Local marshals brought up to speed in Barbados
EIGHT members of the Marshalling Club of Jamaica were part of a motorsports training exercise held at Bushy Park, Barbados, recently.
Hosted by the Barbados Motoring Federation (BMF), the programme had more than 170 volunteer officials and marshals. It is being hailed as the largest of its kind in the Caribbean.
“The Marshalling Club of Jamaica was elated to be a part of this record-breaking training event,” Tiffany Bryan, who led the Jamaican delegation, told the Jamaica Observer‘s weekly Auto magazine.
The training exercise — funded by Cluster Grant Application by the BMF to the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), the international body responsible for motorsports — included participants from across the region such as Barbados, Antigua, Guyana, and Jamaica.
While the event ran for four days, July 21 through 24, the core of the training for the Jamaican delegates happened on the weekend of July 23 and 24. Marshals were educated on a wide range of flag, communication and track protocols, and systems in both a classroom and practical setting. The second day of their programme saw them apply this knowledge during an actual event by having to marshal a Bushy Park Circuit Incorporated Track Day.
“We learned a lot and truly appreciated collaborating with the regional national sporting authorities,” said Bryan.
Bryan added that the information gained will be brought back to Jamaica.
“We have already arranged for a training session with the rest of the club. The Marshalling Club of Jamaica will be amending some of our local protocols, and we will also seek to influence the national sporting authorities or regional clubs to update rules,” said Bryan.