Ferrari Mailing List: F1 from the pits (very long

[Rick Lindsay (rolindsay]

Thanks for all the encouragement.  That's what usually
gets me in trouble here.   :-P.

This note is just a little history then an
introduction to an F1 weekend from a marshal?s
perspective.  Tell me when to stop.

Ten years ago I found myself scheduled to teach a rock
physics training course in Melbourne Australia.  Then
List member Peter Henrys offered to pick up F1 race
tickets for me if I wanted to attend the race.  I had
never even seen an F1 race, let alone attended one. 
Still, I love cars and I love high technology so I
extended my stay by a few days and took Peter up on
the offer.  I have been addicted every since.  Thank
you Peter!

Six years ago I traded e-mail with a friend on the
Lotus list.  I was restoring a 1970 Europa at the
time.  He told me that his friend drove the safety car
at Indy and could 'hook me up' to use the modern.  I
wrote to the e-mail address recommended and received a
nice reply asking for more information.  I had been
restoring cars for years but my only race experience
was with rally.  I had set a few rallies and marshaled
a few others.  I had also crewed for a historic rally
team running in the SCCA nationals.  I also helped
organize a few driver schools at Hallett, up in
Oklahoma.  In short, I had more imagination than
experience.

Some how, Bob Pierson, 'Race Control' for the US F1
Grand Prix wrote to me with application forms to join
the team.  I filled them out honestly but
optimistically, just as one does with a resume.  A few
weeks later I received formal application forms for an
FIA license.  I was getting pumped while not believing
it at the same time.  I sent those forms in thinking,
"Wonder where they might put me if I get in?  Guarding
the ladies restroom door perhaps?"  I heard nothing
for a while.  Hopes were dashed - then a letter
arrived from USAC, the organizing body for the US
F1GP.  In it was a gold colored credit-card-size ID
with the USAC logo, my name embossed and below that,
the words "PIT/GRID"!

After I changed my shorts the reality set in.  This
was going to be GREAT!!!  And it is, if a little
frightening.  The job at first is just magic.  You are
right there in the middle of everything.  Here's how
the weekend progresses.

Thursday evening: There is a marshals' muster starting
at about 5pm Thursday night.  That's where we present
our credentials (that gold card, for example), collect
our uniforms, tabards (vests), caps and a nice gift
from USAC (a polo shirt with the USAC logo and "US
Grand Prix Official" embroidered on the front.  From
there, we go for a nice sit-down dinner where we meet
old friends, tell stories and lies and (some) drink
beer.  The evening finishes with a short talk by USAC
people and a friendly 'thank you' from Tony George. 
>From there, we drag ourselves back 'home' to sleep a
little before our 6am duty call.

Friday morning: We gather at the USAC building about
6:00am and complain about our jumpsuits not fitting
right.  They seem to shrink more each year or...  
After a safety talk we pick up our radios and headsets
and receive our assignments.  There are three teams in
the pits with team one nearest to the Ferrari end of
the pits.   :-P   We'll rotate through out the weekend
so that each team will work each location.  After our
briefings, we get a few minutes off to walk down to
the pits and stow our stuff.  It is a way-cool moment
when security opens the gate to allow us in.  After
five years of this stuff, that is still a cool moment.
  All day Friday we administer practice sessions and
qualifying for some of the support races.

Friday night: We drag our tired and hot butts back for
a little rest.  Friday is the hardest and longest day.
 It is all about practice sessions which are dead
boring.  There is not even too much F1 action.   We
don't get free until after 6:30pm or so.

Saturday morning: Another early muster and the same
drill; New radios with fresh batteries, etc.  This is
the day we get some F1 action.  The teams are pretty
relaxed, at least the lesser teams are.  There are
more qualifying sessions for the support races and the
first of the support races approach.  

Saturday races: That is our first time on the grid. 
BTW, the pit marshals do NOT police the front
straight.  That is the job of the track marshals and
corner workers.  We assist, only if directed to do so
by Race Control.  The Chief of Pit, Irene Henrys,
passes out the car markers ? those vertical lollypops
with the car number printed on them.  When instructed
to do so by Race Control, we move out onto the grid
and stand with our signs and yellow flags at the grid
box where the drivers should stop.  As many of these
drivers are young and inexperienced, we stand just off
the corner of the grid box so as to be out of harm?s
way if the driver brakes long.  The teams tend to
their cars and their drivers up until the formation
lap looms near.  At that time we tuck in to the walls
hopefully out of danger.  The marshals remove their
sunglasses, if worn, and make eye contact with their
driver.  The marshal?s job at that time is to be the
communication medium between the driver and Race
Control.  The drivers are told that if they have a
problem with the car to raise their hands out of the
cockpit if in an open wheel car or wave them above the
wheel if in a closed car like the Porsche Supercup
cars.  Again, many of these drivers are young and
inexperienced so we have to watch far more than just
for hand signals.  If a driver has a problem, his
marshal throws a yellow flag AND all marshals behind
him should throw their flags as well, although this
procedure changes from race series to race series. 
The flags tell Race Control of a safety problem and
they act accordingly.  The mechanism works far better
and faster than the radios.  Once the cars launch on
their placement lap, we all leave the grid and stand
by behind the fence, yellow flags ready for the start.
 Once again we remove our sunglasses and make
eye-to-eye contact with the drivers.  They know we are
there for them and they respect that.  If the race
launches clean we stay on post at the fence for one
complete lap, just in case a restart is called.  If
there are problems on the grid, the yellow flags are
thrown just as before.  Once the race has begun, we
return to our duties guaranteeing safety in the pits.

