Rally - Orange turned blue

If last weekend proved anything it was the resilience and tenacity of the Great British Marshal. The north of England and southern Scotland were no places for normal folks venturing out into the great outdoors and yet little huddles of hi-viz orange jackets were spotted all around the countryside even in the most inhospitable of locations.

How some of them ever reached their locations heaven knows. Trees were blown down across main roads, not just forest roads, and then there was the snow and the ice, the rain and the mud, the wind and the cold. 

But they weren’t there just in time for the rally cars arriving. Many of them were there well ahead of due time as routes had to be checked, stakes hammered into frozen ground, arrows stapled and miles of tape strewn across roads and junctions. That meant up and out of bed long before rally crews stirred under their duvets.

And all this on top of weeks of pre-event preparation and planning. Routes had to be recce-d and measured and indications highlighted for the siting of stage sign, plus areas marked for marshals, while suitable parking places had to be earmarked for radio and recovery/rescue teams and paramedic crews. This pre-event detail will not be noticed by passing rally crews but the work has to be done.

Similarly, it’s not just rally crews who have to pack the van and load the trailer, the Marshals and Officials all have their own kit and have to fund their own transport. 

MS UK pay mileage and accommodation expenses to their appointed officials on each event, but club officials and volunteer marshals don’t get owt from the governors. Marshals provide their own vehicles, buy their own fuel, pay their own accommodation in most cases, and furnish their own provisions, and for what? Chillblains, frostbite, footrot, or very rarely sun stroke. And then there’s the midges!

Regardless of what Mother Nature throws at them plus route changes, stage cancellations and time schedules changing at the last minute, there is a job to be done, and this stoic band of volunteers are steadfast in their determination. The bigger surprise is that most of them remain cheerful and helpful, and if any one of them ever does resort to colourful language, especially when that rare breed of spectator arrives, the surly lout who knows better, surely they can be excused? 

And once the cars have passed, the forests and roads have to be changed back to normal. Junctions opened up, stakes and arrows reclaimed while many Marshals also willingly act as litter pickers because of the thoughtless, selfish, stupid actions of the messy few.

Even then the job is far from done as once the volunteers get home and thawed out or dried up, the cars have to be emptied, clothes washed and aired, boots and kit cleaned, and the camp kitchen and paraphernalia put away - ready for the next time. It’s no wonder that Marshals don’t compete – they haven’t got the bluidy time!

A few years back the Scottish Championship tried to introduce a Points Reward Scheme, the more events attended and officiated, the more points the individual earned. Golden Wonder backed the scheme and there were some big prizes for the top points scorers but the initiative failed because it was dependent on rally organisers and clubs sending in copies of the Marshals Signing-On Sheets. That wasn’t an easy task at the time as the Sheets had to be collected from each stage, collated, photo copied and either posted or faxed back to the co-ordinator.

In the light of new technology perhaps it is time to have another look at such an initiative, and one that perhaps MS UK could undertake on the sport’s behalf. After all they have all the basic information on computer due to new Marshal/Official licencing and training schemes and they issue such volunteers with ID cards.

Here’s the plan. MS UK should sign up to Nectar Points (or some other reliable redemption scheme) and everyone who gets issued with an MS UK card is automatically enrolled and perhaps even given 100 points as a signing-up incentive. Thereafter at every event, the volunteer’s card is scanned and points awarded. Naturally there would be a scale for awarding points starting with marshalling on a navigational road rally, more for a Targa, more for a single venue event and even more for a forest stage rally. These points could be exchanged for any sort of goods that the volunteers need such as snacks, proper food, outdoor cooking equipment, clothing, batteries, torches or even tools, whatever the store sells!

Yes, there will be a set-up fee and an ongoing charge but if I can take payment for selling books on my bluidy phone, then surely MS UK could come up with an ‘App’ to allow Marshals to scan their cards at a specific event and score points. What’s the alternative? Pay the Marshals, or expenses at least? If none of the above, at least give them all a voucher for midge repellent! 

Good idea, or what? And I won’t charge MS UK for it!

However it would need the clubs, event organisers and Associations to take this up and carry it forward ‘cos the MS UK high heid yins don’t reply to me any more, they just ignore any messages sent from the far north. I wonder why?

Anyway, well done each and everyone of you. I doff my bunnet in admiration. If M&S did volunteers, they’d be rally marshals. Gaun yersels lads and lasses.