4.09 /// Full Throttle: The Dedication Behind the Flags of Racing...

Welcome to Infinite Prattle!

Ever imagined the pulse-quickening world of motorcycle racing from the eyes of a trackside hero? Strap in as we share an electrifying chapter of my life, where I transform a long-simmering dream into  reality by training to become a Race Safe Marshal. From the vibrant flags that command attention to the adrenaline-fueled decisions that keep racers from harm's way, we'll pull back the curtain on the unsung guardians of motorsport. With Sarah's unwavering support by my side, and a little nudge from Glenn Irwin's post, my journey into the heart of motorbike racing is one you won't want to miss.

Join us for a deep dive into the day-to-day heroics that keep the wheels of motorcycle racing spinning safely. Discover the intricacies of flag systems and their life-saving messages, the parallels between track safety and the discipline of railway operations, and the vital, split-second choices made in the face of danger. Through this intimate recounting of my training day experience, you're not just getting a lesson in motorsport safety—you're getting a front-row seat to the passion and camaraderie that fuels this high-octane world.

Chapters

• 0:00 Motorbike Race Marshal Training Experience
• 10:11 Flag Systems and Safety Training

Transcript

Stephen: 0:00

Hello, welcome to Infinite Prattle. Today's episode is something. It's about something I've been really wanting to do for a long, long time. Um, if you've listened to previous episodes from only from Rook of the Leuysco, you may have an idea of what this is. Well, I've finally done it. And if you don't know what it is, stay tuned. You're listening to Infinite Prattle with your host, steven.

Stephen: 0:31

Thanks for joining me for unscripted, unedited everything. Thank you very much for joining me today. I hope you've liked the previous episodes and the video episodes that we've had recently. So the episode 1 of Dex is received really good response. So I'm hoping the second one carries on and gains momentum, because it's quick on the pick up. So it always intrigues me which episodes seem to get more listens and stuff than others. Very, very, very strange. Anyway, thank you very much for joining me, and I've got a little bit of a different setup today. This is completely not related to the actual episode at all, but I've tried to like minimize.

Stephen: 1:19

You wouldn't know what I'm about to say if you looked at my room right now. It's an absolute tip. I feel like I say this a lot. It never gets resolved. It goes through iterations of resolve and then becomes a minefield of mess again. But I've been trying to clean up my setup, so I had loads of arms for, like, rest, my laptop on and my mixing desk and stuff, and I wanted a new screen, so I was using, like one of them, portable screens. It's not really good enough, so I decided to invest in an actual full-time monitor. So, in the midst of again once again trying to rearrange my setup, inevitance, inevitance. Anyway, that's not what today's episode's about.

Stephen: 2:02

Today's episode's about what I did a couple weeks ago. Now, you might remember the playground episode that I did, and I recorded that in the hotel in Bedford, and I was down in Bedford for a very specific reason. I'll just say, though, the hotel I stayed in was very, very nice, and there was a young chap that was manning the you know, staffing the reception desk and basically doing a multitude of jobs. Actually, I feel like it was a very understaffed hotel, but it was very clean and pleasurable and a lot better than I thought for £60 a night Room only that was. Yeah, he was fantastic, and I don't know if you'll ever listen to this, but yeah, he was from Nepal and I can't remember his name. It really annoys me. I've left a nice review on the hotel, but he was just a thoroughly nice guy and he couldn't do enough for me and stuff like that. You know a little customer service, things like that really I feel like really go a long way. So thank you. Thank you, lovely, lovely chap from the hotel.

Stephen: 3:04

Anyway, yeah, so this thing that I've been meaning to do for a long, long time, I finally decided to do it and that's what took me to the hotel and I'd been very busy and I thought it was a long journey. On the Friday I finished work and it was a long journey down. I checked into the hotel at about 7.30, 7.00 at night, had some food recorded, a podcast, had a bath, managed to get everything uploaded, so I didn't have to do it the next day and I had a full day training on the Saturday. Now, what was this training? I hear you yell through the airwaves. Well, to be honest, it was. I don't have to be honest about it, I'll just tell you the truth. It was to do with race safe martial training for the motorbike racing.

