The Crew

A safe raceday requires lots of volunteers. Some of the hardest-working volunteers are the AFM Turnworkers. The AFM Turnworker Crew is one of the best motorcycle racetrack working groups around. Comprised of a dedicated bunch of people from many different walks of life (from doctors to students, the retired, husband and wife teams, even whole families), they all come together to make the raceday safer for everyone. We have workers that have been with us for over 20 years, but brand-new talent is always welcome. Some of our workers travel from Red Bluff, Grass Valley, Modesto, Southern California, even Carson City, NV, to spend the weekend waving flags and chasing bikes.

Most of the raceday, the turnworkers just watch the racers go by. But if a bike goes down, the workers spring into action. First the Flagger puts out a flag to warn other racers that there is a problem ahead. The Communicator informs track officials of what is happening at the incident. The Handler checks the rider to see if medical attention is needed, gets the downed bike off course, and places it in a safe location. If necessary, a National Motorcycle Patroller, one of our first aid volunteers, attends to the downed rider. Between races everyone checks the track condition (oil, spare parts, etc.). Watching a corner crew in action is like watching a ballet. Everyone knows what to do and how to get it done in the safest, quickest manner possible.

We provide morning coffee and donuts, lunch, after-race beverages and snacks, as well as ten bucks for gas. Usually we have a freebie to give away, like hats, T-shirts, hat pins, sports bottles, patches and other stuff. Once a year there is a Worker Appreciation Race where the racers donate items to the workers. In the past, very expensive helmets, Atari computers, boots, gloves, soft luggage, hats, T-shirts and cash have been given away. Along with the Worker Appreciation Race is the worker Pizzafest/Bar-B-Que after the race. After each race we have the required "Bench Flagging" session, when we discuss incidents and how to do it better next time. Also, workers who attend every race during the year, rain or shine, receive the prestigious Die Hard hat.

The Crew is a newsletter which is mailed out to all AFM trackworkers. It contains trackworker info/schedules for upcoming races, highlights of the last event(s) from the worker perspective (race & crash highlights), reports from the most active turns, news on new & old workers, Die-Hard worker updates, and other good stuff about the people who make it all happen. The Worker Coordinatoris the Big Kahuna, Phill Brown (who is Editor of The Crew and also does a bunch of graphic design & publishing & organizational stuff).

Sounds like fun? Want to join in? Please contact us at (510) 796-7005 ext #2, This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , or the AFM at P.O. Box 5018-333 Newark, CA 94560, for more information. Also see any of the recent issues of The Crew for more details on what's happening.