On June 15, 2013 I corner worked for WMRRA as one of my requirements that needed to be met for graduating. I came to the 7am meeting completely unaware of what my duties would be for the day and hoping that nothing would happen that would require me to jump into action. Corner working is purely by volunteers and there is a group of individuals that seem to know each other quite well and are very knowledgeable about what to do in any given situation. This core group were what appeared to be regulars and were very knowledgeable about procedures and how to handle each incident. I however knew absolutely nothing so when the captain said I would be working as an active in a corner part of me was freaking out with what that responsibility would entail. Craig Johnson, the Corner Captain, gave me a bright yellow vest, a radio and headset and we filled our arms with water and snacks to take to our stations which we were assigned. To my relief, I found Mel, “a regular” at my station and she filled me in on what the duties were with more detail. Then came time for the morning practices, if you have never corner worked, consider doing it sometime. It is a thrill to have some of the best seats in the house and watch racers of every class compete.

During one of the practices, the vintage and 250 class, one of the racers highsided through my corner landing head first into the dirt and gravel. I was looking up the turn while Mel was in charge of looking down the turn, where the accident happened and as soon as it occurred, she called it in to control. We were all told to red flag the track and get the racers off and prepare to get an emergency vehicle on the track, thus waving the ambulance flag to alert racers of a 4 wheeled vehicle on track. This all happened within seconds, the chatter on the radio was short and concise, everyone knew what to do and he was attended to immediately. Due to his injuries, he was airlifted to Harborview and we watched as the helicopter landed on the track to transport him. However, this would not be the last time they would be called. After lunch, Formula Ultra races started the actual race day and we watched these guys navigate the corners with just speed and skill it made me feel like a complete sissy. One lap completed and racers were starting lap 2 when all of a sudden a voice on the radio said to clear the track that there was a crash on the straight away and there were shattered pieces of bike everywhere. My heart just stopped, I could not believe that another racer went down. These men are incredible riders, people I would trust with my life, how could this happen? The man who went down was an expert racer and I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. He was also airlifted to Harborview and my thoughts are with him and his family at this time. Again, these individuals knew exactly what to do and he was on his way in minutes after the helicopter arrived.

The one thing I took away from this tragic day was that I was in great hands with this organization, that each and every person that is a part of WMRRA is, was or has known a rider and does this because they care. They take their jobs seriously and they make sure everything runs like it should, being on the other side of it all helps bring it into perspective. I have a deep appreciation for all the people that make up this organization and all that they do to ensure that this sport can continue as safely as possible. They don’t tolerate arrogance and ignorance, they will revoke your license if you break rules. As racers, we are a reflection of this organization, what we do directly impacts how people feel about WMRRA. I am proud to be a member and racing with them.

If you are interested in corner working, it does have benefits. They feed you throughout the day and you can get passes for Taste of Racing the next race, you usually can’t get back in time to man your corner if you attend Taste of Racing the same day so they discourage it. Visit www.wmrra.com and go to Racing and then from pull down hit corner workers to find out how to volunteer. It is an experience you won’t soon forget!