AFM Turnworker Newsletter
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Pre Season Newsletter 2003

I hope your off season went well for all of you. But it's time to bleach out the whites, tip over a few bikes just to practice picking them up, do a few one-armed push-ups to get that flag throwing arm back in shape after the holidays, and practice talking in short, direct sentences (some of you need LESS help at this than others) because racing is just around the corner. What's new for 2003? Plenty! It's a good news - bad news kind of thing. First, some good news.

Many new good changes are happening to Infineon (Sears Point) as I type. Track safety issues are being met as well as the reshaping of some of the turns: 1, 9, 10 and 11. It will be fun to see what they have done to the track when we start our season there.

Which brings me to that could be good or bad depending how you look at it. There are only seven events this year. Three races at Infineon (Sears Point) - two to start the year off and one to finish it - three in a row at Thunderhill and one in September at Buttonwillow. Sorry, but no AHRMA race this year. The AFM is now the starting point for the Sonoma Fest Week, with the AMA the following weekend. See the full details of the schedule at the end of the newsletter.

Now for some bad news: to be in compliance with IRS laws, starting in 2003 the AFM will be keeping track of all moneys paid out to workers. Workers earning $600 or more during the year will receive a 1099 form as well as having a 1099 form sent to the IRS. The AFM must have your application on file with your Social Security Number on it, or you will not be paid. Also please remember that you must fill out a new application each year. Please send your application in soon to get your 2003 worker number assigned to you before the first race to help speed things up on race day.

AFM South is history, once again. There was the possibility that Buttonwillow would be the responsibility of AFM South for 2003, but the deal fell through and we were able to pick up one date at Buttonwillow this year.

Please look on the back of this newsletter. (If you try looking behind this window on the screen or behind your monitor, we need to talk!)(If it is blank, skip this paragraph. If it says "We miss you" then you are in danger of being dropped from the mailing list. If you want to say on the mailing list, please fill it out and get it back to me ASAP.

A real newsletter should be in the mail about two weeks before the first race, so stay tuned here for more details. Until then - C Ya!

March 22 & 23 Infineon (Sears Point)
April 26 & 27 Infineon (Sears Point)
May 2-4 Infineon (Sears Point) AMA National
(Friday, Saturday and Sunday)
May 24 & 25 Thunderhill
June 14 & 15 Thunderhill
July 19 & 20 Thunderhill
September 6 & 7 Buttonwillow
October 4 & 5 Infineon (Sears Point)

First, sorry for the extra e-mail.
Second, The 2003 Worker Applications went into the mail Saturday. You should all get one in the next few days. Everyone needs to fill one out each season. Please return ASAP!
1st Newsletter...

AFM Turnworker Newsletter
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

2nd Newsletter... 

AFM Turnworker Newsletter
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

First race of 2003, March 22 & 23, Infineon (Sears Point), Hwys 37 & 121, Sonoma

The first race is less than a week away and already I've goofed up. Please check the front of the newsletter and the schedule should read, "October 4 & 5 Infineon (Sears Point)". Sorry. Are you all geared up and ready for the first race! Are you tired of just watching it on TV. Now it's time to get involved. The points start at zero and in October we will find out who will have the most points and carry the number one plate in 2004. We only have seven races and only one trip to Buttonwillow this year. So hang tight, baby, it's going to be a wild ride.

To help with the overcrowding on the grid and the waiting lists for new racers Formula EZ will be added to the race schedule at the end of the day. Since it is a chapter optional race, and will not affect overall points, it could be dropped if the raceday starts to back up with delays.

We are going to change the DieHard rules just a bit in 2003. If you work all seven Sunday race dates you will receive a DieHard hat. But if you work both Saturday and Sunday for all seven races, you will receive the coveted DieHard Jacket in 2004. Remember there are only seven events this year. Remember the pressure you put on yourself to be a DieHard is you own. Everyone's commitment level is different. Your family, job, vacations, and other interests enter into the equation. We always miss you when you are not there and always are happy to see you when you are.

We are trying to have some kind of new workers school at our first race. We haven't had one in a long while because of Saturday's race school and open practice.

