Thread: Oregon Trail Rally Volunteers Needed!

Hello Folks, Rally America comes back to the NW for the the fourth round of the championship series, the Oregon Trail Rally (May 15-17).

As I am sure most of you know, one of the things that keeps race events running is a crew of volunteers. One of the things you may not know though is that often times volunteering aslo gives you the best seat in the "house", or in this case forest. I volunteered last month for the Olympus Rally and saw some cool things that only I saw. While there are stages with spectator areas, some stages are closed, with only the drivers co drivers and volunteers seeing the action. I was lucky enough to have my own 1/4 mile of a stage at Olympus, and it proved to be one awesome view after another. The next day I was lucky enough to share a hillside with 300 of screaming fans, again seeing one awesome thing after another. As a volunteer I not only had a place to park, but also a front row view of the action.

Volunteering is cool. It feels good, it helps a good cause, you'll probably see some exciting things no one else will see, and you meet some good people who also like to help. Besides the feel good aspect of it, you do get a bag of swag, you do get to interact with the teams more than a spectator, you get a fashionable yet functional orange vest for the day, you get to go to the awards banquet for free and yes... you get a free meal. I am sure that no one on this on here needs those extra tangible things to help out, but maybe some others that you know could use that extra motivation.

What kind of work might I be asked to do?

Road Marshal
A Road Marshal is assigned a junction where a side road joins the rally stage and is responsible for making sure that no unauthorized people or vehicles enter the stage at that junction. This is one of the most important positions for ensuring safe operation of the rally, while, at the same time, it is also one of the easiest positions for a novice rally volunteer to perform.

Time Control Marshal
A Time Control Marshal is assigned a position at the start or finish of each stage and notes the time that the rally competitor arrives at their position in a log and on the time card that the competitors carry with them. The competitors must pass through these stage time controls, as well as when entering or exiting the service area and at the beginning and end of each leg of the rally. There are additional specific tasks associated with the type of the time control that the marshal is assigned to. While it is ideal for an experienced rally volunteer to work these positions, the tasks that need to be performed are simple enough that a novice rally volunteer should be able to pick them up quickly.

Spectator Area Marshal
A Spectator Area Marshal is assigned one of the spectator areas along the rally stages and is responsible for making sure that the spectators viewing the rally there do not put themselves in harm's way. Instruction will be provided concerning what constitutes safe and unsafe rally spectating. Similar to the Road Marshal, these positions are important for keeping people safe, while, at the same time, being relatively easy for a novice rally volunteer to perform.

Specialized Positions
There are a number of positions that require specific training, licensing or experience. Among these are Ham Radio Operators, Emergency Medical Technician, Vehicle Extraction and Recovery and Technical Scrutineer.

If you are interested in volunteering or know someone who might be, please email Volunteers @ Oregonrally.com

Heres a video of Mira getting passed... Dave's basicaly in 2.5 wheel drive here, the front end is shot, and the drivers side rear tire is smashed in.


[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q6_40TKE51E[/ame]

He finished the stage, but had to call it quits after that... Anyway hope to see some of you out there and if you can't volunteer, but still want to go, check out www.oregontrailrally.com and then check out the spectators section... should be some good times for sure.

The magic that is rally racing comes to the Columbia Gorge.... tomorrow! OK well actually it starts tomorrow at PIR and then moves to the Gorge Hood River over the weekend.

If you didn't volunteer, come on out and watch. Good cheap fun, and it will be a great show in the sun! Friday night is like 10 bucks at the gate, but Saturday and Sunday are free. As Tom Peterson would say... "Free is a good price".