Bathurst 1000 8/10 to 11/10 2015

Well another year and another Bathurst gone what a great w/end it was with plenty of thrills and spills.
I arrived on Monday 5.10 to set up camp and enjoy a few days relaxing and watching the campgrounds and paddock areas fill up with people and teams. Watching the Truck parade in town and enjoying taking Photo's around the track and pits.
Walked the track a couple of times over the week with some fellow officials including a night walk was great to be able to enjoy doing this with friends.
Well was assigned Post 4.8 just after the cutting driver's left with Zoe and Chloe sharing comms and flags. Apart from a few cars hitting the wall at 4.0 and a Porsche lining us up every lap which was a bit of fun and he gave us a wave at the end of race we had a fairly easy 4 days.
But it was not easy for everyone with the weather always putting on a challenge for the V8s and with plenty of cars finding the walls around the Track. Two massive crashes one on Friday with Chaz hitting the wall and cleaning up a Flag Point ending the days activities and all of us were relived that not only Chaz but our fellow Marshals at 17.0 all came out of it ok yes both Chaz and one of our Officials had some more serious injuries and had to go to Hospital but all will fight another day it really brings the reality of what we do and the danger we face but we all do what we do because of the love we have for this sport. And Friday night back at camp we all supported one another weather it was a need to talk or just a drink with friends.
Well Saturday came and we thought nothing would beat the crash from Friday but the Aussie Cars proved us wrong with a big rollover around 19.2 if you haven't seen it have a look on youtube once again the safety cage done its job with the driver only sustaining a few injuries.
Along with the Aussie Cars we had TCM Touring car Masters, Porsche GT3, V8 UTEs and Dunlop Series V8s so a full 4 days of action. Next trip to Bathurst will be in February for the 12hr.
Next event for me at Phillip Island 24 & 25 Oct for a State round until then stay safe and have fun.
To see all Photo's check out my facebook page A Flag Marshal's Journey.

Camp Site

Muster Shed

Shannons Nationals Rd 6 Phillip Island Sept 19 & 20 2015

Bit late with this report been a busy few weeks Just got back from Holiday late Thursday night and Track-side on Saturday so didn't have much time to get organised but had another Great w/end at Beautiful Phillip Island fine weather but fresh breeze each day made for good clean racing both days was working post 1.1 Drivers Left with Murray on Comms a great spot to see cars at speed with plenty going wide and a few good side on contacts. A big incident involving SuperKarts with one going into a spin and getting T boned bits going everywhere drivers ok but one needing to go out by Ambo to be checked out both will be sore for awhile.
Super Six being one of the bigger categories put on some great close racing was great to watch with the Kumho V8s also putting on some great racing other categories on the w/end included IROC Porsche Challenge for the older 911, Formula 3, Radicals, Porsche GT3 and Aust Sports Racers.
Just a couple of shots of the w/end but will make up for it at Bathurst 1000 which I will be heading off to on Monday 5th Oct will get photos in pit lane and paddock before working 4 days track-side. With so much Motor Sport on around the world with many friends and Marshals travelling to different events stay safe have fun.

Post 1.1 Drivers Left

Thanks Photo by Narra http://www.narraphotography.com.au/

Shannons Nationals

Main Muster

Flaggies

Super Karts

Winton Festival of Speed August 2015Turn 6.0

Well it was a cold w/end at Winton but at least no rain for the Festival of Speed. Worked Flag Point 6.0 on my own which is fine it sits on Drivers Left on a sweeper so not much in the way of incidents mainly cars going off to the Right infield and rejoining near 7.0 and a few spinners on track. Points 9.0, 10.0 & 7.0 were all kept busy report writing with a number of passing under Yellow and under SC but all in all good clean racing which you expect with the older cars no one wants to go home with a wrecked classic car. We had the following Events
Regularity, MGs, Groups M & O + Formula Vee, Group N, Group Sa & Sb + invited, Group Sc & invited, Formula Fords, HQ Racing, Groups P,Q&R, Groups J,K,Lb + invited.
Dinner Saturday was once again put on by Winton which was well received after a cold day track-side thanks again to everyone involved in putting that on for us.
Bunkhouse was the usual mad bunch second Family always a good laugh and times with this lot also had some new people join us over the w/end Robert a Flag Marshal with our club first time at the Winton Track he had a great time and I'm sure he will be back. Also Jenny from South Australia made the long trek over to work Pit lane she knows a few of us from Bathurst Events and wanted to check out Winton she also enjoyed it and was Brave enough to stay at the Bunkhouse.

