THE BUSINESS END OF THE WEEKEND APPROACHES

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1 THE BUSINESS END OF THE WEEKEND APPROACHES The new season of Formula 1 is underway, with two practice sessions yesterday, it is already proving that the year is going to be exciting one and more particularly, this weekend is sure to provide a wealth of entertainment for all of us here trackside. As I took a walk around throughout some of the various sectors of the circuit, it certainly shows why Australian officials are held in such high regard, the professionalism and appearance is yet again exemplary and shows why Albert Park is a perfect starting point to the Formula 1 season. Being at the halfway point of the race weekend, I must say that I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience of performing the role of acting editor of the Officials Gazette. We have already received a few s and phone calls with story ideas and that certainly helps us to put together each edition, so keep the news tips coming through and we might be around to see you during the day. Enjoy the qualifying for Formula 1 as we build towards the big race on Sunday. Check out for all the editions of the Official s Gazette. Yours in Motorsport, Liam Meegan

2 LEADING THE TEAM THE CHIEF MARSHALS Alan O'Dea from Adelaide retired, after 30 years as a Flaggie, the last few years as one of the Chief Marshals. Two new Chiefs are added to the team this year; Wayne Oliver from the Northern Territory and George Chrobak from New South Wales. Continuing are Paul Overall from Queensland and Roger Chirnside of Melbourne-both originals from the first AGP, and Terry O'Callaghan. This brings nice geographical experiences to the group. Heather O'Dea works with the Chief Marshals. Kaye Callender is the Chief Observer, with Sandra Peachey as her Assistant - both hail from New South Wales. After being in Race Control the past few years, Catherine McDonald of Melbourne - a veteran of all AGP's - is now on the ground with a new role as mentoring the Comms. FIFTY YEARS IN THE GAME PETER NELSON This year marks fifty years in motorsports for Peter Nelson, of Melbourne. He started in 1965 at Phillip Island, back in the days when they ran 2x4 races - two wheel motorcycles and four-wheel cars. Interesting, to say the least, for the first few race meetings when neither genre's marshals thought it would/they could work with the others. It did. Peter has worked all of the now 31 AGP Formula One races. It was Peter, then Secretary of the Event, who conceived the concept of Boundary Riders, and also starting with the first AGP in Adelaide the team of Sector Marshals was born. One of the key thing to which Peter attributes to how well things go and have gone at AGP since the beginning - especially when adding new teams or concepts, is having good people to do the job, with the mentality to think things through ahead of time and plan for every contingency well in advance.

3 REACHING A MILESTONE 19 YEARS OF THE CAMS OFFICIALS GAZETTE This year marks the nineteenth year for the AGP Officials Newsletter, aka Gazette, at Albert Park in Melbourne. Back in 1997 Bruce Keys, then Deputy Secretary of the Meeting and CAMS Safety Manager, had an idea to rev up and make things new and interesting for the race marshals. He discussed it with Secretary of the Meeting, Peter Nelson, and the newsletter idea was born, hatched, and I was asked to do the job. The concept was based on a similar endeavour being done by Rally Australia for several years. We've come a long way since the early days of a one-person, one page text-only issue to today's five-member team producing four to eight page issues filled with colour photographs. It was slow going at first, with technical reproducing issues and time constraints. The Gazette evolved into more pages, then black and white photos; and then with the advent of high-speed colour copiers, we added colour photos and lots of them, making the Gazette a sought-after product, which is, distributed daily at Morning Muster. Now, with the growing range of electronic technology and the magic of the Internet, the issues can also now be found online as soon as they're printed. Daily the issues are posted on the CAMS website at For those savvy with social media, the links are also posted on Twitter as well as on three separate specialty Facebook pages - International Formula 1 Marshals & Officials Group; Flag Marshals of the World; and Corner Workers of the World Group. I also post it on my own Facebook page. The Gazette has longevity, as does its dedicated team. Editor Richard McLean of Melbourne has been at it since 2005; Michael Shaw, Sydney photographer, has done eleven years; and Photographer Ron Searle- currently working in Doha, has seven years on his resume. This year Liam Meegan joined the team, and was with Richard and myself two years ago for the Clipsal Officials Newsletter. I hope you've enjoyed the journey as much as have I. Lynne Huntting

