Corner Marshalling

[steveplatinum]

Has anybody felt that their race times were affected by a corner marshall?? In a positive or a negative way?

This last race, I had a really good corner,marshall at the end of the back double. He was putting me back on track so fast it was like I hadn't even wrecked. As a result, my Average Lap Time was pretty low and I completed more laps than usual.
Is this a fluke? Or is this the way it should be?

[rfleck]

"The old saying" is to marshal like you want to be marshalled. Just don't injure yourself.

[racer53]

The marshalls in stock truck are great.I used to race in rookie and can't say much for those marshalls but hey if you want to solve all of your marshall problems the answer is simple.Don't crash

[losidriver77]

I had problems with marshalls talking on there phone instead of marshalling and made me drop from 2nd to last which is not right.

[astar08]

"The old saying" is to marshal like you want to be marshalled. Just don't injure yourself.

That is true. Marshal the way you want to be marshaled. Though here is how I role. If I get affected by a marshal not paying attention at all (I understand being slow, people move differently) and just flat out talking to a friend or even talking on his phone, then I will make an effort to volunteer marshal for the next race he is in. So when he does make a mistake I will show him how it feels to be poorly marshaled.

I had one person come up to me after a race and was like "why'd you poorly marshal me?" I flat out told him "because I saw how you marshaled my race and all you did was talk on your phone or talk to a friend of yours."

That's the only thing I get mad at. If you're not going to pay attention wile you are marshaling you might as well just find someone to volunteer for you. I actually don't mind marshaling at all. Mostly because I marshal people the way I want them to marshal me. I try to get to your car as fast as I can without putting myself or anyone else's race in jeopardy.

Though I will say this; it seems some people pick the way they need to marshal people. It seems in like a truck or buggy class they get some pretty good marshals. Though IMO it seems in a class like stock slash or SC10 Open, we get stuck with some pretty poor marshals. I will honestly say that I think some people poorly marshal the Short Course classes on purpose because they think that we are only there to bash and not race.

Though yes, the only perfect way to get a good race with a low AVG lap time, and more laps is just to flat out not be marshaled. lol. Yep, I know A LOT easier said than done isn't it?

[steveplatinum]

"The old saying" is to marshal like you want to be marshalled. Just don't injure yourself.

That is true. Marshal the way you want to be marshaled. Though here is how I role. If I get affected by a marshal not paying attention at all (I understand being slow, people move differently) and just flat out talking to a friend or even talking on his phone, then I will make an effort to volunteer marshal for the next race he is in. So when he does make a mistake I will show him how it feels to be poorly marshaled.

I had one person come up to me after a race and was like "why'd you poorly marshal me?" I flat out told him "because I saw how you marshaled my race and all you did was talk on your phone or talk to a friend of yours."

That's the only thing I get mad at. If you're not going to pay attention wile you are marshaling you might as well just find someone to volunteer for you. I actually don't mind marshaling at all. Mostly because I marshal people the way I want them to marshal me. I try to get to your car as fast as I can without putting myself or anyone else's race in jeopardy.

Though I will say this; it seems some people pick the way they need to marshal people. It seems in like a truck or buggy class they get some pretty good marshals. Though IMO it seems in a class like stock slash or SC10 Open, we get stuck with some pretty poor marshals. I will honestly say that I think some people poorly marshal the Short Course classes on purpose because they think that we are only there to bash and not race.

Though yes, the only perfect way to get a good race with a low AVG lap time, and more laps is just to flat out not be marshaled. lol. Yep, I know A LOT easier said than done isn't it?

That's awesome that you came out and said it! We all think it, I'm sure, but noone says it, or does it that I know of....
My Dad and I were talking about return marshalling a bad marshal, but we realized that we would probably just marshal them the right way and get them moving along anyway. My wife, on the other hand, would point at their car and laugh for a minute first! (if she raced RC at all.)

I do think that you're on to something by pointing out that the class and caliber of the race and racers makes some people marshal better or worse, particularly in the Rookie Class. I know the Rookie class has more wrecks and probably won't have very good times anyway, but the faster the marshalls move and more seriously they take their race, the more exciting and fun it is for them - and the more seriously the newbies will take it, therefore promoting the hobby!! (Which I think we all want to do)

[astar08]

"The old saying" is to marshal like you want to be marshalled. Just don't injure yourself.

That is true. Marshal the way you want to be marshaled. Though here is how I role. If I get affected by a marshal not paying attention at all (I understand being slow, people move differently) and just flat out talking to a friend or even talking on his phone, then I will make an effort to volunteer marshal for the next race he is in. So when he does make a mistake I will show him how it feels to be poorly marshaled.

I had one person come up to me after a race and was like "why'd you poorly marshal me?" I flat out told him "because I saw how you marshaled my race and all you did was talk on your phone or talk to a friend of yours."

That's the only thing I get mad at. If you're not going to pay attention wile you are marshaling you might as well just find someone to volunteer for you. I actually don't mind marshaling at all. Mostly because I marshal people the way I want them to marshal me. I try to get to your car as fast as I can without putting myself or anyone else's race in jeopardy.

Though I will say this; it seems some people pick the way they need to marshal people. It seems in like a truck or buggy class they get some pretty good marshals. Though IMO it seems in a class like stock slash or SC10 Open, we get stuck with some pretty poor marshals. I will honestly say that I think some people poorly marshal the Short Course classes on purpose because they think that we are only there to bash and not race.

Though yes, the only perfect way to get a good race with a low AVG lap time, and more laps is just to flat out not be marshaled. lol. Yep, I know A LOT easier said than done isn't it?

That's awesome that you came out and said it! We all think it, I'm sure, but noone says it, or does it that I know of....
My Dad and I were talking about return marshalling a bad marshal, but we realized that we would probably just marshal them the right way and get them moving along anyway. My wife, on the other hand, would point at their car and laugh for a minute first! (if she raced RC at all.)

I do think that you're on to something by pointing out that the class and caliber of the race and racers makes some people marshal better or worse, particularly in the Rookie Class. I know the Rookie class has more wrecks and probably won't have very good times anyway, but the faster the marshalls move and more seriously they take their race, the more exciting and fun it is for them - and the more seriously the newbies will take it, therefore promoting the hobby!! (Which I think we all want to do)

Oh yea, when I or when a couple of my buddies get to Mikes we are not afraid to go up to someone who poorly marshals and let them know. They can't do no better at marshaling then they deserve to know.

This also brings up another point. Yelling at marshals. Something I can not stand! If you're pissed at a marshal their is no reason at all to just yell as loud as you can at him while you're racing. Hey I understand being in the heat of the moment and saying to yourself up on the drivers stand "come on marshal" as that is what it is: heat of the moment type of deal. But absolute yelling at them from the drivers stand? That does nothing. Just remember who he is, and go up to him and confront him. Though try to be nice about it. Don't be a dick about it.

[Racerx336]

"The old saying" is to marshal like you want to be marshalled. Just don't injure yourself.

Though I will say this; it seems some people pick the way they need to marshal people. It seems in like a truck or buggy class they get some pretty good marshals. Though IMO it seems in a class like stock slash or SC10 Open, we get stuck with some pretty poor marshals. I will honestly say that I think some people poorly marshal the Short Course classes on purpose because they think that we are only there to bash and not race.

The times that I marshalled Stock slash, there were so many people crashing that it was tough to marshal everyone. By the time I got done marshalling one of the trucks, there were 3 more that crashed in my area. Maybe the problem isn't the marshals....

[steveplatinum]

"The old saying" is to marshal like you want to be marshalled. Just don't injure yourself.

Though I will say this; it seems some people pick the way they need to marshal people. It seems in like a truck or buggy class they get some pretty good marshals. Though IMO it seems in a class like stock slash or SC10 Open, we get stuck with some pretty poor marshals. I will honestly say that I think some people poorly marshal the Short Course classes on purpose because they think that we are only there to bash and not race.

The times that I marshalled Stock slash, there were so many people crashing that it was tough to marshal everyone. By the time I got done marshalling one of the trucks, there were 3 more that crashed in my area. Maybe the problem isn't the marshals....

If you're trying, than you're a good marshal.
I've seen people crash behind a marshal and he didn't see it. As soon as he saw other marshals running towards him, he turned around and saw it, and jumped to flip the truck over. I think he did well to the capacity that he could with the knowledge he had of what was going on in the race. He didn't see it, but as soon as he did, he did his best and took that driver's race seriously. It sounds like you're doing the right thing, in that you tried to get to everyone's car as fast as you could.

Although it really shouldn't have to be said, NO ONE INTENTIONALLY WRECKS....... And if you're willing to drop $400-$2000.00 (and up) on a remote control car, something most people consider a toy (they just don't understand), you're obviously trying to be good at it. I wreck alot, I try very hard. I grit my teeth on every turn and jump. I want to be as good as some of you guys that don't have to get your truck marshalled, but in the meantime I need a little help to get my lapcount up and my average lap time down...... And I want it to be fun...... for everyone.

[astar08]

"The old saying" is to marshal like you want to be marshalled. Just don't injure yourself.

Though I will say this; it seems some people pick the way they need to marshal people. It seems in like a truck or buggy class they get some pretty good marshals. Though IMO it seems in a class like stock slash or SC10 Open, we get stuck with some pretty poor marshals. I will honestly say that I think some people poorly marshal the Short Course classes on purpose because they think that we are only there to bash and not race.

The times that I marshalled Stock slash, there were so many people crashing that it was tough to marshal everyone. By the time I got done marshalling one of the trucks, there were 3 more that crashed in my area. Maybe the problem isn't the marshals....

Oh there is no doubt in my mind that the Stock Slash class is really crazy sometimes. Lol, I race in it so I know that some of the people are really crazy in that class and will just flat out wreck every corner and they don't care if you get taken out with them. After every race in that class my Slash basically needs a good look down because of how bad it sometimes is out there. But I'm not talking about Stock Slash class in general. Talking about even the SC10 open Class too. 4WD and 2WD.

If you're trying to be a good marshal then I have no beef against you at all. You sound like you do try to be, so I have nothing against you at all even if you think we wreck a lot, which some people in that class do. Though I have a problem with the people who don't think a Slash or even another type of Short Course truck are there for real racing. I am not deaf or stupid. I know that their are A LOT of people that talk bad about Short Course drivers. Hell when me and a few of my buddies come to Mikes and we get out our Short Course Truck (some Slashes, and a couple of Blitz's)s out of the trunk of the car I see the looks we get. don't say people don't give us looks, cause they do. Yes we know we look weird piling out of a car with Short Course Trucks every where, but we also know that people look at us differently cause we do this. Hell I've been stopped by a Mikes Hobby Shop employee (I will not name who, but one who has been there for a while) before I've gotten on the track and he said this to me "hey man, I just wanted to let you and your buddy know that we want y'all to take it really easy today." Did he say that to ANY of the guys driving buggies or anything? No, it was only to the guys who drive Short Course trucks. We kind of took offense to that cause we are no basher. Our trucks get treated like they are race cars (we are a racing family). They get baths after a race, they get a good look over before we run them, we study lap times, and we get frustrated if they don't what we want them to do. Now I don't want this to turn into a Short Course vs. Buggy thread as that will only turn out bad. My point is, is that there are marshals out there who really just don't care about Short Course trucks and will marshal them bad on purpose. Those are the people I have a problem with.

[slowslug]

As I indicated earlier, I am making a post about marshalling. Marshalling is simply the act of setting cars back on their way that have flipped over, ran into the pipe, or became entangled with another car. The racing term follows its denotative definition which means "to arrange in proper order; set out in an orderly manner; arrange clearly".

You must serve as a corner marshal the race immediately following your race. If you are the last race you will marshal the first race. Be sure to turn in your house transponder first if you are using one because the drivers preparing for the racing following the one you will marshal might need that transponder. It is important to be timely for this duty, as you could be penalized by the race director for failure to perform your corner marshal duties. If you are unable to perform marshalling duties due to physical disability, simply inform the race director. In theory, the corners should be numbered and you should marshal the location that corresponds to your race number. This is not always practiced and if numbers aren't visible then simply spread out evenly over the track area. From time to time the race director may ask for volunteer marshals are may ask you to volunteer. If you are asked the please comply with the race directors request if you are able.

The golden rule of marshalling is to perform your duties in the same manner as you would like the marshals of your race to perform theirs. When you corner marshal you should be efficient but not overly hasty. As the old saying goes "haste makes waste". Nothing is more frustrating to a driver than to see a marshal rush over to his car and reach down to flip his car over only to have it land on its head again. Along this line is to marshal to best of your physical ability. If you are a young kid and can sprint over to every car then by all means do so. If you are getting older and have a bad back and have to take a little more time than that is okay. Whatever your situation the important aspect is to do your best.

