Signing of Overalls

[ScottDay]

Hi,

I have heard that marshalls are no longer allowed to let drivers sign there overalls, is his true?

Cheers,
Scott

[Marshal]

What's the date again???

Also, aren't you assuming drivers can write....

[ScottDay]

I heard this before today, I am assuming a lot from the drivers, thats why all there signiures are squggles!

[KayBee]

Originally posted by ScottDay
Hi,

I have heard that marshalls are no longer allowed to let drivers sign there overalls, is his true?

Cheers,
Scott

Depends in which context you've heard this comment.

The only organisation that I know of who doesn't permit their overalls to have signatures on them is Racesafe who provide marshals for BSB/MotoGP/WSB. However, they provide the overalls with the proviso that they must not be personalised in anyway apart from shorteneing the legs to fit e.g. badges are also a nono.

If, however, they are overalls which you've bought then you have a relatively free rein with them.

[ScottDay]

Thanks for the replys, I will let the drivers coninue to squggle on them,

[Sheila M]

When I first started marshalling way back, it was the done thing to get your overalls signed. I, however, went one step better than everyone else and embroidered over the signatures in order to preserve them That was a huge mistake because they instantly lost their value .

When you have 9 formula 1 World Champions (including Senna and Schumacher) and assorted other "celebs" totally 60 signatures (a) its a hell of a lot of embroidery and (b) I lost a lot of money!!

These days I see little point in getting overalls signed because (a) it looks unprofessional and (b) drivers handwriting tends to be undecipherable so you always look scruffy. Not what we are trying to promote I think?

[Marshal]

I remember one colleague getting Derek Warwick to sign his overalls and was very excited about this returning to post, until it was pointed out that Derek had added a very rude suggestion about what this chap got up to in his spare time. How we laughed...

[ScottDay]

I have recently been told its ok to get your overalls signed as long as "certain" remarks are coverd up if it is to be televised.

[Sheila M]

Originally posted by ScottDay
I have recently been told its ok to get your overalls signed as long as "certain" remarks are coverd up if it is to be televised.

So why bother? If you are going to have to keep covering up your "prizes" there's not point in having them is there?

[Grahame West]

Wot about sew on patches then? I've got a few already, and someone did once comment that I shouldn't have them on.

But I don't see what is wrong with having club/circuit badges on or signatures. Since we pay for our own overalls why shouldn't we get them signed or patched up as we want.

[Mark Mitchell]

.

[Mark Mitchell]

We have brought this up before!
My personal view is that overalls with signatures scribbled all over them look tatty!
BUT seeing as you pay for your own overalls, then the decision is entirely yours.

As I pay around £45 for a pair of overalls, there is no way I'm going to let anyone scribble on them.

As far as sew-on badges go, I prefer those that "Money Can't Buy" - i.e. those given in recognition of marshalling by a club etc, rather than badges with ESSO etc, whom I believe should pay you the "Going Rate" for advertising!

[EvilPumpkin]

Bottom line - if you buy the overalls, you do as you please with them (within acceptable guidelines). Unless someone is prepared to supply them, they don't get to dictate how they're worn/used.

[thepits]

Originally posted by EvilPumpkin
Bottom line - if you buy the overalls, you do as you please with them (within acceptable guidelines). Unless someone is prepared to supply them, they don't get to dictate how they're worn/used.

i disagree.

originally posted by Observer
My personal view is that overalls with signatures scribbled all over them look tatty!

i agree

[The Sweeper]

Let us also remeber that our overalls are "fire resistant" and that sew on patches ARE NOT. We all have some patches but to have your overalls covered in the things does tent to defeat the object somewhat.

[Sheila M]

Originally posted by observer
My personal view is that overalls with signatures scribbled all over them look tatty!

Especially since washing them will make the signatures fade away in time!

The other question that has to be asked is when are these marshals getting the autographs? If its during recognised lunch breaks and stand downs then fine but if its at any other time its a definite NO NO!