4 FEATURE STORY: CHATTING WITH CHARLIE PART 2 It's a privilege each year that I have the opportunity at AGP to Chat with FIA Race Director/Permanent Starter/Safety Delegate Charlie Whiting. FIA is very strict about interviewing FIA officials. The number of race officials or teams staffed at any given Formula One event is absolutely up to the organiser. What FIA looks at is the overall numbers and the length of the track, how many corners, would clearly dictate that and who's included in those numbers. If one can have a typical figure, depending on who is included, it would include Intervention Marshals, Flag Marshals, Observers, Corner Chiefs, Recovery Vehicle Operators, Firemen, and all medical staff. All of those would be expected, and at an average length circuit that would be around 600 marshals... sometimes more, sometimes less. FIA doesn't really impose an exact number. It depends a lot on how the layout of the track, and how they operate. For example, in Hockenheim, they have 'Moving Marshals' - a van full of marshals that can go anywhere, to boost the quantity of marshals in a given place. So there are lots of ways of doing things. But when FIA comes to a new circuit, it gets much more involved, and goes through the plan in a lot of detail to try and help them. In Mexico, for example, we'll be doing a lot of work with those guys to try and make sure they've got everything about right based on our lots of experience at Formula One events. But Mexico has a pretty good heritage with racing, with Formula One and successful Champ Car races in Mexico City and Monterrey, only ten years ago. Other races held in Mexico include NASCAR, Trans-Am, World Sports Cars, Formula Atlantics, and Grand-Am. In Melbourne, I approve the pass list and compare it to previous years and off we go. It's been 20 years and we know we don't have to worry. There are experienced marshals and a massive amount of them carry over from one year to the next. (ED Note: Out of the approximately 930 AGP marshals on 22 teams, 41 have worked every race since Adelaide And experience tells you that here you don't have to give specific instructions for everything which needs being done. Whereas the newer the circuit, the more details you have to have in your instructions. It's up to the local ASN to determine if outside help is needed with training. Currently, for example, the plan for Mexico intends to do some work with the Hungarians, who have dome some work for FIA in other countries. CAMS, of course, have done Bahrain, Gabon, Korea, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, and Sri Lanka. The United States doesn't have a training team. It's a different ASN setup - a conglomerate of various different sanctioning bodies, not the classic ASN setup as in most other countries. The Motor Sports Association in the UK is one. They did Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and after that the Hungarians helped out. Hungary also helped out in Austria last year even though Austria has quite a history of motorsports. Austria approached the Hungarians to provide a core of experienced team of experienced F1 senior officials to make sure that they got it just right, and that arrangement will carry on for another couple of years.

5 NEWS TIPS Have you got an exciting story that we don t know about yet? Maybe you re celebrating a milestone with us at the Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix? Make sure you drop us a line or come and see us at the Muster Tent each morning and we will be sure to do our best to include your story in the Officials Newsletter. The best way to get in contact is via at liam@directmanagementg roup.com.au or give us a ring or text message, When you contact us, be sure to include your officials team and location around the track so we can grab some photos and an interview. BEHIND THE SCENES THE ROLE OF THE COURSE MARSHAL WITH SKIP TAYLOR Skip Taylor of Melbourne has been driving the Course Car since the first Adelaide AGP in He is considered a Safety Officer on track, in charge of the circuit. He 'Opens' and 'Closes' the circuit for each session, as well as doing Inspection laps. One of the qualities necessary for the job of Course Car driver is focus. Skip is always scanning as he drives the course looking for anything out of order or unsafe, and he is in communication to Race Control - Chief Observer or if need be, Clerk of Course, Tim Schenken. Before Skip did his first stint as Course Car driver in Adelaide, he and Henk Duncan, National Clerk of the Course, went to observe the process at the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa Francorchamps. Skip started his motorsports car started in 1968 at Phillip Island and Sandown with V8's. He was originally a Flaggie to start and then moved up to Assistant Clerk of Course. In case you haven't seen it, Skip did a six minute tutorial/explanatory video for SpeedCafe.com on flagging at this year's Bathurst 12-hour race. The video was just posted on YouTube. Skip has done 20 races for MotoGP and does 15 race meetings a year. During the weekend, Skip fills up his Mercedes E400 CDI twice daily and puts on 1100 kilometers. The car has a tri-colored light bar - green for opening the course, red for closing the course, and orange for general duties. The car carries kits of various bits and bobs, paperwork, forms etc. which may be needed around the course. Skip's week starts on Tuesday and is non-stop all weekend. He opens and closes all sessions, and is alone in the car - no one riding shotgun, no VIP riders, etc. Skip has been training a new driver, Mario Pacifici of Melbourne, who will be driving Course Car 1 next year, with Skip in Course Car 2. So far Mario has been mentored at last year's AGP and this year. His first stint alone in the car as driver was Friday morning. Mario had been a Sector Marshal for a long time. RACE GUIDE: SATURDAY 11AM Shannons Historic Demonstration 11:35AM MSS Security V8 Supercar Driver Parade Lap 12:10PM Penrite Oils Heritage Touring Cars Race 2 12:45PM Porsche Carrera Cup Race 2 2PM Formula 1 Practice 3 3:20PM MSS Security V8 Supercars Race 3 4:05PM Speed Comparison Demo 3 5:00PM Formula 1 Qualifying