Stephen: 3:52

I'm sure you've known I've mentioned motorbikes many times on the show. I ride a motorcycle. Even though I'm in between one at the moment, it's the longest I've never actually owned a rideable, functioning motorbike. Kid is killing me. So, you know, there'll probably be another episode soon when I've hopefully narrowed the list down and actually bought a new bike, because, yeah, I really really need one.

Stephen: 4:13

Anyway, I digress once more. So, yeah, you may have heard of other podcasts that I mentioned that I go to watch the British Supermikes and, yeah, basically I've always, I've always like, looked at the marshals and thought you know what a cool job that is. You know, you know they get to be part of the race, that doing a really important function. And Probably for ten years maybe, actually, I've been going to the racing for quite a while, maybe longer than that. I've always thought it's such a cool job and I've always thought about oh yeah, how'd you get into that and what would you do? And blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. And then, towards the end of the season last year, the end of the British New Bikes season last year, quite a few of the riders Glen Irwin and Danny Buckin, and so I think it was them anyway, I definitely Glen Irwin, but they put one their Facebook pages and social media the way to volunteer these basically were thanking the marshals and put on their Social medias how to basically apply. But just follow the link and red thread through some stuff and thought you know what, add a chat to me, missus, and said, listen, if I do this, like, do you mind me doing it? And me and me and Sarah have quite a good relationship where, if you could, if you saw our house, especially my, the cave that I'm sat in now, you would know that she kind of lets me.

Stephen: 5:39

I want to say, do I want? But she understands that I have like Things I would like to do and things and needs kind of thing. Like like I have a need to collect stuff, I have a need to be in this space where I am now surrounded by my stuff and Need to do my podcast and I need to do other things and and she completely gets that I'm the same with her. Like she can Pretty much do what she wants and we kind of have this understanding. Like you know, as long as we, you know, we don't neglect each other and we can basically afford to do what we need to do, like we don't lose the house. Basically you can pay the mortgage in the bills, you know. Everything else is fair game and it's we're pretty healthy relationship for that really. So I'm really I'm really pleased that we have that kind of relationship where it doesn't Stuff like that doesn't come between us and we can be our own individual people.

Stephen: 6:31

Anyway, I went to her, said, listen, I'm looking at doing this. And she was like, well, you've been saying that for years. You know, have a look at it, you know see what it's about. So you have to basically join the marshals kind of Group kind of thing. So you have to basically send a payment come home what how much it was I think it was 30 pounds like register, and then basically you then chose a day of training. So I registered that was like October, november last year and I think it was and they basically sent you a like a membership number and you can join. You can then sign into the website and see what's going on and stuff. You have limited access when you haven't been training.

Stephen: 7:07

So that I picked I picked the second of March to do my training down in Bedford aerodrome, which is like a racetrack and it's isn't. I think there's an old, I don't. I think it's still functioning partly maybe, but there's Like an RF base next to it, yeah, so I went down. So I say what I say, say Ashley and Coordination Street reference for my American friends. Yeah, so I drove down straff to work.

Stephen: 7:30

So it was a long day on the Friday because I'd gone into work early to make up the hours so I could leave a little early, come home, pack a bag. It was a busy week at work so I hadn't had time to pack a bag or anything. So Did that on the way, did done like on the on the day really, which I don't know what I'd like to do. I know we like to like have, have at least some stuff ready. So just grab and go and just maybe throw the last few minute minute items in. But yeah, no-transcript.

