Getting involved with Motor Sport, whether on two wheels or four, is seen by many people as an unobtainable dream, but there are many more ways to become part of this exciting sport besides being a competitor.
In order for any event to take place a large number of volunteers is required and as we prepare for another busy season Mondello Park is recruiting for the year ahead. The jobs that are undertaken can be roughly split into on-track and off-track, with a wide variety of positions to suit all talents. In all cases, experience is not required as training is carried out at events and as your experience grows there is the potential to graduate into the more senior positions.
If you really want to get close to the action and don't mind a bit of physical effort, track-side marshalling is a great way to become involved. The Mondello Track Team looks after Car Events while the Motorcycle Marshals Association looks after all Motorcycle Events. Both of these groups are made up of the ultimate Motorsport enthusiasts, so there is a good cross-over between the two. Marshals primary duties revolve around keeping the track in a safe condition for racing, dealing with crashed cars and fallen riders and communicating the track or race conditions to competitors via flag signals. Beyond that basic description, the actual tasks carried out can vary widely from event to event and working as a marshal gives a great insight into just what goes into running a race meeting.
Behind the scenes there are many more jobs being carried out, many unseen by the public. From time keeping, which is carried out using sophisticated electronic timing and computer systems, through to organising the paddock and controlling access gates, with each job essential for the proper running of an event. Over time, officials can progress from the likes of race logging, which records all on track activities on a dedicated computer system, through to Clerk of the Course, which is the most senior position and the person in overall control of an event and there are many other positions in between. Furthermore, some of Mondello’s officials now work at the highest levels of the sport internationally, including Formula 1.
The Mondello Park Sports Club both organises and assists at Car and Motorcycle Racing events, both at the venue as well as events like Top Gear Live, Bavaria City Racing Dublin last year and the Phoenix Park motor races annually. Becoming a member is not a pre-requisite to assisting at an event and we invite people to come down, try it out and if they like what they see to join up. Even when you join one of our clubs, this does not require a commitment from you to assist at a specific number of events.
If you have a passive interest in Motorsport and would like more information or to join the Mondello Park family then please contact; Mondello Park on 045-860200 or info@mondellopark.ie and let us know whether it’s Cars or Motorcycles you’re interested in and whether it’s as a race official or track marshal and we can direct you from there.