Apologies to all, especially Sterzo, for taking so long to provide a report of my 2024 LVGP Intervention Marshal experience. It won’t be as extensive as last years report because that was an unequalled experience and I did not take as many pictures. The organization, informational materials, and training were far better this year than last. We even had a Ferrari Challenge car to train with.
I was stationed at post 9.9 which was at a straight section not long before the fast turn 10. It was on the west side of the Sphere, drivers left, and part of the Volcan tequila track geography.
I’ll start with obligatory Sphere pictures. It is very cool and thankfully not the solar distraction I thought it might be. The first shot shows the outer guts, which is a marvel in itself. You could also see the seating in the proper conditions. The second shot is just cool.
Marshals were transported via bus to the track each day from the Luxor. Wednesday was a traffic cluster. Idiots were cutting in front of our bus like it did not exist. Our driver was a saint for not losing it. The significant delay was flowed up the chain and you see the result in the second picture. It was sweet.
A cool aspect of our station was that the cars were beginning to set up for turn 10 and this meant they started moving towards the left side of the track. Both the Ferrari Challenge and F1 cars would get to within few feet of the barriers in front of us. The downside was that we were treated to a steady diet of wind and dust in the face the entire week.
The first pic below is the intervention crew. The gentleman in the center is from Canada. Lady on the right was the intervention lead and who I had worked with at last year’s race. The second pic is the entire 9.9 team which includes flag marshals and timing. The only intervention action we had was cleaning track debris from Ferrari Challenge racing.
Race day was uneventful, but still memorable. I love walking on the track from the bus drop-off location (turn 9) to our station. It was warmer on race day than subsequent days, and at this time the temp was perfect. The 9.9 crew was invited to turn 8 to join a marshal group for the national anthem. Someone had brought an American flag which was proudly displayed during the song.
Schedule is everything, particularly at the end of the race. The station had to be quickly prepped for exit, which included carrying the large (mostly empty) equipment container out onto the track in front of your station. Normally that would be easy, but the closest track access that we could carry the container through was towards turn 10 via a mostly narrow path between the barriers and whatever fencing/equipment/cabling that was in place. Lucky me got the walk backwards and try not to trip over anything position. We managed the trek without any drinking story material.
So it is time to say goodbye again to the LVGP. Waiting for the bus (not all day… and leaving the building)
And lastly, I want to post a pic of an enjoyable meal I shared with family. I miss it in Florida
