Australian Racing Drivers' Club
SMSP
Flag marshals, scrutineers, timekeepers, recovery crews and race control — every ARDC event at Sydney Motorsport Park runs on licensed volunteers. The licence is free, the training is free, and you are never left on your own on day one.
You do not need a racing licence, a background in motorsport, or anyone to vouch for you. You need a free Motorsport Australia officials licence, a Saturday, and clothes that cover you from wrist to neck to ankle.
Sign-on opens at 7am. Cars are on track by 9. You will be paired with a buddy for your first few meetings, fed — breakfast, a lunch esky and a BBQ when the last chequered flag falls — and taught by people who officiate at Bathurst and the Australian Grand Prix. Most days finish around 4.30–5pm, and you choose which days you do.
Thirteen official roles: Flag Marshal, Grid and Pre-Grid Marshal, Pit Lane Marshal, Fire and Rescue Marshal, Recovery Marshal, Scrutineer, Timekeeper, Race Control Administrator, Communicator, Starter, Event Administration, Sector Marshal and Steward.
No racing licence. No prior experience. No connections. The only question ARDC asks a new official is which days you can make.
No page in this category prints the left-hand column. We are printing it, because the people who last twenty years are the ones who knew what they were signing up for.
Five things asked of you. Ten given back. Nobody who has done it describes the trade as close.
At Bathurst in 2003 a tractor parked in front of Mark Moore and blocked his view of the race. He spent the afternoon watching the people on the other side of the fence instead — and applied. Within weeks he was trackside at Sydney Motorsport Park.
Come with passion. If you’ve got genuine enthusiasm for motorsport, the community will embrace you. The family you create is amazing and it doesn’t matter if you’re male or female, young or old.
This is the whole thing, hour by hour. No part of it is a surprise on the day, and none of it is done alone.
The one non-negotiable of the day. Signing on is what activates your insurance, and it tells the Clerk of the Course every post is staffed.
Coffee, tea and the mini muffins. You meet the person running your area and collect a radio, a tabard and your flags.
Conditions, categories, anything unusual about the day. Miss it and you cannot go to your post until a senior official has walked you through it.
You are given your post. On arrival the team agrees duties, finds the extinguishers, plans the escape routes and settles the whistle and hand signals. Then a radio check with Race Control.
A course car closes the circuit with a red light and a siren. From this moment nobody crosses a live track, and the flags in your hands are the only thing a driver at two hundred can read.
An esky bag and water. Most posts eat on a rotation rather than leaving — somebody is always watching the circuit.
Racing concludes. Flags, boards, extinguishers, absorbent and brooms come back in, and the circuit is handed back.
A beer, a wine or a cold soft drink with the people you spent the day with. This is the part nobody puts in the recruitment brochure, and it is the reason officials come back.
Most meetings run Saturday and/or Sunday, and you choose which days you do. You are never sent to a post alone, and your first event is always worked under direct supervision.
Pick a role and the board below re-issues — what you actually do, where you stand on the circuit, who you stand with, what it asks of you physically, and the licence that unlocks it. Most people start on a flag post or in the paddock.
Roles per ARDC’s officials register · grades per Motorsport AustraliaYou read the track, you signal the drivers, and you are the first pair of eyes on anything that goes wrong. Two flag marshals and a communicator work each post, one of whom is appointed Post Chief.
A flag marshal has one job above all others: say the right thing, at the right moment, to a driver travelling at two hundred kilometres an hour. There are nine signals. You will know them cold before you are ever handed one.
This flag will be waved to indicate the track is clear at the flag post immediately after the hazard which necessitated the display of a yellow flag.
Motorsport Australia · Circuit Race Appendix 8.25 · 1 Jan 2026Officiating is licensed by Motorsport Australia, not by the ARDC. The licence costs nothing, the training costs nothing, and you can do all of it from your kitchen table before you ever come to the circuit.
Motorsport Australia National Officiating ProgramMotorsport Australia’s Member Portal is where every officials licence lives. First-time applicants can use their Motorsport Australia ID to set a password.
My Applications → Create New Application → Officials Licence → Apply. You will be asked for contact details, two emergency contacts, a health statement and a passport-style photo.
Select Training to reach the learning system, then Courses → Officials, and enrol yourself. It is online, free, and you do it in your own time.
Register a profile in the ARDC Officials Portal and declare the days you can work. A season hard card and a guest card are issued to you, and you are on the roster.
Where everybody starts. You work under supervision — directly at your first event, indirectly after that — at events of any level.
General Official Module · no assessment · 4 yearsYou officiate unsupervised, lead a team, and can hold a Chief role up to and including State level. This is the grade ARDC’s essential positions require.
Category module · event assessment · passbookChief roles up to and including National level. Silver is where ARDC officials start appearing on the rosters of the country’s biggest race meetings.
Silver module · assessed at State or higherChief roles internationally. There is no training module for Gold — you get there on assessment, two references from independent Gold officials, and peer recommendation.
No module · references · peer recommendationGrades are held per category — you can be Bronze Scrutineer and General Official everywhere else at the same time.
