To all my good friends in the ASRQ:
Thank you all very much for your help on a very very, memorable event. It turned out to be the very first road race Champ Car has ever held on a weekday, so each one of you is now a part of history!
I want to thank you all especially for your hard work throughout the weekend. Your flagging was timely, your communications and observations were very accurate, and your interventions and on-track operations were done safely and with care. I know how difficult a day it was with only 8 laps put in between our two series on Sunday, and then you all bravely put up with the terrible weather and the "waiting around" for a decision to come back on Monday. You all handled yourselves with understanding and professionalism, and you gave me such a courteous response at the end of the day. I will never forget it!
To those 38 marshals who could return to help us on Monday, perhaps you were most impressive with your attitude in the morning meeting. I got the strong and confident feeling that you were ready to handle anything. Never before can I say that such a small group were able to accomplish such a large task. The Monday race day ran very smoothly in both races!
In conclusion, I would like to thank your officers again, Alain, France, Nancy, as well as Richard and Claude-Olivier in Race Control. They think of you and look after your interests constantly and they deserve all the praise you and I can give them.
We will not be returning to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve soon, but will continue our efforts to return to Quebec someday, possibly in Quebec City or even out at Mirabel. Until we return, we shall keep you in our thoughts as we will long remember this spectacular finish to our five-year run in Montreal with the ASRQ. Please come and see us when you can, in Toronto, Cleveland, Edmonton or wherever your travels may take you.
The above missive was posted for me on the ASRQ/QRFA website the week after what was our last event in Montreal at the Gilles Villenueve circuit. The weekend ran quite smooth until it started raining on Sunday morning, the only big question on our minds being when and where we might return. The rights-holder to the events on the circuit, Normand Legault, made it clear to us we were not coming back. Busch Grand National and Grand Am will replace us. Mon Dieu, where will they paddock all those cars??
It was really one of those days, hadn’t had one since Elkhart back in 2003. The rain came down, we red-flagged the Atlantic race after a slow single file rolling start, as it was just too much, hoping to continue after the Champ Car race. A small break in the weather got the Champ Car race underway but the rain steadily picked up again and we red flagged that one too, much to the delight of the slippin’, slidin’ and soaked drivers.
I stood watch at my laptop weather radar , spouting off my prognostications as to when the rain would stop, and eventually it did, but the track conditions were long gone by 5 PM, so arrangements and agreements were negotiated by our promoter Alain Labrosse (a great guy, btw) with the City to allow us to run again on Monday. There are a TON of services that need to be re-connected for an event that was supposed to end on Sunday, so it took awhile before we could call it an official day. All of which left our marshals either crouching underneath their rain tarps or whatever they could find for a few miserable hours. A tough day all around but a great effort and help nonetheless.
Our promoter’s reaction to all this was phenomenal, when confronted with the fact that all but a handful of our marshals had to return back to their jobs on Monday, it was proposed, and quickly agreed, to PAY those who could rearrange their schedules to come back the next day! The ASRQ reckoned the daily rate for marshalling test days at St. Jovite is around $90 CAN. But with so short notice, The ASRQ thought they would ask for more than that to get a sufficient number of marshals on the Monday. A figure in the 150 dollar range was going to convince enough people to miss work by either calling in sick, taking a vacation day, or taking an unpaid day off. Being quite used to what some of our other US promoters would think of this, I quietly thought “fat chance,” but Mr. Labrosse came thru and offered to split several thousand dollars among the 38 marshals who could make it back. Wow. This, along with some honest explanations, eased the brunt of standing around all day waiting for something to happen!
Yes, there are only two marshals in this photo.
The next morning the brave 38 returned, and it worked out to two marshals per post at the “busy” stations with just one alone on the straights and others. I was really , really impressed at how confident, yet cautious, everyone looked at the briefing. Even though this would be the thinnest per mile we would ever attempt for a Champ Car road race, my French Communicator Richard LeDuc quickly reminded me that for club events this is the usual turnout and they all were more than used to working with so few. New for me, but something I’m sure you have all experienced. Could be a look into the future, I’m afraid to say, as the average age of Marshals in the US is probably creeping over 50 plus. We will have to get used to doing events with less people in the coming years, but where will we be in 2020?
The Atlantic race was fairly quiet, as I expected a “let’s get it done” attitude from the competitors, which often shows up on a Monday race. The closest finish in quite a while as Graham Rahal held off a charging Simon Pagenaud right at the line. It seemed all the action for the Champ cars happened at the “English Chicane” so dubbed by me as three of the four marshals assigned to the three posts there that day were Anglophones!
Merci beaucoup and thanks to all again for the longest road racing weekend in our history. Let’s look for warmer, dryer weather at Mt. Tremblant!
JHS