Next event for me is Phillip Island Shannons Nationals in Sept 19th & 20th but for many of the VFT Team Flaggies they have V8s at Sandown Sept 11 - 13th I'm away on Holidays so will miss that one this year so till next time stay safe and have fun.
Check out all photos on my facebook site A Flag Marshal's Journey

Flag Brief

View of track from Coffee shop

6.0

Turn 6.0 Flag Point

Sandown Raceway VSCRC rd 3 July 18th & 19th 2015

Another Race w/end over this time a State Championship round at Sandown International Motor Raceway. This round we Officials like to call the Hot-dog round. WHY? Well apart from being in the middle of winter and cold they give us hot soup both days trackside and Hot-dogs on Sunday for Lunch YUMO always goes down well on these cold winter days and it was cold with frosty mornings and fine sunny days which gave way to some great racing all w/end.
I was assigned to Turn 1.0 good spot for action a great team to work with on Flags Michael, Paul F, Myself and a Trainee Daniel along with our Sector marshal was Michael and two people on comms.
We had the following categories racing
Hyundai Excels, Historic Touring Cars, Formula Fords, Sport Cars, Saloon Cars, MG & Invited British Cars, Formula Vee, HQ Holdens, Improved Production & Porsche 944.

Saturday Qualifying in the morning and racing in the afternoon  with Sunday all categories having two races each. Turn 1.0 providing plenty of spin offs and cars going wide trying out some off road tracks Saturday gave us the two biggest incidents for our point with a smash involving about 4 cars in the Sports Sedans with three able to continue on and one requiring a lift tow Bring out SC. Later Saloon cars with one spinning out and facing WD the car following hitting head on both cars blocking track and requiring SC and Lift tows. Hyundai Excels 16 all up provided an entertaining race each time drifting around the track going off in all directions some how not hitting each other some good close racing by the leading 6 cars made for some good laughs and fun racing.
Next round for me is August 8th & 9th Winton Festival of Speed but the VFT team of flaggies also have Phillip Island 6 Hour Relay with 50 Teams racing on August 1st & 2nd.
Until Next Time Stay Safe have fun and enjoy your Motorsport no matter what role you play.

Main Briefing

Looking from 1.0 down to 4.0 far end

Looking back along Main Straight 

Drinks and eats after race near Race Control

Just getting set up on a frosty morning

Shannons Nationals Winton Round 3 13th & 14th June 2015

Well another round of racing at Winton Raceway this time Shannons Nationals.
This w/end I was doing some Training for my next upgrade so did not work a Flag point but instead was having ago at Assistant Chief was a lot of fun and and also really good to see the challengers the Chief Flag and Assistant Chief have when organizing a Team also was able to do the Brief for the Team Sunday Morning.
A great w/end had by all with dinner provided by Winton Raceway on Saturday night which went down well after a nice but very cool days with frosty mornings.
Categories that were running included the following
Formula Fords, Kumho V8 Touring Cars, Porsche GT3, Formula 3, Super 6 Touring Cars, Sports Racers and a new one IROC Challenge which were 1970s Porsche cars only a small field but hopefully will grow these looked great running around the track with some close racing.
A smooth running w/end with the usual spins and hits but nothing too major, some track records were broken and History made when in the V8 race Sunday the youngest Australian Driver for a Third Tier event 14 year old Alex Rullo won the race in one of Mark Winterbottoms old Fords from 2006. Funny when he is not old enough to have a licence or to be a Marshal track-side but can drive these ex Super Cars. well not many photos to show due to my training and assessment and also not many cars out when we were going track-side. Next event not until July for me at Sandown Raceway until then Stay Safe have fun out track-side.

Thanks to Rebecca Thompson for these two photos
https://www.facebook.com/motorsportphotographybyrebeccathompson