Pembrey CIRCUIT
MARSHALS
Every Motor Sport event needs to be effectively marshaled, in order to provide an appropriate level of safety cover and control.
The BARC are proud of their Marshaling Team, but in common with all other Motor Racing Clubs, are always looking for new recruits.
The BARC have prepared several web pages containing details of marshaling, training, and insurance cover etc. Click here to visit these pages.
The BARC's Chief Marshal at Pembrey is Ernie Preece.
The previous Pembrey Chief Marshal, Roger Clements, wrote an article about Marshalling, in which he explained how he became involved in the sport. His comments are as relevant today as they were at the time of writing.
In his article, Roger wrote the following :-
Like most marshals, I have been interested in motor sport for as long as I can remember. From my teens onwards, I went to spectate whenever I could, and one day (somewhat more recently) the commentator said "A big thank-you to all the volunteer marshals and if you'd like to find out more about becoming a marshal, then ring this number". The rest as they say, is history.
Now aged 47, and a Chartered Surveyor living and working in Cardiff, "playing with cars" at weekends is the perfect antidote to the daily routine. I am able to marshal regularly at Thruxton, Brands Hatch and Castle Combe with the occasional excursion to Donington, Snetterton and Lydden. However, most of my "spare time" is spent at Pembrey, where I am better known as Kipper and where I became Pembrey's Chief Marshal for the BARC.
Without question, my most important objective is to increase the number of marshals who come regularly to Pembrey. There are two strands to the approach - one is to attract new marshals and the other is to encourage more existing marshals to volunteer for Pembrey. To attempt to achieve the first we have tried most methods in recent years - newspaper articles, posters in the bar and on the spectator fences, leaflets handed out, items in the programme, interviews with the commentator and a big push prior to our Training day. All these have met with very limited success so far.
For the second strand to show results I am thinking of starting the TILWOSB society (There Is Life West Of the Severn Bridge). There is a perception that it is a long way to Pembrey. It is - from some places - but no further than Brands Hatch is from many other places. The Circuit is signposted from Junction 48 of the M4 and is approximately 1 1/2 hours from the Severn Bridge or 2 hours from Junction 8 of the M5 (M50, A40, A449, M4).
We want Pembrey to be known as a circuit where marshals want to go. You can be sure of a welcome, there is a large camping area, new shower facilities, good value B&B's locally, a marshals' changing room and a number of other facilities not found at most other circuits.
To the Competitors reading this I would make two points, if I may. Firstly, please accept that, although we get it wrong sometimes, we are all doing our utmost to keep you safe - whether it's with flag signals that need to be heeded, or when dealing with your visits to the scenery. Secondly, we are all frustrated wannabe racing drivers who just wish we could do what you're doing but can't. By contrast however, you can have the opportunity to see it from our perspective and you could get a signature on your licence for doing so. Please consider spending a day on the bank with us - speak to the Competitions department who will make the arrangements for you.
As many of you will have heard, there are prospects of a very exciting future for Pembrey, and we look forward to meeting many more marshals and competitors at the Home of Welsh Motorsport in years to come.
The current Chief Marshal at Pembrey, Ernie Preece, may be contacted via the BARC's Officials & Marshals Secretary at Thruxton, or by contacting the Pembrey Circuit Management Team. Contact details for both are on our Corporate page.