Marshalling - Selection process
I acted as a race director for the first time yesterday. The hardest task was getting the racers to come back out and marshal the next race. Out of 7 to 10 racers per class, all we needed was 4 marshals to man the track. Without getting in the personality part of the equation, I would like to come up with a mandatory selection process. This way everyone would know in advance who will be the marshal. The current process of a volunteer force does not seem to be very efficient. Racers tend to look around and hope someone else will volunteer first.
The ROAR rulebook mentions the marshal's responsibilities, but not the selection process.
My thoughts on solving this problem are:
Idea 1:
Have the race computer randomly pick the 4 marshals and rotate them throughout the day. Racers from another group can be picked to fill the minimum vacancies if needed. (This requires software upgrades)
- Racers picked to marshal have the responsibility to find someone very quickly to substitute for them.
Ideal 2:
The four racers at the top in race order will automatically have to marshal next.
- Therefore, the top finishers (fastest) even after a reshuffle will probably end up marshalling all day. Is this a penalty of being fast?
Idea 3:
The four racers at the bottom in racer order will automatically have to marshal next.
- Newbies and slower guys end up marshalling all day. Fast guys get even more advantage by spending more time on their cars.
Idea 4:
The race director will predetermine the marshals ahead of time and highlight the names ahead on the posted schedule.
What are your thoughts and why? Please be objective. Please keep track and racer’s names out of your discussion.
Last edited by TeamB&B; 12-16-2007 at 03:06 AM.