btcc brands hatch gp 1st-2nd may

[jaysalv]

just like to say had a great weekend on post 24 best bunch of marshalls yet

[Sticker Rub]

Well done & thank you from someone sitting on the wrong side of the fence on Sunday. My son & I had a great first visit to Brands although the weather conditions finally made us admit defeat just before the Clios after a "waterproofs malfunction". We witnessed some very professional marshalling under very trying conditions yesterday, as well as a bit of racing.

[Guinness2702]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

aye Guinness, you were on a rapid promotion path to 13a

Guess where I ended up....... (did you have anything to do with that?)

Haha, seriously, whatever, don't care - as I intimated, or at least attempted to intimate, I'm happy to do my fair share of the work, sometimes dull, sometimes interesting as it may be....whatever is needed really. Thanks to the guys on 13a, who made it a bearable (if the understatement isn't an insult) weekend.

Anybody know how the injured marshals got on? I spoke to the one who was injured on Saturday (you know who you are) who, while suffering some ill effects, was out on the bank on Sunday, but I also heard somebody got injured on Sunday too. Any news? Everybody ok?

[Bodysnatcher]

Originally Posted by Guinness2702

Guess where I ended up....... (did you have anything to do with that?)

absolutely not (esp. since I don't know your real name), Afaik, post allocation is done weeks in advance by a man that mostly avoids tenths

Originally Posted by Guinness2702

but I also heard somebody got injured on Sunday too. Any news? Everybody ok?

I believe 5? cases of hypothermia - i know 2 names, think one is a tenths member, hopefully a cup of tea and a spell indoors at med centre will have "cured" them. Some posts that were getting the wind and rain all day in their faces were dire places to be. Like mine...

[deadsquirrel]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

I believe 5? cases of hypothermia - i know 2 names, think one is a tenths member, hopefully a cup of tea and a spell indoors at med centre will have "cured" them. Some posts that were getting the wind and rain all day in their faces were dire places to be. Like mine...

Maybe a salutary lesson for all of us to be more aware of how our bank buddies are doing - and spotting when something's not entirely right. Having spotted something's not right, getting said marshal packed off to some warmth ignoring the protestations.

[Bodysnatcher]

well, you turn up without waterproofs, you're not off to a good start

[Guinness2702]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

I believe 5? cases of hypothermia - i know 2 names, think one is a tenths member, hopefully a cup of tea and a spell indoors at med centre will have "cured" them. Some posts that were getting the wind and rain all day in their faces were dire places to be. Like mine...

Come to think of it, I did hear some talk of hypothermia. Sounds a bit extreme to me....if you went to yorkshire and complained of hypothermia in those conditions they'd call you a big jessie....or is that scotland. Not that I want to make light of what people may have suffered, you understand, but I'm clearly missing the full picture here.

I did also hear talk of people being relieved of their duties, owing to not having waterproofs.......Why I remember going to Snett without waterproof trousers and spending a day in the sideways rain....followed by an hour and a half in the car with the blowers on full blast trying to dry out afterwards!!

[deadsquirrel]

Originally Posted by Guinness2702

I did also hear talk of people being relieved of their duties, owing to not having waterproofs.......Why I remember going to Snett without waterproof trousers and spending a day in the sideways rain....followed by an hour and a half in the car with the blowers on full blast trying to dry out afterwards!!

If the weather you guys had was like ours at Silverstone, I think it a wise move that no waterproofs = early bath (so to speak ). Being selfish, if marshals are 'hanging on' in the bad weather you don't want to find out when action is needed that they're in no fit state!

[Guinness2702]

Originally Posted by deadsquirrel

Being selfish, if marshals are 'hanging on' in the bad weather you don't want to find out when action is needed that they're in no fit state!

No quite, I'm just a little surprised that's all.

I would not consider myself a hardy soul at all, however I've endured worse conditions myself. I'm just wondering what other contributing factor may have caused people to suffer ill effects that I've never experienced in similar circumstances myself. I'm not criticising anyone here, I just want to avoid putting myself in a similar predicament in the future.

[jaysalv]

im still drying out stupid mistake of not investing in any waterproof bottoms was soaked throuigh before racing started . thank god for the dunlop tea stall

[Bodysnatcher]

Brands Hatch, certain posts can have the wind funnelled into them. At the end of the day, somebody coming off post 11 (where you have trees behind the post) onto the bottom straight at 9 remarked how much colder it seemed.
Getting soaked early on by water penetrating inadequate waterproofs (as most on my post were) and then being chilled by a 20mph wind at about 8 degrees for the next 6hours was, I believe, the cause of many people's problems. We had to work to stay warm.


Certainly I've known colder and I've known wetter. But yesterday was a nasty combination. Neither do people "complain" of hypothermia, they suffer it. As for the regional stereotyping, **** off.

