MIKE
POUPART MOTORSPORTS 130 VETERANS BOULEVARD,
SUITE E KENNER, LOUISIANA
70062 504-472-0400 E-mail: mpmotorworks@bellsouth.net
Racing News Archives
Corner Worker Viewpoint
By: Patty Poupart
I consider myself
a big race fan. I not only participate in the sport as a driver
and crew member, but also enjoy being a spectator. It's just as
much fun traveling around the country to attend professional races as
it is being a spectator at the local amateur level races. But no
matter where I am, I always find myself drawn to the corner workers and
the safety crews. They are fascinating to watch, actually.
They have their own set of hand signals and ways to communicate with
each other as well as the drivers. Some workers are not racers
themselves, but travel around the country just to work the races.
They are crucial to each race. Without these valuable workers,
the races could not be run. These people are all
volunteers. They do it for the love of the sport.
I recently
had the opportunity to work one of the
stations at No Problem Raceway ("NPR"). I was fortunate enough to
be paired up with Brian Johnson, a licensed SCCA F&C (Flagging
& Communications) worker. Brian's regular station is at Turn
8 which is located on the short back straight. For a first timer,
this may have been one of the best stations to work. Not only was
I closer to the track than in any of the spectator areas, but I could
see almost the entire track. I was now in the middle of the
action. Turns 13 & 14, those closest to the spectator/pit
area, were too far for me to see and I could not see between the walls
of the dragstrip which line the front straight. Working one of
the stations at NPR gives you an insider's view into the race action
that none of the spectators would ever see. Don't get the idea
that the corner workers just stand there and watch the cars go
by. Nothing could be further from the truth.
I learned
that it takes at least 2 people to
adequately man a worker station. Brian taught me the proper use
of various flags, some hand signals, and proper radio
communication. He even let me wear his headset so that I could
listen to all the radio talk. We stood facing each other so that
we could see each other's facial expressions while taking turns
watching opposite directions of the track. I would hold the
"passing" flag while watching the approaching traffic. If I could
see a car moving through the field in the previous turns, I had to be
prepared to show the passing flag to the slower cars. Meanwhile,
Brian watched the cars as they passed our station until they got
through the next couple of turns. If an incident were to occur,
he would throw the "yellow" flag to warn the approaching cars of
impending trouble.
At the
start of the race, each station shows "double
yellow" flags to let the drivers know to continue at pace lap
speed. At this particular track, the field is to be formed up by
the time they get to the back straight. This is where the lights
on the pace car go out and the pace car races ahead to safely exit the
track. Our station would radio to the starter and advise whether
or not the start would be a "go." I even got to show the
"meatball" flag to a formula car that had a loose part hanging.
That's the black flag with the big orange circle in the middle.
Although
there were a few incidents where cars went
off the track, none of them were serious and no one was injured.
We didn't have to respond to any serious incidents, but it is good to
know that the "guys in white" are out there to respond to the needs of
each driver and protect them in the case of an incident. The
corner workers are the ones who control race traffic to make sure that
any car on or off the track is not subject to more danger. They
are also there to respond to fire or injury and coordinate appropriate
rescue operations. I've seen these guys save lives at pro races.
I think
the best part of each race is the lap after
the checker flag is shown when the drivers wave to the corner workers
to show their appreciation. They wave, honk horns, flip
headlights on and off (if they have them), and make you feel good about
being there for them. There are many different types of events that
take place on the road course at NPR which require corner
workers. You don't have to be licensed to work at NPR, but if you
are an SCCA (Sports Car Club of America) member, you can become a
licensed F&C worker which allows you to work at other tracks around
the country. The demand is high for workers at NPR and there are
usually extra bonuses for the corner workers.
I
enjoyed the experience and look forward to
"donning my whites" and working again. I learned quite a lot and
would like to encourage anyone who is a race fan to volunteer and give
it a try. I did. What about you?
Members of the Corner Krewe at
Station 13, No Problem Raceway Tom Miller (left) and Stanley
Fussell (waving yellow flag) Patty Poupart Photo