That Sound I Will Never Forget!

[Vandas]

Hello,
you have seen me post here a number of times, and may have had a discussion or two with me.

I was working at last weekends Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. I was situated at turn 3. that's right, the infamous turn 3. From Thursday through until Saturday things were shaping up well, we had a very quiet Friday. Too quiet in fact we were all waiting for the busy days to come. I was excited about the race, as the times were so fast and the teams were so close. It was setting up to being an awesome Grand Prix.

I was working on the corner with 2 cousins, a good mate, and around 6 close family friends. We love our motor racing and would dedicate all of our days to help benefit our sport. But one of my team mates took that dedication to a new level.

The start of the race was fantastic, it was close and the drivers were really pushing the cars. It look awesome. I was really stoked for a good race right to the end. Then it happened, I heard a loud cracking noise and then saw the underside of the formula 1 and the sound was so loud, it sounded like a stick being dragged along a picket fence, but magnified around 100 000 times. Bits of debris flew in all directions. I instantly thought Jacques was dead. I was one of the first to the car but he was already out and staggering away. So I went about my work, cleaning the track of all the **** and getting the race back underway. I picked up a wheel, a skid plate, pieces of floor and all sorts of other parts of cars. Then I ran back to my fence grabbed a broom and started to sweep the track. I jumped the fence and stood there while Ralph Schumacher stoo next to me and looked over the carnage. Little did I know but lying about 3 metres behind me was a marshall down. The paramedics ran straight through me to get to him.

I went on with what I was doing and headed back. When I reached my point, about 50 metres away from the stricken marshal I was told that we had an official down. I immediately sms'ed my father (who was in race control at the time and due to protocol could not ask if I was involved), my mother, my girlfriend and my sister all of who were at the track and worried sick.

I then looked to see who of my family and friends were still in sight. I couldn't see my little cousin, but then I was told he had been moved to the inside of the track for the day. I then couldn't see a mate who I share a garage with on test weekends. I found out it was the quiet Queenslander that received the brutal force of a Formula 1 wheel to the heart at 200kmph. He died of a ruptured heart, among many things, but aparently that was what killed him.

After the race we were bused into Race Control where the Chaplain sat and chatted to us for awhile. My sector Marshal finally broke down (he is a close family friend), his son broke down (a mate of mine). It was really upsetting that you go out in the morning with a full team and come back without one.

I have kept in contact with my team since then, my sector marshal is going through a really hard time, blaming himself for things he could have done. He blames himself for letting one of his men die.

Motorsport is dangerous, we all accept it. But a tragedy like this should be acknowledged for the man himself.

This i the first time I have spoken about the event since it happened. Others in my team have spoken to the press but because of my family connections with CAMS and the running of the event. I have chosen to keep quiet on the issue. Except for this forum and my own Yahoo club,

Cameron

[Hobson]

Thank you Vandas for such an insight into that tragic Sunday afternoon.

It genuinely brought a tear to my eye.
Accidents like this aren't funny (despite what certain ex-members had posted and had deleted) and these accidents need to stop NOW.

[Tristan]

Thank you, again. Must have taken a lot to write a post like that

[Craig]

Vandas, i'd like to echo the thoughts of the posters above, i'm trully sorry for your loss, and honoured that you could trust us with your thoughts at this time.

[Sparky]

Thankyou Cameron for giving us an insight into this awful situation.

[Valve Bounce]

Cameron, thank you this post. I am sure that you will continue your contribution to motor sport here in Australia and I admire what you do to help make it possible for us to have motor sport. I postd the thread in the F1 forum, and I did make a few suggestions which I thought might make it safer for the marshals. I would greatly appreciate it if you could add your thoughts to this on how safety for marshals can be improved. I have written to you by e-mail, which you can read by accessing the forum messages section.

[redback]

Hi Vandas,
It must have been an anxious wait for you not knowing if your family was involved. I was actually a little worried that the marshal killed may have been a forum member as I thought a lot of you guys may have been at the GP. It was a very sad end to the Event. It must have been terrible for the people in the grandstand also. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

[marcus]

Cameron.
I am sorry for the loss of your counterpart as most of the world is. i must admit to being horrified at the news of the accident and said a quiet prayer for the man involved and his family. i also thought of a few forum members that are involved in marshaling..

but sadly i left my thoughts at that and hoped that things improve to stop these accidents happening again..

but now ive read your post and i have been hit with the real sadness of it all..sure the family of the man involved are still in mourning but what of the people who witnessed the accident..like yourself..i hope you find strength in your family and friends at this time (and that includes us here at ten tenths)

I have never been involved in major motorsport events but having been involved in karting events both as a competitor and a flag marshall i know both sides of the the story..sure the danger is not as high but all flag marshalls are a very much needed part of the sport and i for one thank them for their efforts..several times i have been approached by a flagy and questioned as to why i gave them a wave during the race..i simply stated to them ..for doing your job..without you jumping out onto the track and waving the yellow flag i would not have seen the danger around the bend until it is too late..to this they usually are quite stunned but at the same time know that they have performed the job that they were there to do.

its not an easy job i know and especially in Formula One..to you sir I say well done on getting your job done in a professional manner even though you had a fallen comrade nearby you still performed your job to 100%.

chin up old boy and thanks for sharing your thoughts with us and i do hope to meet you one day to shake your hand in person for your unsung efforts in the sport we all love so dearly.