Now for some bad news: to be in compliance with IRS laws, starting in 2003 the AFM will be keeping track of all moneys paid out to workers. Workers earning $600 or more during the year will receive a 1099 form as well as having a 1099 form sent to the IRS. The AFM must have your application on file with your Social Security Number on it, or you will not be paid. Also please remember that you must fill out a new application each year. Please send your application in soon to get your 2003 worker number assigned to you before the first race to help speed things up on race day.

This could be you last newsletter. If you received a "We Miss You" on the back of your newsletter with your application and haven't sent it back this is your last one! We don't want to loose you!

Because of a lawsuit no one under 18 years old is allowed on a hot track. Here is why: a worker had brought in their under-18 year old youth (lying about the youth being over 18) and was speeding on a motorcycle out to their turn before the raceday started. Both were injured when they hit another vehicle on track. There are exceptions to the policy, mostly dependent on the track, turn, and parents' position on the track. The youth must work with their actual parent and both sign the Worker Application and Release forms. Other positions like Pit Steward are also available. The youth must be dressed in worker attire if allowed to work with parent on the track and then only as an observer in the Comm Box. Parent must contact the Race Director or Worker Coordinator well prior to the raceday for particulars.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers, must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don't have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate license you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver's license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don't want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes, no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don't have one, but you don't want to know whose lips were on it last. Please no alcohol during the races.

The gates open at 6:00 a.m. At Sears Point Saturdays are free but on Sunday please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10 both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all eight AFM races is mandatory for this year's DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.
Both Saturdays and Sundays we provide morning coffee and donuts, a sack lunch and after-race beverages and snacks. Please be responsible with post-race activities. We also place water, bug spray, and earplugs out on the turns. Our payday is Sunday after the race. Our final race gets the checkered flag about 6:00 p.m. C ya there!

March 22 & 23 Infineon (Sears Point)
April 26 & 27 Infineon (Sears Point)
May 24 & 25 Thunderhill
June 14 & 15 Thunderhill
July 19 & 20 Thunderhill
September 6 & 7 Buttonwill
October 4 & 5  Infineon (Sears Point)

3rd Newsletter...
The Crew

Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Next Race: April 26 & 27, 2002, Infineon Raceway (Sears Point), Hwys 37 & 121, Sonoma

Our first race of the 2003 racing season got a delayed start because of heavy fog and light rain on both Saturday and Sunday. The delay allowed us to have more of a formal DieHard Jacket presentation and a New Worker School put on by veteran workers Jeremy Bell and Bruce Barnum. Thanks, guys, you did a great job helping the new workers (and some of us still not old enough to learn new tricks) a presentation of what we do, trackside. They covered the finer parts of handling, flagging, communications and Do’s and Don’ts. They have been around a long time, both will tell you that there is no way they have seen it all. Every season something new gets thrown at them. Although they may look similar, no two crashes are ever the same. Thanks Jeremy and Bruce for all your hard work on the class. Even with the really late start on Sunday, our Race Director, Barbara Smith was able to get the full schedule in before our noise curfew. A few red flags and a couple of blocked tracks slowed thing down a bit but Barbara kept everything moving in the right direction (A good thing because the racetrack is a one way street!).
Even though in some races the leader ran away from the pack, there were others where the battle for the lead was fought into the last turn of the last lap.

What a way to start the race season off. There is nothing like a little bit of liquid sunshine to make for an interesting day of racing.  It was great seeing such a wonderful worker turnout for the first race of the season.  Saturday was delayed due to mist, but things dried up real fast, and things stayed nice and boring for open practice and the Racers School.  Only 7 bikes down total for Saturday. Sunday was a little more exciting with 29 bikes down for the day, still a low number, especially for the first race of the season.

