Chillitown battle race-flaggers

Brady Patterson

Brady Patterson

Noob
As I watching before and after my motos, I noticed something. The flaggers sucked. If you have 20 people screaming and not even a flagger looking, that's pitiful. Todd Kriegs mom had to run out to help Pflieder (spelling) with his shoulder. A flagger came after he was helped off the track. Absolutely terrible. And the flagger took my goggles from me in the open B pile up. Why? Not sure if I want to go back.
 
I read in another post that Shafer had serious issues too.I think instead of Chillitown flaggers lets talk flaggers in general. It seems to me this is a universal problem I see people complain about across many boards about just about every track.

How many times have you heard an announcement on the PA at most tracks asking if anyone wants to flag for the days event? It seems to me that flaggers are recruited regardless of their experience. It doesnt matter if they are previously hired or asked the day of the event to work. Many times they seem to be young people more worried about watching the races than their post. Or watching the oncoming riders going over the jump they are watching instead of the down side where the riders normally go down.

The new Ironman track in Indiana had some really bad flagging this year. You would think that a race of that magnitude would have experienced flaggers. What is needed is a training class for proper flagging. There are times when the riders safety is as much in the hands of the flagger as any other time. Teach them to

1. watch the proper location of your post. Look at the areas where the riders may wreck and not the fun stuff. A flaggers job is rider safety not spectating.
2. Pay attention all around you. If you hear people screaming look around for possible problems you dont happen to see on your Iphone.
3. When using your yellow flag wave it in a fashion that riders know there is an issue not just holding it half way up and looking at the pits. Get aggressive with the thing, your not going to hurt it! Let the riders see you, wave them in a direction to help them avoid the downed rider.
4. When possible, only if no riders are coming, help the downed rider off the track to increase safety

Maybe some one should come up with a flagger safety and rule manual. Flaggers should be required to read it and pass a test before being allowed to flag. And like any employee, since most if not all are paid, they should be subject to firing if they perform poorly.
 
"And like any employee, since most if not all are paid"

Really? I always thought most were volunteers. I'm not sure a promoter can afford to pay flaggers on top of all the other expenses. I agree, they should have some kind of training, but just not sure how to get it all covered by the promoters.

Again, I'm not trying to argue that safety isn't first, I'm just trying to see from both sides.
 
Nice! Well maybe that would give me an excuse to come hang at the races, if I could flag and get paid.
 
It is the referees job to make sure the flaggers are trained and well equipped. Been beating this drum for years. The LARGE organization that sanctions these races SHOULD be taking responsibility for the training of all event staff. All promoters pay the insurance to that organization, therefore they should be stepping up and doing something about it. I seen 2 people this week with an AMA shirt on. First one had his hand out collecting money from all the racers that HAD to buy a membership. The second, all I seen him do was talk to the guy turning the card. ALL FREAKING DAY.
You guys that defend the AMA every time I talk about them, Defend that.
 
I think flaggers should be an active or past motocrosser. No phones, no chairs. There should be a head roaming flagger to watch the other flag persons and fill in for potty breaks. A simple flagger meeting is usually sufficient if those in duty have common sense and said Moto roots. Flagging is about attention and common sense, nothing more.
 
Kim Adams chewed out the super mini class riders for not obeying the yellow flag for a rider down at the end of the whoops. In my opinion, he was way over the top and dramatic. How about pulling the top 5 Super mini riders aside and actually docking them laps! They were the ones jumping through the whoops, and he claims almost hit him three times. I watched the moto (my son was in it), and those were the violators......BUT, in defense of the riders, they had the yellow flag at the END of the whoops! How about getting that yellow flag out in front of the whoop section PRIOR to a rider entering them. BAD placement on his own fault.
 
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in my opinion, there should be no warnings for jumping on yellow. PERIOD! at begginning of year maybe cut some slack (due to fact that some are running AMA LLQ and rules are u can jump on yellow), but 4 months into race season everyone should know the rules or be punished. and the flaggers need to have moto experience, as should the track crew. i watched the guys over water the crap out of the track right before quads. i ever asked others what they thought and all agreed that track personal should have moto experience or be a rider so they know how the track should be taken care of
 
[QUOTE="Team MMR, post: 577383, member: 10442" at begginning of year maybe cut some slack (due to fact that some are running AMA LLQ and rules are u can jump on yellow), [/QUOTE]

Since when???? Only in pro mx/sx can you jump on yellow is my understanding.

Anyway, promoters can beat the drum about how great their flaggers are and there are no problems so that nothing will change on this topic. It would be great to just run status quo and do nothing because its easy, dont change, dont rock the boat, dont help grow our sport through confidence in safety by setting up a sanctioning body mandated training program for flaggers. We wouldnt want to be cutting edge or anything.

District 12 started with a ton of hype, lots of attendance and the promise of revitalized mx dreams too.
 
Now hang with me here...
One qualified and well trained crew of Scorers, Referee, Head flaggers, yellow flaggers, staging and gate crew, medical staff, Announcer and equipment operators that travel to all races on the schedule. All major racing organizations have one staff that covers all events. Do you think they have an announcement at Bristol at 9am "If anyone wants to flag, come to the concession stand" ?
If we can keep having events like this, I'm sure the cost could be justified.
I smell a business opportunity.
 
Regardless of pay or not, they should still do their job. Who wants to see anyone from a little kid to a 50+ rider get landed on, injured or even killed because that specific person wasn't doing their job. I just think it should be common sense wether or not they're paid or volunteer.
 
ck1racerx said:
Now hang with me here...
One qualified and well trained crew of Scorers, Referee, Head flaggers, yellow flaggers, staging and gate crew, medical staff, Announcer and equipment operators that travel to all races on the schedule. All major racing organizations have one staff that covers all events. Do you think they have an announcement at Bristol at 9am "If anyone wants to flag, come to the concession stand" ?
If we can keep having events like this, I'm sure the cost could be justified.
I smell a business opportunity.
Click to expand...

I think Bristol has a paid employed full time staff, because they can afford it. I think the travel costs and lodging for such a crew would do it in.
 
I've been a flagger for a club and it's the most thankless job there is. You bake in the sun all by yourself the entire day watching other people have fun. Yes I was good at it but the job sucks so you're not going to get motocrossers to do it. You're going to get a motocrosser's buddy who wants to make $20. You don't need 20 pro flaggers. You just need one good flagger manager to manage the other 20. Here's a perfect example of poor placement:
Capture.JPG
Capture2.JPG
 
I have ran qualifiers where you were allowed to jump on yellow. Could not jump on a cross flag, but it's not that hard to know the difference to which race you are at. One thing I notice sometimes is flag location. The yellow may be after the downed rider or right beside them. The flag needs to be put out ahead of the accident to get people slowed down before they get there.
 
Most of the flaggers at Chillitown are volunteers from the Christian Motorcycle Association. This is a good bunch of people just wanting to help, they just need more training. Personally, I think all the tracks could use more flaggers. I've seen a lot worse....like a guy at a triple with his back to the track, texting...who I think was getting paid to do it.
 
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