Cal Club's Volunteer
Race Officials
Did you know it takes about 80 or more SCCA Race Official Volunteers to put on an event? They pay their way and give of their time because they love racing as much as the drivers do!
Cal Club has set up several ways to help them out. At Buttonwillow we have an 18 bed mobile home, complete with kitchenette, satellite TV, showers free of charge on a first come first served basis. Cal Club provides lunches, and drinks at stations and evening socials as well as a Worker Chip system that allows the volunteer to use them as money in the cafe, tire shop, merchandise stand or trade them in to pay their SCCA membership. Cal Club also honors those volunteers that work 90% of the events each year with special awards at the end of the year.
Have you noticed the Donation area in your entry for the volunteers? You may wonder what happens when I donate to this fund? Well, the money collected every event is given out in $50 checks to our volunteers. The total fund for the weekend is added up, divided by 50 and all the volunteer names are put in a hat and names pulled by the number of checks available that weekend.
We are starting a raffle each weekend to add to the volunteer fund. You can buy and see the raffle items at the Cal Club Merchandise and Results booth know as the Question Box, and remember you can always add a donation to the Volunteer fund at on site registration.
We want to thank all of you that give to the volunteer fund, it is much appreciated. As you know with out our Race Officials we can not have an event. Give them a big thumbs up, go by their area and say thank you or better yet bring someone with you that might want to volunteer! We are always needing more help and their are all kinds of positions from those that are early risers, to those that like to sleep in or those that want to be indoors, those that want to touch race cars and or be in the thick of the action.
This month we like to spotlight our Starters:
The Volunteer SCCA/Cal Club starter teams says, we have the same flags as all other corners, we just get to wave the green at the start, and we are the only ones displaying the checker at the end. Between the start and the finish, we are using the blue flag, keeping lap charts so we know who is in the lead, throwing yellows, debris flags etc., as necessary and waiting, to throw that final checker flag. To say that the anticipation of the start is not a big deal, and the reason we do this, would be a lie. When you see that race group in line, and throw that green flag, there is a feeling of accomplishment, especially if they make it through turn 1 without any incidents. When it comes to the finish, the number one responsibility is don’t screw it up. Even though we are tracking the first several positions throughout the race and keeping clocks on the leader, all that can change with an incident on the last lap. When we drop the Checker, like the drivers, there is a sense of satisfaction.
Want to join us? Let us know and we will train you right up on the starter stand!
