Motorsport Officiating

A part of my life that I haven’t written about before is my volunteer motorsport officiating. I’ve loved motorsport for as long as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are watching the Bathurst 1000 or the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix from Adelaide on television. My parents were not motorsport nuts, but I did go to the Gold Coast Indy 300 in the early 1990s. We would often drive past Surfers Paradise International Raceway and the little Go-Kart track there, but we were always going somewhere else.

About 8 years ago, I had the opportunity to get involved in officiating for the first time. To say that I loved it would be an understatement. Since then, I have spent many a weekend at a circuit, hillclimb, or dirt sprint track helping in some way to keep the event running safely. I’ve worked all sorts of events, from club hillclimbs, state championship circuit racing, historic events, national championships and even Supercars rounds. It has allowed me to meet so many amazing people along the way and learn so much; not just about the sport or officiating, but also about myself.

I recently stepped up my commitment to motorsport officiating. This year, I was elected as the vice president of the Queensland Motor Racing Officials Association. The club is celebrating its 60th anniversary this year, and is one of the oldest clubs in Australia dedicated to motorsport officials. I’ve also had the chance to try a few different roles, such as working in race control, marshalling, and timekeeping. The last one was a bit out of left field, but I’ve found it to be fascinating.

Over the weekend I was assessed and upgraded to a Bronze Timekeeping licence! I’m really excited about the opportunities ahead to learn and experience more in this space.