Photo by Theo Poncet
If you’ve spent even one morning in the paddock, you know how alive it feels. The smell of fuel, the shuffle of warm-up routines, someone torque-checking bolts for the fourth time. Every rider shows up with a goal. Every bike has a story. And every lap relies on one group of people most riders rarely think deeply about:
The track marshals.
They’re the folks in orange standing on the horizon, the steady hands in the wind, the first responders in the chaos, and the quiet protectors who make every session possible.
Yet most riders don’t realize just how much of our day—and our safety—runs through them.
The Work Track Marshals Do That Most Riders Never See
When you’re riding, flags feel simple: yellow, red, debris, incident, slow down. But what looks simple from the seat is a whole different operation from the corner post.
Track marshals are constantly:
- Reading riders’ lines and body language
- Watching for changing track conditions
- Spotting oil, debris, coolant, or tire chunks
- Coordinating with race control
- Moving faster than any of us notice when something goes wrong
- Keeping sessions running smoothly so we can keep learning
They’re tracking twenty things while we’re tracking two: braking point and apex.
And the truth is, every clean lap we get is because a marshal was already one step ahead.
How My Perspective Changed
When I first started riding track, marshals were background noise. Part of the environment—like curbing or cones. It wasn’t until I slowed down my own thinking, started riding with intention, and began studying the whole flow of the day that it clicked.
Their timing.
Their reactions.
Their decisions.
Their calm.
These things shape the entire rhythm of a track day.
We talk a lot about lines, lean angles, braking markers, and technique. But very few riders talk about the people who protect that space—the ones who keep the session moving, keep riders informed, and step into danger so we don’t have to.
Why TrackDNA Is Starting This Series on Marshals
TrackDNA isn’t just about the machines—it’s about the craft, the culture, and the people who make track life what it is. And marshals are the heartbeat of that ecosystem.
This article is just the starting point.
We want riders—new and experienced—to understand what’s happening behind the flags, behind the barriers, and behind the decisions that shape every lap.
And to do that right, we need the people who’ve lived this craft at the highest level.
Our Next Step: Reaching Out to MotoGP Marshals
We’re also reaching out to a few MotoGP marshals whose work we genuinely admire. These are the people who’ve seen this craft from inside the fastest, most demanding paddocks in the world. And with their guidance—whoever decides to join us—we’ll pull the curtain back even further.
Riders deserve to know not just what marshals do out there, but why they do it the way they do.
No pressure. No expectations. Just respect.
And an open invitation to anyone in that world who wants to help us tell the story right.
A Rider’s Takeaway
Every time a session goes smoothly, every time a crash is handled fast and safely, every time the track goes green again—that’s marshals.
Not spotlight seekers. Not celebrities. Just high-skill, high-focus, high-commitment people who love the craft as much as we do.
They’re not just part of track life.
They’re the reason track life works at all.
And it’s time they get the recognition they’ve earned.
Author’s Note
I’m still early in my own track journey, learning one lap at a time. This piece comes from the rider’s side of the fence—the view you get from the seat, from the paddock, and from the small lessons that only show up when you start paying attention.
What comes next will come from the marshals who stand on the other side of the barrier.
Consider this a thank-you letter to the people in orange who keep the world we love turning.
See you out there,
Sean Beenaam
