THE BUSINESS END OF THE WEEKEND APPROACHES
The new season of Formula 1 is underway, with two practice sessions yesterday, it is already proving that the year is going to be exciting one and
more particularly, this weekend is sure to provide a wealth of entertainment for all of us here trackside.
As I took a walk around throughout some of the various sectors of the circuit, it certainly shows why Australian officials are held in such high regard,
the professionalism and appearance is yet again exemplary and shows why Albert Park is a perfect starting point to the Formula 1 season.
Being at the halfway point of the race weekend, I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of performing the role of acting editor of
the Officials Gazette. We have already received a few emails and phone calls with story ideas and that certainly helps us to put together each
edition, so keep the news tips coming through and we might be around to see you during the day.
Enjoy the qualifying for Formula 1 as we build towards the big race on Sunday.
Check out www.cams.com.au for all the editions of the Official’s Gazette.
Yours in Motorsport,
Liam Meegan
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Saturday 14 March 2015 – Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix
LEADING THE TEAM – THE CHIEF MARSHALS
Alan O'Dea from Adelaide retired, after 30 years as a
Flaggie, the last few years as one of the Chief
Marshals. Two new Chiefs are added to the team this
year; Wayne Oliver from the Northern Territory and
George Chrobak from New South Wales. Continuing
are Paul Overall from Queensland and Roger
Chirnside of Melbourne-both originals from the first
AGP, and Terry O'Callaghan. This brings nice
geographical experiences to the group. Heather
O'Dea works with the Chief Marshals.
Kaye Callender is the Chief Observer, with Sandra
Peachey as her Assistant - both hail from New South
Wales. After being in Race Control the past few
years, Catherine McDonald of Melbourne - a veteran
of all AGP's - is now on the ground with a new role as
mentoring the Comms.
FIFTY YEARS IN THE GAME – PETER NELSON
This year marks fifty years in motorsports for Peter
Nelson, of Melbourne. He started in 1965 at Phillip
Island, back in the days when they ran 2x4 races two wheel motorcycles and four-wheel cars.
Interesting, to say the least, for the first few race
meetings when neither genre's marshals thought it
would/they could work with the others. It did.
Peter has worked all of the now 31 AGP Formula One
races. It was Peter, then Secretary of the Event, who
conceived the concept of Boundary Riders, and also
starting with the first AGP in Adelaide the team of
Sector Marshals was born.
One of the key thing to which Peter attributes to how
well things go and have gone at AGP since the
beginning - especially when adding new teams or
concepts, is having good people to do the job, with
the mentality to think things through ahead of time
and plan for every contingency well in advance.
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Saturday 14 March 2015 – Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix
REACHING A MILESTONE – 19 YEARS OF THE CAMS OFFICIALS GAZETTE
This year marks the nineteenth year for the AGP Officials Newsletter, aka Gazette, at Albert Park in Melbourne. Back in 1997 Bruce
Keys, then Deputy Secretary of the Meeting and CAMS Safety Manager, had an idea to rev up and make things new and interesting
for the race marshals. He discussed it with Secretary of the Meeting, Peter Nelson, and the newsletter idea was born, hatched, and I
was asked to do the job. The concept was based on a similar endeavour being done by Rally Australia for several years.
We've come a long way since the early days of a one-person, one page text-only issue to today's five-member team producing four to
eight page issues filled with colour photographs. It was slow going at first, with technical reproducing issues and time constraints. The
Gazette evolved into more pages, then black and white photos; and then with the advent of high-speed colour copiers, we added
colour photos and lots of them, making the Gazette a sought-after product, which is, distributed daily at Morning Muster.
Now, with the growing range of electronic technology and the magic of the Internet, the issues can also now be found online as soon
as they're printed. Daily the issues are posted on the CAMS website at http://cams.com.au/media/news/latest-news/cams-agpnewsletter-daily-editions.
For those savvy with social media, the links are also posted on Twitter at @GPGazette, as well as on three separate specialty
Facebook pages - International Formula 1 Marshals & Officials Group; Flag Marshals of the World; and Corner Workers of the World
Group. I also post it on my own Facebook page.
The Gazette has longevity, as does its dedicated team. Editor Richard McLean of Melbourne has been at it since 2005; Michael
Shaw, Sydney photographer, has done eleven years; and Photographer Ron Searle- currently working in Doha, has seven years on his
resume. This year Liam Meegan joined the team, and was with Richard and myself two years ago for the Clipsal Officials Newsletter.
I hope you've enjoyed the journey as much as have I.
Lynne Huntting
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Saturday 14 March 2015 – Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix
FEATURE STORY: CHATTING WITH CHARLIE – PART 2
It's a privilege each year that I have the opportunity at AGP to Chat with FIA Race Director/Permanent Starter/Safety Delegate Charlie
Whiting. FIA is very strict about interviewing FIA officials.
The number of race officials or teams staffed at any given Formula One event is absolutely up to the organiser. What FIA looks at is the
overall numbers and the length of the track, how many corners, would clearly dictate that and who's included in those numbers. If one
can have a typical figure, depending on who is included, it would include Intervention Marshals, Flag Marshals, Observers, Corner
Chiefs, Recovery Vehicle Operators, Firemen, and all medical staff. All of those would be expected, and at an average length circuit that
would be around 600 marshals ... sometimes more, sometimes less. FIA doesn't really impose an exact number. It depends a lot on how
the layout of the track, and how they operate.