Turn 8 was the exciting place on Sunday with 10 bikes down total. Way to go: Henry Hathaway, Duane Debour, Laurie Backen, Desarae Meagher and Phillip Groves. You guys did a great job of keeping things cleaned up.  Second place went to turn 1. That has been becoming an exciting place to work since they changed the track.  Russ Hayes, Andrew Ownsby, Chris Cunningham, Scott Calvert, Ann Goldberg, and Michael Barrett were kept on their toes, then adding in that they had to put the cones back on track after every start.  Wonderful work by the start/finish cone crew.  There was a tie for third place between turns 2 and 4, with 4 bikes down each.  Every one did a wonderful job of keeping things in their little part of the track clean and ready to race. Great job guys.

Now I would like to announce the newest AFM member, Laura Kristina Jones.  She was born on April 3, I will have pictures down at Pre-grid for anyone who would like to see.  When she is big enough I will bring her out to meet everyone.  Take care, and see you at the track.

Rachel Desmond Grismore was born to workers Erin Clark and David Grismore on March 8, 5-lbs. 7-oz, 17 inches. Reports are that she looks like Mommy, but possibly a carrot-top! Congratulations to Erin, David, Sandy and their families.

We are going to change the DieHard rules just a bit in 2003. If you work all seven Sunday race dates you will receive a DieHard hat. But if you work both Saturday and Sunday for all seven races, you will receive the coveted DieHard Jacket in 2004. Remember there are only seven events this year. Remember the pressure you put on yourself to be a DieHard is you own. Everyone's commitment level is different. Your family, job, vacations, and other interests enter into the equation. We always miss you when you are not there and always are happy to see you when you are. 

Now for some bad news: to be in compliance with IRS laws, starting in 2003 the AFM will be keeping track of all moneys paid out to workers. Workers earning $600 or more during the year will receive a 1099 form as well as having a 1099 form sent to the IRS. The AFM must have your application on file with your Social Security Number on it, or you will not be paid. Also please remember that you must fill out a new application each year. Please send your application in soon to get your 2003 worker number assigned to you before the first race to help speed things up on race day.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers, must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate license you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign. 

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes and no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please, no alcohol during the races. 

The gates open at 6:00 a.m. At Sears Point Saturdays are free but on Sunday please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff there to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10  both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all seven AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats. 

4th Newsletter...  

AFM Turnworker Newsletter
Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Next Race: May 24 & 25, Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows. About 100 miles north of Sacramento on I-5.

I guess we weren't so lucky at our second race of the season as the first. We were not able to get the full race schedule in before the clouds opened up on us and told us to go home with just a few races let to go. At least the weather didn't show favoritism to the AMA. But we got one of the three days in. It was great to get a chance to talk to one another for the extended periods, but we came to race. You can only do so much talking, do so much pit cruising, get so many autographs of your favorite racers. We wanted some action. The AMA runs a shorter Turn 11 than the AFM as well as a new Turn 9 chicane. Miguel DuHamel was bit by new Turn 9 snake and high-sided his way to an ambulance ride and was unable to compete in the SuperBike race. Thanks to all who braved the elements and made the Sonoma Bike Week a somewhat soggy success. Next up: Three rounds at Thunderhill. Be prepared for some warm weather coming up. We may go from a wet spring to a hot summer. And don't forget about the, free to trackworkers, after-race BBQ. T-hill has lots of turns and we need lots of people to staff them. So be sure to be there - and bring your friends.

Race Notes - Sandy Jones

The second weekend of the season had OK weather, but for some reason we couldn't get all the races in. You guys and gals did a great job, but it just didn't work out. It has been quite some time that we didn't get all the races finished in one day. Next three rounds will be at the lovely Thunderhill, now if we can keep some of this cooler weather while we are there that would be great. We had a great turnout of workers, so nice to see so many people in white. The weekend after our event we had the AMA come to town. It's always fun when we have the pros around. We can show off the great local talent we have in racers and workers. Unfortunately Mother Nature was not on our side that weekend, two days of no bikes, wait we did have them on course briefly on Friday. We did an outstanding job of keeping things going on Sunday. Great job to all our workers that were there and those that said they could be there on Monday if the AMA needed us. I'm sure everyone got a good look at the Dodge Viper engined, Tomahawk, mean machine that it is. It was nice to see that there were many people in white that were more than happy to help unload it from its pallet. Hope the gentleman with the bike knew he had the best cornerworkers handling his baby.

