- Whether they work as marshals or paramedics – there can be no successful German WRC event without them
Volunteering as a helper is a matter of pride! And the ADAC Rallye Deutschland is proud to have many of them. Their motivation is not money – it is their passion for rally racing that makes them contribute to the success of the German WRC event on their own time. In 2013, some 3,000 helpers will see to it at all ends and without reprieve that the likes of Sébastien Ogier, Mikko Hirvonen or the local hero Sepp Wiegand can demonstrate their daring drifts.
The marshals: Safety for drivers and spectators
No rally without marshals. This year, some 2,000 volunteers will be needed alone to see to the smooth running of the 16 Special Stages between Cologne and the greater Trier area. The marshals are members of ADAC local clubs from all over Germany. And, for good measure, there will be helping hands from Holland or Sweden. Before somebody can act as a marshal, they get thorough training from ADAC. In addition to receiving ID as sport officials attesting their qualifications, they are briefed on the special requirements of this particular WRC rally.
A marshal’s main duty is security along the rally itinerary and in the spectator areas. Three hours before the first WRC car starts into a Special Stage (SS), the marshals are at hand. After being briefed by the Special Stage chief official, they move into their posts along the road. Each post is manned by at least two persons and a radio point is installed every three kilometres. The marshals’ equipment at the posts includes colour-coded tabards, fire extinguishers, whistles, brooms, warning triangles and handheld radios. The radio points are also equipped with yellow warning flags.
During a Special Stage, the marshals check and enter every vehicle passing them and immediately report any irregularities to Rally Control. In this manner they build a record of every passing competitor which may become an important back-up system for Rally Control when it comes to locating each vehicle on stage. In the event of an accident, the marshals or radio marshals call in assistance and administer first aid if required. Also, they secure the road for the vehicles that have also started into the stage.
Marshals charged with spectator security have an eye on the public making sure everybody complies comply with security rules. After the passage of the last rally car, it is the marshals’ responsibility to return the (spectator) area to its original state.
Local helpers: From the region for the region
One of the secrets for the great success of ADAC Rallye Deutschland is that the locals take great pride in this major event “right at their doors”. ADAC has made it a policy to implicate the towns along the itinerary in the organisation and furniture of spectator areas, car parks and catering to the spectators. These tasks are then usually assigned to local associations, groups or businesses.
In the case of ADAC Rallye Deutschland this means that there must be at least one car park for every spectator point. 100% of the parking fees (€1.00 per car park per car) go to the local towns, likewise any proceeds from public catering. Volunteering such services brings handsome and welcome revenue to the towns.
ADAC Rallye Deutschland ensures broad local support by working closely together with local sport clubs and associations. For instance, the clubs may open their gymnasiums to lodge marshals and other ADAC helpers coming to the regions from further afield. At the Baumholder military range, the German Bundeswehr hosts the helpers.
Installation and removal team: Groundbreaking teamwork
For the rally drivers to run their Special Stages as fast and as safely as possible, the road requires some preparation. Countless signs, hundreds of miles of cordon tape and a variety of other fencing must be taken to the specified points along the Special Stages, installed and then removed again. This is the task of the installation and removal teams – ten in all at this rally.
The actual number of volunteers depends on the length of the individual Special Stage, which the chief officials in charge of the Special Stages usually recruit from their ADAC local club. For a Special Stage like the SS “Grafschaft” covering a length of close to 20 km, the team consists of some twelve people.
Whereas materials and equipment are ordered weeks if not months in advance, the actual work for the installation and removal teams begins on the weekend before the ADAC Rallye Deutschland when the materials are delivered – in the case of the SS “Grafschaft” a full 7.5 t truck-load. Keeping exactly to the safety plan for the Special Stage, the volunteers under the direction of the chief official start installing everything. Everything needs to be in place for the recce on Monday, a reconnaissance drive at limited speed through the Special Stages which the drivers and co-drivers use to make their pace notes of the itinerary. Part of the installed materials will be removed again after the Recce and temporarily stored in containers along the stage.
On the Tuesday before the event, the teams start installing the spectator points and car parks. On this task, the volunteers work together closely with the landowners and local helpers. On the day before the first Special Stage, the teams set up everything again. The Special Stages and spectator points are all checked and furnished in compliance with environmental legislation and guidelines, using the knowledge of several environmental and conservancy organisations from the region. After the passage of the last rally car, the installation and removal teams are on again: All the materials and equipment installed is removed completely and trucked away. In a central ADAC warehouse, everything is inspected and maintained and stored for the next rally.
The medical teams: Assistance in worst-case scenarios
At the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, preparing for medical emergencies is a top priority. To be prepared for the potential medical needs of 200,000 spectators with due speed and expertise requires a large team of paramedics and doctors. On the 2013 rally days, 48 physicians and 90 EMS paramedics – all volunteers – will be on hand to assist the public and the drivers.
Assigned to the various Special Stages, ten ambulances and their doctor + paramedic teams will be stationed along the rally itinerary every day. Another ambulance is permanently on call to stand in for any ambulances that need to be deployed on a run to a hospital. At the ADAC Rallye Deutschland Service Park (MesseparkTrier fairground), a tent will be manned throughout the rally to serve as a central first aid point.
To further bolster the ADAC Rallye Deutschland medical infrastructure, three mobile paramedics can deploy on motorcycles. For cases where the quick intervention of an airborne rescue unit is needed, a HEMS helicopter will follow the point drivers in the rally from stage to Special Stage. Another safety precaution – this one particularly for the rally drivers – are the Medical Intervention Cars. These emergency response vehicles will be manned by a doctor, a paramedic, a fire-fighter and another assistant as required. At the ADAC Rallye Deutschland 23 such vehicles will be deployed along the itinerary prepared to intervene quickly should any emergency arise. Throughout the ADAC Rallye Deutschland, the medical assistance teams will be coordinated from Rally Control at the Trier Park Plaza by a specially trained chief medical officer.
Tickets to the ADAC Rallye Deutschland:
The German “flat rate” for rally fans: Five days of unadulterated rallying, including access to each and every spectator area at the Shakedown and every Special Stage. The passes also grant access to the Service Park, where the fans can watch the mechanics at work and meet the rally drivers. They also include a spectator map covering all essential information and showing the best viewing spots, a pass lanyard and an ADAC Rallye Deutschland decal. The passes are available for €69.00 (€64.00 for ADAC members) + shipping throughat the Ticket Shop at www.adac-rallye-deutschland.de. Call the ticket hotline at: +49 (0)261-13 03 66. Tickets for one or the other Special Stage only are available starting at €15.00.