Stephen: 7:58

Got there, did the hotel stuff. Lovely hotel had a nice night. Didn't have breakfast up early in the next morning so I'm glad I didn't, because I wouldn't be able to have it anyway If I paid for it. I'd have been up too early to actually enjoy it because they didn't start saving to laugh eight and I was gonna like Water to seven. So I had to settle for McDonald's. There wasn't much around there that was open that early, so thank goodness for McDonald's. Those all I'll say so. I managed to go and get a McDonald's breakfast.

Stephen: 8:22

I sat and chilled out for a bit because I was up quite early and it wasn't too far from that where where I stayed it was only about ten minutes away, so Could I could chill out a little bit, end up going to the airdrome and I think the best thing about like when you, when you go to something like that, everyone's, I like minded, so it's you know you go to a comic on, like everyone's a nerd and a geek about the things they love, you know, and everyone's got that interest and and motorcycle events, everyone's into motorcycles, whether they ride them or just like watching them race and it and it was nice to be there that day and and chat to some people and you know, just just you know You're all there for the same purpose and for the same reason and and you've got that Kind of camaraderie baseline and yeah, it was, it was a really it was a really really good day and I just can't wait now to get out and go to some races. I'll kind of go through kind of what we do, because I think if anyone, if anyone's out there and Like, this will be a worldwide thing. I'm sure, like you know, that there's obviously race marshals across the world. This is obviously the UK one, it's the that the race safe Marshall Association, which is which is the one I'm involved in. So basically what they do is they do is like an induction and basically what the what the trans says he, you know, you know you're there to like make the race safe. You're there to support the riders. You know get the, get the any debris off track. You know make the track save, wave your flags and Liaison race control, etc. But they were really hammering home that you know your, your own safety is the most important, because you can't like anything, you can't help anyone else if you put yourself in danger or you've got injured yourself. So number one is yourself. And then you know making and then making sure the riders are okay.

Stephen: 10:11

And he went into some detail. There was a couple of things I was surprised that they showed us because I didn't think we'd be involved involved in that and there was some things I thought was maybe a bit too quick, but then when we actually went and did it it's some of the practical stuff I was thinking actually know that this is the trainings about right. So who knew? They knew what they were talking about. So but yeah, there's loads of different flags, there's loads and loads of different flags, so it's gonna ruin me. They actually said on the day that you'll be. You'll be ruined now Because when you go to watch through, you go towards the race or you watch on TV, you'll you'll see the flags, you know, and you'll know what they mean and and You'll know whether someone's doing the job right and, basically, what the what they showed us on the day.

Stephen: 10:57

So they did basically, our own safety. You know, before you if you see a crash or anything happen. You know, take a moment before you just run out, because they're talking about something like target fixation, which is just something that you happen, which happens on a bike. It can happen in other vehicles as well, but I think on a bike it's quite critical because you kind of balanced and you like you have to lean when you turn a corner and stuff. So so what they were saying is the yet target fixation.

Stephen: 11:23

So if someone, if a bike in front of them slides out, it takes the momentary concentration and they kind of focus on that for a second and that can cause that rider to Fall off as well. Or you might be approaching a corner where there's been a crash and instead of Because they're going so fast it that crash might take the momentary, a momentary lapse of conversation, concentration off, like the racing line, and makes the next minute, you know, they're either have to break really hard, which could cause a crash, or they could fall off, so which which makes sense really if you think about it. And but yeah, they basically told us like how to, how to manage ourselves, and they said that there's per person, each corner that kind of manages that Just an innocent officer and they kind of liais with race control and they'll kind of tell you when to go on track, if, if needed, and and then what flags to show and stuff like that. So it was really really interesting the fact that the process really and it was all about speeders of the essence, like safety is really key, but you've got to get on and get off. So they were saying like, basically, some of the riders like they'll fall off the bike and then they'll try and go over the bike and you know, because that piece of equipment is so, so expensive and they'll, they'll try and maybe pick it up, even to try and start racing again and you have to go and tell them. You know you've got to come off track. You know it's dangerous or we're a dangerous location. Now we're not behind the crash barriers anymore and you know trains I'm not on the railway now Bikes are going past like 200 miles an hour so you need to get off the get off the racetrack and you're causing a distraction to the riders as well. And then the flags have to be waved, so different called flags like yellows and the surface surface contamination flags and oh yeah, it was like for information, like if the ground's got oil on or it's wet or you know it's. It was really, really interesting.

