The FIA
Volunteers Weekend is an annual even that highlights the work of all those
people who give up their team free of charge to make motorsport happen.
ERC events
rely on hundreds of volunteer officials to take place and Armstrong and Paddon,
winners of the ERC3 and ERC titles respectively in 2023*, have commented on
their vital importance.
“I’m very
grateful for all volunteers who make our sport possible, whether it be as a
marshal, pre-event or behind the scenes,” said New Zealander Paddon, who drove
a BRC Racing Team Hyundai i20 N Rally2 to glory this season.
“To do what we
love is simply not possible without the time and dedication so many others put
into the sport which I, along with all other drivers and teams, are incredibly
grateful for.”
Northern
Irishman Armstrong, who clinched the ERC3 crown driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3
for M-Sport Poland, said: “The volunteers in rallying really are so important
for being able to do what we love, they give up their free time to allow us to
race.
“Rallies are
very demanding events to organise because they’re spread out over a large
distance, the stages can be quite far away from each other and very long in
length so it means we need a lot of volunteers, marshals, stage commanders,
organisers and people in the rally office. It just takes so many passionate
people to make it happen and for sure you have to really appreciate that as a
driver and also a fan of the sport. We wouldn’t be able to enjoy it if it
wasn’t for all the great volunteers who are really putting in the effort.”
More
information on volunteering in motorsport is available at: https://www.fia.com/fia-volunteers-officials
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