If the youngsters coming into marshalling want to get autographs in their lunch breaks, then can I suggest that they keep an autograph book in their overall pockets, along with a pen. You'll find that in time this will become far more valuable than a pair of disgustingly dirty scruffy overalls!

[ascarracinguk]

ill do wat the hell i like with my overalls.....i paid for them and noones gonna stop me from putting on badges or getting them signed.......if the organising club has got a problem with it then they can remove me from the circuit......somehow i doubt theyll do this though!


sweeper i agree to an extent......however they will only withstand a large lick of flame and thats it....and after being washed a few times the retartent goes.....

[Sheila M]

Originally posted by ascarracinguk
ill do wat the hell i like with my overalls.....i paid for them and noones gonna stop me from putting on badges or getting them signed.......if the organising club has got a problem with it then they can remove me from the circuit......somehow i doubt theyll do this though!

Adam stop stamping your feet and behaving like a child!!

I was only speaking from a personal point of view. Don't forget I STARTED the trend for having overalls signed years ago and it's something that I regret now in some ways. I have a photograph somewhere of me in my signed overalls (they don't fit anymore - shrunk in the wash I guess ) and to be perfectly frank with you they looked totally ridiculous.

No-one's going to strip you naked (God forbid) if you turn up in signed overalls and no organising club would ever turn a marshal away for the same reason.

Now go and drink your milk and go to bed like a good boy

[thepits]

"Now go and drink your milk and go to bed like a good boy" ........ sounds like its way past his bedtime anyway!


ps - "JOIN THE PETITION TO CHANGE DONNINGTON PARKS NAME" ? - the way its spelt here it has already changed!

[ascarracinguk]

lol......sorry sheila....didnt mean to sound like i was havin a go at you...we posted at the same time and i didnt read ur post before i posted.....i jus get sick of organising clubs trying to dictate what we can and cant do with our own equiptment......next thing you know i wont be able to wear a rockingham hat at donnnnnnninnnngton.....

[ascarracinguk]

oh and yeh...its waaaayyyyyy past my bedtime!

[Mark Mitchell]

Originally posted by ascarracinguk
.....i jus get sick of organising clubs trying to dictate what we can and cant do with our own equiptment......

Adam,
I've been marshalling for 11 years now and have never had an organising club tell me what I can/Cannot do with my "Equipment"

At an event such as the GP with a huge crowd and a TV audience of millions, I think it's fairly reasonable for the organising body to ask that overalls be clean but that's as far as they ever go. They might sometimes ask for you to wear a sponsors hat - that is perhaps not so reasonable.
The sponsor probably isn't sponsoring anything to the benefit of marshals therefore you should reserve the right to not wear it - but that's for another time!

[Bodysnatcher]

mmm, kind of related to "oh no they've put me with..."

2002 Montreal F1 GP, our team gets turn 1 for the race. Now we've worked together for a couple of days and got to chatting...
2 Belgians (1 absolutely certifiable) on our team had decided to wear silly hats for the race, so as they could be recognised by the folks back home etc. You know the sort of hat, stovepipe shape, multicoloured chequered things - makes you look like a total
I can't remember which of the 10/10thers were with me other than ww, but basically the ultimatum to the obs was "tell those eejits not to wear stoopid hats or we'll all look like a total bunch of s on worldwide TV if we get an incident". So, although we should be free to have some self expression through what we wear trackside, sometimes it just goes too far and you can look like a total idiot. Do I want to work with that sort of person?, no, not really.
As SheilaM said, it's not really the sort of image we're trying to project.

[Mark Mitchell]

Al, I remember one of the fella's in question!
Although we were "Split" up on Race Day, I had the "Pleasure" of working with one of them on the Saturday at post 5 (Whilst you were putting out fires on Jordans!)
I recall my thoughts being something along the lines of "I Just Hope That Nobody Watching On TV Thinks I'm With Him"

[ScottDay]

Cheers for the replys people, I think I will leave my overalls "unsigned" but use an autograph book etc