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Travelling Marshals


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#1 carrotcruncher

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Posted 01 April 2014 - 14:52

Does anyone remember Travelling Marshalls, mostly in the sixties I think, when after each bike race a couple of guys got to ride the circuit,presumably checking for any dropped fluids or bits of bikes?

                                                          I was always a bit envious of them although it seemed their laps were rather pedestrian by comparison with the races, AND they always had nice bikes.

                                                          Was this a mandatory requirement by the ACU and did it happen at all circuits.

Can anyone recall when it stopped and the reason for that.

                                                                         Regards to all,

                                                                                          carrotcruncher(David)                                       



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#2 Robin127

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Posted 01 April 2014 - 17:04

I worked as a Travelling Marshall at a meeting at Snetterton in the late 80's.  I soon found out that my road bike didn't handle nearly as well as I thought it did.



#3 Paul Collins

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Posted 01 April 2014 - 20:48

As far as I know they still have them at UK meetings, they certainly still have them here on the IOM, and as they move around during the races and practices they ride at race speed, but as all of the lads are ex TT riders and most are ex winners they have no problem running at race pace.

 

The Travelling Marshal job is a little different here, the way the system works is that there are something like 8 of them stationed at various points out on the circuit, each covering the sector in front of them, if an incident occurs in their sector they will attend if required and then once cleared up will move on to the end of that sector, so when a TM advances the one in the previous sector will move forward and take his place, and so on, thus after an incident requiring the TM to attend each TM will move forward one sector if you see what I mean.  


Edited by Paul Collins, 01 April 2014 - 20:52.


#4 275 GTB-4

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Posted 01 April 2014 - 21:20

In Australia we had them in endurance races like the Castrol 6 Hour....and they did good work assisting and shepherding riders...

 

[PS do I also remember them playing a part in endurance flat/long track races at Castlereagh?]


Edited by 275 GTB-4, 01 April 2014 - 21:41.


#5 fastfitter

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Posted 01 April 2014 - 22:04

I remember taking a mate to the Island for his first visit. We got off the boat and managed to get up by Cronk-y-voddy before they closed the roads for practice so we wandered up the fields and hung over the fence right on the top kink. A few minutes later and a bike came whistling past kerb-to-kerb and I thought my mate was going to burst into tears - he'd never seen anything so close and so fast.

 

"Wait till the racers come through" I said, "that was a travelling marshall and he's in his 60's at least" it was Albert Moule on (I think) a CB900F



#6 carrotcruncher

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Posted 02 April 2014 - 11:32

Robin 127,

                 when you say you worked as a Travelling Marshal,was this a paid job,or did you volunteer?

                                                             Point is were these jobs done out of enthusiasm or for gain.

                                                                           Appreciate all comments ,still very intrigued.

                                                                                                 Regards carrotcruncher.



#7 275 GTB-4

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Posted 02 April 2014 - 23:19

are you from the Tax Dept carrotcruncher? :well:



#8 Robin127

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Posted 02 April 2014 - 23:56

At the time I was Assistant Clerk of the Course at Bantam Club meetings and they were running the Metzler 6 hour production race (as they had done the year before, after the BFRC closed up) and Travelling Marshalls were used like a pace car in the event of an accident that required a lot of clearing up.  It was better in those situations to use active or nearly "retired" racers and as I was still competing I volunteered. I think there were 3 or 4 of us and the idea was that we would go out at intervals and have a group behind us with a gap to the rear of the group in front so that the field didn't bunch up too much.

 

At a meeting a month or so before the race I worked as a Travelling Marshall so I would have a better idea of what was required, that's when I found out that my 550 K3 weaved like hell around Coram.  In the end I didn't do it as I was "promoted" to CofC for the race.

 

All these positions didn't pay anything, we just got petrol money and maybe some lunch occassionally.
 



#9 SMonty

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Posted 03 April 2014 - 09:56

We still have them at all the road races here in Northern Ireland. As Paul said, most (but not all) are ex racers e.g. Con Law. Add to that the performance and handling of todays modern road bikes and you can see how they are anything but "pedestrian".



#10 roger9650

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Posted 03 April 2014 - 14:24

The Travelling Doctor doesn't exactly hang around either!



#11 Paul Collins

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Posted 03 April 2014 - 20:29

Another one to add to this, I grew up within a few doors of Roger Marshall, he once told me that prior to starting racing he had done some Travelling Marshall duties at Cadwell for a couple of clubs on his old Velo

 

Once the last rider crossed the line to start his last lap he would head out behind him to clear the course, Roger said that one of the club officials had deemed it necessary to remind him of his duties one day, and in particular that these duties did not include catching and scrapping with the tail enders :)


Edited by Paul Collins, 03 April 2014 - 20:29.


#12 carrotcruncher

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Posted 04 April 2014 - 11:55

Dear 275 GTB-4,

                            no I am certainly Not anything to do with our beloved Tax people(I could tell you some personal experiences ,but this is  definitely NOT the place or time ): :o just wondered if these jobs could be taken by any volunteer ,answer to my question is already given further in the thread. Thanks ,guys.

                                  Still not clear about the validity of the TM, I mean whether you  HAD to have them, or just optional?

                                                                                                              Regards to all carrotcruncher.



#13 Paul Collins

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Posted 04 April 2014 - 15:45

I don't think you HAD to have them, some places used a car, or simply the arrival back of the recovery van to signify the course was clear.

 

One club I helped out in the 70's didn't do any of the above and instead had a system of each marshal post raising its green flag once the last rider had cleared their sector, race control then acted on the final corner green flag as the signal that all sectors had been cleared.