So how many of you guys work the races?

I know there are a lot of actual racers and crew here but how many of you guys help to run the events either through Flagging, Race Control, or Tech?

I do flagging for the SW division of the SCCA, CVAR, and PCA. With COTA in my backyard, I have gotten the chance to do the FIA and IMSA races there (Tudor, F1, and WEC) Haven't done any of the Moto GP events.

I also got into doing Nascar track services at the Texas Motor speedway starting this year.

So who else is a race worker here? Any good stories?

I thought this was going to be about picking up women of color.

I have never worked a race except as a driver or crew. I've got drunk with flaggers though and they are an odd bunch. Nice enough but I couldn't quite get the attraction of working hard all day but never getting to drive and they couldn't explain it to me. We agreed that cooking meat over a fire while drinking whiskey was as close a thing to common ground as we had and it was good enough

My second track weekend ever any d I was doing tech and helping run the scales for TT. It's inevitable that I work wherever I end up. My would be happy if I worked more and drove less.

Tech inspector at the stock car track for the late models. Most of the time, its pretty easy, and most people are glad to see me, and have all their stuff ready.

Then there's the:

Guy who says, "No, my Snell M95 helmet is fine. "Bob let me run last week, so that means its legal."

Guy who shows up with a motor that is obviously, just from the sound it makes on startup, illegal as hell. Proves to be 1.3 points of compression too high with the Whistler. "I bought it as a legal motor, and if you make me carry extra weight, I'm gonna load up and go home."

Bob and Ralph come from opposite ends of the pits. "Bob/Ralph was beatin on me, and he's an shiny happy person. You gotta DQ Ralph/Bob."

The correct answer to all three, if you were wondering, is, "Grow up. berkeley off. I don't have time for sniveling shiny happy people."

I've worked Fire/Rescue at Long Beach for the past two years and am doing it again in April. Nothing really crazy but the IndyCar smashup derby last year was pretty exciting. Definitely the best seat in the house to watch from though.

To GPS,

The attraction for me is, believe it or not, solitude. I go out there for the weekend and all I can think about is the race cars around me. I don't have time to think about the next project milestone I have to reach, If the wife is bitchy that week, how my stocks are performing. None of that garbage. I turn off my cell phone and go out and enjoy the cars and the racing.

I have an issue where continuous Hi G loads gives me nausea. Last time I ran a car at true race speeds, I was dizzy when I got in the pits I just about fell out of the car I was so disoriented. So that was the last time I ever raced for my safety and the safety of the people around me.

Ill probably flag the sebring 12 hours this year, gonna try to work t 17b theres always some action there. Thinking about the st pete gp also, the indy car people really treat us good [food swag]. I'll try to work close to the water, there's usually more action on deck than on track!

I would love to but have never had the time off work to get to the track. I have the time right now but not the money to get to the track.

Giant Purple Snorklewacker wrote: I thought this was going to be about picking up women of color. I have never worked a race except as a driver or crew. I've got drunk with flaggers though and they are an odd bunch. Nice enough but I couldn't quite get the attraction of working hard all day but never getting to drive and they couldn't explain it to me. We agreed that cooking meat over a fire while drinking whiskey was as close a thing to common ground as we had and it was good enough

I sat next to an older guy with very strong opinions at an SCCA booth a couple years back and he proceeded to tell me that it didn't make any sense to autocross or rallycross and that if you really wanted to experience the thrill of racing, working a corner at a club race was the best thing that you could do as an SCCA member. I'd say that we agreed to disagree except he wasn't interested in letting anyone else get a word in, so it was more that I tuned him out while he continued upon his diatribe.

Going up to Mid Ohio and helping work a club race is something that I'd like to do, just for the experience, but I can't help shake the feeling that I'm being Tom Sawyered into something, you know? What really blows my mind (and I was polite and kept my mouth shut) is how they were talking about having the local SCCA members volunteer to flag the Rolex 24. These guys are spending $40,000+ on their tires for the actual race alone, but they can't cough up another $400-$500 per entry to hire some corner workers? I'll reserve my final judgement for after I've actually done it once, but it just seems like someone's getting taken advantage of =)

I was a corner worker at COTA in April this year for Motogp. Basically had one of the best seats at the track (corner between two jumbotrons) for very little work. Actually getting paid would have been nice.

Since I'm not close to Moto GP skill levels I'll settle for watching/working the corner.

wae wrote: Going up to Mid Ohio and helping work a club race is something that I'd like to do, just for the experience, but I can't help shake the feeling that I'm being Tom Sawyered into something, you know? What really blows my mind (and I was polite and kept my mouth shut) is how they were talking about having the local SCCA members volunteer to flag the Rolex 24. These guys are spending $40,000+ on their tires for the actual race alone, but they can't cough up another $400-$500 per entry to hire some corner workers? I'll reserve my final judgement for after I've actually done it once, but it just seems like someone's getting taken advantage of =)

I think there is something where because they are members of a club they can't be paid but they are pretty much the only large group of workers you won't have to train. The guys I talked to all seemed happy to be working it just as I would have gladly crewed on any of the cars in the race for free just for the experience.

When we ran in the Busch series race at Watkins Glen years ago the volunteers did a great job keeping everything under control and took great pride in doing their job well. The only thing that really struck me as odd was having a guy that raced MGs complain how antiquated or stock cars were.

bmw88rider wrote: To GPS, The attraction for me is, believe it or not, solitude. I go out there for the weekend and all I can think about is the race cars around me. I don't have time to think about the next project milestone I have to reach, If the wife is bitchy that week, how my stocks are performing. None of that garbage. I turn off my cell phone and go out and enjoy the cars and the racing.