Stephen: 13:14

I really I really enjoyed it and how how that's facilitated is literally like someone always looks out for you as well, so if you go on the track, there should be someone kind of like spotting you, which I thought was really good, very, very similar to the railway to me. I found quite a lot of similarities and in the in kind of like the railway and how that functions on looking how for trains and fast things approaching you. But yeah, it was, it was just. It was just really a bit of an eye-opener and how the flag system works. I know I've seen it on TV and thought, oh yeah, you, you would wave a yellow flag, or oh, that's the time you have a green flag, or that's the time they wave a red flag. When you know the race is, is is called off and and and, and and cancelled and riders have to have to return to the pits, and. But when you, when you, when you have it explained to you, it makes a bit more sense. And yeah, and I kind of you know, kind of in the know kind of thing now, and I've got me a little cheat sheet they keep printing out like a little a5 card about you know what all the different flags mean. And then there's also an electronic one now. So there's electronic flags as well. So they have like these LED screens around the track, the LED lights around the track, and you have a little, basically control panel, and so someone's waving a physical flag, but if there's one of them control panels, you have to operate that as well. And yeah, it's really really interesting.

Stephen: 14:37

And I think the thing that surprised me was is is the medical stuff, like, because there's there's medical teams on on most of the corners, but they were saying, basically, you know, if you think a you know riders not responsive or you may think they've got a neck or spinal injury, that it's up to one of the marshals to actually control the head. And you know and do the log role and being in control. That and I was thinking, well, that's a lot of responsibility. And they showed us how to do it, they trained us how to do it and they showed us how to put you know the scoop, stretch under and roll and and and lift the stretch here and and how you know how kind of how to do that and someone taking charge and like planning a route and and it was and it was super, super, super interesting I think. I think for me it was.

Stephen: 15:20

It was a bit of a shock that you know they would trust us enough to like control someone's head. But there was a paramedic there, a couple of paramedics on the day like train us in the medical, in the medical, I would say, the medical ways, the ways of the medicine, and they would say, you know, basically saying like the reason that is is because there might be only one medic on that corner or that or that turn initially. So it's important to get that head stabilized and medical intervention given to that rider. So they basically said if we're in control of the head, we can't do anything else, like what's the use of the paramedic if they're just sat holding someone's head straight? So that's why they say they give the responsibility to us, like if we're comfortable to do it. And it was quite a. I feel like that's quite a humbling thing and it's quite a response, a responsible thing. But I think it's like, yeah, it's humbling, the right word, I don't know. I just feel it's. You know, it's what, it's a responsibility to the thing. You know you've helped save someone and, and you know, protected them maybe and I think that's quite, quite important and I know someone's safety and and protect them from a spinal injury. Yeah, it was.

Stephen: 16:38

It was an all all round day and then we did some practical stuff in the afternoon, cause the first morning it was all all indoors and then we got a fad which was, which was amazing. It was so delicious. It was like curry and chips and and, and there was burgers and there was baked potatoes and rice and it was delicious Mouth's watering at the thought of it. And then, yeah, we went outside in the afternoon and we learned again. We did the scoop, we did the the head protection stuff and learn how to take someone's helmet off and and then carrying them away. And we did that in the gravel pit, because that's the most realistic situation you're probably going to be on grass or a gravel pit and then added a different dimension, because obviously gravel moves from underneath you. And then we also did a bit of flagging. So we had to pretend there was bikes, unfortunately, but we had to pretend. And then we'd get race control come over the radio saying such and such. It happened at turn three and we'd have to work out what corner we were on, so work out what flags to show. And they had like a little like laminated picture of the of the light panel that we had to pretend to dress the button on because obviously they can't supply that equipment everywhere.

