Having An Important Role In MotoGP, Marshal Recruitment Shouldn't Be Origin

One of the marshal's duties is to swiftly assist every driver who has a problem in the middle of the track. (Photo: ANTARA/Ahmad Subaidi)

JAKARTA - Although it seems trivial, the function of the marshal is very important in the MotoGP event. In general, the marshal's job is to help the driver in the event of an accident on the track. Not only will they help the drivers, they will also clean the track after the incident so that it can be reused.

Marshal in his orange uniform has important tasks both on track and in pitlane, with different roles in each race. Ahead of the implementation of MotoGP in Indonesia, the Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA) has prepared as many as 470 marshals to serve at the Mandalika Circuit, Lombok, on March 18-20 2022.

This was conveyed by MGPA representative, M Wahab S, in the virtual ITDC-MGPA and EMTEK Media Visit session. Wahab said, MGPA had conducted training for MotoGP marshals, who previously served in the 2021 WorldSBK event at the Mandalika Circuit, November 21.

Recruitment of marshals for the 2022 Indonesian MotoGP at the Mandalika Circuit. (Photo: ANTARA)

“In total there are 300 marshals on duty in World Superbike and 198 of them returned to work during the MotoGP pre-season tests. This means that the enthusiasm of the marshals, who are mostly native to Lombok, is indeed extraordinary. If during World Superbike, MGPA had to import a lot of marshals from the Sepang Circuit, Malaysia, MotoGP this time was dominated by Indonesians," said Wahab.

“Our selection is not too difficult, because the physical condition is our main focus. However, we still respect the rules made by the government, which means we can't include students as marshals. According to the law, this is not allowed. So, we follow the rules," he said.

The training for marshals was held by the Indonesian Motor Association (IMI), together with the MotoGP 2022 organizers at the Mandalika Circuit, MGPA.

IMI serves as a training instructor for all MotoGP marshals of Mandalika 2022, which consists of 198 ex-WSBK 2021. That number is added by 69 new marshal recruits, 51 Brimob members, and 20 personnel from the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas).

The local marshal was recruited from the community around the Mandalika Circuit, which involved the NTB automotive community and the Youth Organization of Pujut District, Central Lombok. Meanwhile, members of Brimob and Basarnas were recruited to serve as radio officers.

After receiving training on February 5, 2022, the marshals practiced in the field and distributed posts on February 6, 2022. Then on February 10, 2022, they conducted a MotoGP racing simulation.

Help from Malaysia

At least 10 marshals and 4 staff from the Sepang Malaysia circuit will be dispatched to Indonesia to participate in the success of the Mandalika MotoGP. The news was conveyed by the Sepang circuit via its official Instagram account, on Sunday, March 13, 2022.

"Sending love from SIC (Sepang International Circuit) for MotoGP Mandalika, good luck and always make us proud," reads the caption written by the official Instagram account @sepangcircuit.

The news was also conveyed by one of the Malaysian media, Tarmac Sports, via Instagram.

"4 SIC staff along with 10 marshals will go to Mandalika Circuit in stages on 13 and 15 March 2022," wrote Tarmac Sports on its Instagram account.

The presence of aid workers from Malaysia is the same as what happened when the Mandalika Circuit hosted the 2021 WorldSBK.

Fire fighting drills for marshals at the Mandalika Circuit. (Photo: Doc. MGPA)

Here are the types and tasks of the marshals on the track:

Trackside Marshal

Responsible for helping to ensure that the track is free of potentially dangerous obstacles. They will intervene when there is damage to the racing motorbike, riders fall, crashes on the track, to clean debris, gravel or oil from the circuit. Flag Marshal

Tasked with providing important signals to drivers on the track. This includes warning drivers about potential hazards, such as falling motorbikes, by waving a yellow flag. The Flag Marshal will also notify drivers that the track is clean by showing a green flag. This Marshal usually has an additional task as a Finishline Marshal, which is to raise the checkered flag at the end of the race.

Pit Marshal

This group of marshals is based in the pitlane and they will intervene when there is an incident in the pits, for example a collision between racing motorbikes entering and leaving their pitbox or dealing with a fire while refueling. Some pit marshals are also equipped with speed guns to ensure drivers do not exceed the permissible speed while walking in the pitlane.

Startline Marshal

These marshals play an important role before the race starts, ensuring that all the cars line up correctly on the grid. They then raise a yellow flag if a driver stops or tries to get out of the line when the race starts.

Paddock Marshal

Not only are marshals needed directly around the circuit itself, they can also perform other roles in the paddock. The paddock marshals perform a variety of tasks including ensuring all bikes are properly positioned in the assembly area, before they head to the grid.

Administrative Marshal

These marshals are rarely seen on the circuit because their duties lie behind the scenes, such as communicating between the post marshal chief and the course officer, who is in charge of the race. Just because this group of marshals is less visible doesn't mean they don't have an important role to play in ensuring a successful race meeting.

The quality of the marshal for MotoGP is one of the important things in the MotoGP race at the Mandalika Circuit, because the role of the marshal is the spearhead of the safety of the riders. So that the race goes smoothly and safely.