Saturday F1 qualifying: Every year the qualifying
rules change.  Now that we have essentially three
qualifying sessions rolled into one master session,
the cars go into parc firme right after their hot
runs.  For this part of the game the marshals help the
drivers get their cars into the scrutineering station.
 The FIA representative directs the drivers into the
station, usually the first garage after pit-in.  The
scrutineers steer the cars and we the pit marshals,
push the cars up onto the scales.  As these cars don?t
weigh anything, the issue is more one of keeping out
of the way than it is work.  This is where that ?don?t
push on the wing? and ?watch your toes when the car
comes back out? thing comes into play.  We stand about
a meter behind the car with our hands up verifying
that we are not touching the car.  Once weighed and
measured the scrutineers roll the car back to us. 
When the car comes out, it usually goes into parc
firme with the team engineers pushing.  The FIA
oversees all of this process.  Is it fun?  Oh yea. 
The first few cars are awesome.  Imagine pushing a
RUNNING F1 car from the rear, blazing hot exhaust in
your face and waiting for that ?pop? when the ignition
is cut and the final charge of fuel explodes in the
exhaust.  BTW, everything on an F1 car is VERY hot. 
You can even feel the radiant heat from the brakes
through the jumpsuit.  They are also a little loud too
especially when the exhaust is less than a meter
away!!!  Yes, Saturday is much more fun that Friday.

Sunday morning:  Race day starts a little later and is
more relaxed.  You would think it to be the other way
around but for us, this is the easy day.  We muster
about an hour later and hope that we remembered to
bring cloths to change in to after returning our
jumpsuits.  Every year, someone forgets and they get
teased about walking home in their underwear.  Of
course, they get a break to go get cloths but it is a
PITA if you are staying a half-hour?s walk away! 
Sunday brings more races from the support series with
all the same procedures followed.  Around noon we all
meet with Charley Whiting to get our pre-race
briefing.  This is an opportunity for Charley to thank
the marshals, who are all volunteers, and to tell us
of any process changes.  From there, we grab a quick
lunch setting in garage 1 sometimes with F1 cars all
around us.

The race: As race time approaches we get really busy. 
The Paddock Club tours the pits for autographs, etc.
while we try to keep them out of harm?s way; Same with
the photographers.  They will go ANYWHERE for that
perfect shot.  Near the end of the PC pit walk the
marshals gather down at the start/finish like to form
a protective line to protect the drivers.  Of course,
we have VERY large state policemen there to assist us.
 That?s the time when the F1 drivers come out for the
parade lap.  The drivers from the lesser teams
interact with the crowd while the big-money-drivers
just ignore them.  Once the parade is rolling, we
clear the pits so as to get down to business.  The
teams begin practicing tire changes, etc. and we make
sure we have all of our supplies; gloves, flags, etc. 
As with the support series, we go out onto the grid
and join the grid girls.  About one in three is
beautiful.  Ever heard the phrase, ?Good from afar,
far from good??  They are all nice though.  The team
engineers love them and try to take pictures up their
skirts.  Guys are guys.  At about 10 minutes before
the race start, the grid girls leave the grid and we
get busy.  We once again make eye contact with the
drivers as they get into their cars.  They have to
know that we are there for them.  As the installation
lap lights go out, we are all plastered up against the
walls with yellow flags ready.  The process is the
same as with the support races.  Once the cars are all
away we scramble like mad to get through the fence,
helping the teams with equipment as they clear it
away.  We then, upon a cue from the Chief of Pit, we
place our position marker boards through the fence. 
You have seen them I?m sure, although they are matte
black on the back so as to not draw the attention of
the TV viewers.  As each car rolls into their box, the
marker boards are withdrawn and we once again make eye
contact with the drivers.  This time, it is not so
easy.  They know we are there but they frequently
don?t make eye contact.  They have about a liter each
of testosterone and adrenalin in their systems at this
time and are like race horses in the gate!  Some times
they will nod.  Usually they just stare straight
forward as if in a trance.  As the red lights come up,
so does the decibel level; eight hundred horsepower
times 22 cars equals 17,600hp just waiting to leap! 
The ground shakes as you feel the combined exhaust
symphony vibrate your whole body.  The especially
build radio headphones block out the engine screams
but the low frequency bit is beyond words.  It?s like
the first air show you ever attended where right in
front of you the F15 stood on its tail and accelerated
straight up.  Words fail.  When the lights go out,
hopefully everybody gets away cleanly.  If you?re
working near the front of the grid, the back markers
are well over 100mph by the time they pass your
position.  It is not a sensation one easily forgets. 
Again we wait on station at the fence opening in case
of a restart.  Once the race is cleanly underway, we
move back into the pits to be ready for any cars
coming in for early repairs.  When a car starts from
the pits there is not a marshal with them but rather,
Race Control and the marshals at the pointy end of the
grid oversee that start.  Pit stops are another fun
moment but they are pretty uneventful from a marshal?s
perspective.  We just make sure that the various
engineers and photographers don?t walk out in front of
cars entering, within or exiting the pit lane.  We
also look out for one another.

Sunday afternoon: After the race, everyone is beat. 
We gather our stuff and wander back to the USAC
building.  There we disrobe and turn our uniforms in. 
We also return our radios and headsets.  We keep our
tabards, hats and all credentials.  They are our
mementos.  The quest changes to one of getting out of
town, meeting flights and cooling off.  With a little
luck, there is time for a shower before boarding our
flights.  I?m sure the fellow travelers appreciate
that.

Okay, that is a NORMAL race weekend.  If anyone is
interested, I can write about the abnormal weekends;
ones like when Ralf hit the wall at 200+mph right in
front of us or the weekend when every Michelin shod
car bowed out.  I was there for both of those joyous
events. :-|

Happy Tuesday,

Rick
PS: Today, I have the 2007 USAC gold card with
?PIT/GRID? on it, tucked away in my wallet!  
Yeeeehaaaa!