That makes sense. I feel the same way about driving. When I'm in the car and I'm really on it... there is no problem at work. There are no kids college funds. There is no cancer. There is only room in my head for the subtleties. The car is driving itself and I'm working the nuances of traffic and traction. Little mistakes are measured in time. Bigger ones are catastrophic. When it's over I'm wiped out. On Monday I find it hard to give a berkeley about anything so trivial as ordinary living. It takes me a few days to jangle myself up into a mess again. Luckily, I have a motorcycle for the "in-betweens".

I probably need a psychiatrist.

photos for IMSA & websites. Fun, not work;

SWMBO and I run Pit and Grid at NASA-SE events. I have worked corners, start, Wrecker, Gate, Registration and Tech at NASA events over the years, but eventually settled down to just running Grid. We have a pretty healthy volunteer worker program for people who want to give it a try.

I run events. That's gotta count for something. I think I'm going into my 9th season. Some are small and local, some are much larger.

I've done some flagging at my events, enough to know that it's the best seat in the house. If I was in Austin, you bet I'd be volunteering at COTA on a regular basis.

You know the funny thing is working the COTA events gets you the least. For the SCCA events, we get gas cards of either $50-100 depending on the region. CVAR and PCA gives you $75-100 a day. For 3 days working Lone Star LeMans, you get a goodie bag and that's it. It's not a complaint just a funny observation.

I like working the Corner 6-7 complex at COTA. Near the beginning of the rain last year at the WEC event, One of the P2 cars lost traction and ended up literally face to face with the corner station. I did a thumbs up to make sure the driver was ok. He returned the thumbs up and backed out and left. Honestly though, I also find the club events a little more fun but I can't wait to work WC in a little over a month.

In reply to wae:

I sat next to that same guy with you. However I finally managed to go to Mid Ohio last Labor Day weekend to volunteer, because I wanted to get more involved. Don't have the $, time, tools, experience, balls to do Club Racing myself, so volunteering seemed the next best thing. And I've always liked behind-the-scenes type stuff anyway.

I had a blast. The friendliest bunch of people, hung out with quite a few IT guys over the weekend, and managed to work in a Rope Tow vehicle the whole time. IE air conditioned and cover from rain = awesome. Plus I got to go onto the track and hook up stalled/wrecked cars and take them home. And every one of them was very thankful we were there working to make their race happen.

I have every intention of going back this year, definitely Mid Ohio and maybe a few other tracks. We have an event the weekend after Mother's Day as a joint region event I'll be at, now I'm trying to remember where. Gingerman? Nelson?

bmw88rider wrote: You know the funny thing is working the COTA events gets you the least. For the SCCA events, we get gas cards of either $50-100 depending on the region. CVAR and PCA gives you $75-100 a day. For 3 days working Lone Star LeMans, you get a goodie bag and that's it. It's not a complaint just a funny observation. I like working the Corner 6-7 complex at COTA. Near the beginning of the rain last year at the WEC event, One of the P2 cars lost traction and ended up literally face to face with the corner station. I did a thumbs up to make sure the driver was ok. He returned the thumbs up and backed out and left. Honestly though, I also find the club events a little more fun but I can't wait to work WC in a little over a month.

I wouldn't do COTA for the "pay", I'd do it for the chance to see the race up close and personal. Which seems to be your motivation as well

Flagger has to be the most thankless job in racing, but I appreciate that people risk their lives (in all weather) to keep us safe. I flagged with Lake Erie Communication and met some nice people, and I would say the best seat in the house and most informative is flagging. NASA actually paid you or gave you credit, so a starving racer like myself it helped me get on track. As far as why people do it, I often think the same when someone pays $50 to run through some cones in a parking lot when you can pay $30 to run wheel to wheel karting. To each their own.

The worse thing about volunteering for motorsports (in any capacity) is exactly that; volunteering.

When I "volunteer" my time, it is a form of charity, I do it for something bigger than myself.

Not so some rich millionaire can go screaming around a track/down the road. He can pay for that E36 M3 himself, my spare time is way more important until I have more money.

I volunteer to marshal or officiate in events I'm not competing in. Other people volunteer to marshal or officiate in events that I'm competing in but they're not, so it seems like a fair trade to me.

Don't people volunteer to work the events you compete in, HiTempGuy?

HiTempguy wrote: The worse thing about volunteering for motorsports (in any capacity) is exactly that; volunteering. When I "volunteer" my time, it is a form of charity, I do it for something bigger than myself. Not so some rich millionaire can go screaming around a track/down the road. He can pay for that E36 M3 himself, my spare time is way more important until I have more money.

Have you ever bought a ticket or watched a commercial to a motorsports event? Guess who you're supporting? When I volunteer I dont pay a dime I get in for free, I have the best seat in the house, a free all access ticket that will get me anywhere in the track, and I know cause I've done it! One of the few downsides is I can't stand on a corner and drink beer while flagging, on the other hand the club provides all the refreshments you can handle at the after race social.

I do work for a company that cars entered in Rally America and Redbull Global Rallycross, so I may be crewing at those events. When I'm not doing that will likely be working my local NEHA hillclimbs or SCCV events.

I've been working corners for club races as well as race myself since 1988, I have also worked Tech and T&S (But didn't like it.) I have worked with many people who also work pro races but have never really had a desire to. Having worked as a part time crew member in a pro race series the "glamor" of pro racing just doesn't do it for me.

I volunteer at 3-4 stage rallies a year. I help organize. I spend time outside of race weekend building/repairing/moving equipment. I do it because I love rally. I get real irritated at some of the drivers and co-drivers that are shiny happy people to the workers. Sometimes there is a lacking of respect. I think many drivers forget or do not realize the amount of work that goes into putting on a rally. Personally I think every rally driver should be a stage captain in at least 1 race a year they are not competing in.