Now to the numbers: the busiest place for the weekend was turn 2 with 11 bikes for the weekend. Turn 2 always seems to be a popular place. Great work done by Dennis Baird, Lois Roth, Chris Cunningham, Ben Bracamonte and Paul Braga. First runner up with a close second is turn 1 with Russ Hayes, Matt Buck, Matt Elke, Keith Brumbley, Steve Koll, and Kathy Gamboa, that seems to be a popular turn also these days. There was a multi-bike pile-up in 1 that the workers handled great. Second runner up goes to turn 6, with 9 bikes down. A good job done by David Grismore, Scott Calvert, Duane Deboer, Crystal Deboer, Evelyn Petty and Jesse Pino. Turn 6 was busier than usual, they did a great job of cleaning things up and keeping the day going. I don't have the numbers for the AMA weekend, sorry guys didn't take the notes down that I usually do for that weekend. I'm looking forward to seeing you all at Thunderhill.

We are going to change the DieHard rules just a bit in 2003. If you work all seven Sunday race dates you will receive a DieHard hat. But if you work both Saturday and Sunday for all seven races, you will receive the coveted DieHard Jacket in 2004. Remember there are only seven events this year. Remember the pressure you put on yourself to be a DieHard is you own. Everyone's commitment level is different. Your family, job, vacations, and other interests enter into the equation. We always miss you when you are not there and always are happy to see you when you are. 

Now for some bad news: to be in compliance with IRS laws, starting in 2003 the AFM will be keeping track of all moneys paid out to workers. Workers earning $600 or more during the year will receive a 1099 form as well as having a 1099 form sent to the IRS. The AFM must have your application on file with your Social Security Number on it, or you will not be paid. Also please remember that you must fill out a new application each year. Please send your application in soon to get your 2003 worker number assigned to you before the first race to help speed things up on race day.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers, must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate license you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign. 

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes and no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please, no alcohol during the races. 

The gates open at 6:00 a.m. At Sears Point Saturdays are free but on Sunday please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff there to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10  both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all seven AFM races is mandatory for this year’s DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats. 

5th Newsletter...  

Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Postcard Reminder

6th Newsletter...

Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Next Race: July 19 & 20, Thunderhill Raceway Park, Willows. About 100 miles north of Sacramento on I-5.

Many of you just spent the last weekend working for USARM at WSB at Laguna Seca. Talk about jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire Ð literally. It looks like itÕs going to be a typical hotter than July weekend at Thunderthill. Hey wait Ð it is July. And this weekend will end our occupation of Thunderhill for the year. Also after this race we have a long break until September. And speaking of hot, I have a bunch of neck coolers to give to everyone to help make the weather bearable. We will also have a BBQ after SaturdayÕs event. Be sure to stick around.

A nice warm weekend awaited us at Thunderhill.  No race school this last round, so a full day of practice.  The practice day went well followed by a fun BBQ.  The first race of the day proved to be the beginning to a very busy day.  One heck of an oil spill on the front straight and leading into turn 1 was bad, and then to find out that it was synthetic oil made for quite the clean up.  The crew did a great job cleaning it up; not one bike went down in the oil the entire day.   The oil didnÕt stop the FP from being one of the best races of the season so far this year.

The busy turns for the weekend were turn 5 with 11 bikes down; - Dennis Baird, Scott McKee, Scott Calvert, Len Tavares and Chris Tavares were really jumping last race weekend.  Turn 2 came in second with 7 bikes down, a very big turn to cover Doug Smith, Robert Kalis and Ruben Medina sure got their exercise.  On the other side of the track turn 13 had 6 bikes down, Gary Powell, Terry Earl, Melvin Earl, Marqurite Pariani and Karlee Gully did a great job.  Everyone kept things cleaned up and moving along great.  I look forward to seeing everyone at Thunderhill soon.  Lets hope for cool weather and great racing. (Unfortunately, it doesn't look like It. ed.)

