Rescue

Any Motorsport UK sanctioned motorsport event in the UK will, if required, need to have a licensed rescue crew and vehicle onsite. Essentially, they provide rescue and medical facilities, mainly for competitors, in case the worst should happen and somebody is hurt or trapped in a car following an incident.

Crews work with a doctor or paramedic, and carry fire extinguishers and a wide range of equipment, similar to what you’d find on a frontline ambulance if you dialled 999. Should a competing driver or crew have an accident and be unlucky enough to become trapped in their car it will be their job to treat them for any injuries they may have and then extricate them from the car, which could even mean cutting the car apart using mechanical shears; in that respect crews do a similar job to what the fire service does on the road. But this can be ar a race circuit or deep into a forest on a rally a long way from civilisation.

Different members of the rescue crew have different roles, but usually everybody is medically trained to a standard whereby they can provide first aid at the scene and aid the doctor or paramedic.

The principle of the role is essentially the same between disciplines such as race and rally. The difference is that at a race circuit you can usually get to the scene very quickly, and in fact there’s a target response time of 90 seconds. There isn’t a response time on a rally; the guideline is that there should be one vehicle at the start of a stage, and if the stage is over nine miles long there will be another vehicle at a mid-point. Then there’s the fact that the vehicles you can be dealing are often very different, for example a single-seater at a race event compared to a rally car.

If you’d like to join a rescue crew, reach out to your local motor club or event who can point you in the direction of your nearest rescue unit. You then need to get in touch the crew chief, who will either take you out to observe the unit on an event or, if you’ve already been out marshalling and gained some experience, invite you straight to a training day.

If the crew chief is satisfied that you’re the right person to join, they’ll supply a letter of endorsement to accompany your Motorsport UK New Officials Registration form, which you need to fill out.

Motorsport UK will then issue your trainee licence, and you’re free to go out on the rescue unit. You have to attend a number of training days and within a three-year period, once the crew chief is happy that you’ve done all the relevant training and you’ve got all the signatures from your various training days, you can make yourself available for an assessment.

You’ll be assessed on all medical and rescue matters and will have to tackle a live scenario, where you’ll have to demonstrate your knowledge of treating injured competitors and extricating them using the appropriate equipment. All the while you’ll be watched by a Motorsport UK assessor and normally a doctor or paramedic. If you’re successful, another letter will be sent to Motorsport UK and your full licence will be issued.