Cheers
Marcus

[Lorna]

Hi Vandas,

Like everyone has said, many thanks for posting this. It brought a tear to my eye. Hope you get through this okay and all the other marshalls, friends, families do to. Our hearts are with you at such a tragic time.

Lorna

[Peter Mallett]

Vandas,

I'll add my thanks to those above.

I think it was a freak accident but it's made worse by the knowledge that one of our number is affected. I hope you, your team and all marshals will continue with the excellent work and keep motorsport on track. Please pass on my sympathies to your team and your team mate's family.

[Vandas]

Thank you all for your comments. It has affected me in a way which I never thought. Everything happened so fast, and yet the effects of the tragedy have been felt a lot further than I ever realised. I went to a committee meeting last night where a number of the most senior officials in Australia are involved. It was strange to see them all look so run down and ragged. The Race Secretary for the Australian F1 Grand Prix looked the worst out of all of them. He had the job of organising the chaplain's, finding the family, telling the family of the tragedy. and generally fielding a million and one questions on why such a thing could happen. It has obviously taken its toll.

I would like to commend all of Australia's Senior Officials, who hold everything together in times of crisis and only let it finally hit them once everything has been sorted and their job is done. They don't get paid to do this work, they don't get compensation or any special treatment. They do it truly out of their love for our sport. One thing I hope comes out of all of this is a higher recognition of the work done by all officials. We do really hold a great deal of power, and I as a competitor as well as an official am proud to be associated with a sport whose members are so dedicated, that they are willing to put their lives at risk just so that others may be safe.

I have passed on all of your messages to other members of my team, and they have asked me to thank you all for your kind words. All I can say is, I am glad to be a member of this forum, and will certainly have a beer with all of you who can make it to Bathurst this year.

Cameron

[marcus]

hey Cameron..I dont want to distress you any more than what you already are..but I purchased Auto Action today and was wondering if any of the pics in there are you?

is it you helping Jacques away from the crash scene ??

just wondering if I can put a face to your thoughts above ?

[Airhead]

Cameron,

The post above really cut to the issue, I have more than one tear in my eye. Any time for that beer mate, my shout.

[Vandas]

Marcus,

Don't worry your post didn't upset me. I was able to cope a lot better than my teammates, due to the fact that through competing I have gained a greater acceptance level of the dangers involved. I'll let you know about the pics when I get my issue.

Cameron

[NICKR]

Cameron, can't stop thinking of how you must feel.

Try to remember the good times........

Thanks for sharing this testing time with us.

I hope we helped you deal with it.

Keep up the good work.

[Vandas]

Nick to tell you the truth, everyone has been suprised at how I have reacted to the whole situation.

My family is worried thinking that it will eventually hit me, but I believe that I accepted it quicker than the others.

I think that after you strap into a race car, pull on the helmet and sit in a shelled out car, with big roll bars all around you, it is hard to miss the fact that motorsport is dangerous. You understand that people die in this sport and that accidents can and will happen often.

Tell me what you think on the idea that a driver could accept it quicker than an official?

[NICKR]

We all accept that this sport we love is dangerous, is it that which 'turns us on' ?

But, and its a big but, you don't expect it to happen to you or someone that you know and care for.

You do seem to be handling the whole thing well but as they say 'Life goes on' if we worried about every eventuality we wouldn't venture outside of our homes !!

You're one hell of a person.

Respect !

[marcus]

I agree with the statements above..and as I have stated I havent raced a car at all ..only karts..but when you have a big crash (and I've had my fair share) you realize that you could get hurt and i have been racing when people have been seriously hurt..but i think the thing that keeps you going is the love of the sport..of course we all believe that it wont happen to us and the actual chances of that happening are very slim but in the back of your mind it is always there and you try to take precautions.

i don't know what exactly it is with drivers but they tend to bounce back with a resilience unseen in most other sports and the fact that the person or persons involved would more than likely want you to continue doing what you love so much and drivers tend to take solace in that.

[Vandas]

I was at the officials memorial service today for Graham. And one thing which hit me was the fact that our sport has close ties to religion.