Stephen: 17:43

And then we had to lift a bike, which was actually surprisingly difficult with a lifting strap. I've never used a lifting strap before, but we learned how to pick the bike up, which I've done before. And, surprising, if you do the right technique, a bike is quite, quite easy to pick up with two people. And it was like this five cylinder Yamaha from like the eighties and it was the heaviest bike I've ever lifted in my life. It was crazy. It was insane how heavy that thing was. And then me and this other chap were the only two that hadn't actually used a lifting strap on a bike. I had no reason to. I don't know if the others were were lying or whether he had had experienced previously.

Stephen: 18:19

So we had the bike upright and the instructor was like still on the rear end, keeping it steady, and we put the, put the lifting strap through the front tire and lifted. Oh my God, it was so heavy and he was basically saying like this bike's not a good example, it's like so much more heavy than the British do bikes, and even the biggest ones. So and then they said right now, try it with the lifting bar. So the lifting bar is basically like the lifting strap but it's connected to a big long, probably like a five foot long piece of scaffolding really, and then we used that to lift it. It was so it was somewhere around still heavy, but it was so much easier having that leverage. Yeah, it was. It was just such a good day. Luckily the weather held off. It was quite a miserable day in all, and during the morning it was like lashing down with rain, but it staved off. In the afternoon it was a little bit of drizzle, but all in all it was just a cracking day and even though it was a long day, it was so worth it and I'm really, really, really keen to get going on it now.

Stephen: 19:16

We had to do an online test after the day and then, after you do the online test, then you can start booking the races you want to attend. So very exciting stuff. So I'll let you know how that goes and if you, if you got interested in that, you know, definitely go along. The training was free. Obviously you had to register, but the training was all free. You just had to get there and then on the race days, you obviously get free entry because you're a volunteer. And they did say to us like it's not an easy day. You could be stood outside in the rain for 10 hours, 11 hours, but what a what a unique experience. You know what's, you know? I just feel like it's gonna be such a unique experience. And they provide facilities so you can go and camp and you get a hook up and you know your own private marshaling area to camp in and they give you a meal ticket as well and you can get a guest ticket as well. So it has a little bit of perks. Yeah, I think I think I'm going to enjoy it and I'll let you know after I do my first practice. I'm hoping, hopefully going to do some practice races. There's some practice rounds of the British youth bikes. I'm hoping hopefully gonna get on them and then do some proper races.

Stephen: 20:28

No Responsible job, though you know it's a really responsible job and you're not there to watch the races. They kept saying that to us. Like you know, you have to be watching the race, but not to watch the race. Your job is to literally get them flags in the air as soon as something happens or as soon as they're needed. So, yeah, so kind of responsible. But I've got 12 days of mentorship, so I have to do 12 full days of mentorship to get off the training roster and then I'll be a fully fledged marshaling and have my own corner. Happy days, yeah. So, yeah, definitely, if you're interested, go and go and research what they do in your, your local area or your, your country. But this is what happens in the UK for race safe.

Stephen: 21:07

Yeah, very interesting and I hope you enjoyed that little podcast and don't forget to like, comment and subscribe. And feedback is really important to me at the moment. Podcast losing a lot of listeners at the moment and I don't know why it's. I don't know it's because I rebranded, maybe that was a bad move, I don't know, maybe people forgot what I was called and can't find me again. And I say it's just nice to have some feedback and I want to get some. I want to get some, some info from you guys about what you like and and and just general comments. Just comment if you found it interesting or found, you know, if you've had experience of being a Marshall, that'd be fantastic. And you know, take care of yourselves and I know I'll speak to you soon. Thanks very much. Thanks for listening to infinite prattle with your host, steven. Follow me on social networks at infinite prattle and don't forget to subscribe. Thanks very much.