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The kingdom’s finest marshals will showcase their skills on the world stage again this coming weekend as they gear up to provide safety excellence at the Formula One Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
In total 88 volunteers will be making the journey for the second iteration of the Eurasian race as part of an ongoing agreement between officials at the Baku Street Circuit and the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC).
Fayez Ramzy Fayez, president of the Motorsports Marshals Club of Bahrain, said: “We’re thrilled to once again support the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with our group of fantastic, world-class marshals.
“Two years ago, the chief executive of the Baku circuit and his deputy approached us and saw how we operated at the Bahrain Grand Prix and loved what they saw. They then put out a public tender for marshal training that six countries bid for, including the UK, Russia, Australia and ourselves.
“They loved the package we put together and accepted our proposal, which was to train their marshals, operate two races and then effectively ‘hand over’ to them within a two-year programme.”
Plans were quickly put in motion, with the BIC sending recruiters to Azerbaijan to offer insight on who to select for the job, before inviting those selected as marshals over to the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix for advanced training and to see how a cohesive unit operates.
Motorsport marshals contribute to enjoyable, efficient and safer motor racing. They are responsible for the safety of competitors and are stationed at various points of potential danger around race tracks to assist them in case of any collisions, accidents or track problems.
Last year, for the inaugural race, 250 volunteers with years of experience running events at the BIC travelled 15 days prior to the race where they led the final extensive training for the Azerbaijanis and operated the race last year.
It takes approximately 1,000 people to run a race under fire, medical and race categories, and last year all chiefs and deputies were from Bahrain, with the Baku volunteers taking the remaining roles as juniors.
This year, roles are being reversed as part of the ‘hand-over’ process, with fewer from Bahrain attending. These will effectively act as ‘shadows’ of their Azerbaijani counterparts, keeping an eye on proceedings and being prepared to step in to take the lead if necessary.
Fayez explained: “After this year, the state of play will be assessed. Hopefully it will run extremely smoothly in Baku and we won’t be needed next year!
“However, there is the complication that it’s a street circuit, so it’s only prepared for a couple of weeks before the race and then it doesn’t exist throughout the rest of the year. For that reason, retention of marshals is difficult because there aren’t events all year round, unlike at the BIC for example, and this year 350 of the 1,000 aren’t returning.”
This isn’t the first time Bahrain has been involved in marshal training, having also overseen the running of the first two races of the former Indian Grand Prix.
Fayez believes that new circuits will look to Bahrain for years to come as the sport continues to grow and its marshals establish themselves as the best in the world.
He said: “We’re very proud of our marshals and the chance to export our marshals. Usually Bahrain imports things or brings in help from outside to run certain events, so giving back to the world is fantastic.
“Everything is voluntary and our team love sharing their knowledge, culture and experiences with others. They love the hospitality they receive, and in return have such a willingness to teach and offer advice.
“None of them treat it as a contract or a job, but instead their passion that they want to be as good and professional as possible.”