During our one, and only, trip to Buttonwillow this year, we will have our Worker Appreciation Race and BBQ at Buttonwillow on the weekend of September 6 & 7, and not at the last race at Infineon (Sears Point). It is much cheaper and easier to have the BBQ there than to cater it at Infineon after the Four Hour Endurance Race. So make plans to be there. Buttonwillow has tons of turns and we can use all the help we can get!

We are going to change the DieHard rules just a bit in 2003. If you work all seven Sunday race dates you will receive a DieHard hat. But if you work both Saturday and Sunday for all seven races, you will receive the coveted DieHard Jacket in 2004. Remember there are only seven events this year. Remember the pressure you put on yourself to be a DieHard is you own. EveryoneÕs commitment level is different. Your family, job, vacations, and other interests enter into the equation. We always miss you when you are not there and always are happy to see you when you are.

Now for some bad news: to be in compliance with IRS laws, starting in 2003 the AFM will be keeping track of all moneys paid out to workers. Workers earning $600 or more during the year will receive a 1099 form as well as having a 1099 form sent to the IRS. The AFM must have your application on file with your Social Security Number on it, or you will not be paid. Also please remember that you must fill out a new application each year. Please send your application in soon to get your 2003 worker number assigned to you before the first race to help speed things up on race day.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers, must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate license you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes and no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please, no alcohol during the races.

7th Newsletter... 

Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

Next Race: September 6 & 7; Buttonwillow, CA; About 35 miles west of Bakersfield on I-5.

Our next race at Buttonwillow will be this years Worker Appreciation Race BBQ and Raffle. The Raffle will be run a little different this year with workers who have only attended a race or two not eligible for the larger prizes. All the details are being worked out. I know it's a long drive for some but it's a great facility it has one of the best BBQs. And with the hundreds of turns there, we can use all the help we can get! I'm going to hold back with the usual newsletter stuff and cover some very important issues that were brought up to me at our last race at Thunderhill. Please read all the way to the end.

What we do at the racetrack is serious business, and we have a good time doing it. But we must take our job seriously Ð lives depend upon it. We are responsible for track safety. We work together as a unit to provide that. One worker cannot watch the whole track so; we put eyes everywhere and then connect them all together with the Comm line to promote the flow of information in all directions. This information is provided to the Head Communicator and Race Director for the race logs and general decision making. This information is also on a party line for all to hear. If you hear of a crash in the turn after yours - listen to what flag they are on - do we need to put up a flag too? Do we need to notify the coming racers of the great danger in front of them? The sooner we get that information to the racers the better the chance of them becoming aware of something dangerous ahead. The racers will have more time to shift their focus from racing, to slowing down and reacting to whatÕs happened. 80 MPH is about 117 feet per second. With bikes spaced about 20 feet apart, 6 bikes go by every second. So every second that passes, 6 racers think that everything is fine in front of them Ð possibly adding to an already bad situation.

I remember talking to departed Turnworker, Flagger extraordinaire, Bill Riggins, after a race one weekend.  He was trying to figure out, if by standing a little more to the right and scanning his turn a little faster, he might have been able to get his flag out a little faster and warn the approaching racers of the crash in his turn sooner. When the track is hot (bikes on course Ð not just temperature wise, like the last race at T-hill) all attention needs to be on the track and your eyes always be moving. You are the eyes and ears of the decision makers. Getting the important information that you see to them quickly is vital to everyone's safety. Important information: what happened (short version - two or three words); who you are (what turn); what flag you are on; where (track and rider conditions). What does that get you? Let's look at a call.

"Turn 5. Bike down. Waving yellow. Course Blocked. Rider's not moving. Early entrance, riders' right, checking."