That is not a figure of speech. Jacqueline Devereaux was named 2025 Australian Motorsport Official of the Year after twenty-four years that ran Flag Marshal → Sector Marshal → Chief Marshal → Safety Car Communicator → Deputy Chief Marshal at the 2026 Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix. She appears on the ARDC officials point score. Susanne Dixon, the 2023 Australian Official of the Year, is on the same list.
ARDC runs its own training alongside the Motorsport Australia modules — STARTLINE taster days, discipline workshops and on-circuit practical sessions. Dates for the rest of 2026 are being confirmed with Race Operations.
Session dates pending · this register is built to accept a live training feedA free information day for aspiring officials, run behind the scenes at an ARDC event. Accreditation at Gate A with a VIP parking pass, chief officials introducing their own areas of officiating, tours of the operational areas, and a workshop before you leave with a Startline Pack.
The entry course for every officials licence in Australia, delivered online through the Motorsport Australia learning system. Self-paced, self-enrolled, and free. Complete it and your General Official licence is issued.
Run in five streams the last time ARDC held it: communications — radio, flags, hand signals and written reports; scrutineering, with a practical session in the bay; fire and rescue, on a real car; standard operating procedures and critical incident protocols; and STARTLINE for newcomers.
In this episode of Under The Hood we take a look at the people behind the race meetings at Sydney Motorsport Park. Without our awesome ARDC officials, volunteers, staff and medical personnel, we wouldn’t have a race meeting. Simple as that.
More from ARDC TVEvery ARDC round opens in place into its own weekend board — roll call, duties, post allocation, the documents and the people to call. The same dashboard competitors see, read from the other side of the fence.
Rosters move to Salesforce · static snapshot, 18 Aug 2026The eighteenth running of the Muscle Car Masters, and the biggest two-day meeting on the ARDC calendar. A full flag-point complement is needed across both days, plus grid, pit lane, scrutineering, recovery and race control. New officials are welcome on either day — you will be paired with an experienced marshal.
Both days · the shape of it
Each marshal post takes at least three officials — generally two flag marshals and a communicator, one of whom is appointed Post Chief. The pit signalling wall takes at least one marshal per ten garages, each with a whistle. You are allocated on the morning, by your senior official, to suit your experience.
The one round a year that runs deep into the evening under lights — and the one where officiating changes character. Yellow lights at each post are mandatory for competition conducted at night, and every driver is briefed that lights may replace flags.
Endurance racing asks something different of officials — long stints, driver changes in pit lane, and a much heavier pit and grid workload than a sprint round.
The season opener, and the round most new officials are introduced at. Two full days, seven categories, and the largest officials complement of the first half of the year.
There isn’t any. What there is instead is a club that keeps a score, hands out a cash prize for it, throws two parties a year, and gives its officials a vote that a paying member does not get.
Every shift you work earns points, and the season ends with a leaderboard and a cheque. This is ARDC’s own board — and the names on it kept going.
ARDC Officials Point Score, 2018 · awards per Motorsport Australia. Two national Officials of the Year, and the top two places, came off this one club board.
Officiating at club level does not pay a wage — and the National Competition Rules allow for officials to be remunerated at some levels, so ARDC will not tell you it never happens. What ARDC will tell you is that nobody has ever stayed twenty years for the money.
Everything an ARDC official is expected to know. The regulations are Motorsport Australia’s and they are the authority; the event documents are ARDC’s and they are published per round.
The flag set, the marshal post specification, trackside light panels, starter’s boards and night signalling. If you read one document before your first event, read this one.
The officials framework end to end — grades, upgrade requirements, event assessments, minimum ages, the code of conduct and how the insurance works.
Print it, bring it, and start at the next meeting. A senior official signs the tear-off slip and it acts as your licence for thirty days.
For officials under 18 and their parents or guardians. Supervision, permitted grades, briefing requirements, the written schedule of duties, and the rule that junior officials do not attend incidents.
Every ARDC meeting publishes its own supp regs, and they name the appointed officials for that event — Stewards, Clerk of the Course, Secretary, Chief Scrutineer, Chief Timekeeper and the Judges of Fact.
Referenced by older ARDC material and by search results. CAMS became Motorsport Australia in 2020, the trainee grade no longer exists, and the form is gone. Apply for a General Official licence through the Member Portal instead.
Versions current at 18 August 2026
Competitor, official and member accounts are separate systems with separate credentials. Picking the wrong one is the most common reason people cannot find what they are looking for — so here are all three, clearly marked.
Salesforce Experience Cloud · three sites, three loginsRegister a profile, declare your availability for the season, and keep your details current. This is where the roster is built from.
Create your officials account with a name, an email and a password. Your Motorsport Australia licence is separate, free, and applied for through their Member Portal.
Apply for or renew your officials licence, enrol in modules, and view your licence in the Motorsport Australia app. Free, and separate from anything ARDC runs.
No to both. Enthusiasm and an ability to think on your feet are the only real prerequisites. Your first event is worked under direct supervision by design, and ARDC pairs you with a buddy for your first few meetings — “officials tend to like to help newbies, as they very clearly all remember their own first experiences.”
