Dubai: One of the top race officials is confident the local marshals will derive a major part of their experience walking hand in hand with the outstation marshals at next week's Abu Dhabi GP.
There will be an estimated 700 marshals — 350 of these from the British Automobile Racing Club (BARC), doing various duties from being track marshals, medics, scrutineers and pit lane officials.
"The marshals from BARC have the knowledge, we don't. We have been training these guys and they have been absorbing the details. But once they have a big brother hold his hand during the race, they will learn 99 per cent of what they are meant to learn," John Spiller, Deputy Clerk of the course, told Gulf News.
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Of the 700, 256 will be on duty as track marshals, another 80 to 90 will be medics, another 32 will help in the scrutineering while the remainder will be pit lane officials.
Expertise
"It's quite a complex hierarchy really, but we've got to make the logistics work, plus live with the demands of security. It's a very restrictive atmosphere," Spiller said.
"But what we have been stressing with these guys is that we are all beginners at this and that we are here this year to learn using the expertise of the well-experienced marshals who are coming in from the UK. We need not be nervous," he said.
"And on the Monday of the Grand Prix, our marshals can walk away virtually as qualified marshals," he added.