For example, in Hockenheim, they have 'Moving Marshals' - a van full of marshals that can go anywhere, to boost the quantity of
marshals in a given place. So there are lots of ways of doing things. But when FIA comes to a new circuit, it gets much more involved,
and goes through the plan in a lot of detail to try and help them. In Mexico, for example, we'll be doing a lot of work with those guys to try
and make sure they've got everything about right based on our lots of experience at Formula One events. But Mexico has a pretty good
heritage with racing, with Formula One and successful Champ Car races in Mexico City and Monterrey, only ten years ago. Other races
held in Mexico include NASCAR, Trans-Am, World Sports Cars, Formula Atlantics, and Grand-Am.
In Melbourne, I approve the pass list and compare it to previous years and off we go. It's been 20 years and we know we don't have to
worry. There are experienced marshals and a massive amount of them carry over from one year to the next. (ED Note: Out of the
approximately 930 AGP marshals on 22 teams, 41 have worked every race since Adelaide 1985. And experience tells you that here you
don't have to give specific instructions for everything which needs being done. Whereas the newer the circuit, the more details you have
to have in your instructions.
It's up to the local ASN to determine if outside help is needed with training. Currently, for example, the plan for Mexico intends to do
some work with the Hungarians, who have dome some work for FIA in other countries. CAMS, of course, have done Bahrain, Gabon,
Korea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka.
The United States doesn't have a training team. It's a different ASN setup - a conglomerate of various different sanctioning bodies, not
the classic ASN setup as in most other countries. The Motor Sports Association in the UK is one. They did Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and
after that the Hungarians helped out. Hungary also helped out in Austria last year even though Austria has quite a history of
motorsports. Austria approached the Hungarians to provide a core of experienced team of experienced F1 senior officials to make sure
that they got it just right, and that arrangement will carry on for another couple of years.
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Saturday 14 March 2015 – Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix
NEWS TIPS…
Have you got an exciting
story that we don’t know
about yet?
Maybe you’re celebrating
a milestone with us at the
Formula 1 Rolex
Australian Grand Prix?
Make sure you drop us a
line or come and see us at
the Muster Tent each
morning and we will be
sure to do our best to
include your story in the
Officials Newsletter.
The best way to get in
contact is via email at
liam@directmanagementg
roup.com.au or give us a
ring or text message,
0432 880 088.
When you contact us, be
sure to include your
officials team and location
around the track so we
can grab some photos and
an interview.
BEHIND THE SCENES – THE ROLE OF THE
COURSE MARSHAL WITH SKIP TAYLOR
Skip Taylor of Melbourne has been driving the Course Car since the first Adelaide AGP in 1985. He is
considered a Safety Officer on track, in charge of the circuit. He 'Opens' and 'Closes' the circuit for each
session, as well as doing Inspection laps. One of the qualities necessary for the job of Course Car
driver is focus. Skip is always scanning as he drives the course looking for anything out of order or
unsafe, and he is in communication to Race Control - Chief Observer or if need be, Clerk of Course, Tim
Schenken.
Before Skip did his first stint as Course Car driver in Adelaide, he and Henk Duncan, National Clerk of
the Course, went to observe the process at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps.
Skip started his motorsports car started in 1968 at Phillip Island and Sandown with V8's. He was
originally a Flaggie to start and then moved up to Assistant Clerk of Course. In case you haven't seen it,
Skip did a six minute tutorial/explanatory video for SpeedCafe.com on flagging at this year's Bathurst
12-hour race. The video was just posted on YouTube. Skip has done 20 races for MotoGP and does 15
race meetings a year.
During the weekend, Skip fills up his Mercedes E400 CDI twice daily and puts on 1100 kilometers. The
car has a tri-colored light bar - green for opening the course, red for closing the course, and orange for
general duties. The car carries kits of various bits and bobs, paperwork, forms etc. which may be
needed around the course.
Skip's week starts on Tuesday and is non-stop all weekend. He opens and closes all sessions, and is
alone in the car - no one riding shotgun, no VIP riders, etc.
Skip has been training a new driver, Mario Pacifici of Melbourne, who will be driving Course Car 1 next
year, with Skip in Course Car 2. So far Mario has been mentored at last year's AGP and this year. His
first stint alone in the car as driver was Friday morning. Mario had been a Sector Marshal for a long
time.
RACE GUIDE:
SATURDAY
11AM – Shannons Historic
Demonstration
11:35AM – MSS Security
V8 Supercar Driver Parade
Lap
12:10PM – Penrite Oils
Heritage Touring Cars –
Race 2
12:45PM – Porsche
Carrera Cup – Race 2
2PM – Formula 1 –
Practice 3
3:20PM – MSS Security V8
Supercars – Race 3
4:05PM – Speed
Comparison – Demo 3
5:00PM – Formula 1 –
Qualifying
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Saturday 14 March 2015 – Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix