great start to the new 2025 season, to dust off the cobwebs, meet up with old and new friends and encourage new marshals. Also, the opportunity to purchase new BMMC regalia or even new overalls (if they have seen to have shrunk over the off season. Do not forget that the purchase of new overalls is subsidised by the BMMC.

The SAMSC (Scottish Association of Motor Sports Clubs) organise monthly online ZOOM training sessions. Mainly covering rallying but also circuit and speed. Sessions last for a maximum of 90 minutes and are well prepared and presented. Certificates are issued post session and our funded by and are recognised by Motorsport Uk, so will count towards Grade maintenance and upgrade. 

Their 2025 schedule is as follows;
Wednesday March 19^th Race: Incident Management and Safety – RC03A
Tuesday March 25^th       Rally: Spectator Safety and Management – RY01C
Wednesday April 16^th    Race: Event Organisation and Structure – RC03B
Tuesday April 29^th          Rally: Introduction to Radio – RY02D
Tuesday May 27^th          Incident Response – RC02A/SP02A/RY02A
Tuesday June 24^th          Fire Theory and Electric Car Awareness – GE01A/GE01C
Tuesday July 29^th           Speed: Introduction to Speed – SP01A
Tuesday August 26^th      Speed: Event Organisation – SP03B
Tuesday Sept 30^th          Rally: Event Organisation – RY03B
Tuesday October 28^th    Rally: Timing – RY02E
A varied and interesting schedule, if you would like to a participate, go to the Scottish Association of Motor Sports Clubs on www.motorsport.scot and follow the link.
Castle Combe shall be holding the following Marshal Training days (open to ALL marshals).
            Saturday 8^th March –     New Marshals, Grade 3 and off Track all grades.
            Sunday 9^th March –        Registered Marshals Grade and 2 
Email Helen Magee, Marshals’ Secretary Castle Combe Racing Club on helenm@ccracingclub.co.uk

**Regalia Sales** 
We’ve kicked off the year with some awesome regalia sales at the regional training events. Huge shoutout to Rob (Northwest), Mark and Simon (Southeast), and Phil (Midlands) for all their hard work. If you didn’t get to see your regional coordinator and want to grab some badges, patches, stickers, or a shiny new keyring, just send an email with your request to nat.regalia@marshals.co.uk. 
Additionally, we always look for ideas for new items and would love to hear your suggestions. Feel free to email us at nat.regalia@marshals.co.uk with your ideas.
**Club Sponsorship** 
As a club, we are proactively on the lookout for new sponsorship partners. With the help of our partners, the club are able to ensure that the costs of our marshals’ overalls remain fully subsidised. If you’ve got any ideas or know anyone who might be interested, let Adrian Liddiment know at nat.regalia@marshals.co.uk. 
 
Upcoming Events 
Circuit
The following scheduled events 
8^th and 9^th March – CSCC at Silverstone 
15^th and 16^th March – BRSCC – Season opener at Silverstone 
15^th March – MSVR – EndroKa – Snetterton
22^nd and 23^rd March – BARC HQ – Donington Park
29^th and 30^th March – MSVR – Equipe Classic – Brands Hatch
29^th and 30^th March – MSVR – Donington Park
5^th and 6^th April – BRSCC – Brit GT – Donington Park
12^th and 13^th April – CSCC – Donington Park
12^th April – BARC – Oulton Park
For volunteering details see BMMC website.
The ABB FIA Formula E World Championship shall return to London this summer, from Friday 25 – Sunday 27 July.  
This year’s races will be the closing rounds of Season 11 and will be an incredibly exciting affair – the upgraded Gen 3 Evo promises even more action after the Gen 3 car proved itself an ideal match to the unique indoor/outdoor circuit at the ExCeL Centre. 
MSVR is the sporting organiser for the event and is pleased to open applications for interested marshals. Due to the international prominence of the championship, all applications need to be approved individually, but we are keen to get as many people involved as possible so if you are interested, please don’t hesitate to apply! An exclusive marshals/officials campsite is available along with a contribution to expenses. 
Please register your interest, please  go to www.msvr.co.uk/car/formula-e-london-marshal
 

Karting

The FAT Karting League is running a series of events throughout the year using electric karts for 6 year olds upwards. They are looking for additional karting marshals for their events. 

March

1^st / 2^nd March                          Whilton Mill      Pre-Season Test 5       

Contact:                                   Dan Rust         dan@whiltonmill.co.uk           

8^th / 9^th March                          Shenington      Pre-Season Test 6       

Contact:                                   Jordan Montgomery    jordan@jmwforecast.com       

22^nd / 23^rd March                      Shenington      Regional Champs 1                             

29th / 30^th Marcg                      Shenington      Pro Champs 1                                         

12^th  / 13^th April                         Shenington      Regional Champs 2                             

19^th / 20^th April                         Rowrah            Pro Champs 2  

Contact:                                   Malcolm Fell    malcolmfell@yahoo.com

3^rd / 4^th May                              Ellough Park    Pro Champs 3                          

Contact:                                   Simon             simon@elloughpark.co.uk

24^th / 25^th May                         Shenington      Regional Champs 3     

Events run through to November 2025 and shall be circulated to Regional Volunteer Coordinators for adding to the event calendar.

For more details visit www.fat-kartingleague.com , the contact listed above or email Paul Gwynne – Event Manager on paul.gwynne@smedleygroup.com

Sustainability
As part of their sustainability strategy the SAMSC is encouraging all Clubs to take responsibility to Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rethink, Refuse and Repair.
To this end SAMSC has developed “SAMSC Marketplace.”  This is a “Classified Ads” Platform, similar to Gumtree, Preloved or Facebook , but with specific focus upon motorsport.
The site is provided by SAMSC in good faith as a benefit for motorsport community within Scotland and beyond.
If anyone has any unwanted motorsport items to dispose off or wanting to buy similar give www.marketplace.motorsport.scot a try. 

Volunteering 
The BMMC  volunteering website is now up and running with most if not all events entered. 750MC, BARC, CSCC, HSCC, Silverstone Marshals and Vintage Sports Club also have web pages to volunteer for their events. If you volunteer using any of the above sites, please remember to also complete the BMMC volunteering site, ticking the Volunteered with Organising Club. This will then cover you with the BMMC insurance for the event from when you leave home to return. 

If you are interested in volunteering as a marshal for any of the very popular BTCC events please be aware that closing dates are 6 weeks prior to the event.  

Volunteering for any of the 3 Goodwood events, Members meeting, FOS and Revival is via the BARC volunteering site, again another popular event with limited marshal numbers. 

It should also be noted that the British GT series is also very popular and sometimes over subscribed event, to avoid disappointment get your marshal applications in as early as you can.

If you are considering volunteering for marshalling abroad in 2025, ensure that you apply for and receive from Motorsport UK a “Request to Marshal Overseas” letter. This details your name, licence number, telephone number and licence types (grades) held. Apply to marshals@motorsportuk.org. 

Ian Ashcroft
Nat Secretary