 "Turn 5" tells turn 4 and turn 3 to pay attention to what's next. The "Bike Down" call gets everyone to stop any lesser important calls or chit-chat on the Comm. "Waving Yellow" must be backed up by a standing yellow in the turn preceding or if the crash is before their flag station for the preceding turn to have a waving yellow flag. "Course Blocked" and "Rider not moving" gives the race director information about track conditions that may require a red flag. "Early entrance, riders' right" lets us know where the crash is in your turn. "Checking" means more information to follow. Take a breath, and tell us what you are seeing. You are our eyes and ears out there. Keep the information flowing if it is serious. Important decisions are being made based upon what you are telling us. If the other turns are paying attention (you are paying attention, right), they will have the appropriate flag displayed with out being told directly. Can you see how fast this information can flow? Can you also see how it could break down if you are not aware?

Being on a hot rack can be exhilarating and dangerous. If you are responding to a downed bike, you are in an impact area. Chances are others may crash into the same area. So, always keep your eyes looking around and especially up-track; for every second you look away, at 80MPH, what ever is coming at you is over 100 feet closer to hitting you and ruining you day. Remember, only Superman can out-run a speeding bullet and so far no one has shown up at the morning meeting with a large, red "S" on their blue tights. (Now any of you with the bright idea for wearing blue tights to the next morning meeting should refrain out of common decency for all involved! Don't say you didn't think about it! You know who you are.)

We have an awesome responsibility to the safety of everyone at the track. Number one is self preservation of the Turnworker species. Number two are the racers still on the track and last but not least is the incident that caused it all in the first place. Should we attend to the incident first? No! We must warn approaching racers of the danger ahead or you could make a bad situation worse by adding to, or worst yet, running into it. Most of us don't deal with Life or death situations working behind our desks, taking orders at Taco Bell or watching Jerry Springer. (I said watching Jerry Springer, not appearing on his show). About once a month we are asked to take it up a notch and be part of something that is bigger than who we are individually. We have become part of The Crew - arguably, the best Motorcycle Turnworking Group in the States, and quite possibly the world. This is not bragging. I've been told this by many racers and officials who have seen what the rest of the world has to offer. Please take it all seriously, if you can't take it seriously, by all means, stay home.

First, go to the front gate and sign the Gate Release form. Everyone, including campers, must sign the gate release each day they work. Be ready to show us your AFM Track Worker Card. If don’t have one, get the application at Registration. Even if you have applied for an AFM Competition or Associate license you must fill out the Worker application. They are different. From there, proceed to Registration and sign the Track Worker Release form. Also for those of you who are near 18 years old, you must show us a driver’s license or ID card proving your age at least once. The AFM keeps one copy of the release. You keep the other. Take your copy to Start/Finish and you will be assigned to a turn. This will be the procedure both Saturday and Sunday. We will try to have a special area for track workers at Registration to speed things up. Please be early on racedays. Just one more thing, a Gate Release form will be available at Start/Finish for campers to sign.

The weather can be iffy, so be prepared for almost anything. Layers are the hot setup. Since we all want to look alike, please wear as much white outer clothes as you can get. No red, yellow or orange colors - you don’t want to be mistaken for a flag. You may be grabbed by the leg and thrown thusly, by mistake. Long pants, sturdy shoes and no shorts. Some other good things to bring along are sunscreen, sunglasses, gloves, binox, extra clothes, a hat, energy snacks, fruits, juices and a good loud whistle. The AFM can provide you with a whistle if you don’t have one, but you don’t want to know whose lips were on it last. Please, no alcohol during the races.

8th Newsletter...

Worker HotLine (510) 796-7005
E-mail: crew@afmracing.org
The Crew web site: www.afmracing.org/crew.html

Editors: Phill Brown, Sandy Jones, Tom Bright, Barbara Smith

October 4 & 5, 2003 - 4 Hour Enduro (Sat)

The gates open at 6:00 a.m. Please stay to the left as you enter the main gate. There will be staff to sign you in. We quit signing in workers at 6:55. If you are late you may have to pay to get in. The morning meeting starts at 7:10 both days. The earlier the better for getting the turn you want and we also need to go to Registration and sign the release forms. Attendance at all seven AFM races is mandatory for this year's DieHard hat. Neither rain nor snow nor gloom of fog will keep us away from the gate taking names of those brave workers. We try to give the weather every chance of clearing before canceling the race and those days count for the hats.