Motorsport Volunteers
Dawn races in her orange livery and carries the British Motorsport Marshals Club crest on her car
Scrutineering helps keep racing safe, fun and fair
The availability of time is often seen as one of the biggest barriers to volunteering, particularly for competitors who already spend lots of days at events, but that is not necessarily the case. Butcher explains:“ I just do more motorsport! Family comes first, of course. Followed by racing, then for me it’ s instructing, followed by Rescue Crew and marshalling.
“ Most people can’ t afford to fill all their weekends racing, so if you love motorsport, you might as well be out there and volunteer and get involved in a different way.”
Butcher first discovered marshalling, quite literally, by accident. After her and her car were extracted from the circuit at Brands Hatch several times, she began recognising the same marshals at the post. Eventually, curiosity got the better of her.
“ I would say,‘ hello again’ and at one point I asked,‘ how did you get into this?’ so they told me to come along and find out,” she recalls. She had
never marshalled before but quickly discovered how much was involved – and now her advice to fellow racers is simple:“ Everyone should do at least a day’ s marshalling, just to know what the other side of the Armco feels like.”
Butcher now seamlessly mixes ontrack competition – where she drives a bright orange car, built by her husband at TheShop. WS to promote the British Motorsport Marshals Club( BMMC) – with volunteering. As a result, she has experienced how important marshals can be first-hand – from both outside and inside the car.
At Pembrey, brake pad knock-off sent her careering into the barriers and she recalls:“ When I opened my eyes, the first thing I saw was hay all over the place and a marshal staring at me from the front of the car. That orange suit was a very reassuring sight!”
Butcher has taken her volunteering journey beyond marshalling, getting involved with Rescue Crew, where the responsibilities can be more demanding. Over time, she details, the incidents she has helped with include a major Touring Car crash at Thruxton, a Porsche stuck in a tree at Brands Hatch, and a Hill Climb crash where she had to perform CPR.
Medical and Recovery crews are vital to ensure the safety of all the participants
Revolution Magazine 15