[deadsquirrel]

Everyone has different tolerances to heat and cold - I do cold better than hot and have to push myself to do the drinking thing properly on hot days (more overseas than here though!) . It's a hard thing to admit that you're struggling, but when the first one does, others will follow!

There's nothing wussie or soft about saying you need a break/sit down/hot drink/cold drink - something for postchiefs and I/Os to address at the start of the day.

[Guinness2702]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

As for the regional stereotyping

I don't do regional stereotyping...that's just a northern thing

coat...door...etc...

[White flag man]

The conditions weren't good, true, but I was amazed at some of the things I saw and heard yesterday. If you kept an eyes/ears on the weather forecast you knew what was coming. You also knew would have to be in it all day, especially on the GP loop.
I saw one trainee decide that he would get his probans as wet as he could before he put his coat onWhy were people not properly equiped? This is the UK, not Abu Dhabi. Brands Hatch, on the whole, is quite propected, unlike the airfield circuits. A lot of us, 5 on my post, have seen worse conditions.
Mother nature is not to be messed with. If it's going to be nasty, bring plenty of layers of clothing and decent waterproofs, several hats, pairs of gloves and pairs of socks, at least one, preferably two hot flasks, you then have a chance. Maybe nobody tells the trainees about the less glamourous (!?) side of marshalling at training days, but they should.
Reality is you will be stood in a field all day facing what ever the weather throws at you. Sometimes it's lovely and sunny and warm and we are all happy. Sometimes, like yesterday, it's s--t. Be prepared.


Thank to the Salmons' and the Daves for the humour on Post 17 that kept us all going. Surprisingly, we didn't get one car off all day yesterday, well done to all the drivers.

[Richard Duvall]

Yesterday was the worst conditions I've marshalled in. I've seen wetter. I've seen colder. But the combination of non-stop drip drip type rain with a cold wind was a killer. I've got the standard hi-vis orange waterproofs from AWS. Whilst they will keep you dry through the odd shower, yestersdays conditions managed to get through them leaving me cold and damp. I was grateful for the activity of helping countless cars out of the gravel and a bit of vigorous gravel sweeping helped get the blood circulating again (wasn't too keen that we were still on track sweeping up when cars got sent out off on their green flag lap though!)

[Guinness2702]

Originally Posted by Richard Duvall

(wasn't too keen that we were still on track sweeping up when cars got sent out off on their green flag lap though!)

We had O'Neill pull off, on a green flag lap of race 3, half way between us at 13a and 14, with nobody on that side of the track (we only had 3 in total, and marshals at 14 on that side were round the corner out of sight).

Since that is about the fastest part of the track, and with it's narrow run-offs it's not really (IMHO) a safe place to leave a car - especially with 20 odd BTCC drivers tearing down on us on a first lap), I asked for the car to be removed before the start, but (no doubt owing to tv pressures as we were running out of time), I watched the 2 who'd come down from 14 do their best to push the car closer to the armco as the repeater red lights went on and then off to signal the race start.

[m1fcf]

Originally Posted by Bodysnatcher

Brands Hatch, certain posts can have the wind funnelled into them. At the end of the day, somebody coming off post 11 (where you have trees behind the post) onto the bottom straight at 9 remarked how much colder it seemed.

I can verify that. Having been on post 9 there was a difference just standing on the different sides of the track! That is why we ended up rotating after every session. I did not realise how cold I has got myself until I crawled into my sleeping bag on Sunday evening, it took a long time to get warm again.

But a good weekend with most classes trying their best to restart a rally cross event at brands hatch.

[warweezil]

Originally Posted by Richard Duvall

Whilst they will keep you dry through the odd shower, yestersdays conditions managed to get through them leaving me cold and damp. )

Had this experience last year on a post with no shelter available (Rallycross - Pembrey) my scanner has never recovered from the effects. I now carry several of the Orange recycling bags provided by my local council - as well as providing storage for wet clothing and footware etc on the way home, and protection for my kit-bag if I am again out in the open for the whole day, I can cut holes for neck and arms and wear one under my wet-gear to at least cover my torso and keep my chest and shoulders fairly dry.

[Woolley]

I forget who said 'there's no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothing'.

[Bodysnatcher]

I've heard it ascribed to Swedes..
Nylon jackets conforming to EN471 Class 3 definately was the wrong clothing.
well not wrong, lets just say barely adequate

[Matt_Ring]

We found out that latext gloves worked a treat at keeping hands warm when putting on soaking wet gloves.

Thanks Med Centre!

[Teletubby]

They were latex free gloves

[GoGoGadget]

Originally Posted by Teletubby

They were latex free gloves

If they are free who pays for them ?


Max

[Teletubby]

Originally Posted by GoGoGadget

If they are free who pays for them ?


Max

There's always one!

[haystacks]

My coat was warm and dry, apart from the right elbow, its leaked ever since i bought it.
On 10 it was warmer by the post and the further you went towards 9 the colder it got.