WHAT’S COMIN’ UP:
After the Bike Race, we all get a well-deserved rest from racing
way up until……….. the next weekend .The July Russell
at Sears Point is the 14th-15th, followed by Shelby Club at Thunderhill
on the 28-29th.
Contact Karen Huff for Russell and Jerry Huff for Shelby, for
either.
Start thinking now about October.Both CSRG (Sears Point) and
Shelby (Thunderhill) will be running opposite the CART race at
Laguna on the 13th and 14th. CSRG has traditionally run the same
weekend, but two classic groups that need adequate staffing is
going to present a real challenge- both these fine vintage organizations
will reward you with compensation for your time, great cars, great
people an appreciation they’re not shy about showing. ‘Nuff
said.
FOCUS ON:
HAND SIGNALS: With Superbikes coming up and your new manuals
in hand, now is a great time to review hand signals. Most of them
are covered in the photo section at the back. These are the basics.
Much more complex information can be communicated, like “Bike
6 down hard at turn 8, rider’s okay” or “Car 27
off mechanical at turn 10”, but there are a couple of good,
widely used numbering systems, and these are things best picked
up with experience.
Hand signals become extremely important at major events when
there are many workers on each turn, scattered over distances
that do not lend themselves easily to verbal communication on
a noisy racetrack. Turn marshals will likely review these in the
morning, for three reasons; to teach new people, to refresh everyone’s
memory , and to be sure everyone on the turn is conveying the
same message the same way, since signals vary quite a bit in different
geographic areas. Workers come from all over the world for this
event, so it’s important to be sure we’re speaking the
same “language”.
When you are giving hand signals from a turn or response station,
be sure your body is turned in such a manner that the person receiving
those signals (either the communicator, or, sometimes over long
distances, the TM who will relay them) can clearly see your hand
and arm motions. For instance, for ambulance, wounded rider, rider
okay, etc you should be facing the person you’re signaling
to. But for tow signals, you should be in profile (sideways).
Exaggerate movements to make them easy to read. Be sure you have
your whistle with you and that it works- it’s a small piece
of lifesaving equipment and an essential communication tool.
Play Safe, Have Fun, See You Trackside!