It is very important to pay attention while you are marshalling for your own safety and to ensure the best competitive environment. During my years of racing I have seen many marshals sustain minor injuries while marshalling because they weren't paying attention. Do not watch the race, talk with other racers, talk on the phone, text, play video games or surf the web while marshalling. Simply watch your corner.

When you see a wreck in your corner you must look for on coming traffic. On coming traffic always has the right-away and you must wait until traffic clears to marshal the wrecked cars. It is important to marshal the cars in the order they wrecked. If the last place car wrecks, and seconds later the race leader wrecks, marshal the last place guy first. After all, you should be watching your corner and thus unaware of the race order. Do not pick up cars that have the throttle on. If a driver is upside down and the throttle is on then wait for them to let off before you attempt to marshal their car. A marshal is also responsible for putting cars back on the side of the pipe in which they came from if they jump the pipe. Do not give a driver an unfair advantage by placing them on the opposite side of a pipe from which the collided.

This may seem like a lot of guidelines but it really is not hard at all. Becoming known as a good marshal will win you a lot of friends at the track and will undoubtedly pay positive dividends in terms of friendship and setup tips from veteran drivers

After watching some of the marshaling today i thought i would repost this from the ROOKIE RACING THREAD to help some people with this simple task.

[astar08]

I want to apologize because I did lose my temper a little bit up on the drivers stand with a marshal today and and did yell "MARSHALL" about 3 times.

I am not the person to yell it and I am against people always yelling it off the drivers stand. It was one of those heat of the moment type of deals. I was having a great battle for the lead with someone coming down to the final moments of the A Main and I barely caught my left front on that pipe that is sticking out now by that triple (pretty sure it is taped up, but you can't tell that it sticks out). I sat there for literally 5 seconds before I realized the marshal did absolutely nothing. By that time I was frustrated at myself for choking and giving up the lead that late in the race and just watched the leader drive away. So yes with me being so frustrated I did start yelling marshal. because I did he walked to my truck as slow as he could. By the time I was unhooked from the pipe the leader was already to turn 2 when I was right on his bumper when it happened (I checked the video I got of it to see where he was, he was at turn 2). So I was a little frustrated.

I do apologize for losing temper like that. But just understand that when you're battling for the lead with someone and the marshal does just want to sit there and bite on his fingernails you get a little frustrated. But yes I know that I choked and that I put myself in that own situation. I know it was not the marshals fault, even though I do feel he could had done a better job. That is beside the point.

[A-ortiz]

Marshalling is not an art , just keep your eyes open and spend your 5 minutes actually marshalling ..

[slowslug]

Marshalling is not an art , just keep your eyes open and spend your 5 minutes actually marshalling ..

i hope u mean 6 mins. maybe thats the problem people are taken 1 minute off.

[A-ortiz]

Marshalling is not an art , just keep your eyes open and spend your 5 minutes actually marshalling ..

i hope u mean 6 mins. maybe thats the problem people are taken 1 minute off.

Thanks Mr Smartass for pointing that out!!!
Last time i raced a couple years back the standard was 5 minutes , once in a while Mike would let us run 6 minutes ..

[S.Murray]

Ahhhhh yes Mr. Marshall, I Know him well. That guy was always costing me valuabe seconds on the track. For some reason all the yelling in the world would not make Mr. Marshall move any faster. Heck somtimes I would run down the driver stand with radio in hand and get my own car. The best part, at the end of your race you get to be Mr. Marshall.

Good luck confronting someone about their bad marshalling habits or yelling at the Marshall from the driver stand. Because I am pretty sure it is only going to make the Marshall mad and a mad Marshall moves like molases.

I am sure everyone does the best they can and we all do it to relax. Let us take a second and remember we have all spent more money than we like to admit on this frustrating hobby and do you really want to hear someone yell at you or tell you that your marshalling skills suck.

I love to Marshall the same car over and over. It's the best when they hit the gas and you get sprayed with dirt or you burn your hand. If you want to solve the marshalling problem, hire your own marshalls.

A young energitic kid would get paid more than an over the hill heart attack waiting to happen. Those who bring their famlies would save money and get to enjoy yelling at each other from the driver stand. I know this may seem outlandish but give it some thought.

