The Clerk of the Course, refereeing the race!

The Clerk of the Course is like the conductor of an orchestra in the middle of all this, and he has to keep an eye on all aspects to ensure safety on the track. “It's a vital role like an airline pilot who runs through his check list before take-off,” says Gérard Neveu, the Clerk of the Course for the first two rounds of the Le Mans Series. “I've got three radios which keep me in touch with the organization, the teams and Race Control to ensure that everything is unfolding as it should.”

However, long before the cars take to the track, the Clerk of the Course has to make sure that the meeting gets off to a good start. “We have to validate the safety plans, the paddock organization and the timing of the sessions taking into account the specificities of the circuit,” Neveu continues. “I then do a lap of the track to make sure that it's ready for the cars to run in optimal safety conditions. Then I have a briefing with the drivers followed by the team managers to remind them of the safety rules. I also listen to what they have to say to make a constructive summing up.'

When the cars go out, Race Control monitors them to make sure they respect the sporting and safety regulations. “All the people in Race Control have a clearly-defined task. The Clerk of the Course is a kind of referee who consults his assistants and takes the appropriate decisions. And like in a rugby match, if the referee is omnipresent it means he's not doing a good job! From my side, I send information to the teams on a regular basis to keep them on their toes. It's better to anticipate than to punish. We're not here to interfere with the proceedings or to abuse our authority. We're here to serve the race.”

Sometimes, possible problems concerning the behaviour of some drivers have to be anticipated. “With the three Peugeot 908s in the middle of the grid at the start of the Spa 1000 kms, we had to be vigilant. The three Peugeot drivers who did the first stint were called in, and we told them that we were going to watch them closely in the opening laps. A messed-up qualifying session is no excuse for a chaotic start to a race. A referee must be respected but also understood. So when the punishment is handed down they can't say they didn't see it coming!” 

While there were no problems at the start of the Spa-Francorchamps 1000 kms, a violent accident disrupted the race after 2h 30m. This is when the decisions taken by Race Control are vital. “You have to assess the situation quickly, find out what's happened from the marshals about the state of the car, the protective systems and the driver. Concerning Bouchut's crash, I called out the safety cars, it was too serious. The drivers had to extracted, the car removed and the tyre walls rebuilt.”  

In such a situation there are many safety rules. “The pit exit has to be strictly surveyed so as not to penalize anybody, and we have to decide on the red or green light. Then we have to organize the rotation of the medical cars and the breakdown trucks. We also have to be very attentive at the restart. If the drivers breach the rules penalties are foreseen and the sanctions fall automatically. When the problem is linked to the interpretation of a situation, I make a report which is sent on to the Stewards who hand down penalties where necessary.”  

But beyond sanctions and reports dialogue is given priority. “When a driver makes a mistake I call in his team manager, as was the case with Audi at Spa when Romain Dumas wasn't too happy about being lapped by a Peugeot, which he held up briefly.  The team involved knew exactly what the problem was and acknowledged it. The rival outfit saw that we'd called in Audi and did not complain about the manoeuvre. It's like taking out a yellow card in a rugby match.”

At Spa-Francorchamps, the threat of yellow cards worked like a dream and the race unfolded in very good conditions. The referee remained in the background - proof that he did a good job!