The Chaplain (who was also one of the chaplains from the track) quoted from a book by Michael Hilton about Ayrton Senns. HE wrote that his book took on a religious feel, he didn't aim it that way. It just naturally headed in that direction. Now I am not the most religious person around, in fact I am not a big fan of organised religion at all. But it made sense, when we push our cars, our bodies and our minds to the limit there has to be some form of belief system at work, for us to continue to do it, day in day out.

It was an interesting thought, I wonder what the rest of you think about it?

[Vandas]

If any of you are up for that beer. I will be at the V8 round at Phillip Island in two weekends time. I will be running the grid, but I will also be around the pits and the teams. I may even be up in the tower for a bit. But let me know what you are all up to. We may have to go and have a few pots down at the Isle of Wight Hotel. Let me know!

[Vandas]

Geez, it seems my second last post might have been a little too contentious. It appears no one wanted to bite. For those who are reading this now. I mentioned before that I believe that religion (even though we haven't meant for it) plays a major part in our sport. I would like to know people's opinions on this topic.

Cameron

[Lorna]

It's okay "Billy No Mates" I'll reply

I think that whatever we do, whether it is religious or not, we all go through life having faith. If we did not trust, believe or have a guide, inspiration or something to make us feel that we have the courage to do things, then we would all be extremely unadventorous.

To get in a car and do the speed of a club car to an F1 car is dangerous, as we are so often reminded and we could not do this without a leap of faith into trusting that the car is either not going to fall apart or will give us the protection we need if we do crash. And also knowing that the marshalls will be by your side as soon as they possibly can.

Religion is no different. There is little physical evidence that a God exists (although some people have their own ideas on that one that I won't go into) but having faith to their chosen religion gets them through their day, week, year, life. The same sort of trust is there.

Does that make any sense at all? I am not a religious person but have known religious people from Catholic, Muslim, Christian, etc. But faith doesn't stop at religion, it's part of our lives.

Funerals bring this to home probably more because of the sentimental values. I have been to my fair share of funerals, including my dad's when I was 22. I hope the day went okay, Vandas.

[Vandas]

Thanks Lorna,

Well in a lot of sports I have been involved in there doesn't seem to be the same level of religious belief. You don't find two chaplains involved at weekend football games. You don't find them sitting poolside in a game of waterpolo, but they always seem to have their own centre at race tracks. Americans are religious by trade therefore we find NASCAR and INDY to be quite religious. I don't know where I am headed with it all, but I do know that there are strong ties between religion and motorsport.

When you do strive for perfection, as all drivers do. It brings you to the absolute edge of the car, and you both mentally and physically. It stretches your faith and beliefs past that normal everyday line. You have do otherwise you will never be successful as a race driver. Putting you into hyperfaith (sounded good at the time of writing), lol. This I think brings home religious values to you. You are praying that the hunk of metal and plastic and fibreglass around you stays together and gets you to that finish line first.

I don't know they are all just thoughts.

Cameron

[Ray Bell]

Sorry if this is too late, and if it's too sharp, but it's reality:

Religion or religious belief has no place in any sport. It's ridiculous that a sportsman should thank God for helping him win, or pray to God for victory, for none of what he is doing has any part in glorifying God or his purpose or his Son.

These are all aimed at glorifying man, or men. And while men are made in the image of God, they are all imperfect and thus, as the Apostle Paul wrote, 'Fall short of the glory of God.'

No, Vandas, Motor Racing is a long way divorced from anything at all connected with God. Religious devotion it may receive, and religious people may be involved and may mistakenly see connections, but there are none.

Only that faith we have in men and machines.

With regard to Graham Beveridge, in another place I wrote the following:

Last night, on the television News, there was some coverage of the memorial service for Graham Beveridge, the spectator marshal who died at Albert Park last Sunday.

Officials and public were able to attend this event at Bowral, on the NSW Southern Highlands, about 130km south west of Sydney. It's a lovely town, and apparently where Graham lived most of his life.

There will be a private funeral at Bundaberg, where he has lived for the past couple of years, on Monday.

Shown was a part of the speech given by his tearful widow, and one of the things broadcast was her giving - in a halting voice - her opinion of what many people had said to her.

"They have said he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time," she said. "But he loved what he was doing and he wanted to be there, so I have to say that he was in the right place at the wrong time."

Beveridge's passion for Motor Racing goes back a long way. Like myself, he has spent years trekking up and down the highways to race meetings, both local and interstate. Long night drives to see races of all kinds, days spent in the sun and rain enjoying the sport.

In the end, he has seen a window of opportunity to get closer to the cars, and I have no doubt that saving on the cost of admission to the races played a part in it.

A member of the Queensland Motor Racing Officials Association, he never came forward to carry out any such role at Lakeside or Willowbank meetings, but volunteered for the Gold Coast Indy and Albert Park Grand Prix events.

