06 Aug A 17 YEAR-OLD MARSHAL’S POINT OF VIEW
You heard it here first: a marshal that’s only 17 years old. To be a Marshal at Killarney International Raceway, you must be 16 years of age and have parental/guardian approval. In fact, I started out as a marshal in 2024, when I was 16, alongside my father, Jaco Zaayman.
When I had first began (being the shy person I am), I found it a little nerve wracking as I didn’t know what to expect as a marshal at a motorsport event. However, working that first event brought me courage to come again and continue working on improving my skills and techniques.
At that first event in 2024 I worked as a flag marshal under Post Chief Paul Bowens – but soon realised that my passion for motorsport didn’t lie with the flagging of an event but with the one-on-one interaction with the drivers and teams in the pits, which I had experienced during my year of spectating while my father worked as a marshal on Pit Lane.
I was then placed in the pits with help from Chief Marshal Paul Lehmann, and I now work under Post Chief, Clem Kempen and Deputy Post Chief Frans Kempen. For the first few months of working in the pits I was still a little nervous however, working with my Post Chief, Deputy Post Chief and fellow marshals it became second nature for me to be in the pits and helping out when drivers had questions or concerns.
During 2024 I worked mostly in the Joubert pits (some might know it as the New Pits) alongside Pit Marshal Paul Morris. He always had a new insight into motorsport for the day, and we would always build a conversation and lesson out of it. It was an honour to work alongside him for my first few months in motorsport.
This year I’ve been transferred to the Old pits to get more experience as there I have to let the cars out onto the track when I work at the Pits Exit. Now that I have more experience in the pits, I often get the privilege to marshal the traffic in front of the control tower under the supervision of the officials in Race Control.
I was at first hesitant as I had never before worked in that specific area, but now I’m working near Chief Marshal Paul Lehmann, Medical First Responder Debbie Steyn and Deputy Chief Marshal/Fire Marshal Pieter ‘Frikkie’ Henning. Being these inspirational role models has made marshalling a lot less stressful for me personally; you grow a closer bond to them and that’s a feeling I think everyone should have.
Working with them, as well as the rest of the ‘Orange Army’ is such a privilege for me that I wish everyone with a love for motorsport could experience it. Being part of the motorsport community makes us a family; we all work together to create an atmosphere where car/bike ‘geeks’ can have the time of their lives and that is an amazing feeling.
You may think motorsport is dangerous; I’m not saying you’re wrong, but the marshals, the Clerk of the Course, the paramedics, scrutineers and officials work together to ensure that the circuit is as safe as possible so that everyone can have their day of racing.
Being a young marshal in motorsport comes with its ups and downs. One ‘up’ is that you get to experience many years of it if you are passionate enough and have the patience to deal with oil spills (heads up – that happens quite often).
A ‘down’ factor is that sometimes spectators might think that they don’t have to follow your instructions but in fact you have the authority, as you play a key role when it comes to their safety. Safety is the number one priority when it comes to events such as dealing with burning cars, crashes and even sneaky photographers.
The racing community is a community like no other, nothing compares to it. There are very few young marshals around the world and that could (and should) change. If you are a motorsport fan with an interest in marshalling and are 16 or older, you should really go for it! It might just become something that you never want to let go of as the action gets into your blood, and you also gain a second family from it.
TEXT BY: MEGAN ZAAYMAN