MARSHALS young and old were put through their paces and hit top gear as they took part in a training day to prepare them for another season of racing at the Castle Combe Circuit.

More than 160 marshals – including 33 rookies – took part in the training day at the Wiltshire circuit which teaches them key skills in the event of a crash, including how to put out fires and first aid.

On any given race day more than 180 marshals volunteer at the circuit, and their roles can include clearing up debris and recovering cars after a crash to helping emergency medical crews stabilise and extract an injured driver.

“The key thing is about preserving life, they are typically first on the scene and they are dealing with any fire, dealing with any sign of injury and assessing the situation,” said Richard Beard, chief marshal at Castle Combe.

“Their main priority is stemming blood and maintaining and keeping airways clear.

“Our sport is a complex one with many elements to it. The drivers have to be engineers, fund raisers, organisers and athletes, but they are also 100 per cent reliant on the volunteers in orange who give them those vital flag signals, make sure everyone sticks to the rules and might even save their life.”

Lord Jeffrey Rooker, chairman of the British Motor Sports Training Trust, also attended the event on Sunday (March 19).

“We receive funding from the British Motor Sports Training Trust so to have him come along was a feather in our cap,” added Mr Beard.

Anyone interested in becoming a marshal should email richardb@ccracingclub.co.uk