In addition, the Jersey officials, a group of UK marshals have been coming to Jersey every year since 2000, when a dozen came to assist with the competitive element of the Festival of Motoring and hill climbs, which have now grown to become the RUBiS Jersey International Motoring Festival. At least three of that original team still assist on an annual basis.
All of the marshals who come and assist with the events, run by the Classic and Vintage Motor Racing Club, are MSA (Motor Sports Association) registered. This means they are all trained. There is a training and grading scheme run by the MSA, and every marshal must attend a training day at least every two years to maintain their grade. Subjects covered include incident handling, fire, first on scene, communications and other specific topics. All UK marshals are unpaid volunteers.
Many of the marshals who attend the events in Jersey have been marshalling for many years, most for more than 20.
Among the team who come to Jersey are two racers, one races MX5s the other 2CVs. They also have a few people who are licenced Clerks of the Course. Among the team are people who have carried out every marshalling duty possible. This includes post chiefs, flags, incident, pits, startline, communications, safety car driver and safety car observer. Between us they have marshalled race meetings, rallies, rally cross, sprints, hillclimbs and sporting trials. We have marshalled for cars, motorcycles, karts, trucks, soapboxes and almost everything else with wheels.
Events they marshal are diverse and include Formula One Grands Prix both in the UK and abroad, all of the Goodwood events, World Endurance Championship, Touring Cars and Le Mans 24 hour. In addition to every circuit in the UK, some of the places they have marshalled include Abu Dhabi, the Bahamas, France, Belgium, Spain and the Isle of Man.
A spokesman for the visiting marshals said: ‘We all enjoy our trips to Jersey and look forward to them as one of the highlights of our year. We all like to enjoy ourselves while out and marshalling, but, when needed, we all have a very professional approach to our marshalling.
‘In Jersey it is great to be part of a small team who are all experienced and know how to handle almost every type of incident. In Jersey we are backed up by the clerks of the course, the stewards, the rescue unit (Normandy Rescue), recovery vehicles and medical crew.
‘Over the years we have become friends with many of the officials and competitors and look forward to seeing them on our annual visits.
‘We always receive a warm welcome and always look forward to coming back to Jersey.’
Anyone interested in marshalling either in the UK or Jersey should speak to any of the marshals or contact the BMMC (British Motorsport Marshals Club). Details can be found at marshals.co.uk. For details of marshalling or helping with the CVMRC at either the Jersey International Motorsport Festival or Grève de Lecq hillclimb, details can be found at classicandvintagejersey.co.uk.
- This year the JIMF will run over four days, from Thursday 31 May to Sunday 3 June.
