***New Section***

Come and meet Daz, our SAF1 Fan who is also a Race Marshall...

Hi Guys,

Mark has asked me to write a sort of marshals view of motorsport for the site, at first I thought there is no way I can do that as I am not the best writer in the world. But then I thought why not give it a go, nothing ventured nothing gained as they say. So here goes.

One of the many things I get asked when I say that I am a Super Aguri fan is why? Well the easiest way to explain that is with a short story. Let me set the scene. It’s the 1999 British Grand Prix and on track is the British F3 Championship, my memory isn’t what it used to be so I’m not sure if it was the actual race or a qualifying session. Ok you might ask what has this got to do with being a Super Aguri fan? Well this was the first Grand Prix that I had attended as a marshal and I was working Club corner.

I have always been a fan of F3 as it gives you a great chance to see the grand prix stars of the future and this race was no different with the entry list including: Luciano Burti, Jenson Button, Alex Yoong, Toby Scheckter, and Narain Karthikeyan to name but a few. However it was a young Japanese driver racing in Class B for Diamond Racing, who attracted my attention. The driver had come off the circuit at Club and there were a few small flames coming out of the car, as we got to the car the driver jumped out and was more concerned with us damaging his car than his own safety. Well to cut a long story short, the fire quickly went out and the car was pushed behind the wall with the help of the driver who kept politely asking that we please be careful with his car. The driver was none other than Takuma Sato, he seemed such a nice guy that from that day on I followed his career with great interest.

So that’s how I came to be a Super Aguri fan, so now I suppose I should introduce myself.
My name is Daz and in my real working life I am a Military Police Dog Handler in the Royal Air Force. But in my spare time I am a marshal on the Donington Park Emergency Services Team and a member of the British Motorsports Marshals Club. I started marshalling in 1997, my first meeting being the British Touring Cars at Donington, and ever since then I have been hooked. Being a marshal gets you right where the action is, your closer to the cars and drivers than most fans can ever hope to get. There are no catch fences between you and the action and when an incident happens there is no bigger adrenaline buzz than being trackside dealing with a multiple car accident while the rest of the pack scream past you at over 100mph with only your orange flame proof overalls and a waved yellow flag for protection. As a marshal you can be working trackside for a grass roots club meeting one weekend and the next find yourself in the pit lane at Silverstone for the British GP. Over the course of these articles I hope to tell you how to get into marshalling, exactly what it entails and the benefits along with some stories from the bank and my own views on the world of motorsport. If you have any questions you would like answering then please send me a PM and I will do my best to give you a full and honest reply.

Until next time, take care and I look forward to reading your comments in the forums.
Daz

(Ed - **Look out for a new section in the Forum** )