There are many who do this, of course, and the events wouldn't function without them, just as minor events would be top-heavy if everyone wanted to be an official at them.

We all hope that this never happens to us, and we assume that we are fairly safe doing what we do. His death shows that we have to be ever-alert to the prospects of it ever becoming otherwise.

I extend my condolences to the widow and children of this confrere of mine, a man with whom - though I never knew it - I shared a great many personal experiences.

He may never more trek up and down that highway with me, nor take a place as a marshal with me, nor enjoy with me seeing the skills of the best on display. But it will be a long time before he's forgotten.

Later, feeling that some thought that maybe I knew the man, which I didn't, I added this:

Although I waved flags, kept the public at bay and guided competitors to their places in the marshalling area over a period of seven or eight years, that's a long time in the past.

Since I began my professional writing career I have done very little of it. But just as I try to remember that I was once a spectator, I also recall those days and the privations that they sometimes brought, along with the highlights.

I have written this before, but I suppose it's fitting to do so again. Geoff Sykes was a gentleman, ex-BARC and almost a square peg in a round hole in Australia. But he headed the organisation that ran racing at Warwick Farm and he befriended me and a fellow enthusiast.

The greatest favour he did us was give us the pleasure and privilege of waving flags at 'Point M', between the Northern Crossing and the Causeway on that sinuous circuit. And let me tell you, the commitment was worth every bit of sunburn, every bite of corn beef sandwich, every moment we weren't free to wander round freely as so many others could.

Who else was on the spot when Frank Matich and Chris Amon took their 4-litre Sports Cars past the 1100cc Tojiero Climax of Peter Caldwell as the jostled for the best run into the braking area?

Nobody got that view, nobody saw the grass clippings flying from the outside wheels of the cars as they went each side of the hapless backmarker. Except us.

Nor did anyone else have the sight of Piers Courage, DFV bellowing on the bi-wing Brabham as he slid off the Crossing towards us, nose up, but dipping as he plucked a higher gear mid-slide, only to come up again, and then to see him flick it so that the slide was no longer to the right but now to the left... and past us in a blur of sound and action!

No sir, I don't look back on those days as days in which I was contributing. I was getting more from it. I was closer, involved, able to judge, for instance, on what lap of the ten lapper Frank Matich lowered the outright record, and just how capable a driver really was on this most testing part of the circuit.

No sir. Nobody is a hero for dying while doing that either. For death takes the whole matter to a different plane. Everybody dies. It's just a matter of when and how. And then it's a matter of what memories we leave behind.

When I started to weep at my grandmother's grave many years ago, my son said to me, "It's all right dad, it happened a long time ago." Without any bent on being philosophical, I told him, "It's not how long you live, it's how long you're remembered."

The memories of Graham Beveridge will not endure endlessly with those reading this. But they will be alive for a lot longer with those he leaves behind. Dimming, perhaps, but alive until their lives also come to their inevitable conclusion.

That's not morbid, it's reality, a reality the world has known since man first realised his mortality. When we drive past a cemetery, we obviously see headstones that have been weathered over a long time. Alongside them we see the brand new ones. Each life had its own worth, but it also had its own time.

For us, the time is still alive. For us, the task is to live on.
Whatever our place in the world of Motor Racing might be, if we choose to live with that, it is a part of our life. Nobody is worth more than another, for each has a role to play, a role that makes the role of each other that little bit more worthwhile.

Without the crowd, both at the circuit and in the loungeroom, Michael Schumacher is nothing. Nor is Bernie Ecclestone, Frank Williams or Flavio Briatore. Not in a Motor Racing sense, at least.

The officials, both the unpaid and the paid, stand somewhere in between. And are equally worthless without the others. Somewhere between the glitter of the Monaco lights and the dust of the Kyalami parking grounds lies a middle line, a line at which each truly belongs.

As long as we wish to.

Graham Beveridge, it seems, found his way to get close to the big races... by volunteering to be a helper at the Grand Prix and the Gold Coast Indy race.

That it cost him his life is tragic. That others are hurt, appalled, anguished and feel guilt over it is even worse. He was where he chose to be.

I know some of these people, and I spoke to Peter Nelson about things because of a furore in another place, and I'd love to know more about that, too. But for now, please accept that I have been down your path one way or another, and my thoughts are with you.

[Vandas]

Ray, if you have any questions for Peter Nelson, Ken Smith, Henk Duncan, Tim Schenken, or any of the other senior officials at the Grand Prix I will gladly put some to them. Seeing as my father is Henk Duncan and all of the afore mentioned officials are close family friends. I sit on the management committee of PIARC with Peter Nelson, Ken Smith, Henk Duncan, Geoff Bull and other senior motorsport people. I'll see what I can help you with.

sincerely,

Cameron