By Tiana Pringley
Before the lights go out and cars speed past at the Sydney 500, there is an entire team of volunteers working behind the scenes to make it all possible.
Volunteers keep a race weekend running smoothly. From flag marshalling to pit lane assistant these volunteers dedicated their time to make sure race weekend is safe, organised and enjoyable for everyone.
Kaitie was a flag marshal at the Sydney 500 when asked about the best part about volunteering she replied: “How close to the action you can get and that volunteers are the ones who help out the most.”
Flag marshals stand just metres from the track ready to wave flags to communicate with the drivers to keep them safe, a role that holds a lot of responsibility.
Kaitie said the most challenging part of her role is that there is a lot to learn, from hand signals to what each coloured flag means, but she said that support from experienced volunteers and officials makes it easier.
“You’ll always have support,” she said.
Motorsport may focus on engines but it is the volunteers that make a race weekend happen.
Feature image: Tiana Pringley interviews Kaitie at the Sydney 500 (left) and Tiana beside Michael Sherwell’s V8 Superute. Photos: Tiana Pringley