Yes. Motorsport Australia is the regulatory body for motorsport in Australia and issues officials licences — you need a current one to officiate at any Motorsport Australia sanctioned event. The good news is that it is free, the training is free, and you can apply online in about the time it takes to make a coffee. If you would rather try before you commit, complete the On The Day Officials Sign Up Form at an event: a senior official signs a tear-off slip that acts as your licence for thirty days. (Older ARDC material refers to “CAMS” — that was the previous name, changed in 2020.)
Nothing. Obtaining a Motorsport Australia officials licence does not incur any cost, and neither does any of the training made available to you. Motorsport Australia’s own words: “Participation and access to some of the biggest events of the year is free! All that’s required is your time.”
It depends on the role. Motorsport Australia sets minimums of 12 for event administration, 14 for non-competition areas and timekeeping, and 16 for anything alongside the competition surface — so flag points, grid and pit lane are 16 and up. Officials under 18 need parent or guardian consent, are always supervised by a licensed adult, and are not permitted to attend incidents. At the other end, Motorsport Australia accredits officials up to the age of 85. The youngest official at the 2026 Australian Grand Prix was 15; the oldest was 82.
Sign-on begins at 7am and cars are normally on track by 9am. Most racing days conclude around the 4.30–5pm mark, though special events vary. Most meetings run Saturday and/or Sunday and you choose which days you attend — you do not have to do both, and you can change your availability if your circumstances change. In practice, most officials end up doing both because they want to.
To start with, all we ask is that you are covered from wrist to neck to ankles — jeans and a flame-retardant top that does not clash with a flag colour. Closed, sturdy footwear. Bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, ear protection, leather gloves, a whistle, a pen and notepad, any personal medication, and clothing for whatever the weather does. Once you have been with us a few meetings and decided this is for you, we issue official shirts. What you need beyond that depends on the area you choose — just ask.
Coffee and tea at breakfast, with the ever-popular mini muffins making an appearance. Lunch comes in an esky bag and we try to keep you hydrated all day. After the event — or on the Saturday night of a two-day meeting — there is a BBQ, so you can stay and talk about the day over a beer, a wine or a cold soft drink. Officials get a dedicated parking area as close to sign-on as we can manage, plus an official car pass for your windscreen so you get in quickly.
When you register your availability, a season hard card is issued to you. You also receive a guest card so you can bring a friend along — they cannot work with you on the day, but they can come and enjoy the event.
Officiating at ARDC club events is volunteer work and does not pay a wage. What it does give you is entry to motorsport events for free, a position most people never get to stand in, a genuine part in something much bigger than yourself, lifetime friendships with fellow motorsport tragics, and more good days than you would expect. Some senior appointments elsewhere in the sport are remunerated under a Motorsport Australia scale — but that is not what a race weekend at Eastern Creek is.
Accredited officials are covered by Motorsport Australia public liability and personal accident insurance while on duty at an event, and while travelling directly to and from home or work. Two conditions matter: you must hold a current officials licence, and the policy is only activated by signing on at the event. That is why sign-on is non-negotiable. Motorsport Australia is explicit that the personal accident policy is a support benefit rather than full income replacement, and additional cover can be arranged through their broker.
Motorsport carries risk and we do not pretend otherwise — as ARDC’s own officials FAQ puts it, “this is a dangerous sport and that fact cannot be forgotten.” That is exactly why the structure exists: mandatory briefings, a post meeting that agrees escape routes and who carries what before anything happens, marshals remaining behind the first line of protection unless Race Control directs otherwise, and direct supervision on your first event. Motorsport Australia’s briefing is unambiguous: “If you are asked to do something which compromises your safety, you should NOT do it” unless it can be done safely.
Yes. Motorsport Australia has made a Working With Children Check (or Working With Vulnerable People Check) mandatory for all officials in every state and territory except Western Australia. In NSW you apply through the Office of the Children’s Guardian, and it is free for volunteers. You will be asked for the check number and expiry as part of your licence application.
A dedicated membership tier the ARDC created to thank its officials. It carries every Enthusiast benefit plus officials-only extras — thank-you events, the Officials Cocktail Party, the Officials Christmas Party, official clothing, the officials point score with a cash prize, and the Milestone Recognition Program. It also carries full ARDC voting rights, which the entry-level Enthusiast tier does not. It is offered at $50, and is free to officials who work a minimum number of events in a calendar year. Request an Availability Form from the office on 02 9672 1000 or reception@ardc.com.au.
As far as you want. The grade ladder runs General → Bronze → Silver → Gold across thirteen roles, and you can hold different grades in different categories at once. ARDC officials have gone on to senior positions at the Bathurst 1000 and the Formula 1 Australian Grand Prix, and two Australian Officials of the Year appear on the ARDC officials point score. Interstate and overseas events are genuinely open to you — the sky really is the limit.
Somebody stood at every post you have ever watched a race past. The licence is free, the training is free, the first day is supervised, and the next ARDC meeting is at Eastern Creek. Bring a friend — we will card them too.
