Meet Formula 1's unsung heroes

Have you ever felt such a sense of commitment and unrivalled passion for a job that you’d do it for free?

Believe it or not, those people do exist. And in the case of the F1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix, they’re called CAMS Grand Prix officials.

These men and women are regularly referred to as the ‘behind the scenes’ folk. Truth is that, without them, things just wouldn’t happen. Not only are the CAMS officials critical in making the Melbourne F1 Grand Prix a safe and fair reality, they do it for free. True, there are no paid positions.

The near 1000-strong team of officials at this year’s Formula 1 Rolex Australian Grand Prix are the unsung heroes of Australia’s premier motor sport event.

In 2017, the Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (CAMS) – the body responsible for management of Australia’s motor sport volunteer officials – received 1000 applications to officiate. That’s more than enough to meet the near-950 positions spread across 21 teams who work passionately and tirelessly across the four-day event.

In case you’re wondering, those teams are spread across race administration, marshal services, race control officials, sector marshals, flag marshals, communications, track marshals, pit lane and grid, scrutineers, fire and rescue, spectator control, vehicle recovery, timing, support paddock, information, boundary riders, spectator marshals, equipment, historic garage, water rescue and medical.

Starting to get the picture?
The unique thing is that anyone can apply to become a CAMS F1 Grand Prix official. Experience counts, as does occupational credentials in certain teams such as fire or medical, and a CAMS licence is a pre-requisite.

But getting started is actually quite simple. Inexperienced volunteers are generally paired with the experienced to give guidance along the way.

The message of support and training is strong, but it’s no walk in the park, according to CAMS F1 officials manager, Charise Bristow.

“A normal official, without additional higher level responsibilities, would contribute anywhere from 12 to 14 hours per day over the 4 day event,” Bristow said.

But nobody tells the story better than the officials themselves.

Arrrr, beware the scrutineers
Ewan Cole is a former F1 chief scrutineer, and is now technical commissioner for the Australian GT Championship. He started as a scrutineer with CAMS in 1973 and has been part of the F1 Australian Grand Prix since 1985.

In short, what Cole doesn’t know about managing volunteer officials for a motor sport event probably isn’t worth knowing.

In his 11 years as F1 chief scrutineer, Ewan managed a team of 60 officials over the four-day event, in the thick of pit-lane adrenalin.

The scrutineering team’s duty is to check all the cars for safety and eligibility prior to them going onto the track for the first time, or before returning to the track after an incident. They can be found in the support paddock and in pit lane.

“Around 30 to 32 volunteers are with the F1 teams and the rest will do all the support categories - from historics to supercars and all the other categories,” explains Cole.

Working alongside passionate people with great ambitions, Cole says the balance is a challenge. As are the long days.

The right team is also critical: “What I tended to do is keep the F1 crew the same, unless they ask not to be there, [or] unless they did something diabolically bad!

“The F1 teams appreciate having the same faces to deal with. When they come to Melbourne they knew the people had experience and they could be relied on.

“We do however welcome new people - to give people experience is a really good thing,” Cole adds.

Power to the people
For CAMS volunteer Nerida Auld, the Australian Grand Prix is a way of life – her husband and teenage daughter are also volunteer officials.

A self-described petrol head, the 2017 AGP was always going to be a good fit for fourth-year official Nerida, working roles as a spectator marshal, track marshal, flag marshal and in communications.

“The bond that you make: you look out for each other, make new friends,” she says.

“It doesn’t hurt that you’re a metre from the track. You’re part of a bigger picture and it’s a privilege to do it.”

At just 16 years old, Auld’s daughter is a young official and part of the boundary rider team.

“She can’t ride a motorbike so she runs batteries to the marshals around the course… runs lunches to marshals if they need it.   She was quite the social butterfly last year,” laughs Auld, who says her daughter is raring to go come March 23.

For the love of it
A CAMS official for 51 years, Roger Chirnside embodies the true spirit of what it means to be a volunteer.

“It’s very simple. You do it for the love of it,” he says.

“The satisfaction you get out of doing the jobs is one of the highlights, apart from seeing the cars on the track. It’s the satisfaction in doing a job to the best of your ability.”

A senior official with CAMS, Chirnside works with a team of over 400 marshals including flags, spectators and trackside. And as far as Roger is concerned, the requirements for being a good volunteer are simple.

“You’ve got to be able to manage yourself, have a positive attitude to what you’re doing,” he says.

“We don’t get paid and you’re out in all weather, you get a cold pie and warm beer at the end of the day.  Be prepared for anything that may go on. The rewards are huge and you get the best view in the house - trackside.”

Chirnside tempers his enthusiasm with one stark reality: motor sport is dangerous.

“There’s no glossy way of putting it, it’s a dangerous thing we do,” he says.

“But now with all the CAMS initiatives… we were some of the first in the world to erect property safety fencing for officials. You can never eliminate every little danger but I do believe with our own training of officials and CAMS initiatives I think we’ve got it as safe as we can get it. But there’s always room for improvement.”

And Chirnside’s advice to would-be volunteers? “You’re never going to have as much fun as you do standing track side.”

Our advice? No matter where you find yourself trackside this year, you’ll definitely come across a CAMS official. Show your appreciation. They’ll never ask for it, because that’s not why they do it. But a simple nod or a thumbs-up shows some appreciation for the job they do.

As far as they’re concerned, the best job ever.