Now there would be rules preventing people from running all over the track. A Marshall assigned to a zone could only Marshall a car in that zone. The Marshall could be distinguihed by wearing a colored vest. Blue zone blue vest wearing Marshall. Say a track has ten zones. If you were rich you could have the entire track covered. If you wrecked a lot you would need to cover the entire track. If you were having a problem in a few sections of the track would would opt for fewer marshalls. It would be possibe for a ten car race to have 100 marshalls. That's a lot of people around the track but you would not complain about the marshalling of your car. If you did not like the service you were provided by your paid Marshall you would not hire him for the next race.

How much do you pay a Marshall? Depends on many factors: the skill of the Marshall, heat of the day, type of race, and race length. 100 degree day for a national championship one hour long main would cost more than a six minute club race qualifier.

How to reduce the cost? Already mentioned family members. Friends could swap services, you Marshall for me and I Marshall for you. You would only need a dozen or so friends. This means you will be marshling for your dozen or so friends.

Think of the free market system for marshalling. If you were a really good Marshall you could get paid by all the drives of one race for your zone. Of course you could offer a discounted price and your prices would need to be competive because some ome will always out bid you for the service. A racer on his way to the track could hire day labor. Now he would most of his practice time teaching the finer points of marshalling.

I do see the need for race tracks to hire security and refrees to control the actions of the professional marshalls. It could become a contact sport. Imagine trying to line up for the triple on the back straight and see an open field tackle out of the corner of your eye or hearing the scream of horse collar tackle. I would pay money to see that.

These are my suggestions to solving the current marshalling problem.

[VetteintheVeins]

S.Murray, I like the way you think. I'm gonna' keep my eye on you.

[racer53]

Ahhhhh yes Mr. Marshall, I Know him well. That guy was always costing me valuabe seconds on the track. For some reason all the yelling in the world would not make Mr. Marshall move any faster. Heck somtimes I would run down the driver stand with radio in hand and get my own car. The best part, at the end of your race you get to be Mr. Marshall.

Good luck confronting someone about their bad marshalling habits or yelling at the Marshall from the driver stand. Because I am pretty sure it is only going to make the Marshall mad and a mad Marshall moves like molases.

I am sure everyone does the best they can and we all do it to relax. Let us take a second and remember we have all spent more money than we like to admit on this frustrating hobby and do you really want to hear someone yell at you or tell you that your marshalling skills suck.

I love to Marshall the same car over and over. It's the best when they hit the gas and you get sprayed with dirt or you burn your hand. If you want to solve the marshalling problem, hire your own marshalls.

A young energitic kid would get paid more than an over the hill heart attack waiting to happen. Those who bring their famlies would save money and get to enjoy yelling at each other from the driver stand. I know this may seem outlandish but give it some thought.

Now there would be rules preventing people from running all over the track. A Marshall assigned to a zone could only Marshall a car in that zone. The Marshall could be distinguihed by wearing a colored vest. Blue zone blue vest wearing Marshall. Say a track has ten zones. If you were rich you could have the entire track covered. If you wrecked a lot you would need to cover the entire track. If you were having a problem in a few sections of the track would would opt for fewer marshalls. It would be possibe for a ten car race to have 100 marshalls. That's a lot of people around the track but you would not complain about the marshalling of your car. If you did not like the service you were provided by your paid Marshall you would not hire him for the next race.

How much do you pay a Marshall? Depends on many factors: the skill of the Marshall, heat of the day, type of race, and race length. 100 degree day for a national championship one hour long main would cost more than a six minute club race qualifier.

How to reduce the cost? Already mentioned family members. Friends could swap services, you Marshall for me and I Marshall for you. You would only need a dozen or so friends. This means you will be marshling for your dozen or so friends.

Think of the free market system for marshalling. If you were a really good Marshall you could get paid by all the drives of one race for your zone. Of course you could offer a discounted price and your prices would need to be competive because some ome will always out bid you for the service. A racer on his way to the track could hire day labor. Now he would most of his practice time teaching the finer points of marshalling.

I do see the need for race tracks to hire security and refrees to control the actions of the professional marshalls. It could become a contact sport. Imagine trying to line up for the triple on the back straight and see an open field tackle out of the corner of your eye or hearing the scream of horse collar tackle. I would pay money to see that.

These are my suggestions to solving the current marshalling problem.

Ha-Ha Someone has waaaaay too much time.